As Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies in the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the 2026 Lang Grad Conference. This year, we are thrilled to bring together our talented Lang graduate students from various programs, alongside valued alumni and members of the Guelph business community, for a dynamic program of workshops, lectures, inspiring keynotes, and valuable networking opportunities.
At the globally ranked Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, our bold mission is to use business as a force for good. This year's conference strongly reflects this commitment, and we are particularly excited to feature a variety of speakers on the topic of sustainable business in a globalized world, ranging from day-to-day operations of a company to bigger picture brand consciousnesses.
The conference will showcase the expertise of Lang faculty whose research and teaching directly support our mission of developing leaders with a social conscience, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a deep commitment to their communities. I am personally looking forward to engaging with our students, alumni, faculty, scholars, researchers, and industry partners at this year’s event. We are united in our dedication to building a better world through business, fostering purpose-driven leaders, and generating innovative ideas that drive positive change.
I eagerly anticipate a stimulating and insightful conference and look forward to seeing you all in May!
Dr. Sean Lyons
AssociateDean,ResearchandGraduateStudies
Gordon S. Lang School of Business and
University of Guelph
Economics
Schedule – Sunday, May 3rd
A map of all conference locations is available at the end of the booklet.
3:30pm –
5:00pm Check In at University of Guelph East Town House Residences
5:00pm –
6:00pm
6:00pm –
8:00pm
Exclusive Event for 2026 Cohorts: MBA, MA Leadership and Master of Project Management students – Meet Your Peers Creelman Hall
All Attendees – Welcome Reception and Dinner Creelman Hall
Schedule – Monday, May 4th
7:30am –8:45am Breakfast
2025 MA Leadership at PJ’s Restaurant (AllotherattendeesatCreelmanHall)
2025 MBA + 2025 MA LEAD
9:00am –
10:00am
Meet the Instructor (ifyourS26Instructoris available to meet , youwillreceivefurtherdetailsvia email)
All 2026 Students How to be a Successful Graduate Student Rozanski 103
Host of TheNatureofThings on CBC, Anthony Morgan is also an entrepreneur, game designer, and Ph.D. researcher based in Toronto who has spent over 20 years dedicated to showing how a research-based, evidence-driven process can radically transform how teams work and think. Anthony began as a host at the Ontario Science Centre, sharing powerful stories and experiences with the public. Since then, he has collaborated with high-profile organizations like the Toronto Maple Leafs, AsapSCIENCE, and CBC's Quirks & Quarks. His experience also includes contributions to Daily Planet, the Royal Ontario Museum, and various municipalities across Canada. He has served on boards and steering committees for both national and local nonprofits.
When facing the most complex issues in our world, there are many daunting challenges to be considered, but one consistent opportunity that always shines through is collaboration - the chance to tackle any challenge and make real change collectively. True collaboration allows organizations and societies to tackle any challenge and create meaningful change. During his session, Anthony will showcase the need for collaboration and break down how we can approach removing barriers to encourage people to work together to build productive teams and innovative solutions for a better life.
Keynote Speakers
Beauty with Purpose: Building a Brand that Creates Change
JennHarper
Jenn is the trailblazing founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics focused on sustainability and supporting Indigenous communities. From its inception in 2015, Jenn has nurtured the company into a B. Corp Certified force, now gracing the shelves of Sephora Canada and 550 JC Penney locations across the USA. Her formidable leadership made sure Cheekbone stood out not only for its stunning products but also for its ethical backbone it became a symphony of transparency, philanthropy, and support for women and youth. To date, over $250,000 has been donated to philanthropic causes, testament to Cheekbone's core values. Regularly sought after for her insights, Jenn weaves her narrative as both a woman and a representative of North America's Indigenous peoples, substantiating the importance of these values in today's business ecosystem. The accolades accruing to Jenn's name bear the weight of her achievements including being named in the 100 Women of Influence by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2022.
Jenn's session will explore how a mission-driven business can simultaneously succeed in a competitive market and create meaningful social impact. Drawing on the journey of building an Indigenous-owned cosmetics brand from concept to national recognition, Jenn examines the integration of cultural values into modern product development.
Presentations
The Conference Kick-Off: Teaming with Joy
Jay Reid (he/him) and Hayley Kellett (she/they) –Facilitators,The MakingBox
The Making-Box offers teams tools to foster adaptability, creativity, and joy at work and in the classroom. Over the last eight years, they have served a wide spectrum of clients including Shopify, Google, RBC, McMaster University, and even a forensics firm.
Dying to Work: The Effect of Near-Death Experiences on Employees' Work Lives
Jamie Gruman (he/him) – Full Professor,GordonS.LangSchoolof BusinessandEconomicsatUniversity ofGuelph
In this session, you're invited into a series of interactive community-building activities inspired by positive psychology, cognitive science, and game-based learning. The aim is to unlock a level of fun and human connection most don’t think possible at a business conference.
Jamie Gruman current research and writing focus is on issues related to consciousness in the workplace. In this presentation Dr. Gruman will discuss his recent publication which concerns neardeath experiences (NDEs). NDEs are mystical-type experiences people have as a result of a close brush with death which can occur as a result of an accident, such as a car crash, or a medical emergency, such as a heart attack. Along with his research assistant, Akierah Binns (PhD Candidate at Lang), Dr. Gruman interviewed employees that have had a NDE, to explore whether and how the experience stimulated changes in their work lives. The results of the study have implications for the workplace well-being and sustainable careers of those who have had NDE’s, and, importantly, those who have not.
Presentations
Sustainable Impact Under Constraint: Frugal Innovation and the SDGs
Cris’ research field examines how organizations pursue sustainability and innovation under resource constraints, with a focus on social entrepreneurship, corporate entrepreneurship, and family business. His work appears in journals such as the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, the Journal of Entrepreneurship, and the Journal of Family Business Management. Beyond academia, he mentors social entrepreneurs globally through the Miller Center’s Global Social Benefit Institute in Silicon Valley.
This session introduces frugal innovation: a practical approach to creating highimpact solutions with minimal resources and shows how it can accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing on real-world examples and hands-on exercises, participants will learn how frugal innovation differs from simple cost-cutting, how to connect frugal principles to SDG targets, and how to design solutions that are feasible in constrained settings.
Work Evolution During Chaos: Preparing for the Future
Dr. Nita Chhinzer is a thought leader on how leaders and managers navigate organizational change during times of uncertainty. As a nationally recognized HR expert, her 25-year career includes a focus on management/HR consulting, workplace specific research, and realworld impact. Armed with an MBA, PhD in HR, and Employment Law certification, Nita also advises organizations on restructuring, uncertainty, change management, decision-making, and evolving leader/manager competencies. Nita brings clarity, credibility, and actionable insight to today’s most pressing workplace challenges.
Work is not just changing; it is being structurally reorganized. This thoughtleadership session examines work evolution during chaos through a threepart lens designed to recalibrate how we interpret modern leadership realities. Attendees will leave better equipped to rethink their leadership identity, adjust how they engage others, and lead in closer alignment with the future of work.
Presentations
Experimenting with Possible Futures:
The SDGs as Design Constraints for Social Intrapreneurs
Elizabeth C. Kurucz(she/her) – Associate Professor,GordonS.LangSchoolof
BusinessandEconomicsatUniversityof Guelph
Elizabeth is an award-winning professor who has led multiple SSHRC funded research projects focused on leadership and organizational practices that enable societal level sustainability transitions. Her areas of interest include the role of leaders as reflective practitioners for change, transformational learning and sustainability, ecosystem-centred design thinking and social innovation and the potential for multi-sector collaboration to catalyze societal learning for sustainability.
During this session, you will be introduced to life-centred design thinking and social innovation that supports flourishing. Through small and large group activities, individuals will explore opportunities for organizations to use the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as ‘design constraints’ and generate solutions to local problems that will promote ecological, social and economic wellbeing. We will consider tools that can assist ‘social intrapreneurs’ in organizations with engaging in this approach through the Inspiration, Ideation and Implementation stages of social innovation.
Ben & Jerry’s: The brand’s quest to go nonGMO in their supply chain
Timothy’s general research interests include brand strategy, business ethics, marketing and public policy, marketing communication and advertising, and sports and entertainment marketing. His research on the marketing of the tobacco industry has led him to serve as an invited consultant for the Attorney General's Office in the state of California, Health Canada, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO).
Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont-based producer of ice cream flavours such as Cherry Garcia, Phish Food and Chocolate Fudge Brownie, is a brand well known for its social consciousness. This session will examine Ben & Jerry’s commitment to becoming non-GMO in its product offering. Our discussion – informed by depth interviews conducted with the brand’s senior management team – will identify challenges the company faced in phasing out GMO ingredients and getting fully compliant suppliers, as well as distinguish whether eliminating GMOs presented greater challenges for certain flavours of the company’s product portfolio.
Presentations
Shock and Strain: Leading Through Acute Crisis and Chronic Disruption
Mark Walton (he/him) –President and CEO , GuelphGeneralHospital
Mark Walton is a senior health system leader in Ontario. As Provincial Lead for Ontario's COVID-19 response, Mark has led teams through high-stakes disruption while keeping care safe, reliable, and compassionate.
In this session, Mark shares practical lessons on managing through crisis: sense-making when information is incomplete, decision quality under pressure, clear communication, psychological safety, and aligning stakeholders to a common aim. He then explores what changes when crisis becomes chronic - when shortages, fiscal constraint, and infrastructure strain become the baseline. Participants will leave with a simple toolkit for leading in prolonged volatility: stabilizing the essentials, avoiding burnout by design, building adaptive capacity, and sustaining trust when the finish line keeps moving.
For-profit and Non-profit Partnerships for Sustainable Development: Pitfalls and Promises
Roberta Hawkins (she/her) – AssociateProfessor,Collegeof SocialandAppliedHumanSciencesat UniversityofGuelph
Roberta’s research expertise includes ethical consumption, digital media and environmental politics. She explores how everyday practices can lead to wider societal and environmental change.
In this talk Dr. Hawkins will share insights from her research on corporate-NGO partnerships and cause-related marketing campaigns aimed at addressing global environmental issues and/or supporting International Development efforts (e.g. clean water provision). These types of partnerships are recognized under the UN Sustainable Development Goal #17 as part of the pathway forwards towards Global sustainable development and may be more important than ever as governments cut aid funding and backtrack on their environmental commitments. Dr. Hawkins will explore the effectiveness of these partnerships in terms of impacts on sustainability and social goals, as well as consumer and employee engagement. She will conclude with evidence-based recommendations for organizations looking to engage in this type of work.
Presentations
Going Silent: The Impacts of Ghosting in Recruitment
WilliamC.Murray (he/him) - Associate Professor,GordonS. LangSchoolofBusiness and Economics at UniversityofGuelph
William Murray is a management educator and researcher with nearly 30 years in academia and industry. His research focuses on workforce sustainability, including employee empowerment, motivation, commitment, and retention. Through his research and experience, he believes valuing people and human experiences isn’t just the right thing to do, but a smart way to operate. William holds a Ph.D. in Management.
Ghosting is a modern phenomenon denoting the abrupt end of interpersonal contact without explanation. It started in the tech-mediated dating space. Didn’t like that date? Delete them and move on. Ghosting is now serious business. Over three-quarters of employers see it as commonplace; nearly two-thirds of job seekers plan to engage in it. The significance of ghosting triggered new legislation in 2025 by the Ontario government. This session explores ghosting from a human perspective, both an expectancy violation and an interactional justice issue, exploring why it happens and its implications.
Student Resources
Athletic Centre
The Athletic Centre on campus is full-service facility available to all students during their stay on campus. Students with a piece of valid ID will be permitted to use the Athletic Centre free of charge for the duration of the conference. Please stop at Client Services desk at the Athletic Centre to sign in before each use.
John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise
Do you have an idea for a new business? Lang's John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise offers funding, mentorship and resources for U of G students and alumni that want to scale up their business idea to the next level. The Wood Centre has helped launch hundreds of startups, all of which provide sustainable solutions to economic, social and environmental problems.
Business Career Development Centre (BCDC)
The Business Career Development Centre provides tailored career assistance to Commerce students at Lang, including mentoring and networking opportunities, one-on-one career coaching, employer workshops and more. Some of their services include:
• Career advising (1:1 with a career advisor)
• Resume and cover letter writing
• Interview preparation and techniques
Connecting with your Cohort
The Lang Grad Conference is the perfect opportunity to get to know your peers and connect with your cohort. Your first opportunity being the Welcome Reception on Sunday where you will not only meet those in the same program but students from other Professional Programs at Lang. This is an opportunity to get acquainted and mingle in a casual, non-academic setting before the conference activities kick-off! You will also have a chance to speak with visiting Alumni on Tuesday about their experiences in the program.
The flexibility of the conference schedule allows folks to choose how to spend their final day of the conference once the conference wraps. For those who choose to spend their evening in Guelph and on campus, this is the perfect time to independently plan an evening, outside the conference schedule, with those new (or old) friendships formed throughout the conference.
Check out these spots on campus in your free time:
• Explore the gardens and trails at The Arboretum
• Get a bite to eat at The Bullring or The Brass Taps
• Purchase some UofG merch (with your conference coupon!) at The Bookstore
If you would like to head off campus, there’s also lots to see and do Downtown Guelph, located a short drive away from the University.
