Jan 28 : Great discussion last evening about the state of AI adoption, with Philippe Gryc (HEI, MIT, HBS), Principal Technology Strategist at Lantern  –  key takeaways ⬇️

🔵 Philippe vividly reinforced the following point, which has been widely reported lately: While everyone has been experimenting with AI over the past couple of years, 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 / 𝗥𝗢𝗜.

🟠 The 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗢𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝘀. 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀... unfortunately, it's usually the more visible customer-facing stuff that gets the funding 💰.

🔵 Another reinforcement of a widely-reported trend: 𝗔𝗜-𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗘𝗢-𝗹𝗲𝗱 i.e. it's not a CIO initiative anymore (or someone else's). And that's a good thing.

🟠 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀, as each silo is experimenting with AI... within its confines. Yet, for true AI transformation, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

​Thank you Philippe for a great Presentation ( available below ) . Exceptional turnout with 97 registrations ! Great jobs from our University Managers ( especially HEC Paris and Arts et Metiers ) as well as Estelle Chen , President of French Tech Toronto for introducing Philippe and taking great pics ( see below ) 

Nov 26, 2025 : this year we had an amazing selection of finalist entrepreneurs as well as a top notch jury , MC and guests . Amazing turnout with 161 registration. Thank you all for making it another success and congratulations to Clement (ENS) for winning both awards ​. See you next year !

On Oct 29, 2025, Audrey Heurzeau (EDHEC) , CFO Rexel Canada , gave us a really interesting talk about "Rexel, where Electrification meets Sustainability". Super interesting to discover what this large electrical material distributor ( $2 billion in sales and over 2,000 employees in Canada ) is working on with its customers . Thank you Audrey. Pictures below

How do people really respond to change? In this keynote, Edmond Mellina (Centrale Marseille), President and Co-Founder of Orchango,  introduced the Six Change Personas™ — a powerful framework that reveals our emotional responses to transformation. More info at ​https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7378457428352425984/ 
Thank you Edmond for this great workshop and for your great support !

9 out of 10 Canadians have Lactalis products in their fridge — but ask them about Lactalis, and most wouldn’t know the name.
 
Yesterday, we had the chance to have as our monthly keynote speaker   Muriel Raguenaud ( AgroTech Paris , HEC Paris ) , VP Desserts at Lactalis Canada
 
What struck us was how much stronger the brand recognition is compared to the corporate identity. Everyone knows Kraft, Astro, Cracker Barrel, Siggi’s, or Lactancia… but very few connect them back to Lactalis, the biggest dairy companies in the world.

Thank you Muriel for your time and for the delicious Marie Morin cremes brulees ... Pictures below 

​On May 27th, we had Anna Yu (EDHEC) from Destination Toronto present Toronto’s thriving visitor economy. Lots of great take-aways about our City. Thank you Anna . Resources available online at :
​Office website for travel inspiration:  https://www.destinationtoronto.com/ 
Research & Insights Hub—ongoing market intelligence, sentiment studies, and trend reports: https://www.destinationtoronto.com/research/
2024 Annual Report—our whole year in review, with detailed economic impact and performance metrics: https://toronto.visme.co/view/z4qxopo1-2024-annual-report#s1
Membership Sign-Up—learn about our tiers and join Destination Toronto to boost your visibility and influence: https://www.destinationtoronto.com/about-us/work-with-us/membership-sign-up/

On April 30th , 2025, Thomas Pailloux (Centrale) , Project Director at Aecon and Olivier Cauvin (Centrale Supelec) , Director at Ontario Power Generation for this exciting talk through the Canadian and Ontario energy context, the perspective on nuclear energy and the growth of Small Modular Reactors in Canada and globally. Record breaking attendance with 88 registrations . Special thanks to Guillaume Marbach ( Polytechnique) , Project Direct at Aecon,  for introducing the event

The Architecture of Wealth: Strategies for Tax Mitigation.

Wealth isn’t just about growth, it’s about safeguarding your assets.  Derrick Abraham and Ron Haik, Wealth Advisors from Nicola Wealth, broke down the current economic landscape and its impact on businesses and individuals.

Economic uncertainty and rising tariffs can disrupt wealth, but strategic planning ensures your financial security—whether you're managing cross-border assets, moving assets to Canada, navigating Canadian tax regulations as a dual citizen, or making key inheritance decisions.

Please find the slides attached. Thank you Ron and Derrick for a great event and for the complimentary food and beverages 

AAGEF Ontario event brought us together to explore one of today’s most relevant topics: the intersection of business and politics.

With an insightful introduction by Thomas Chanzy (Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV)) and a thought-provoking presentation by Ken Chan (Optimus SBR , ESCP Business School ), we dove deep into how businesses navigate policy and strategy in Canada 

Key takeaways from the discussion:
✅ Lobbying isn’t a dirty word—it’s about engagement, education, and alignment between businesses and policymakers.
✅ Canadian companies must be proactive in advocating for policies that support innovation, economic growth, and competitive advantage.
✅ Relationships matter. Business leaders who build trust with government officials are more likely to influence meaningful change.

This session, based on an ESCP Business School study with insights from 35 business leaders and 30 policymakers, highlighted the strategic importance of public affairs in today’s shifting global landscape. Presentation below