Speaker Series Designed to Inspire Business Leaders (The Haldimand Press)

By Submission to The Haldimand Press

October 16, 2025

BRANTFORD—An upcoming speaker series aims to inspire local business leaders to take a fresh look at what it means to create a supportive and inclusive workplace.

During October and November, four events will be held across the Grand Erie and Waterloo regions, with each event featuring a speaker who will offer strategies to build dynamic workplaces that embrace and empower all employees.

“Real inclusion doesn’t exclude anyone,” said Danette Dalton, Executive Director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie, lead organizer of the speaker series. “Inclusive workplaces value and respect every person and every age demographic – that’s how you build trust and community.”

Dalton said that inclusion has become increasingly politicized, sometimes leading to division and hopelessness, rather than building unity and trust.

“We’re hopeful that people who attend these talks walk away with deeper empathy, broader understanding, and actionable strategies for building workplace teams where everyone feels like they belong,” she said.

      The four speakers are:

• Sky McLaughlin, a consultant who helps business leaders to create a workplace culture of belonging. October 22 at the Wilkin Family Community Centre, 169 Grand River St. N., Brant County.
• Nicki Straza, who will speak about nurturing a workplace where every generation can flourish. November 12, Six Nations Polytechnic – Brantford Campus, 411 Elgin St.
• Michael Schiel, who empowers business teams to achieve peak performance through high performance coaching and neuroscience. November 12, Hampton Inn & Suites, St. Jacob’s, as part of the Growing the Workforce Conference.
• Keka Dasgupta, a marketing/PR expert who will speak about breaking down barriers in the workplace. Also featuring Dr. Oliver Masakure of Wilfrid Laurier University. November 27, Lighthouse Theatre, 247 Main St., Port Dover.

You can register for some or all of these events by checking out the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie’s social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Blue Sky) or going to Beacons.ai/wpbge. (Edit: you can also click on the link below).

The Inclusive Speaker Series is sponsored by Brant County, Norfolk County, Lighthouse Festival Theatre, Brant Human Resources Network, Six Nations Polytechnic, Wilfrid Laurier University, the Brant County Chamber of Commerce, Ladies Who Lead, Cornerstone Capital Financial Group, and the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie. 

This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.