SCHEDULE
9:30-10:00 | Check in @ Azrieli Pavilion 4th Floor
10:10 | Welcome @ Tory Building 360
10:15-11:00 | Barbara Spanton
11:15-12:00 | Rick Shean
12:15-1:15 | Lunch @ Azrieli Pavilion
1:30-2:15 | Gabriella Schnarr
2:30- 3:15 | Zak Adref
3:30-4:15 Break
4:15- 4:45 | Portfolio Panel @ Azrieli Pavilion
4:45 | Portfolio Review
9:30-10:00 | Check in @ Azrieli Pavilion 4th Floor
10:10 | Welcome @ Tory Building 360
10:15-11:00 | Anthony Morgan
11:15-12:00 | Dean Johnson
12:15- 1:15 | Lunch @ Azrieli Pavilion
1:30- 2:15 | Ignacio Osorio
2:30- 3:15 | Helena
3:30- 4:45 | Workshop
4:45- 5:00 | Break
5:00- 6:00 | Discussion Panel @ Azrieli Pavilion
6:00 | Closing statements
Speakers
Dean Johnson
P.Eng., ICD.D | MIP
His previous leadership roles include CEO Alpine Building Services, CEO Sodexo North American, CEO Grainger Canada, CEO Sodexo Canada, President Compass Canada, and President Trammell Crow Company Canada.
Dean is a Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Business Management Certificate from the University of Calgary. He’s also a graduate of the Directors Education Program from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
He serves on the Advisory Board of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, member of the Finance, Investments & Property Committee for Wilfred Laurier University, and has previously served on the Board of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and Catalyst Canada.
Dean was featured in Undercover Boss Canada (S4 E4). In 2014, Dean was honoured with the Bay Street Pride At Work Canada Advocate Award and the Catalyst Canada Honours Champion Award. These awards go to the best transformational leaders who have driven an increase in the representation of women and visible minorities in the workplace and recognize Dean as a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusiveness.
Gabriella Schnarr
UX Designer | Alludo
Gabriella is a User Experience (UX) Designer and user-centered design advocate. She graduated from Carleton’s Industrial Design program in 2021 and is currently a UX Designer at Alludo working on the flagship product, CorelDRAW. She believes good products come from good research and that user feedback is critical throughout the design process. Striking a balance between user and business demands, tight timelines, and technological limitations is a set of challenges Gabriella embraces daily. As someone who is new to the industry, Gabriella is always looking for more opportunities to grow her craft and is continuously working to understand business processes to make her team more efficient.
Anthony Morgan
Department Head of Technology, Trades, and co-op | Vanier
Anthony Morgan is currently a Department Head of Technology, Trades, and co-op at a secondary school in Vanier. He practiced in Toronto and studied Industrial Design at the Ontario College of Art and Design. When it comes to where he sees design, he perceives it in wayfinding, the built environment, landscapes, architecture, and, of course, products. His favorite consultations around design are about social psychology and consumer behavior.
His former work experience is varied: landscaper, cook for about seven years, working in a library for five years, retail layout designer, freelance Graphic Designer, and Artist. He also worked for the YMCA and for his university's health and wellness office in communications and advertising.
His last job title in design was Map Designer in Waterloo, Ontario, at a company that essentially converted 2D floor plans into 3D interactive maps of interiors ranging from libraries, campuses, stadiums, and malls
Barbara Spanton
UX Designer | Varian Medical Systems
With over 20 years of experience in the UX Design field, Barb has contributed to our ever-evolving industry in a range of capacities. For the past 12+ years, Barb has been using a human-centered approach with cross-disciplinary teams to tackle some of healthcare’s most challenging problems. Currently leading a global UX team at Varian Medical Systems, her focus is on products and services that will enable the delivery of cancer treatment to patients around the globe. Constantly advocating for the user in product and strategy decisions, Barb strives to bring real user insights and make them relatable to entire teams. She’s also working on increasing UX maturity across her organization, so all disciplines are working together on delivering great products that truly help clinicians and patients.
Highly active in the UX community, Barb has organized and spoken at a range of industry events, and she has taught and mentored the next generation of designers who are just entering the industry, so there’s enough of us to do this challenging work.
Ignacio Osorio
2D Lead | ODD
Ignacio Osorio is an Art Director and Motion Designer known for crafting memorable and high quality visuals. He has received multiple awards for his work including two News & Documentary Emmys for Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction.
Ignacio started his career as a Graphic Designer in Mexico City. After moving to London, England in 2016, he became Head of Motion Graphics for CNN International. Today, Ignacio is based in Ottawa and works as 2D Lead for New York based motion studio ODD
Rick Shean
Architect | Shean Architects
Rick Shean, hailing from the vibrant theatre town of Stratford, Ontario, embarked on a diverse journey that shaped his passion for art, architecture, and design. Initially, Rick worked as a stone mason and in concrete pouring, fueling his hands-on approach to creativity. In 1998, he earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Carleton University, setting the stage for a career in crafting spaces.
Post-graduation, Rick thrived as a Set Designer in Montreal, contributing to major film productions for Paramount, Universal, and Columbia Pictures. His global wanderings led him to participate in designing schools and teachers' residences in the Himalayan region of India, enriching his perspective of light and texture.
Returning to Ottawa, after working for various firms, Rick established Shean Architects in 2017. The firm's ethos revolves around seamlessly blending natural elements into modern spaces, guided by an unwavering commitment to site-specific contexts, harmonious synthesis of the natural environment, and thoughtful manipulation of light.
Shean Architects, a multidisciplinary Canadian studio, proudly calls Ottawa home, infusing beauty into the world through innovative designs.
Helena Achia
Industrial + Environmental Graphic Designer
Helena Achia is an industrial + environmental graphic designer with 20+ experience designing for the built environment. Her niche has developed to encompass projects that require highly custom design solutions – sensitive to the unique nature of each project site, objectives, stakeholders, and to the ever-changing cultural climate of our times.
During her decade working as a freelancer (2012 – 2022), Helena contributed to the design of messaging components for several significant commemorative signs, including the 'National Holocaust Memorial', 'Royal Canadian Navy Monument', and 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier'. She has produced custom exhibits for the Library of Parliament, Rideau Hall, Museum of History, Plaza Bridge amongst many others.
Helena is happy to be working as part of a multi-disciplinary design team again in her position at the NCC (2022 – present). She is honored to work alongside First Nations Representatives in the development of the Interpretation for 'Kiweki Point', and in collaboration with the LGBT Purge Fund in the development of the Interpretation for the '2SLGTBQI+ National Monument'. She is in her element working alongside urban planners, storytellers, architects, LA’s, and engineers on projects that will continue to shape Canada’s Capital for decades to come.
Zakaria Adref
Performance Footwear Designer | Rebook
Zakaria Adref, a graduate of Carleton University's School of Industrial Design, currently holds the position of Performance Footwear Designer at Reebok. With a diverse background in soft products, Zakaria has accumulated experience in designing products such as technical apparel, bags, boxing gloves, training equipment, headgear, and footwear. His experience extends to working with brands such as Adidas, Marvel, Hayabusa, John Fluevog, Xbox, Mossawi Studios, and more.
Fueled by a profound passion for sports, Zakaria is dedicated to enhancing the athlete's experience by navigating the balance between comfort and design for performance.