MEDIA ADVISORY - Toronto Homecoming Welcomes Home 100 Canadian Leaders and Innovators

TORONTO, June 8, 2011 /CNW/ - On June 9, Toronto Homecoming will launch its four-day conference to encourage talented Canadian professionals living abroad to return home to Toronto and explore job opportunities within the city region.

The event is designed to attract and retain emerging leaders back to Toronto and to help them reconnect and expand their personal and professional networks. The program will showcase the professional and social opportunities available to those interested in returning to Toronto.

WHAT:				Toronto Homecoming 2011 is a four-day conference running from June 9 to June 12. The conference will include networking sessions, workshops, addresses by Toronto business leaders, city tours and discussion panels with past attendees.
WHY:				Studies indicate that Toronto loses a significant number of young professionals every year to jobs in the United States and abroad. A research report published last year by Toronto Homecoming shows that career opportunities are the number one factor that drive young professionals to leave Toronto and stay abroad. Attracting talented people to live and work in Toronto will ultimately drive innovation, improving productivity and the standard of living not only in the Toronto region, but in the broader Canadian economy as well.
WHO:				Close to 100 highly talented professionals with a connection to Toronto will be participating in a series of events designed to help them return to the city.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Opening Reception
  
  

WHEN:				Thursday, June 9, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
WHERE:				Royal Bank Plaza, 200 Bay Street, South Tower, 40th floor

GUEST SPEAKERS: Andrew Graham and Eva Wong Scanlan, Co-Chairs, Toronto  Homecoming; Morten Friis, Chief Risk Officer, RBC; Michael Thorek, Thorek/Scott and  Partners; Catherine Chandler-Crichlow, Executive Director, Centre of Excellence in  Financial Services Education (COE) Toronto Financial Services Alliance; Mitzie Hunter,  Co-Chair, Emerging Leaders Network and Chief Administrative Officer, Toronto  Community Housing

• Welcome Breakfast and Discussion Sessions
  
  

WHEN:				Friday, June 10, 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (sessions begin at 8:05 a.m.)
WHERE:				The Toronto Board of Trade 1 First Canadian Place, 77 Adelaide Street West

GUEST SPEAKERS: Carol Wilding, President and CEO, Toronto Board of Trade;  David Whitaker, President and CEO, Tourism Toronto; Ilse Treurnicht, CEO, MaRS  Discovery District; Linda Nugent, Thorek/Scott (Chair); Jeff Freeborough, Caldwell  Partners; Larry Ross, Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions; Michael Battista, Jordan  Battista LLP; Tara Veysey & Sandra Boyd, Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions;  Farhan Thawar, Xtreme Labs; Michael Deane, All Points Relocation

• Networking Event with the Emerging Leaders Network
  
  

WHEN:				Friday, June 10, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
WHERE:				University of Toronto, Massey College, 4 Devonshire Place

GUEST SPEAKERS: Andrew Masson, Director, Corporate Human Resources, Rogers  Communications Inc; Christina Sass-Kortsak, Assistant Vice-President, Human  Resources, University of Toronto; Tamara Balan, Project Director, Greater Toronto  CivicAction Alliance

About Toronto Homecoming:
Toronto Homecoming is an initiative of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance's Emerging Leaders Network. As a group of volunteers, its goal is to attract and retain emerging leaders & innovators to Toronto and to ensure that Toronto remains a viable choice in an increasingly challenging global market for talent. The Toronto Homecoming held its first signature Toronto Homecoming event in June 2010. Further details available at: www.torontohomecoming.ca.

 

 

For further information:

Matt Gierasimczuk
Toronto Homecoming
647-992-7782
[e-mail]

Paul Yeung
Toronto Homecoming
416-454-8295
[e-mail]