Event Speakers
Bob McDonald
Host of CBC's 'Quirks & Quarks'
Bob McDonald is one of Canada’s best-known science journalists, bringing science to the public for more than 40 years. In addition to hosting Quirks & Quarks, the award-winning science program that is heard by 500,000 people each week, Bob is also a science correspondent for CBC TV’s The National, and host and writer of the children’s series Heads Up!.
Bob has written and hosted numerous television documentaries and more than 100 educational videos in Canada and the United States. He has also written five bestselling science books, and contributed to numerous textbooks, magazines, and newspapers, including The Globe and Mail. His latest book is An Earthling’s Guide to Space, published in 2022.
An Officer of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, Bob has been honoured with the Michael Smith Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; the Sir Sanford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute; and the McNeil Medal from The Royal Society of Canada.
Bob also won a 2008 Gemini Award for Best Host in a Pre-School, Children’s or Youth Program or Series.
In 2015, asteroid 332324 was officially named Bobmcdonald in his honour by the International Astronomical Union.
Last but not least, Bob holds twelve honorary doctorates from Canadian universities.
Gilad Cohen
Artist, Creator, Public Speaker, Founder - JAYU
Gilad is a Toronto-based artist specializing in portraiture, as well as travel and event photography. Since 2008, Gilad has also worked as a community mobilizer with a focus on connecting audiences to urgent and compelling human rights stories through multimedia arts.
In 2012, Gilad founded JAYU, an award-winning Toronto-based charity that serves the arts community through the annual Human Rights Film Festival+, The Hum, a human rights podcast which he produces and co-hosts, as well as the iAM Program, an initiative that provides arts and social justice mentorship to more than 200 equity-deserving youth from across the GTA each year.
Gilad is deeply passionate about mental health, often speaking about it publicly and advocating for better practices in the arts and non-profit sectors. In 2020, this led him to shifting his organization to a 4-day work-week, extended paid sick and vacation leave, and more.
He is an alumna of the Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab and the Rothschild Fellowship at Cambridge University in the UK. He has sat on the Board of Directors for several arts and human rights charities including Global Youth Volunteer Network, Scarborough Arts, and RISE Edutainment. He currently sits on the Board of HanVoice, Canada’s largest North Korean human rights advocacy group.
Nikolas Badminton
Futurist, Researcher, Keynote Speaker, and Media Producer
Nikolas is a global futurist that mentors top executives and the highest levels of government to explore desirable futures, anticipate unforeseen risks, and strengthen strategic planning.
He has spent 30+ years working with leadership at over 300 leading organizations at the frontline of foresight, strategy and disruption – including NASA, United Nations, Google, Microsoft, Intel, WM, United Way, Bayer, American Express, Bank of Canada, Rolls Royce, Procter & Gamble, IDEO, US Department of State, UK Home Office and many more.
Nikolas’ #1 best selling book ‘Facing Our Futures’– released internationally on Bloomsbury Business – helps executives ignite curiosity and embrace futures thinking. The result is future preparedness, better strategic planning, more profit and 2x growth.
Nikolas’ essential research has been featured by the BBC, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Business Insider, Forbes, Sunday Telegraph and many others. He appears on SIRIUSXM and CTV regularly, was a key advisor to the ‘Age of AI’ series with Robert Downey Jr, and appears in the Franklin Institute’s series ‘2050’.
Ted Nolan
Former NHL Player/Coach, Co-Founder - 3NOLANS
Ted Nolan, born on the Garden River First Nation in 1958, learned resilience from his parents in a humble home without electricity or plumbing. His mother instilled pride in his heritage and a belief in chasing dreams. This upbringing shaped Ted’s character, and he now values pride, strength, and dream-chasing as key to success.
Ted’s hockey journey began in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he played minor hockey and later joined the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 1976. His passion, skill, and determination led to his selection in the 1978 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He played for the Red Wings and celebrated a Calder Cup Championship with their minor league team before a career-ending back injury at age 26.
After retirement in 1986, Ted transitioned into coaching. His tenure with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 1989 marked the start of his coaching career, and he went on to lead the team to three consecutive Memorial Cup appearances, winning in 1993. He later coached in the NHL with the Hartford Whalers, Buffalo Sabres (with a Jack Adams Award win in 1997), and the NY Islanders. He also had international coaching success, guiding the Latvian Men’s National Ice Hockey Team to the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Ted emphasizes that hockey is his profession, not his identity, and he’s grateful for the opportunities it has provided. He takes pride in being a positive role model for First Nations people across Canada.
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