How to Launch and Build a Successful Career in Canada

Join us for:

How to Launch and Build a Successful Career in Canada

Date: November 26, 2024 (Tuesday)

Time: 2:00 to 5:00pm

Location: 18 King St East, 14th Floor, Room 31

Lemonext, the youth club of the popular "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade" podcast, invites three successful professionals across various industries to share their career journeys and provide you with valuable insights and strategies on how to navigate the job market, build a strong professional network, and achieve success in your career.

Whether you are a recent graduate, newcomer, or looking to advance your career, this event is for you! Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from industry experts and connect with like-minded individuals. Reserve your spot now!

• Michelle Liu: Director of Digital Product Management, Sanofi
• Ben Wise: Head of Programmatic Media, Google Canada
• Dolly Shao: Marketing Instructor of Schulich Business School

• Hua Yu: Managing Partner, Level5 Strategy; Creator and Co-host of "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade" podcast

• Michelle currently serves as a Director of Digital Product Management at Sanofi, a leading French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company. In her role, she focuses on enhancing organizational efficiency in the management and utilization of software assets while championing digital transformation initiatives.
• Before joining Sanofi, Michelle accumulated a decade of diverse experience in both consulting and fintech. She has advised major financial institutions on AI strategy and spearheaded the BizOps and customer success function creation for a medium-sized fintech during the post-M&A phase. Additionally, she acted as the North America fintech engagement lead at Mastercard, where she played a pivotal role in launching products on a global scale for one of the fastest-growing fintech companies, achieving a 10x increase in service revenue within 16 months.
• Michelle’s passion extends beyond her professional achievements. She is deeply committed to early talent development and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration at the nexus of data, digital, and design. This dedication is exemplified by her community engagement, including founding the nonprofit organization “Analytics by Design.” She enjoys making podcasts, contemporary dance, and wellness.

• Ben Wise is a digital marketing and sales leader currently working on programmatic ad technology at Google. Ben works closely with the biggest agencies and brands across Canada to help achieve the best performance from advertising investment.
• Ben is the co-founder of Captivate, helping you improve your skills of persuasion by leveraging psychology and behavioural science. In addition to the monthly newsletter, Ben is a regular speaker at industry events, conferences and corporate trainings.
• Ben is active in the community where he serves on the board of directors of the Daily Bread Food Bank, mentors young professionals in media and tech, and advises multiple early stage startups on sales and growth.

• Dolly has nearly 20 years of experience in strategic partnership development and brand marketing consulting in both China and Canada. She has provided services to many well-known companies, including Holt Renfrew, Shoppers Drug Mart, Huggies, Jack Daniels, Chatime, Allstate, Simplii, Porsche, and the Schulich School of Business, among others.
• Dolly is currently a marketing instructor for Schulich Business School and has provided career guidance and coaching to hundreds of international students.
• Dolly actively serves the community and currently holds positions as a Philanthropic Cabinet Member at the Southlake Foundation, Marketing Committee Leader at the Federation of Asian Canadians Toronto, and Director at the Toronto Chinese Media Professional Association.
• Dolly holds an IMBA degree from the Schulich School of Business and an undergraduate degree from the East China University of Political Science and Law.

• With over 35 years of professional experience in marketing, finance, and management consulting in Canada, the US, and China, Hua is highly regarded as a Canadian industry leader in multicultural strategy and a trailblazing role model for women professionals of all backgrounds.
• Hua is the Managing Partner of Level5 Strategy, Canada's leading strategy consulting firm. Throughout her consulting career, Hua has worked with a diverse clientele, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, private enterprises, and start-ups, covering various sectors such as finance, retail, fashion, manufacturing, education, non-profit, and consumer packaged goods.
• Hua's accomplishments in the Professional Service category earned her the Mandarin Profile Award. In 2021, she was named a finalist for the Canada China Business Council's 5 of 50 initiative, recognizing individuals across five categories for their contributions to Canada's success over the past 50 years. Her leadership achievements were also recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Toronto for 2023 and 2024 by Women We Admire.
• In 2022, Hua launched the popular Chinese language podcast "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade (柠檬变成柠檬水)". The podcast discusses current business cases and phenomena, primarily focusing on sharing strategies to transform challenges into opportunities. Since its inception, "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade" has consistently ranked among the top three Chinese language podcast programs in the marketing category on Apple Podcasts in Canada, and has been ranked as one of the top 1% most popular podcasts globally by Listen Notes!

Host or Publisher "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade" Podcast