Young Professionals Leadership Summit 2026
About this Event
🏆 After a sold-out YPLS 2025 and a proven track record of successful in-person and online events across Toronto, YPLS Club proudly presents the Young Professionals Leadership Summit 2026 — bigger, bolder, and more transformational than ever.
You're talented. You're working hard. So why does it feel like you're running in place?
You show up. You deliver. But the promotions, the rooms, the opportunities — they keep landing on someone else. Not because you're not good enough. Because nobody taught you how to lead before you have the title.
The people breaking through aren't smarter. They're better connected, better positioned, and equipped with frameworks you simply haven't been given yet.
That gap? That's exactly what October 3rd is built to close.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2026
📅 Saturday, October 3, 2026
📍 Arcadian Court, 401 Bay St, Toronto, ON
🕤 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
✅ FORGET THE HASSLE. WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING COVERED.
Show up ready to grow — we'll handle the rest. Every ticket includes:
☕ Hot coffee and tea from the moment you arrive
🥐 Light refreshments at every break
🍽️ A fully hosted complimentary lunch
You focus on learning and connecting. We take care of everything else.
WHY YOU CAN'T MISS YPLS 2026
🚀 Accelerate Your Career — Leave with a clear direction, proven leadership frameworks, and a personalized action plan
🤝 Expand Your Network — Connect with emerging leaders, top employers, and decision-makers across tech, finance, energy, HR, and more
💡 Master What's Coming — Stay ahead with panels on AI, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and the future of work
🔥 Build Unshakeable Confidence — Sharpen your story, break through limiting beliefs, and develop the mindset to lead at any level
🪑 CHOOSE YOUR TABLE, CHOOSE YOUR CONVERSATION
Every seat at YPLS 2026 is more than a seat. Our signature Table Leader format puts you face to face with a vetted industry expert who leads real, unscripted conversation at their table all day. Instead of just watching from the audience, you choose the table, the industry, and the expert most relevant to where you want to go next. No slides. No filters. Just direct access to people who've done the work.
Our 2026 Table Leaders come from organizations including:
- RBC
- IBM
- Hydro One
- Toronto Hydro
- Ontario Power Generation (OPG)
- Metrolinx
- Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
- Hatch, Stantec, Schneider Electric
- TD
- Deloitte
- Petro-Canada Lubricants
- Bruce Power
- Northern Transformer
- Cormorant Utility Services
- Brant Municipal Enterprises
- and many more, spanning energy, finance, technology, engineering, transportation, coaching, and entrepreneurship.
WHO THIS IS FOR
- Early-career professionals
- Rising managers and team leads stepping into leadership
- Entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs building something that matters
- High-performers who know that growth requires the right environment — not just hard work
🎤 SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS
Alongside our Table Leaders, YPLS 2026 features keynote speakers and panelists from organizations including Google, Deloitte, AMD, Stantec, Bruce Power, Schneider Electric, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG), and St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto, sharing real insight on leadership, entrepreneurship, and what's next for young professionals.
⚠️ YPLS 2025 sold out. Seats for 2026 are limited.
Don't wait for the right moment. This is it.
Invest in your future. Connect with people who push you forward. Become the catalyst for change at YPLS 2026.
🌐 yplsclub.com | Young Professionals Leadership Society
Main Stream
🕑: 08:00 AM
Door Open
Info: Arrive early, check in, and connect with fellow young professionals over coffee and refreshments.
🕑: 08:45 AM - 09:15 AM
Opening Remarks
Info: Welcome to YPLSummit 2026. Hear from our hosts and First Nation leadership to set the tone for an inspiring day.
🕑: 09:15 AM - 09:45 AM
Speaker 1: Tyler Cerny
Host: Tyler Cerny
Info: What if Math Ain't Mathin?!
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Speaker 2: Neil Bunn
Host: Neil Bunn
Info: What if everything they told you is wrong?
🕑: 10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
Networking
Info: Take a break to meet peers, exchange ideas, and build meaningful professional connections.
🕑: 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM
Panel 1: Leadership
Host: Sameer Lal
Info: Join an exceptional lineup of industry leaders: Chris Smith (Corporate VP, AMD), Arielle Kadoch (VP and Principal Sector Leader, Stantec), Byron House (Senior Director of Major Projects, Bruce Power), Cherie Brant (Partner, Indigenous Law, BLG), Chris Cunningham (VP Major Projects Small Modular Reactors, Ontario Power Generation), Abram Benedict (Ontario Regional Chief), and Amit Kachru (Sales Director, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric). Explore leadership excellence, navigating complex challenges, building high-performing teams, and driving meaningful impact across sectors.
🕑: 11:50 AM - 11:55 AM
Speech: Regional Councillor Alan Ho
Host: Alan Ho
Info: Special remarks from Regional Councillor Alan Ho, City of Markham.
🕑: 12:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Lunch & Networking
Info: Enjoy lunch while continuing conversations with speakers, panelists, and fellow attendees.
🕑: 01:10 PM - 01:55 PM
Speaker 3: Yusuf Khoja
Host: Yusuf Khoja
Info: Resilience and Mental Wellbeing
🕑: 01:55 PM - 02:00 PM
Speech: MPP Michael Tibollo
Host: Michael Tibollo
Info: Special remarks from Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Michael Tibollo.
🕑: 02:20 PM - 03:20 PM
Panel 2: Entrepreneurship
Host: Ash Srivastava
Info: Discover entrepreneurial insights from a diverse group of industry builders: Sara Jane Souliere (Founder, SL Indigenous Advisory Services), Derick Samuel (Franchise Owner, Popeyes Supplements and Founder, Quiktrain Online Fitness Coaching), Chad Randall (5-Time Business Owner and Sales Leadership Expert), Alex Bishop (Partner, Brant Bishop Ventures), Joseph Brant (Partner, Brant Bishop Ventures), Azin Dehmoobad (Engineering Partner, Deloitte), and Sean Yacoub (Senior Energy Infrastructure Executive, Brant Municipal Enterprises). Hear real stories of launching ventures, scaling impact, navigating challenges, and creating economic opportunities across sectors from Indigenous-led initiatives to technology and renewable energy.
🕑: 03:20 PM - 03:50 PM
Speaker 4: Dr. Bobby Yanagawa
Host: Dr. Bobby Yanagawa
🕑: 03:50 AM - 04:00 PM
Closing Remarks
Info: Thank you and final thoughts. Celebrate the connections made and inspiration gained.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Final Networking
Workshop 1: Nada Habib
🕑: 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
Workshop 1: Nada Habib
Host: Nada Habib
Info: Master communication skills and professional behavior to stand out in any workplace.
Workshop 2: Cinthia Olved
🕑: 01:10 PM - 02:30 PM
Workshop 2: Cinthia Olveda
Host: Cinthia Olveda
Info: "Lead Beyond Your Title" - Build influence, trust, and create a career with real impact.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 33.90 to CAD 282.49
