Amanda Lindhout
New York Times Bestselling Author| Expert on Resilience, Survival, and Optimal Mindset

Amanda Lindhout is a sought-after inspirational speaker, trusted by big brands to deliver a life changing, transformational keynote experience. Her New York Times bestselling memoir, A House in the Sky, is being developed into a Hollywood motion picture by heavyweight production company Annapurna, with two-time Oscar nominated actress Rooney Mara playing Amanda.  

A publishing phenomenon, A House in the Sky, has remained a Top Ten bestselling book since it’s release in 2013. Raised by a single mom in a small city, Amanda escaped the violence of her childhood by imagining herself in the pages of National Geographic magazine. As a young woman, Amanda’s curiosity led her to some of the world’s most beautiful and remote places, its most imperilled and perilous countries and then into 15 months of harrowing captivity. Working as a journalist in Somalia, she was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. Amanda spent 460 days as a hostage, surviving on strategy, fortitude and hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.  

Amanda’s unique experiences give her credibility to discuss important issues ranging from countering terrorism to supporting the women’s movement and she regularly appears in the media with her opinion. She has been featured in Vogue, New York Times Magazine, Dateline, The Today Show, Morning Joe, and Anderson Cooper.  

Amanda’s keynote presentations are for audiences of all sizes — from Richard Branson’s living room to an arena of 20,000 — she creates intimacy with the women and men in the room through her emotional, powerful storytelling. Her tale of survival builds suspense and momentum to reveal life changing insights into mind conditioning, including actionable takeaways about reframing stories of pain into power.  

Amanda has travelled to nearly 90 countries. She lives in Calgary, Canada.

David Chilton
Former “Dragon” on CBC TV’s Dragons’ Den | Bestselling Author of The Wealthy Barber

Whether it’s helping millions of Canadians achieve personal financial success or investing in low-fat cookbooks, David Chilton has always had a knack for recognizing great ventures, a skill he proudly leverages as a “dragon” on CBC television’s #1 hit show, Dragons’ Den. Called “charming, unpretentious, and funny,” by The Chicago Sun-Times, David puts his business expertise and life experience to work in his informative and inspiring talks.

David began his career by self-publishing his book The Wealthy Barber in 1989. It was written in 26 months, and was specifically targeted toward those with little investment experience, in order to help them develop positive personal-finance habits. The book has become one of the most popular Canadian books of all time, selling over two million copies since its release.

His second book, also self-published, is The Wealthy Barber Returns, and is yet another runaway Canadian bestseller. David is also the publisher of the bestselling cookbooks Looneyspoons, Crazy Plates, and Eat, Shrink & Be Merry! (working with authors Janet and Greta Podleski).

David is an economics graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University, where he won the award for the highest mark in the country on the Canadian Securities Course. He is a frequent guest on national television and radio shows.

Paul Emanuelli, General Counsel and Managing Director

Paul Emanuelli is an internationally known author and procurement lawyer with over twenty years experience in public procurement. He has an extensive track record of public speaking, publishing and training and was recognized by Who’s Who Legal as one of the top ten public procurement lawyers in the world.

Paul’s portfolio focuses on major procurement projects with an emphasis on technology and public infrastructure. He has in-depth experience advising public bodies on the legal and strategic aspects of institutional governance and supply chain management, developing tendering formats and negotiating commercial transactions.

Paul is currently the Program Director of Osgoode Professional Development’s Certificate in Public Procurement Law and Practice and the Advanced Certificate in Procurement Law and Practice and an instructor with the University of West Indies Faculty of Law. He is the author of multiple publications, including the leading textbook Government Procurement (Lexis Nexis-Butterworths, 4th ed. 2017).

Before launching the Procurement Office, Paul practiced for over ten years as Crown Counsel with the Ontario Attorney General at Management Board Secretariat and Crown Law Office Civil, and headed the Government of Ontario’s Procurement Lawyers Group.