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Celebrating Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Communities

The Return Of Out On Bay Street: Canada’s Premier 2SLGBTQIA+ Student-Employer Engagement Conference

Out On Bay Street, Canada’s premier 2SLGBTQIA+ student-employer engagement conference, returns to Toronto on September 15 and 16…

Canada’s premier 2SLGBTQIA+ student-employer engagement conference, Out On Bay Street, will be back on September 15 and 16, 2023, at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.

With engaging events and an established network of talented students and professionals, this event hosted by Start Proud and sponsors promises to be an unparalleled opportunity for networking, thought-leadership and career growth.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in case competitions and industry workshops, attend a career fair with recruiters, hear from influential panelists and keynote speakers and enjoy a drag brunch and the legendary TD Bank gala dinner.

Test your skills in case competitions

Out On Bay Street (OOBS) 2023 will be hosting case competitions where students can participate in solving hypothetical problems and learn from experts in their industry. There will be separate case competitions hosted for students interested in law, business or marketing in technology.

Be inspired by 2SLGBTQIA+ keynote speakers and panels

Start Proud is excited to share the stage with a lineup of fabulous keynote speakers, who are no short of game-changers in their respective fields. To read their full bios, visit the website.

Kathleen Wynne

Kathleen Wynne was Ontario’s 25th Premier. She was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 as the MPP for Don Valley West, and she became the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in January 2013.

Kathleen has dedicated her professional life to building a better province for the people of Ontario. She and her government were guided by the values and principles that knit this province together: fairness, diversity, collaboration and creativity.

James Rausch

James is Global Head of Banks, Brokers & Exchanges at RBC Investor & Treasury Services and is also a member of the Investor & Treasury Services Operating Committee.

He is a diversity advocate, leading the diversity leadership council for the division in Canada as well as the executive sponsor for the next-gen stream. As a visible LGBTQ+ leader, James recently delivered the lunch keynote at the Out On Bay Street conference. He is based in Toronto.

Nikki Gershbain

Nikki is the founder and CEO of IDEA Consulting Group. IDEA works with private and public sector organizations to provide strategic advice and design in the areas of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (IDEA).

Nikki has 20+ years of experience in equity, diversity and corporate social responsibility as a lawyer, c-suite executive and non-profit leader. Prior to founding IDEA Consulting Group, Nikki served as Chief Inclusion Officer at national law firm McCarthy Tétrault, where she created a market-leading, multiple-award winning EDI program called “Inclusion Now”.

OOBS 2023 panels will include: 

  • Student Leaders
  • Thriving and Surviving as Leaders: How Your Queerness Shaped You, focusing on individual experiences
  • Where Talent Meets Intersectionality, focusing on queer women and allies, racial, trans and disabled experience.
  • Queer Allyship – Supporting All the Letters
  • Mastering Networking – It Matters! A Fireside Chat with Brien Convery

Find new opportunities at the career fair

Students, professionals, and recruiters in a variety of industries can connect at the career fair. Corporate partners in attendance will include law firms, financial institutions, consulting firms, non-profits and multinational corporations.

The two-hour interactive career fair will give students a chance to meet all the conference partners in one place and learn about exciting work opportunities.

Learn new skills at industry workshops

Attendees will have an opportunity to attend workshops and focus groups led by industry leaders in an intimate setting. The workshops will be led by a wide array of industry leaders, from technology entrepreneurs to executives from Canada’s largest companies.

Some of the most popular workshops in the past have covered a broad spectrum of subjects such as legal writing and planning your legal career, AI and big data in business, inclusion in HR and corporate branding.

Workshops at OOBS 2023 will cover topics like networking hacks, workplace advocacy, interview skills and building a sustainable and meaningful career.

Enjoy the drag brunch and gala dinner

On Saturday afternoon, students and professionals will enjoy captivating performances at a drag brunch hosted by icons Luna DuBois, Kreme, Sanjina DaBish Queen, Ivory Towers and Sofonda Cox.

All attendees will come together again on Saturday evening for an unforgettable evening of networking and celebration supported by lead sponsor, TD Bank. The conference will end with the legendary Gala Dinner in the Frontenac Room at the Westin.

It promises to be a night of delicious food, drinks, entertainment and the opportunity to network with peers and recruiters, with Kathleen Wynne, former Premier of Ontario, delivering the final keynote address.

Register today!

Secure your spot today by registering for the conference on Proud Connect. For inquiries or further information about the OOBS 2023 conference, contact info@startproud.org. For more information visit, www.startproud.org.

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