Philippe Pasquier – Director of the Metacreation Lab for Creative AI, Simon Fraser University
Moderator

Philippe Pasquier is a scientific researcher, media artist, educator, and a community builder. He is the director of the Metacreation Lab for Creative AI, and a Professor at Simon Fraser University’s School for Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT), in Vancouver (Canada). There, since 2008, he is pioneering a multidisciplinary research-creation program focused on generative systems and applied AI for creative tasks, computer-assisted creativity, and co-creative systems.

Etienne Grenier is an artist-researcher working at the intersection of digital cultures, critical AI studies, and cultural sociology. A doctoral candidate at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Montreal, his research examines the impacts of datafication on cultural production chains.

He contributes to the Quebec Research Chair on French-Language AI and Digital Technologies (Chaire IANF) and the CREAT Chair, and has participated in the Shaping AI project, an ORA-funded multinational initiative investigating artificial intelligence as an emerging scientific paradigm and contested societal force. His scholarly work has appeared in AI & Society, Journal of Digital Social Research, and an edited volume with Routledge.

He has presented research at international conferences including 4S and EASST, and at institutions such as Sciences Po Paris and WZB Berlin. As co-founder of Projet EVA (projet-eva.org), Grenier brings over two decades of experience in digital arts, with installations and performances presented at Ars Electronica (Linz), Biennale Némo (Paris), Ludwig Museum (Budapest), and La Villette (Paris). This sustained research-creation practice informs his critical perspective on the transformations wrought by generative AI within creative industries.

Katrina Ingram – Founder & CEO, Ethically Aligned AI

Katrina Ingram is the Founder and CEO of Ethically Aligned AI, a company focused on helping organizations to drive better outcomes in the design, development and deployment of AI systems. A seasoned executive, Katrina has over two decades of experience running both not for profit and corporate organizations in the technology and media sectors as well as experience in the public sector. She was named to the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics list.

Katrina holds an undergrad in business administration from Simon Fraser University, a master of arts in communications and technology from the University of Alberta and is an IAPP certified information privacy professional (CIPP/C). She is an adjunct faculty member with the University of Alberta’s Media and Technology Studies department.

Jutta Treviranus – Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC), OCAD University

Jutta Treviranus is the Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and professor in the faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto. Jutta established the IDRC in 1993 as the nexus of a growing global community that proactively works to ensure that our digitally transformed and globally connected society is designed inclusively.

Dr. Treviranus also founded an innovative graduate program in inclusive design at OCAD University. Jutta is credited with developing an inclusive co-design methodology that has been adopted by large enterprise companies, governments, and public sector organizations internationally. Jutta has coordinated many research networks with and by under-represented communities. She chairs the international committee that passed the first standard globally on Accessible and Equitable AI and is recognized for her AI leadership by Women in AI.

Al Chapman – Executive Director, Arts Habitat Edmonton (AHE)
Moderator

Over the past 30 years, Al has built a career as an innovative leader in arts funding,program development, governance, and project management. He began his professional journey as a music educator in a small rural school division and then moved to the Alberta public sector, where he worked on many rewarding initiatives within the Government of Alberta, the Legislative Assembly Office, and the University of Alberta.

Al is currently the Executive Director of Arts Habitat Edmonton (AHE). AHE is a social purpose enterprise engaged in identifying, managing, and building appropriate and accessible spaces for the arts in Edmonton and area.

David Leinster is the Chief Executive Officer of Contemporary Calgary, where he leads the organization with a focus on community, collaboration, and accessibility. Since joining the gallery in 2018, he has played a central role in establishing Contemporary Calgary as a major cultural destination and advancing its mission to make contemporary art accessible to all.

David’s connection to Contemporary Calgary spans nearly two decades, beginning with volunteer involvement with the Institute for Modern and Contemporary Art (IMCA) in 2005. Most notably, he led the project management for the successful 2013 Expression of Interest submission to the City of Calgary—developed with IMCA, the Art Gallery of Calgary, and MOCA Calgary, alongside a dedicated group of community leaders—to transform the vacant Centennial Planetarium into a major destination for contemporary art.

Under David’s leadership, Contemporary Calgary has achieved key milestones, including securing a 35-year lease for the Centennial Planetarium and achieving Civic Partner status, cementing its place among Calgary’s funded and supported cultural and tourism institutions. He is currently leading the $170 million Centennial Planetarium Transformation Project to renovate and expand the facility, through which more than $100 million has already been invested or committed, in addition to millions of dollars raised in private philanthropy supporting gallery operations and infrastructure.

David’s professional background is in strategic marketing and creative leadership, and his passion for art was inspired by his grandmother, an artist who fostered his lifelong appreciation for art and culture. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University and leads a dedicated team who share the belief that art is essential and work together to ensure it is accessible for all. A recognized community leader, David was named one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2022.

David lives in Okotoks, Alberta, with his wife, Colleen, and their four children.

Brian McBay – Executive Director, 221A

Brian McBay (he/him) is a leader in the non-profit arts and culture infrastructure. Over the last 20 years he has made a unique contribution to British Columbia’s cultural security through developing and advocating for community-controlled infrastructure. As the founder and Executive Director of 221A, a Vancouver-based artistic research and cultural space organization, he leads a growing network of over 140,000ft2 across nine properties that provide space for artists working in research, public art, artist housing, and artist studios.

Brian is part of a new generation of leaders in the cultural sector aiming to advance the public appreciation of the arts while also reversing inequality, xenophobia and colonialism in Canada. He is known as an active and outspoken collaborator, critic and advisor, championing social sustainability and inter-cultural anti-racism in government policy and cultural development. Brian was an honoree of the Power50 by Vancouver Magazine, recipient of the 2025 Emily Award, and named a Fellow at the Salzburg Global Forum. He has been invited to speak and write on art, policy and urban development at a variety of institutions and public forums.

In addition to his role at 221A, Brian has served on a variety of non-profit and public sector boards including the BC Arts Council, Chinese-Canadian Museum, Vancouver International Film Festival, and the National Gallery of Canada.

Alex Sarian – President & CEO, Werklund Centre

Alex Sarian is President & CEO of Werklund Centre (formerly Arts Commons) in Calgary, where he is leading one of Canada’s most ambitious cultural and civic transformations, anchored by the country’s largest cultural infrastructure project and record-breaking public and philanthropic investment. Previously, he spent two decades in New York City, including seven years as a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where he oversaw its international consulting practice, arts education, and the Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund in partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation.

He is the bestselling author of The Audacity of Relevance (2024), hailed by Forbes as “a manifesto for the arts in times of crisis,” and widely adopted by boards and civic leaders as a blueprint for institutional renewal. Recognized by The Globe and Mail as one of the most influential arts leaders of 2024 for advancing transformational philanthropy in the arts, Alex serves as a board member and advisor to Tessitura, Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, Tourism Calgary, and the University of Alberta.

Al Chapman – Executive Director, Arts Habitat Edmonton (AHE)
Moderator

Over the past 30 years, Al has built a career as an innovative leader in arts funding,program development, governance, and project management. He began his professional journey as a music educator in a small rural school division and then moved to the Alberta public sector, where he worked on many rewarding initiatives within the Government of Alberta, the Legislative Assembly Office, and the University of Alberta.

Al is currently the Executive Director of Arts Habitat Edmonton (AHE). AHE is a social purpose enterprise engaged in identifying, managing, and building appropriate and accessible spaces for the arts in Edmonton and area.

Mark Harrison founded the MH3 Collective, a group of ventures grounded in passion, people, profit and purpose. The Collective includes Humanity, T1, Sidekick, and SponsorshipX. In addition, he co-founded the Black Talent Initiative to combat racism through economic resilience and Park Street Education, a charity to remove all barriers to children’s education. His community involvement includes serving as the Board Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto and as a Board Member of the CAMH Foundation and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/The JUNO Awards.

Mark is a recipient of the Black Business and Professional Association’s Harry Jerome Award, the Association of Canadian Advertisers’ 2022 Gold Medal Award winner, a 2025 Marketing Hall of Legends inductee, and the 2025 Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada Hall of Fame winner.
Mark is also CBC Toronto Metro Morning’s business columnist, regularly discussing marketing, workplace, and entrepreneurial matters.