KEYNOTES

(BCU2601) Welcome Remarks | The State of the Economy: Risks, Opportunities, and Realities

A wide-ranging assessment of the U.S. economic outlook, tying together growth, inflation, the labor market, and Fed policy against the backdrop of an increasingly K-shaped consumer, mounting policy shocks, and a resilience that may be more tenuous than it appears.

Dr. Mark Zandi
Chief Economist
Moody's Analytics

(BCU2605) The Power of the Assist

What's the most powerful move in leadership? It's not the one that puts points on the board it's the one that sets someone else up to score. Drawing on more than 25 years covering championship teams, national sports broadcaster and Bell Bank board member Lea B. Olsen reveals what great leaders understand: lasting success isn't built by individual stars. It's built by people who develop, elevate, and empower those around them. Through memorable stories from the court, the boardroom, and her own life, Lea challenges leaders to rethink talent, culture, and what it really means to win. Attendees will leave with a fresh perspective on leadership, practical ways to develop the people already on their teams, and a simple but powerful question: Who are you helping become successful? Because the leaders who make the greatest impact aren't always the ones scoring the points they're the ones delivering the assist.

Lea B. Olsen
Founder & Sports Broadcaster
Rethink the Win

(BCU2613) The Future After AI: Opportunities and Risks in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is transforming every industry, reshaping how organizations operate, compete, and create value. While AI presents extraordinary opportunities to improve productivity, decision-making, and innovation, it also introduces new risks, competitive pressures, workforce challenges, cybersecurity concerns, and governance questions that finance and accounting leaders cannot afford to ignore. Based on international bestselling author Jason Schenker's book The Future After AI, this keynote explores how AI is changing business, the economy, and the future of work. Attendees will gain practical insights into where AI is creating competitive advantages, which finance and accounting skills are evolving most rapidly, how organizations can prepare for AI-driven disruption, and the strategic decisions leaders should make today to succeed tomorrow.

Jason Schenker
Chairman of The Futurist Institute; President of Prestige Economics
The Futurist Institute and Prestige Economics