AGENDA

7:45 AM – 8:45 AM

Doors Open — Come in, grab a coffee, meet someone new

You’ll get a prompt card at the door with one conversation starter on it. Find someone you don’t already know and use it. Yes, it feels slightly awkward for about 30 seconds — and then it doesn’t. This is how we start on purpose. The best events don’t wait until lunch for people to connect.

8:45 AM – 8:55 AM

Welcome Remarks from the Chairperson

A quick reset on the market, the moment, and what we want this day to actually feel like.

Leah Zlatkin

Chief Operating Officer, Mortgage Outlet Inc.

8:55 AM – 9:45 AM

OPENING KEYNOTE

Rola Dagher: The Leadership Philosophy That Took Her From Telemarketing to the C-Suite — and What It Means for You
 
Rola Dagher came to Canada as a young refugee with no English and no formal education. She started in Bell’s telemarketing department. She ended up as President & CEO of Cisco Canada and Global Channel Chief at Dell Technologies. The through-line isn’t luck — it’s a leadership philosophy she’s lived, tested, and refined over decades. And she’s going to share it plainly and honestly in a way that will make you think about your own career differently before she even leaves the stage.
 
  • A three-part framework you can actually use — whether you’re in year two or year twenty of your career  
  •  What resilience looks like in practice when the industry isn’t making it easy for you 
  •  Why bringing other women up with you isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart play  
 

Rola Dagher

Transformational Leadership | Former President and CEO Cisco Canada

9:50 AM – 10:25 AM

POWER PANEL

What’s Actually Happening in This Market — and What the Women Winning in It Are Doing Differently
 
We know you’re navigating tariffs, rate uncertainty, a renewal wave that’s reshaping client books, and buyers who are hesitating for reasons that have nothing to do with rates and everything to do with fear. This session cuts through the noise and gets honest about what’s actually happening — and what strong businesses are doing differently right now.
 
  • What’s driving buyer hesitation  — and how to address it in a real client conversation
  • The opportunities smart professionals are leaning into while others pull back
  • Why uncertainty might actually become a competitive advantage – if you know how to use it
     

Moderator
Amanda Deveaux

Partner, Grechi Carter Professional Corporation

Michele Steko

VP National Broker Relations, Sherwood Mortgage Group

Sherry Cooper

Chief Economist, Dominion Lending Centres

Jen Watts

Regional Sales Manager - Mortgages, Questbank

10:25 AM – 10:55 AM

Morning Break — Coffee, conversations, and exploring the Canadian Mortgage Summit expo

Use this time to grab and coffee, visit the MortgageFest expo floor, connect with peers, continue conversations from the keynote and panel.
10:55 AM – 11:30 AM

Discussion Tables: The Conversations You Actually Want to Be In

These fast-paced, peer-driven roundtable discussions are designed to bring mortgage professionals together for honest conversations around the challenges, opportunities, and trends shaping the industry right now. From growth strategies and AI to client relationships, personal brand, and navigating a slower market, each table will focus on a topic professionals are actively dealing with in real time.

Choose the conversations most relevant to you, exchange ideas with peers across the industry, and walk away with practical insights, fresh perspectives, and meaningful connections.

Roundtable Topics

  •  What’s Actually Driving Referrals Right Now
  •  AI Tools & Workflows Mortgage Professionals Are Really Using
  •  Navigating a Slower Market Without Losing Momentum
  •  Tough Client Conversations & Managing Buyer Hesitation
  •  Brand with substance: Creating a message that drives trust, loyalty and referrals 
  • Building a Team Without Becoming the Bottleneck 
  •  Scaling Smarter — Systems, Support & Sustainable Growth
  •  The Future of Mortgage — What Professionals Need to Prepare For
  • Perimenopause, Menopause & Performance at Work 
  •  What Top Producers Are Doing Differently Right Now 
11:35 AM – 12:10 PM

POWER PANEL

The Leadership Shift No One Talks About
 
A lot of women in this industry became successful because they were dependable, hands-on, and willing to do it all. But eventually, the habits that helped build success can become the very things that lead to burnout. This conversation explores the mindset shifts, leadership habits, and boundaries that help women create more sustainable careers — without feeling like they have to constantly prove themselves.
 
  • What to delegate first — and what should stay on your plate
  • How to stop becoming the default problem-solver for everyone around you
  • The mindset shifts that help high performers avoid burnout and over-functioning
  • Setting boundaries, saying no, and protecting your energy without guilt 
  • Redefining success based on your goals, capacity, and stage of life

Moderator
Leanne Conroy

Regional Director of Sales, MCAN Home Mortgage Corporation

Janne Farais

Chief Internal Auditor, Wealth One Bank

Ruvani Henriques

VP - Strategy & Marketing, Glasslake Funding

Sofia Hondrogiannis

Associate Vice President, National Distribution - Broker Services, TD Bank

Elena Robinson

Vice President, Residential Sales, First National Financial LP

12:10 PM – 1:10 PM

Lunch — Eat, explore, connect. This part matters too.

This hour is designed for connection. Visit the MortgageFest expo floor, continue conversations with fellow attendees, and take advantage of networking lounges and activations happening throughout the space.
 
Because some of the best conversations of the day happen between sessions.
1:10 – 1:45 PM

WORKSHOP PANEL

AI, In Practice — Real Mortgage Workflows, Honest Results
 
Some mortgage professionals are already using AI to cut hours out of their week. Others are still figuring out where to start. This session covers both — with practitioners sharing the actual tools and workflows they've built into their business, the results they're seeing, and the questions they're still working through. No hype, no vendor pitch. Just real examples from people doing the job.
 
  • The tasks that are already being handed off to AI — client communication, file prep, follow-ups, marketing — and how professionals are doing it without losing their voice
  • Step-by-step workflows your team can realistically implement, not just concepts
  • Where AI is genuinely saving time, and where cutting corners creates more work (or risk) than it saves
  • What mortgage professionals need to understand about compliance, data privacy, and keeping client trust intact

Moderator
Dalia Barsoum

Founder, Streetwise Mortgages

Tracey Robinson

Principal, Relationship Management /Strategic Development, Filogix

Lisa Evans

Director of Underwriting, Magenta Capital Corporation

1:50 PM – 2:30 PM

POWER PANEL

The Client Conversations That Actually Build Your Business — What’s Working Right Now
 
Some client conversations feel harder than ever right now. Buyers are hesitant, clients are overwhelmed, and trust matters more than ever. We asked your peers what they’re genuinely struggling with in client conversations, then built this session around those answers.
 
This panel focuses on practical communication strategies, real-world examples, and the approaches that are actually working in today’s market.
 
  • What to actually say when clients tell you they’re waiting — without sounding pushy or transactional
  • How to stay connected after funding in a way that builds loyalty and referrals
  • The conversations that strengthen long-term trust — beyond rates and renewals
  • How to talk about life events — not just rates — so clients think of you first when things change
     

Moderator
Michelle Campbell

Mortgage Broker, Mortgage Architects - A Better Way

Jamie Doolittle

Head, BMO BrokerEdge

Tracy Valko

Co-Founder/Managing Partner, DLC AIMI Mortgage Collective Group 

2:30 PM – 2:55 PM

Afternoon Break — Take a breath, find someone to debrief with

Grab a coffee, reconnect with attendees you’ve met throughout the day, and spend time on the MortgageFest Canada expo floor exploring products, services, and ideas shaping the future of the industry. 
2:55 PM – 3:30 PM

FIRESIDE CHAT

Building a Business That Lasts — Sustainable Growth, Succession, and Creating Long-Term Value
 
Most mortgage professionals spend years building businesses — but far fewer think intentionally about how to structure them for long-term growth, flexibility, partnership, or eventual transition. This conversation explores the operational decisions, leadership shifts, and long-term planning strategies that help create stronger, more valuable businesses over time.
 
Whether your goal is scaling, creating more freedom, building a team, or preparing for a future transition, this session focuses on what it takes to build a business that can evolve with you — not one completely dependent on you.
 
  • The systems and structures that support sustainable growth at every stage of business
  • What succession planning actually looks like in the mortgage industry
  • The operational habits that increase business value and reduce owner dependency
  • How mentorship relationships can evolve into partnership and long-term opportunity
  • The estate, legacy, and future-planning conversations too many professionals avoid

Zamina Walji

Growth Lending Businesses , EQ Bank

3:35 PM – 4:00 PM

CLOSING FIRESIDE CHAT

What I Know Now That I Didn’t Then
 
Close the day with a fast-paced, candid conversation where mortgage leaders share the lessons, mindset shifts, and perspectives that have shaped how they lead and build their businesses today. Through a series of rapid-fire questions, speakers reflect on what they’ve learned over time — what they’d do differently, what matters most now, and what they wish they knew earlier.
 
Short answers. Honest reflections. No scripts.
4:00 – 4:05 PM

Closing Remarks from Chairperson

Leah Zlatkin

Chief Operating Officer, Mortgage Outlet Inc.