The RBC-Schulich “Success Without Borders” Enterprise Forum, March 3
With more than 90 people in attendance, the second RBC-Schulich “Success Without Borders” Enterprise Forum on March 3 at the Schulich School of Business exceeded attendees’ expectations.
“This year we took a practical approach on how SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) can thrive in an increasingly digital world,” said Lorna Wright, executive director of the Centre for Global Excellence (CGE). “After starting with a global perspective on the technologies that are changing the face of business today, we then picked one – autonomous road vehicles – as an example to examine in-depth from different perspectives to gain an understanding of how such technologies will impact various industries, and society itself.”
Keynote speakers Terry Stuart (chief innovation officer, Deloitte Canada) and Robert Lane (managing partner, Robert Lane and Associates) both engaged the audience with practical insights into how companies can face technological disruption and thrive.
“We wanted the enterprise forum to be forward-looking to examine the opportunities and challenges SMEs face now and in the foreseeable future,” said RBC Managing Director of the Centre for Global Enterprise (CGE) Douglas Kennedy. “Technology is already reshaping entire industries – Uber and Airbnb being prime examples.”
Along with the keynote presentations, two panels examined the impact of global megatrends on Canadian businesses and how SMEs can adjust to disruptive technologies.
SMEs account for 45 per cent of Canada’s GDP and employ 60 per cent of the labour force. Canadian businesses could benefit exponentially by embracing future trends. And, that is what the CGE at Schulich is designed to facilitate, drawing on the resources of Schulich and CGE’s founding members – RBC, EDC, Scotiabank, and the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.
For more information on CGE and its activities, visit www.schulich.yorku.ca/faculty-research/centre-for-global-enterprise or email cge@schulich.yorku.ca.