Jade Pichette (they/she)
Director of Programs, Pride at Work Canada

Jade Pichette is an inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA!) professional based in Tkarón:to/Toronto. Currently, Jade serves as the Director of Programs at Pride at Work Canada, where they work with over 250 large employers across Canada around gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation inclusion. Previously, Jade served as the Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator at the ArQuives, the Education Programs Coordinator at Kind Space, and an independent inclusion consultant. They were one of the authors of Transitioning Employers: A survey of policies and practices for trans inclusive workplaces and are the cohost of the Uncovering Belonging Podcast. In their spare time they can be found geeking out over queer, trans, and Norse histories, disability justice, interfaith advocacy, firekeeping, and spending time with their chosen family.

Carlos Chalico (He/him)
Cybersecurity and privacy specialist

Carlos Chalico is a consultant specialized in cybersecurity and privacy. He started his career in Mexico City when he joined a big four accounting firm Mexico back in 1996, today he is a partner based in Toronto. Carlos is also an instructor with the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, where he teaches cybersecurity and privacy.

Carlos volunteers for different organizations including ISACA, IAPP, and Hispanotech. He discovered the Association of Latinx Professionals for America (ALPFA) in 2019, when EY Canada sent him to Nashville, Tennessee for attending his first ALPFA convention. When Carlos saw what ALPFA was doing for the Latinx community in US, he asked what was needed to make it work in Canada and, in 2022, Carlos helped bring ALPFA Canada to life with the first chapter in Toronto. Today, ALPFA Canada has also chapters in Montreal and Calgary, and is close to having a new chapter in Vancouver. Most of Carlos’ volunteering time is now focused on ALPFA Canada’s development.

In his free time, Carlos enjoys spending time with family, reading, writing, walking with Leis (his dog), riding his bike (not in winter) and playing drums somewhere in Toronto or Mississauga.

Vipul Bhardwaj (he/him)
Senior Manager, Emerging Capabilities, TD Bank

Vipul is a people-first leader with over 16 years of experience in financial services, spanning roles in retail banking, wholesale banking, wealth management, and human resources. He is passionate about AI-driven innovation and its potential to transform the delivery of products and services in the financial services industry. At TD, Vipul has led strategy and delivery of large-scale digital transformation initiatives and was most recently tapped to lead the GenAI transformation and enablement for the Wealth Management business. He is also influencing AI policy in Canada by partnering with governance and control partners at TD as well as regulators. Vipul is passionate about talent development and Inclusion & Diversity. He is a member of TD Wealth’s I&D core committee and provides thought leadership on strategy and programming aligned to TD’s I&D agenda.