World Class Supply Chain Summit

Academia Keynote Speaker:
Wendy Tate

Wendy Tate is a professor in the Department of Supply Chain Management. She teaches strategic sourcing and sustainability to undergraduate, MBA, executive and doctoral students. She is interested in the financial impacts of business decisions across the supply chain.

Thriving in Volatile Times

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

MC:
Bianca Caramento

Bianca Caramento serves as President & CEO of the Milton Chamber of Commerce.

A proud McMaster University alumni, Bianca also holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics in Environmental Policy and a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Bianca has worked at both the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce as Manager of Policy and Government Relations. She formerly managed both the Bay Area Climate Change Council and the Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College.

Bianca has worked in government, both federally and provincially. Bianca currently sits on the boards of YWCA Hamilton and the Sons & Daughters of Italy Housing Corporation. Bianca is the self-proclaimed queen of doughnuts.

CO-CHAIRS:
Keith Reardon and Michael Haughton

Keith Reardon is the Senior Vice-President, Interline and Network Development, based in Toronto. He is responsible for the execution and expansion of CN’s intermodal and automotive businesses, leading the commercial teams and non-rail operations in his supply chains, and adapting all last-mile services for customers. Mr. Reardon oversees all aspects of the Company’s domestic and international intermodal and automotive activities, as well as freight forwarding services in North America and Asia, and CN’s Supply Chain Sales groups, corporate revenue planning, and business development.

Prior to his appointment, he had been Vice-President of Intermodal and Automotive since January of 2017. In 2012, Mr. Reardon was named Vice-President of Intermodal Services. In 2009, Mr. Reardon was appointed Vice-President of Supply Chain Solutions, where he was responsible for the Automotive and Iron Ore business units and CN’s non-rail transportation services including transloading, freight forwarding and warehousing, just to name a few. He also directed many supply chain and business development initiatives for CN – working closely with CN customers and partners. Previously, he was Assistant Vice-President of CN Transloading Operations, where he managed more than 80 CN-owned warehousing and distribution facilities.

Passionate about logistics, Mr. Reardon has more than 25 years of experience in the field; he also held senior positions with outside firms in the world of logistics for a number of years. Mr. Reardon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and an MBA from the University of North Florida.

Dr. Michael Haughton is Professor of Operations and Decision Sciences and CN Research Fellow in Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business & Economics.  Dr. Haughton’s expertise within SCM is freight transportation. He has a prolific research record of scholarly awards, publications, and presentations to audiences in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.  His more recent awards include appointments as Visiting Fulbright Research Chair appointment at Arizona State University’s Center for Transborder Studies and Visiting Scholar at China’s Chongqing Technology and Business University.  Two major topics in Dr. Haughton’s current research are: (i) the benefits of high quality information for decisions by both 3PLs and their clients and (ii) logistical efficiency issues at critical links in transportation networks. 

STUDENT CO-CHAIRS:
Aldo DeBiase and Amorette Rubio

Aldo L. DeBiase is a third-year Bachelor of Business Administration student at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics. He serves as the Co-President of the Laurier Supply Chain Association and Co-Student Chair of the 2024 World Class Supply Chain Summit. With an interest and experience in the nuclear industry, he will be transitioning into a nuclear development role with a focus in nuclear supply chain management. 

Amorette Rubio is in her third-year of the Bachelor of Business Administration Co-op program at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics. Since her first year Amorette has been part of the Laurier Supply Chain Association, and this year serves as the Co-President as well as the Co-Student Chair of the 2024 World Class Supply Chain Summit.   

Alongside her academics she is the founder of Little Hollywood Rentals, a specialty event rental business. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, supply chain management, and consulting, she is looking forward to completing her concentration in strategic management. 

COMPANY PROFILES

Lazaridis School of Business & Economics

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business & Economics is one of Canada’s most selective and prestigious business programs. With more than 33,000 alumni, 160 full-time faculty and 6,000 students, the Lazaridis School has the largest business-degree co-op program in Canada.  

The mission of the Lazaridis School is to develop leaders with the skills in management and economics for a rapidly changing and complex global environment. We seek to advance knowledge and practices in these fields by supporting both theoretical and applied research. Furthermore, we strive to serve business and our community by fostering mutually beneficial alliances with leaders at local, national and international levels.  

Located within one of the most vibrant startup communities in Canada, the Lazaridis School which is accredited by AACSB offers undergraduate and graduate business and economics degrees along with a PhD in Management on Laurier’s Waterloo campus. Our Business Technology Management bachelor’s program is located on the university’s Brantford campus, and we offer a Master of Finance and MBA at our downtown Toronto location.

CN

CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canada’s Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. South through a 19,500-mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Milton's Voice of Business

The Milton Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit, membership-based, volunteer driven, organization representing over 700 member businesses and individuals. The Milton Chamber’s primary role is Strengthening Business through our influence in advocating on behalf of our members, marketing and promotion for our members, and providing informational events to help members learn and interact.