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Day 1 at The ONE National
Conference: Blockchain,

cannabis and change
management are hot topics

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Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change
management are hot topics

The rst day of The ONE National Conference in Halifax kicked o with a welcome address from Joy Thomas, President and CEO of CPA
Canada. (Jay Cameron)
From buzzing about blockchain and  cannabis  to discussing the future of  nancial leadership and  organizational
disruption, there was something for every CPA during the rst day of  The ONE National Conference. 

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change management
are hot topics

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change
management are hot topics

Vernon Joseph at The ONE in Halifax on October 1 (Zahra Zaman)

DECODING BLOCKCHAIN

The day kicked o with  a welcome address from Joy Thomas, President  and  CEO of CPA Canada, followed by a moving performance
and inspirational talk from keynote speaker and classical violinist, Kai Kight. Next, Vernon Joseph, The Buzz Around Blockchain session
speaker and  security consultant of  Network Test Labs Inc.,  led his audience through the ins and outs of blockchain,  emphasizing  the
important role accountants play in its success and the need for CPAs to get up to speed with the technology.   
“We are really relying on the accountants to make sure everything is safe and secure in terms of the accountability of what we are doing
within the blockchain,” he said. 
“…You need to understand what the technology looks like, you need to understand the fundamentals of blockchain and you need to
understand the fundamentals of the transactions within the blockchain, as well as the contracts that are written. That’s the proactive
steps you need to do to be ahead of the curve,” he added. “It’s going to get a lot more complicated if you don’t jump in right now.”

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change management
are hot topics

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change
management are hot topics

Session attendee  Cheryl  Blahey, CPA, and CFO of Canadian Grain Commission in Winnipeg, agrees  that  CPAs play an essential role
partnering with other key players in order for blockchain to work e ciently.  
“It’s going to be overwhelming and expensive,” she said. “If industry, if clients, if accountants, etc., they all play a role in partnering
together and sharing information, money, resources…that is how it’s going to happen.
“Organizations can’t do it alone.” 

Jennifer Gervès-Keen talks change management at The ONE (Nancy Xiang)

MOVING THROUGH CHANGE

Speaker Jennifer Gervès-Keen, founder of executive coaching and leadership development rm,  JGK Consulting, drew the audience in
with the engaging session, Leading a Change Ready Organization. According to Gervès-Keen, there are ve human skills essential to the
success of change management: resilience, empathy, curiosity, cross-functional thinking and communication. An audience poll revealed
that 44 per cent of attendees identi ed cross-functional thinking as the biggest gap their organizations face when weighing these skills
against each other.  

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change management
are hot topics

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change
management are hot topics

“Cross-functional thinking is going to be one of the biggest pieces from a human skill perspective, moving forward…,” Gervès-Keen said.
“When you connect with other people and create opportunity for silos in your business to work together, you create a stronger business
from the inside out.” 
As chief operating o cer and associate registrar of College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, Kellie Skelhorn, CPA, CMA, found
value in the leadership-focused sessions, with the greatest takeaway being dealing with change as an organization. 
“I really liked the de nition that was given to describe the di erence between change and transformation,” she said. “We often hear that
we are very much change fatigued. But is it change or is it transformation? I think there’s a lot more education we can do around the
di erence between the two, because change is always going to happen. It’s a fact. But, how can we adapt to that better?”

Mark Castaneda (right) and David Dalziel (Nancy Xiang)

THE CANNABIS TRAIL

A packed session, The Green Rush: What Should CPAs Know About the Canadian Cannabis Industry?, gave insight into Canada’s global
stance and the role for nance professionals in this industry.

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change management
are hot topics

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change
management are hot topics

Moving from small-scale start-ups to billion-dollar companies is the next stage for Canadian cannabis businesses, said session speaker
Mark Castaneda, CFO for Tilray Inc., a vertically integrated and federally licensed cannabis cultivator, processor and distributor.   
Castaneda positioned Canada as having a head start as the rst G7 country to recreationally legalize cannabis, with companies accessing
capital to build business. He projects the $115-billion global industry to grow to an estimated $200- to $300-billion in the next ve
years. 
“Canadian companies will be well ahead of others around the world…and investors are taking notice of that,” he said. “It’s going to be
like the global alcohol [industry]. There will be several that participate, but there will be a few major players.”
Two challenges the industry faces are from a regulatory perspective, as well as nding the right talent to lead up-and-coming businesses
set on a path to pro t, added David Dalziel, session moderator and partner, Audit & Assurance, Deloitte.
“With [the IFRS] biological asset reporting, we are trying it to get it down to the gross margins but it’s a struggle for CFOs to educate
the investment community,” said Dalziel. “The other [struggle] is talent…there is a search for talent in the cannabis industry, as the
number of organizations grow from infancy into [large-scale] companies.”

BE IN THE KNOW WITH CPA CANADA  

The ONE  National Conference  runs  Oct. 1  and  2 in Halifax.  To stay up-to-date on  other issues  impacting the industry today,
browse through CPA Canada’s upcoming events, from personal development courses and symposiums to networking opportunities.

Day 1 at The ONE National Conference: Blockchain, cannabis and change management
are hot topics