Navigate the changing global labour market

Dr. Kevin W. Lee is an Assistant Professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business, who is a member of the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources Division and affiliated with the Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Innovation Group. He researches the future of work, focusing onhow emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) impact workers and organizations. He holds a PhD in Management & Organizations from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a BA from Columbia University.

Nicole Eggers-Westermann is a UBC International Master of Business Administration graduate and international human resources (HR) leader with extensive experience across the United Nations system. She has held multiple HR roles globally, working in diverse and rapidly changing professional contexts. With a human-centered approach to organizational transformation, she focuses on shaping workplaces where people feel recognized, included, and empowered to contribute at their best. Drawing on international experience across the UN system and executive education from Cornell, LSE, and MIT, she brings a practical and values-driven perspective to the future of HR, leadership, diversity, and institutional change.

Tarini Fernando is a policy and program specialist with over a decade of experience at the intersection of labour markets, economic inclusion, and social impact. Based in Geneva, she works at the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the New Economy and Society. She convenes governments, businesses, and civil society to address complex global challenges from the future of jobs and skills to ensuring the shift to a net-zero economy leaves no one behind. Previously, she held roles in the UK government, including at the Department for Work and Pensions, where she led product strategy and design for the UK’s ambitious digital welfare reform program, Universal Credit.

With over 25 years of international experience across business, education, and the public sector, Martina Valkovicova has built her career helping people and organizations adapt and evolve. She leads Professional Growth, a unit at the UBC Sauder School of Business dedicated to empowering individuals and teams to grow throughout their professional journey. Before this role, she spent nearly a decade as Assistant Dean of the Hari B. Varshney Business Career Centre at UBC Sauder. A lifelong learner, she holds an MBA from UBC and a master’s degree in economics, and is passionate about creating practical, transformative, and deeply human learning experiences and connections.

Viet Vu is Manager of Economic Research at the Dais. Previously, at the Brookfield Institute, he conducted extensive research on the impact of technology on Canada’s labour market, including digital skills, the tech sector, and scale-ups. His work has been widely cited in national media and has informed policies at all levels of government. He believes that rigorous research can help shape policy and bring attention to issues affecting those excluded from conversations about Canada’s future. As a queer immigrant to Canada, he is committed to advancing inclusion, serving on the Canadian Economics Diversity Committee and co-chairing the Affinity Groups Committee.