CareerWise

Thorodd Ommundsen is a highly experienced International Civil Servant, currently working as an Emergency Specialist with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Geneva, Switzerland. Drawing from his practical, life-changing experiences in strategic postings in conflict-affected countries around the world, Thorodd provides our audience with valuable advice on how to build a rewarding career in international relations.

Carl Black is an experienced investment professional currently working as the Chief Investment Officer of Deetken Impact Sustainable Energy. Carl is primarily focused on analyzing renewable energy projects and companies in Latin America and the Caribbean. On a daily basis, Carl works to deploy capital from Canadian and international investors for projects in these regions in an effort to help these companies generate a measurable, beneficial social and environmental impact, alongside a financial return. Carl is a well traveled Economist who holds a Masters of Science, Economics for Development degree from the University of Oxford.

Melanie Pump is a Chief Financial Officer based in Canada, with over 20 years of corporate experience. Her current role overseeing financial activities for the public company Plank Ventures has ensured that the company continues to invest and support the growth of tech entrepreneurs and their businesses. As we will learn from our conversation, Melanie’s unique path to success in finance and accounting was far from conventional. Aligned with her professional experiences, she has recently authored a book titled Detox: Managing Insecurity in the Workplace and she has shared her learnings and experiences on the impacts of toxic work environments on CTV, FOX, ABC and Sirius XM. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Professional Accounting Designation.

Renowned video game Art Director, Zach Schläppi (EA's Medal of Honor | Ubisoft's Far Cry 3 | Microsoft's Age of Empires: IV) offers valuable and practical advice on how to navigate your way to meaningful and creative work in the fast growing AAA (Triple A) video game industry. During our insightful conversation, Zach discusses industry trends, earning potential, career pathways and advancement opportunities, potential pitfalls and tips and tricks for achieving true job satisfaction working in the dynamic art department of a video game franchise. Zach and his team at Relic Entertainment in Canada are currently developing Age of Empires IV, a critically acclaimed, award-winning, Real Time Strategy (RTS) game with a legacy spanning over 15 years.

Kirsten Paquette is the Vice President of People & Culture at Brane, a Canadian financial technology company, with a focus on blockchain technology and digital asset custody offering products and solutions that make this technology accessible, secure, and useful for everyone. As a human resources specialist with deep recruitment experience in this rapidly emerging technology space, Kirsten discusses the fast growing emergence of career paths and employment opportunities within this sector and what it takes to transition into this new sector of automation.