Lesley Chesterman graduated from Montreal's Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec. After her studies, she worked as a pastry chef, honing her skills in Quebec and France. From 1998 to 2018, she served as restaurant critic for The Montreal Gazette while contributing to numerous local and international publications. For over 10 years, she has also been a regular columnist on several radio shows for for Radio-Canada. She has authored several award-winning cookbooks, including Chez Lesley, Un Weekend Chez Lesley, En Accord, Make Every Dish Delicious and her latest, A Montreal Cook. Today, she continues sharing her expertise as chair of the Eastern Canada jury for The World's 50 Best Restaurants and writer of the Lick My Plate Newsletter on Substack. In 2024, Chesterman was made a Commander of the Order of Montreal.

Marie-Michèle specializes in foresight and emerging trends, she has been helping public and private organizations anticipate social, technological, and environmental changes for over 10 years. Holding a master's degree in trend forecasting from Polimoda in Italy, she also teaches at the École supérieure de mode – ESG UQAM and is the author of *Nothing New: A Guide to Economical, Ecological, and Engaged Consumption* (Éditions de l’Homme, 2024).

Caprice is an expert in the fast-moving Montreal market with over 15 years of diverse Real Estate experience. She loves the variety of every Real Estate day and is always motivated to help clients in any life transition. She excels in managing multiple offer situations, ensuring her sellers receive top-dollar or securing her buyers with her proven strategies. Caprice’s skillful preparation of homes, combined with her keen eye for design and strong interpersonal skills, guarantees outstanding results. A landlord and homeowner, Caprice loved working closely with the team that completely re-designed and renovated their family home. When not spending time with her husband and their young family, Caprice enjoys staying active and exploring new cultures and corners of the globe.

Erin Best is a Calgary-based Associate Broker and serves as the Director of Agent Development at KIC Realty. With more than a decade in residential sales, marketing, and brokerage leadership, she builds the systems that help agents perform at a higher level. Erin designs education platforms, leadership programs, and performance frameworks that drive confidence, professionalism, and measurable results where KIC operates. Her perspective is national and execution-focused - adn thoughtfully grounded in what actually works inside modern brokerages. Originally from Cape Breton and now rooted in Alberta, Erin is committed to raising industry standards and developing strong leaders, particularly women stepping into influential roles. Her mandate is clear: make it meaningful, make it matter and bring others with you.

David was born and raised in Winnipeg and has been actively selling real estate there for over 15 years. Alongside Tom Blumberg, they have grown Monopoly Realty into a unique full service boutique brokerage with a particular focus on luxury real estate. Over the years they have developed a reputation for locating hard to find product as well as sourcing the right buyers for the purchase of larger properties. David has used his passion for networking and meeting new people as the perfect real estate matchmaking tool. In his spare time, David loves spending time at the lake with his wife Sarah and their two girls. He is also very active in the community and has served on many boards and committees including the Executive of the Asper Jewish Community Campus, BGC Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art as well as co-chairing a large committee at the Manitoba Real Estate Association.

Shaun Cathcart is CREA’s Senior Economist and Director of Housing Data and Market Analysis. He manages the team that produces CREA’s national resale housing database and the MLS® Home Price Index. The team also provides housing market intelligence and analytical materials to boards, associations, members, media, government, and other real estate industry stakeholders.

Greg Dent is the COO of ReallyTrusted and a leading practitioner focused on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) in Canada’s real estate and mortgage sectors. Through ReallyTrusted’s work supporting hundreds of brokerages across the country, Greg has a front-line view into how AML compliance programs operate, and can draw on insights from recent FINTRAC examinations, suspicious transaction reports , and the operational challenges faced by agents and brokerages in implementing compliance programs. As a member of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI) and the Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC), Greg brings a broader AML industry perspective to his work and to the presentations he delivers to real estate and mortgage professionals.

Andrew Fogliato is the publisher of Real Estate Magazine and the founder of Just Sell Homes. After working as an agent, trainer, consultant, and marketer, he built REM into the leading independent media platform for Canada’s real estate industry. Andrew is known for cutting through trends and teaching the strategies that actually create deals, clients, and long-term trust. He speaks across North America on attention, authority, and modern real estate marketing.

Theresa started in real estate over 30 years ago. She has experience with residential real estate including new construction, mortgage, franchise models, accounting and operations, recruiting and retention, and agent development. Theresa started with AccountTECH three years ago, bringing vast accounting, real estate, and operational experience. For over 3 decades, AccountTECH's team of real estate accountants and software engineers has been building tools that increase the efficiency of real estate brokerages. Their flagship product, darwin.Cloud, provides advanced analytics and automation for real estate companies, helping to increase their efficiency and save them time and money.

After serving eight years as Director of Communications, Linda Kristal shifted her focus to Federal Affairs and more in her role as CREA’s Vice-President, Advocacy. Linda’s career in Ottawa began on Parliament Hill working for an MP, Ministers and the Prime Minister over almost a decade as a political staffer. During that time she got to see the ins-and-outs of life on the Hill and a bird’s eye view into policy making. Linda is a devoted fan of winter and can usually be found outside from December to March.

Carolyn is a Managing Director at Moderne Ventures, a multi-stage venture capital firm with a 18-year track record, top-tier returns across five funds, and over $600M in assets under management. Moderne is a generalist investor with deep vertical expertise, backing transformative technologies—including AI, SaaS, robotics, fintech, and digital transactions—and scaling them across complex, trillion-dollar industries such as real estate, finance, insurance, and beyond.

Mark Maclean is Vice President of Foreign Investments at Montréal International, where he leads initiatives to attract global investment and top talent to Greater Montréal. Since 2018, he has driven more than 250 projects totaling over $8 billion, advising major firms like Microsoft, Google, and Morgan Stanley, as well as a range of startups. His role spans key regions and sectors, including artificial intelligence, life sciences, aerospace, and clean tech. Mark also represents Québec on the Great Lakes Economic Development Council, strengthening cross-border business ties. Previously, he held a senior role at EY, advising tech companies on innovation-focused tax incentives. A proud Montrealer, he holds degrees from Concordia and McGill (MBA), is fully bilingual, and is committed to advancing the city’s global competitiveness.

Tyler Robertson is Director of Brokerage Growth Strategy at Lofty and an emerging voice on the future of AI in real estate. He partners with leading brokerages across North America to help them transition from fragmented tools to AI-powered operating systems that drive performance at scale. With over a decade in proptech, including senior leadership roles at Zillow, Tyler is known for his forward-thinking perspective on how AI will reshape how brokerages operate, compete, and grow.

A creative content specialist with a background in communications, brand strategy and copywriting. Clay has helped brands in industries ranging from hospitality to holistic skincare develop their brand voice, reach new audiences and realize their full potential. Since joining M, Clay has been integral in developing and managing impactful marketing and social media campaigns in addition to elevating our overall communications standards. A lover of words with a passion for design and strategy, Clay is constantly exploring new avenues and conversations in his work to realize our vision.

Born and raised in Greater Vancouver, Kevin recognizes what a great place this is. His passion for real estate and the real estate industry permeates throughout all his day to day activities. As Owner/Managing Broker with Dexter, Kevin works with the team of REALTORS® at Dexter to provide first class, professional service. Kevin is involved with BCREA developing standard forms and at the Real Estate Board on the Arbitration Committee. Professionalism is extremely important in Real Estate, and Kevin works hard to ensure that is provided to his clients. With one son and a love of the outdoors, Kevin enjoys getting out cycling.

For more than two decades, Lindsey Smith has obsessed over better ways to build, grow, and operate businesses. After running a successful real estate team and consulting company, Lindsey joined CIR REALTY in 2008 and is now CEO and co-owner. If Lindsey is not in the office, he is likely on the golf course, studying business books, getting some exercise or hanging out with his wife and son. CIR REALTY is the #1 producing independent real estate brokerage in Alberta, Canada, with over 900 Realtors and staff. CIR's driving purpose is simple: We Make Real Estate Easy. By offering Realtors more support and giving them the best exposure opportunities for their clients' homes, CIR Realtors outperform and are positioned to live better lives. Real estate is hyperlocal, and we are proud of our local roots. CIR REALTY has now expanded to markets across Alberta and British Columbia. With our affiliations with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and Luxury Portfolio International, we offer worldwide exposure and relocation services. We are Local. We are Global.

Paul Boomsma is President and CEO of Reliance Relocation Inc., working closely with the Board of Directors and leadership team to deliver programs that support the success of our members. He created the highly-successful Luxury Portfolio International® program, previously serving as its president. Paul began his career marketing luxury office towers and later joined a top residential real estate firm, before becoming the National Marketing Director for a major franchise. He is a frequent industry speaker on topics that include consumer trends, global business practices, and innovation in real estate. Among his distinctions, has been named to RISMedia’s Newsmakers Hall of Fame, the Swanepoel Power 200, and Inman’s Most Influential.

Born in the USA, but of Congolese origins, Billy’s life and aspiration continues to be marked by his relentless pursuit for meaning in his professional and personal life. At the age of 17 years old, he fled the Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC) due to the civil unrest and begin his life anew in the US. Billy began his career in Real Estate as a newly licensed with a local real estate firm in Northern Virginia shortly after completing his MBA at the College of William & Mary, and eventually managed the firm’s lead generation department, and later its development and growth in some of its key markets. He now serves as Vice President of Global Business Development for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World ® focusing on Network growth in select global markets, and membership engagement in Africa, Canada, and parts of the European Union. Billy is married to Karen (a real estate attorney), and resides in Lovettsville, VA with their two sons.

As Vice President, Global Communications for Aventure, Robin LaSure oversees the company’s public relations and leads select strategic marketing initiatives, including industry relations and global communications. Working closely with the network’s global team serving member firms in 70+ countries, she is experienced in marketing to a diverse international audience. Named a 2026 Inman Marketing All Star, she has been with affiliated real estate networks for 30+ years, working in various roles relating to marketing, public relations, events, and vendor relations.