Artificial Intelligence, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Canadian Context

Emrah Eren, M.A., is the founder of Duco Consulting and leads Duco Talent, specializing in competency-based talent management, assessment and workforce strategy. He has worked with Canadian public-sector organizations and international businesses to develop competency frameworks, job profiles and selection tools. His experience includes personnel research at the Department of National Defence and more than a decade of consulting and leadership roles at Human Resource Systems Group. Emrah holds a master’s degree in psychology from Carleton University, where his thesis examined cheating-deterrence strategies in online personnel selection testing. He contributed to the IEEE Recommended Practice for Defining Competencies (1484.20.2-2022). Alongside his HR practice, he leads media and technology work through Duco. He brings an assessment-focused perspective to the opportunities and risks of AI in hiring, including how employers define skills and evaluate candidates fairly.

Marian Nazeer is an innovative and trusted Human Resources Professional with a decade of experience in partnering with leaders to create and implement HR strategies, while balancing daily operations. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree of Commerce from the University of Calgary, and a Masters of Industrial Organizational Psychology from the Harvard Extension School, with honours.

Most recently, Marian has partnered with several groups in the Health Care industry to optimize HR workflows and provide full and fractional HR services. She is most interested in the aspects of culture creation in organizations, and the utilization of tech tools to modernize the HR industry. 

Yéroséo Aris Kusiélé Somda is a doctoral student in communication and a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa. He is particularly interested in the communicative constitution of startups in West Africa, which he examines in his thesis through a situated ethnographic approach, as well as in crisis management through the lens of communication. In his teaching, he combines theory and practice in organizational communication. With his thesis supervisor, Professor Ivan Ivanov, he has published several articles in scholarly journals and conference proceedings, and he actively participates in conferences and symposia at the international level.

Heidi Hauver is the VP, People and Culture at Ranovus, a strategic advisor, and community leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations scale, transform, and thrive. A trusted partner to CEOs, founders, and executive directors, she has built People and Culture functions from the ground up and guided leadership teams through growth, change, and critical inflection points across the technology and not-for-profit sectors. She is a dedicated community builder, supporting organizations including CHEO, OPEN, Algonquin College, Hire Local Ottawa, and Hire Immigrants Ottawa. Her honours include WBN's Businesswoman of the Year for Community Impact, the Algonquin College Alumni of Distinction Award (Business), and Ottawa Business Journal Forty Under 40.

Mary Roman is CEO of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO), a 2026 recipient of the Order of Ottawa, a trilingual first-generation immigrant to Canada, and an internationally educated medical professional. She also serves as Vice-President of the Board of World Skills Employment Centre and as a member of the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership Executive Committee. With more than 20 years of experience in settlement and integration, she is a passionate advocate for inclusive immigration policies and systemic change. She champions equity, diversity and inclusion in her leadership and across the sector, and is committed to building a more welcoming Ottawa for newcomers.