CONFERENCE AGENDA-AT-A-GLANCE.
Partner Load In
Wednesday, 05 November 2025
12:00pm - 9:00pm
Executive Pass
Thursday, 06 November 2025
7:30am - 2:00pm
Mainstage
Thursday, 06 November 2025
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Lounges
Thursday, 06 November 2025
11:00am - 5:00pm
Marketplace
Thursday, 06 November 2025
9:00am - 5:00pm
Turn Up
Thursday, 06 November 2025
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Mainstage
Friday, 07 November 2025
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Lounges
Friday, 07 November 2025
11:00am - 5:00pm
Marketplace
Friday, 07 November 2025
9:00am - 5:00pm
Turn Up
Friday, 07 November 2025
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Load Out
Saturday, 08 November 2025
8:00am - 5:00pm
Full Agenda
Host Welcome
BFUTR 2025 kicks off with by setting the tone for an unforgettable experience. Expect energy, clarity, and the kind of welcome that reminds you—you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. Let’s get into it.
Break the Simulation: This Isn’t Business as Usual
The world is shifting—again. Tech is evolving faster than institutions. Work is being rewritten in real time. And somewhere between the hype and the headlines, Black professionals are still being told to wait, adjust, or prove.
Lekan Olawoye opens BFUTR 2025 with a sharp reset. This isn’t about inspiration—it’s about interruption. Interruption of outdated systems, flat representation, and the illusion of “access.” With clarity and conviction, he lays out what it looks like to build competitive advantage rooted in culture, velocity, and ownership—while redefining what power means in tech, business, and beyond.
If you came here to blend in, you’re in the wrong room.
Speaker
Lekan Olawoye
Obsidi
CEO & Founder Address
Secure the Bag—and the Business: Why Cyber-Competent Leaders Will Own the Future
In today’s volatile digital economy, leaders can’t afford to treat cybersecurity as someone else’s job. The fastest-growing threats to business value—AI-driven attacks, data breaches, IP theft, and digital fraud—aren’t just technical concerns; they’re leadership failures waiting to happen.
This powerful session explores how cyber-competent professionals are gaining a decisive edge: securing sensitive assets, earning trust, and making smarter, faster decisions in moments that matter. For mid-career Black professionals and allies looking to grow their influence, protect what they’re building, or pivot into more strategic roles, cybersecurity fluency is emerging as a must-have leadership skill.
You’ll hear from top Black executives and allies, CISOs, and digital risk experts on why the next wave of power players will be those who can think like technologists, act like strategists, and lead with resilience. Because in this new era of uncertainty, it’s not just about chasing the bag—it’s about protecting it, scaling it, and making sure it lasts.
From Pilot to Profit: What’s Your AI ROI?
In 2025, every executive has dabbled in AI—but very few can prove it’s making or saving real money. Boards are asking sharper questions. CFOs are tightening approvals. The experimental era is over. It’s time to quantify.
This session breaks down what true AI ROI looks like across today’s enterprise—from accelerated procurement cycles to measurable customer engagement gains. We’ll expose which use cases are quietly delivering bottom-line value, and which are bleeding budgets with no traction. You’ll hear what high-performing organizations are doing differently: how they move beyond sandbox pilots, build internal accountability around AI performance, and shift their tech teams from “experimenters” to value creators.
If you can’t answer “What’s the ROI?” with confidence, this session will show you how.
Building Boldly: Leading, Learning and Driving the Future of Fintech
At TD, we believe that the future of tech is human-centered, data powered, and inclusive by design. Join (keynote) on the BFUTR mainstage to learn how future technologists can lead with impact in an evolving digital landscape. (Keynote Speaker’) takes a deep dive into their leadership journey from technologist to executive, what it takes to shape the future of technology and how inclusive innovation drives business value for TD Bank.
Speaker
Ted Paris
TD
EVP
This Is What Change Demands: Leading Boldly in a System That Wasn’t Built for You
The system wasn’t built for inclusion. So what happens when you decide to stop navigating it—and start rewriting it?
In this opening keynote, renowned fintech leader Dan Schulman delivers a message for every builder, strategist, and future exec in the room: the next era of tech leadership demands more than technical skill. It demands clarity, courage, and a refusal to lead by outdated rules.
Drawing from his time transforming PayPal into a force for financial justice and expanding access for millions, Dan will unpack what it takes to lead change that sticks—especially when the stakes are high and the system pushes back. This is about power, infrastructure, and choosing impact over optics.
For mid-career professionals ready to lead from where they stand—and executives ready to break the cycle—this keynote is your call to do more than adapt. It’s your call to redesign the game entirely.
Speaker
Dan Shulman
PayPal
Former CEO
Blueprints of Power: Women Executives Leading Through Disruption and Defining Moments
Today’s most resilient organizations aren’t just adapting to disruption—they’re led by women who are engineering it. From driving enterprise-wide digital transformations to scaling AI-powered platforms and making data-informed decisions at the board level, these executives are not only navigating complexity—they’re setting the standard.
This strategic panel features women leaders at the forefront of tech, finance, and innovation who are steering through volatility with clarity, influence, and technical acuity. They’ll unpack the real mechanics of executive leadership in high-stakes environments: building trust across engineering and product teams, mobilizing cross-functional operations, navigating bias without derailing momentum, and architecting inclusive cultures that deliver ROI.
This is not a talk about potential. It’s a blueprint for operating with power, precision, and purpose—at the highest level.
Closing Day One: Ignite What’s Next
Day One was just the spark—now it’s time to lock in the energy. The host returns to leave us with bold takeaways, the connections that count, and a clear line of sight into tomorrow.
Because at BFUTR, we don’t wind down—we level up.Because at BFUTR, we don’t just attend—we activate.
Host Welcome
The host will take the stage to open the BFUTR Main Stage with clarity, energy, and intention. From what to expect to who you’ll meet, this welcome sets the tone for a second day of high-stakes conversations, bold leadership, and game-changing ideas. It’s your first look at the culture, community, and caliber of thinkers that make BFUTR the ultimate stage for Black and allied tech excellence.
Build the Room, Burn the Playbook
Day 2 starts with a shift in tempo. Yesterday was about energy. Today is about execution. In this candid address, Lekan speaks directly to the builders in the room: the people turning big ideas into infrastructure, revenue, and reality. Forget waiting for seats at the table. This is about constructing entirely new rooms—companies, ecosystems, capital flows—designed to outlast trends and bypass gatekeepers. He’ll outline what Obsidi® is building next, where it’s headed, and why legacy doesn’t belong to those who play it safe—it belongs to those who bet on themselves. You don’t need permission to lead. You need precision. And this is where it starts.
Speaker
Lekan Olawoye
Obsidi
CEO & Founder Address
Keep the People, Keep the Edge: Rethinking Retention in the New World of Work
TBD
Speaker
Lekan Olawoye
Obsidi
CEO & Founder Address
Tim Clark
Scotiabank
Group Head and Chief Information Officer
Your Job Title Won’t Save You: Reinvent Yourself in the Age of Machine Learning
The rise of machine learning, AI copilots, and no-code platforms is rewriting the rules of the workforce—and your title alone won’t keep you in the game. In this new world of work, mid-career Black professionals and allies are facing a critical inflection point: adapt fast or risk being left behind. Traditional career ladders are giving way to skills-first ecosystems where continuous learning, technical fluency, and strategic reinvention define success.
This future-forward main stage session goes beyond inspiration—it’s a technical deep dive into how automation and ML are transforming job functions across industries, and what that means for your career. You’ll hear from technical leaders and ML practitioners who’ve successfully upskilled, shifted disciplines, and remained at the cutting edge—without starting over.
If you’re serious about staying relevant, expanding your technical edge, and leading through disruption, this session is your blueprint for reinvention.
Speaker
Upal Hossain
Intact
Vice President, Data and AI
John Doe
Intuit
CEO
Bold, Black & Future-Ready: Leading with Culture in the Age of AI
Bozoma “Boz” Saint John has made a career of leading with audacity, authenticity, and cultural power. From C-suite roles at Netflix, Uber, and Apple Music to launching Eve by Boz and stepping into the spotlight on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she’s proven that showing up fully—without shrinking—is a strategy, not a risk.
In this fireside chat, Boz unpacks what it means to lead, create, and be seen in a world dominated by data and automation. She’ll explore why creativity and cultural fluency remain irreplaceable in the age of AI, how personal branding is evolving, and what it really takes to build visibility, influence, and power as a modern leader.
In a world that reduces people to data points, showing up as your full self isn’t just personal—it’s your competitive edge.
Speaker
Bozoma Saint John
Brand Marketing Executive
Collen Ward
Scotiabank
SVP Enterprise Delivery Office
The Final Word from BFUTR 2025
The host will close out BFUTR 2025 with clarity and celebration. After two days of bold thinking, unapologetic leadership, and future-shaping conversation, this final moment is about taking what we’ve learned—and using it to lead what’s next. Expect gratitude, next steps, and one last charge to carry the BFUTR energy beyond the summit.
The world of work is changing. After this week, so are we.
Breakfast and Registration
Start your day with a high-end breakfast buffet and dynamic networking experience designed to spark meaningful connections. Featuring themed “Connection Tables” by sector—including Banking & Finance, Technology, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Retail & eCommerce, Public Sector, and Talent Acquisition & HR—this session offers more than just a meal.
Exclusive AI Leadership White Paper Launch
Get the first look at our new white paper, Reprogramming the Enterprise: AI’s Reinvention of Technology, Talent & Leadership, launching live on the BFUTR Executive Mainstage.
Roundtable Discussions
Building upon the strategic insights released in Reprogramming the Enterprise: AI’s Reinvention of Technology, Talent & Leadership, we’ll be unpacking the risks, challanges and barriers leaders face in the age of AI and coming up with solutions to address them.
Keep it movin'
Enjoy snacks, entertainment and Executive Networking on your journey to the breakout sessions curated by CGI and Fasken.
Breakouts Sessions by Fasken and CGI
Dive deeper into the conversations shaping the future of business and technology. In this set of breakout sessions, leading experts from Fasken and CGI will share practical insights, strategies, and case studies that address today’s most pressing challenges for executives and professionals.
These interactive sessions are designed to spark meaningful discussion, provide actionable takeaways, and give you direct access to thought leaders driving transformation across industries. Whether your focus is navigating legal complexity or harnessing next-gen technology, these breakouts will deliver fresh perspectives to help you lead with confidence.
What to Expect at BFUTR
The Ultimate Celebration of Black Tech, Innovation & Culture
BFUTR is more than a summit — it’s where ambition meets access, and where ideas turn into impact. Here’s what’s in store when you join the largest gathering of Black tech professionals in the world:
World-Class Keynotes & Panels
Hear from global leaders, industry disruptors, and visionary thinkers who are shaping the future of tech, business, and culture. Every session is designed to challenge, inspire, and elevate.
Unmatched Networking Opportunities
Whether you're closing deals, finding collaborators, or making lifelong friends, BFUTR is your gateway to a vibrant and supportive professional community.
The Destination Savings Pass
Unlock exclusive perks across Toronto — from dining and entertainment to local attractions. Make the most of your stay and explore the city like a VIP.
A Global Black Tech Ecosystem
Connect with Black professionals from across North America, Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond. This is your platform to expand your network on a global scale.
Parties, Culture & Entertainment
From rooftop mixers to late-night afterparties, BFUTR brings the vibes. Experience curated events that celebrate Black excellence, creativity, and joy.
Career & Business Growth
Level up your skills, gain industry insights, and explore job and funding opportunities with top-tier companies committed to representation and equity in tech.
Marketplace & Expo
Shop Black-owned brands, explore innovative products, and discover startups on the rise in our immersive expo experience.
Summit only pass
$0
Complimentary for Obsidi Members
summit + after party pass
$149 USD
EXECUTIVE+ AFTER PARTY PASS
$650 USD
All prices in USD.
While Supplies Last.
VENUE FLOOR PLAN
