On April 10, 2026, Colonel Jeremy Hansen splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a historic mission to deep space that saw him travel farther from Earth than any human before him. The Artemis II mission was a defining moment for space exploration — marking the first time in more than 50 years humans flew to the Moon. Today, Hansen, a decorated fighter pilot and astronaut, brings that experience to stages around the world, delivering a message that is equal parts awe-inspiring and actionable. He translates one of humanity's greatest achievements into a powerful framework for leaders and teams ready to pursue their own audacious goals.

Hansen's path to the Moon began at age 12 with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, a program he credits with instilling the discipline and self-confidence that shaped everything that followed. By 17, he had earned his private pilot's licence, and just one year later joined the military, beginning his university studies and training at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean in 1994. By his late 20s, he was flying CF-18s on NORAD Arctic operations. And in 2009, he was one of just two Canadians selected in the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) national astronaut recruitment campaign.

After completing training in 2011, Hansen began working at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on assignment with the CSA. He served as a Mission Control capcom, the critical voice between the ground and the International Space Station, while taking on increasingly senior roles within the astronaut corps. He trained underwater at NASA's Aquarius habitat off the Florida coast, lived underground for six days in Sardinian caves as part of the European Space Agency's CAVES program, and by 2017, he was leading NASA's astronaut training class — the first Canadian to do so.

In 2023, Hansen was assigned to Artemis II. Alongside crewmates Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, he travelled more than 1.1 million kilometres, surpassing the distance record from earth previously held by the crew of Apollo 13. Hansen made history as the first Canadian, and the first non-American, to travel to the Moon.

Hansen holds a Bachelor of Science in Space Science with first-class honours and a Master of Science in Physics, both from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston. In recognition of his remarkable career, he has been awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and numerous military honours — a record that reflects decades of excellence.

Colonel Chris Hadfield is an astronaut, business leader, hi-tech entrepreneur, five-time bestselling author, and global speaker on leadership, change, and managing life. Having commanded the International Space Station and directed companies, he has deep experience with best practices and tactics on guiding teams through extreme circumstances of complexity and change. His keynotes celebrate the marvels and wonders of science and spaceflight while exploring the parallels between space exploration, leadership, and the strategic integration of emerging technologies.

Formerly NASA’s Director of Operations in Russia, Hadfield spent more than three decades serving the military, NASA, and the Canadian Space Agency. Throughout his distinguished career, he has been a fighter/test pilot, flown three space missions, built two space stations, performed two spacewalks, crewed the Shuttle and Soyuz, and commanded the International Space Station. His many awards include the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Cross (twice), and the Order of Canada.

Today, Hadfield serves as a director and advisor to multiple tech companies, including SpaceX and Virgin Galactic. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, chair of the Open Lunar Foundation, and is assisting King Charles III with space business practices for the Sustainable Markets Initiative. Hadfield also co-founded the Space Stream at the Creative Destruction Lab tech incubator, which has created $1.6B of new business equity value in the past five years.

Hadfield’s keynote presentations have been called “an astonishing display of visual storytelling” by Harvard Business Review, and his TED talk, “What I Learned from Going Blind in Space”, has been viewed over 20 million times. He is frequently featured on national and global media outlets, has taught a MasterClass, and is the co-creator and host of the internationally acclaimed BBC series, Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? as well as co-host of National Geographic’s One Strange Rock documentary series.

Hadfield is the author of six internationally bestselling books: two non-fiction, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth and You Are Here; a children’s book, The Darkest Dark, which has been adapted as an award-winning stage play for young audiences; and three fiction books, Final Orbit, The Defector and The Apollo Murders, now under contract to become a television series.

A musician, Hadfield has also released an album called Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can. It is the first album to be recorded in space and includes the video version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” that has been seen over 50 million times.

Canadian actor, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur. Reynolds is the star of the Deadpool franchise which has grossed over 2 billion dollars worldwide. The latest film, Deadpool & Wolverine, is the highest grossing R-rated film in history. He is a successful entrepreneur and award-winning marketer, creating breakthrough campaigns for multiple brands. He has been recognized as one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company, The Hollywood Reporter, Wall Street Journal and AdWeek among others. He is an owner of Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, Wrexham Football Club, Chief Creative Officer of MNTN, and a co-founder of Maximum Effort, a production company and marketing firm. He also launched The Group Effort Initiative and The Creative Ladder, nonprofits that help make creative careers more accessible to all – especially those from underrepresented communities.

Erica Ehm is a media personality, award-winning entrepreneur, writer, and force for positive change.

After a decade hosting live television on MuchMusic, she reinvented herself by pioneering a new approach to grassroots content marketing, social media, and community building, earning her over a dozen prestigious marketing and leadership awards, including a Governor General’s Innovation nomination.

Erica is a storyteller at heart. Her multimedia portfolio includes author, journalist, playwright, award-winning songwriter, and podcaster. Harnessing three decades in front of audiences, most recently Erica performed a one woman show opening up for Glass Tiger on their Canadian tour. Her long awaited memoir will be released in 2027.

Bruce Heyman is Chief Executive Officer of Power Sustainable, a sustainability-focused alternative asset manager dedicated to delivering competitive returns alongside positive environmental and social outcomes. Appointed CEO in October 2024, he leads the firm's continued growth and expansion across North America, drawing on more than three decades of experience in wealth management, investing, and international relations.

Prior to joining Power Sustainable, Bruce spent nearly 34 years at Goldman Sachs, where he became a Partner and held senior leadership roles across the firm's wealth and asset management businesses. He later served as the United States Ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2017, strengthening one of the world's most important bilateral economic relationships and becoming a respected voice on cross-border business, trade, and public policy.

Following his diplomatic service, Bruce co-founded Uncharted, a values-driven family office focused on impact investing, philanthropy, storytelling, and civic engagement. He remains actively involved in advancing the U.S.-Canada relationship through advisory, board, media, and speaking engagements. He is also co-author of The Art of Diplomacy, which shares lessons from his experiences in business and public service. With a unique blend of financial expertise, executive leadership, and diplomatic experience, Bruce is recognized for his ability to build partnerships, foster collaboration, and drive sustainable growth across organizations and industries.

Mr. Desmarais is Chairman of Power Corporation of Canada and Power Financial Corporation. He joined Power Corporation in 1981 and became its Co-Chief Executive Officer in 1996 until his retirement in 2020. He helped found Power Financial in 1984 and became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1986. He was Executive Chairman from 1990 to 2005, Chairman of the Executive Committee from 2005 to 2008 and Executive Co-Chairman from 2008 to 2020.

Power Financial was founded to consolidate Power’s major financial services holdings, as well as to develop Pargesa Holding SA -- the Swiss company holding Power Financial’s European investments, under a single corporate entity. During the past three decades, Mr. Desmarais has made a significant contribution to expanding Power Financial’s holdings and managing the investment portfolio of Pargesa. He is a director of many Power Corporation group companies in North America, including Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life, IGM Financial, IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie. In Europe, he is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert since 2025; he was Chairman of the Board from 2019 until 2025. He was a director of Putnam Investments, Empower, SGS, LafargeHolcim, Total, GDF Suez and Imerys.

Mr. Desmarais is a member of the International Council of INSEAD (former Board member), Chairman of the Board of governors of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, and a Senior Trustee of the International Advisory Council of the Brookings Institution (former Co-chair of the International Advisory Board). He is also a member of the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard, and a member of the Business Council of Canada (former Chairman).

In 1994, he received the Insigne d'Officier de l'Ordre de la Couronne in Belgium. In 2005, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and he received the Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of International Business. In 2009, he was made an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec. In 2012, he was named Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in France. In 2022, he was inducted into the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He holds a number of Honorary Doctorates.

He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and an MBA from the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), France.

Mr. Desmarais is Deputy Chairman of Power Corporation of Canada and Power Financial Corporation. He previously served as President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation from 1996 until his retirement from that position in February 2020. At Power Financial, he previously served as Executive Co-Chairman from 2015 until 2020, Co-Chairman from 2008 to 2015 and Deputy Chairman from 1996 to 2008. Prior to joining Power Corporation in 1983, he was Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice of Canada and an institutional investment counsellor at Richardson Greenshields Securities Ltd.

He is a director of many Power Corporation group companies, including Power Financial, Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life, Empower, IGM Financial, IG Wealth Management, Mackenzie and Power Sustainable Capital. He has been a director of Rockefeller Capital Management General Partner L.L.C. since 2023. He was a director and Vice-Chairman of Pargesa in Europe until November 2020, when Pargesa’s reorganization was completed. He was also a director of Bellus Health Inc. until 2009, of CITIC Pacific Limited in Asia until 2014 and of Putnam Investments until January 2024.

Over the years, cultural, health, and other not-for-profit organizations have benefited from his commitment, involvement, and dedication. He has played key roles in a number of fundraising campaigns, including those of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Montreal Heart Institute, the Montreal General Hospital, Leucan, the Canadian Red Cross, the Canadian Cancer Society, Centraide of Greater Montreal and the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation. He is a member of the Board of the Fondation Baxter & Alma Ricard, a member of the Chairman’s International Advisory Council of the Americas Society, Honorary Chairman of the Canada China Business Council, and a member of the Trilateral Commission and several China-based organizations.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University and received honorary doctorates from Concordia University, Université de Montréal and McGill University. In 2003, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and, in 2009, an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec. In May 2022, Mr. Desmarais was inducted into the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.