Tuesday, November 15
FICP's Speaker Showcase has become one of the most anticipated features of the Annual Conference and offers a sneak peek at three world-class speakers in one venue. Each speaker will follow up on their short keynote with a full-length breakout session to continue their story. Meet our incredible lineup of speakers today.
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How to Do Business With People Not Like You
Kelly McDonald, Multicultural Marketing and Business Trends Expert
Represented by Keppler Speakers
Businesses and organizations of every size are focused on diversifying teams and growing business with new perspectives and approaches. This is especially true in the financial services and insurance industries. We are all working with people who are “not like us”, whether it’s with our coworkers and teams, or stakeholders and industry partners. People “not like you” takes the language around diversity and broadens it in a meaningful way to capture any way someone can be not like you.
When someone is different from you, friction can arise. Different people may not see eye-to-eye on an issue. They may have vastly different approaches to work. Their communication styles may be very different. How do you work alongside someone who may be quite different from you, respect those differences and be effective in your role?
Don’t miss your opportunity to learn how you can comfortably navigate all the different kinds of people in your organization, team and partner relationships.
Learner Outcomes:
- Share specific no-cost tactics for how anyone can succeed in today’s workplace without feeling out of control or becoming frustrated by approaches to work that may differ from theirs.
- The four key words that will transform how you interact with your colleagues and business associates in tough situations to get the best outcome.
- Discuss what to do – and NOT do – when things go wrong. Learn the 5 words that clients, customers and suppliers want to hear and that work every time.
Read Kelly's Bio >>
Kelly McDonald is considered one of the nation’s top experts in diversity and inclusion, leadership, marketing, the customer experience and consumer trends. She is the founder of McDonald Marketing, which has twice been named one of the top ad agencies in the United States by Advertising Age magazine and ranked as one of the fastest-growing independently owned companies in the United States by Inc. Magazine.
Her client experience includes brands such as Toyota, Chubb, NASA, Kimberly-Clark, Nike, Harley-Davidson, Miller-Coors and Sherwin-Williams.
Kelly was named one of the 10 most-booked speakers in the United States and ranked number one on the list of 25 hot speakers by Successful Meetings Magazine.
She has been featured on CNBC, in Forbes, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fast Company, on CNNMoney.com and more.
She is the author of four bestselling books on diversity and inclusion, marketing, the customer experience and leadership.
Her latest, It’s Time to Talk about Race at Work: Every Leader’s Guide to Making Progress on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion debuted as the number one bestselling business book in the United States.
Kelly lives in Denver, and when she’s not on the road speaking, she enjoys boxing (yes, boxing, not kickboxing) – and shopping for high heels.
Learn more about Kelly.

Every Conversation Counts: How to Build Extraordinary Relationships
Riaz Meghji, Human Connection Expert
Represented by Speakers' Spotlight
Long before social distancing, loneliness was a pandemic in our society. In an age of polarization, disconnection, and shallow substitutes for real relationships, every professional needs to know how to build and maintain genuine relationships with clients and colleagues alike. Leave this keynote with “Five Habits of Human Connection” that offer practical tools to combat isolation and build deeper relationships.
With years of experience interviewing established leaders in business, entertainment and innovation, audiences will learn how to:
- Spark real, authentic conversations to make meaningful connections, personally and professionally
- Earn trust and create new business, as you listen without distraction and make your small talk bigger
- De-escalate conflict and collaborate effectively by leading with assertive empathy
- Craft and tell compelling stories that will motivate your audience to take action
- Explore the questions that create breakthrough moments in any conversation
This engaging experience is a candid and far-ranging look at how creative conversations can help you reinvent yourself, re-energize your brand, and further develop your business.
Read Riaz's Bio >>
Riaz Meghji is a human connection keynote speaker and author of the book Every Conversation Counts: The 5 Habits of Human Connection That Build Extraordinary Relationships. He is also an accomplished broadcaster with 17 years of television experience, interviewing experts on current affairs, sports, entertainment, politics and business. Along the way, he not only learned the power of a candid conversation but also how to put it into practice.
Meghji has hosted for Citytv's Breakfast Television, TEDxVancouver, MTV Canada, CTV News and the Toronto International Film Festival. He is a natural storyteller with a proven ability to conduct engaging, in-depth conversations across various disciplines, making him a highly sought-after keynote speaker and moderator. Meghji is also the founder of Every Conversation Counts: a platform that shares insights from leaders, celebrities, athletes and philanthropists all with one common thread – memorable conversations that forever altered the course of their life.
Off camera, Riaz dedicates himself to philanthropy and causes he cares about, including Canuck Place Children's Hospice and Covenant House. He holds a degree in business from Simon Fraser University and studied leadership communication at Harvard's Extension School and the Canadian Management Centre.
Learn more about Riaz.

Imagine the Future of Technology
Crystal Washington, CSP, Technology Strategist and Futurist
Represented by Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau Inc.
Constant technology innovations, Gen Z entering the ranks, and a changing global marketplace were already dramatically impacting the face of the workplace. Then 2020 arrived and the script got flipped upside-down. Technology strategist and futurist Crystal Washington shows leaders how they can thrive now while keeping an eye on the horizon to be ready to ride future waves of change. In this session, you will:
- Identify the significant ways in which technology is re-programming ‘us’
- Discover unique ways to embrace technology trends, fortifying your future for the long run
- Discover how you can train your brain to thirst for tech trends and industry knowledge, and satisfy it with just a few sips per week
Read Crystal's Bio >>
Crystal Washington, CSP works with organizations that want to leverage technology to increase profits and productivity.
As a technology strategist and certified futurist, Crystal takes complex social media, app and web topics – and makes them easy to understand and accessible for everyday people.
Crystal’s clients comprise Fortune 500 companies, including Google, Microsoft and GE, and, as a sought-after keynote speaker, she has entertained and educated audiences around the globe.
As one of Forbes’ 50 leading female futurists, she has appeared in numerous publications, including Entrepreneur and Bloomberg Businessweek. She is regularly called on by major television networks as a tech expert.
Crystal is the author of the books One Tech Action and The Social Media Why.
Learn more about Crystal.