How I Got Here: Advancing in Your Career with Purpose

Katie Zeppieri is the Founder and Chief Brand Strategist of The MicDrop Agency, an award-winning PR and Marketing firm with offices in Toronto and Austin. Recognized in Inc. Magazine for its innovative approach, MicDrop works with high-growth tech companies and entertainment talent to amplify their brands.

Katie is a 2x TEDx speaker and was named the 2024 Emerging Leader in Marketing & Advertising by The Peak. Before launching MicDrop, she spent over seven years leading youth empowerment programs, including building Canada’s largest girl empowerment event, GIRL TALK Day, which reached thousands of girls each year. 

Whether working with young changemakers or global brands, Katie’s focus remains the same: helping people tell their stories and be heard.

Julianna D’Urzo is a producer who has led multi-platform content for major networks including NewsNation, CNN, and Variety, as well as global brands like Pepsi and Sephora. At NewsNation, she leads digital strategy for special projects, editorial campaigns, and network-wide initiatives from political town halls to longform documentaries executing external messaging to drive tune-in and audience engagement. A proud alumna of Syracuse University and Toronto Metropolitan University, Julianna is an active mentor in the media community and sits on the Syracuse University Generation Orange Leadership Council. Her additional involvement includes acting as an industry judge for the New York New’s Women’s Club and, most recently, the 2025 Emmy Awards.

Provi Ali is a seasoned talent acquisition professional with over seven years of experience including the past three years working at BMO. In her current role as Manager, Talent Acquisition Sourcing Partnerships at BMO, she leads the strategy and execution of external partnerships to attract, engage, and hire top talent across key segments. She also plays a key role in advancing talent acquisition programs and supporting recruitment delivery across the organization.

Provi’s career spans a variety of portfolios where she supported as a Senior Recruiter — including Contact Centres, Capital Markets, Commercial Banking, Global Asset Management, and Wealth Management giving her a well-rounded perspective on strategic hiring, relationship management, and building high-impact talent pipelines.

Rooted in fashion and now thriving in beer, Charanya brings 15 years of marketing expertise across diverse sectors. As a senior marketing leader, she specializes in crafting brand narratives, launching impactful campaigns, and creating innovative customer experiences across retail, fashion, and sporting goods.

Charanya has led transformative marketing initiatives for global brands including Pandora Jewelry, Adidas Group, Jones New York, and currently, The Beer Store. Known for her creativity, energy, and passion, she has a proven track record of enhancing consumer engagement and delivering measurable results.

Outside of work, Charanya is a proud mom of two little ones (and a few Minions), and enjoys channeling her creativity into home design and renovation projects.

Jonathan Chiriboga is a visionary leader in the field of digital marketing and customer experience. With a career spanning over 20 years, Jonathan has consistently driven impactful digital and CRM experiences across a diverse range of industries. Currently serving as the Director of Marketing Innovation & Digital Excellence at AstraZeneca Canada, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s digital customer experience and engagement strategy. Having honed his expertise at renowned companies such as Holt Renfrew, Mercedes-Benz, The Home Depot, and McDonald’s, Jonathan’s journey has been defined by a relentless pursuit of digital transformation.

Mehrnaz is responsible for leading the data science and advanced analytics team, developing best-in-class actionable insights and analytics solutions. In her role she is partnering closely with leaders from across GAM and RBC to deliver on the vision of improving decision making, driven by data, and powered by technology. She is working closely with key stakeholders from across many of GAM’s businesses to identify, develop, and capitalize on high-value opportunities to deliver data-driven and business actionable insights at the point of impact. Mehrnaz brings 10+ years of experience as an innovative, business-oriented, and results-driven data science leader. She has extensive expertise in AI and machine learning, encompassing diverse domains such as biomedical engineering, mobile applications, manufacturing, and wealth and asset management.

As a distinguished scholar, Mehrnaz holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Toronto Metropolitan University and has earned recognition for her outstanding contributions to the field of AI. In 2022, she was selected as one of the Top 25 Women in AI: Canada Edition, and in 2020, she was recognized among the Top 30 Influential Women Advancing AI. Her commitment to advancing the field extends beyond her professional roles and she is the current Chair of the IEEE Signal Processing Chapter Toronto Section and the IEEE WISP Industry-Academia Engagement and Education Subcommittee, in addition to being an invited panelist at numerous conferences and events.