“Inspiring”, “Thinking big”, “Incredible”, “Synergistic”, “Honesty”—these are just a few of the words and phrases heard at CSED’s annual conference on March 6 from 12 PM to 5 PM at Bayview Yards.
With the theme of “Navigating the Future: Innovation and Opportunity in Uncertain Times”, more than 125 attendees explored the ways that businesses and organizations must adapt, innovate, and seize new opportunities—whether through bold, transformative initiatives or small, impactful changes—in an era of rapid change.
After a tasty buffet lunch provided by Operation Come Home’s FoodWorks social enterprise, the conference began at 1 PM with welcome and opening remarks from CSED’s Michael Murr and Kevin Holmes (conference hosts) and Henry Akanko, United Way East Ottawa (a principal sponsor).
The conference then moved into the fireside chat keynote with Kelly Storie, executive director, La Siembra Co-operative and owner of the Camino brand of fair trade organic chocolate. During her conversation with Michael Murr, Kelly shared her insights on the 25-year journey of La Siembra and highlighted the cooperative’s commitment to small-scale farmers, democratic governance, and ethical business practices that empower both producers and employees.
The conference’s first panel on Navigating Start-Up and Setting the Stage for Success– was moderated by Drayton Mulingabigwi (Novas Group) and brought together Mike Bulthuis (Ottawa Community Land Trust), Danielle Rolfe (Soul Space Ottawa) and Charmian Romano (LaunchPad Kitchens). The early-stage entrepreneurs spoke about the various ways they are innovating to create the conditions for success including the need to trust your intuition, changing mindsets, distributed vs individual leadership, borrowing tools from others, and shifting financial thinking.
The event’s second panel entitled Uncovering and Sustaining Opportunities for Growth and Impact was moderated by Pierre Gaudet (Ottawa Community Loan Fund) and featured Josh McLean (Ocean legacy foundation), Abhijit Potdar (Ottawa Community loan Fund) and Bettina Vollmerhausen (Ottawa tool Library). The panelists spoke about how they are driving innovation and discussed the importance of starting with the ‘why’, building strong teams to unleash creativity, making data relatable, connecting with the community, and looking after yourself.
The conference’s final panel on Innovation and opportunity from the Buyer Perspective was facilitated by Len Fardella (CSED) and featured Jennifer McCabe (City of Ottawa). As a strategic procurement advisor, Jennefer shared her advice for social enterprises which want to do business with the city’s anchor institutions (or any other business) including the importance of knowing your audience (their interests and constraints) and aligning your pitch with their interests (what problem are you helping them to solve).
Following the final panel, the conference moved to table-based discussions where attendees discuss what they will do to advance innovation in their organization starting today. Facilitated by Hai Doan (CSED), participants shared their thoughts using an interactive SLIDO tool with the collective results shown on the big screen at the front. The exercise was a great way to end the day.
During the conference, attendees also had several networking breaks to connect and exchange ideas with other conference participants.
Of course, the conference would not have been possible without our presenting sponsors (Alterna Savings and United Way East Ontario) and conference supporters (Algonquin College Social Innovation Lab and Ottawa Community Benefits Network).
Unleashed 2025 was a huge success. In fact, more than 97% of conference attendees who provided feedback said that they would recommend the conference to a friend or colleague. The conversations sparked at the event will continue to inspire action, fostering a stronger and expanding ecosystem where businesses, organizations, and individuals drive positive change together.
We look forward to welcoming you to next year’s conference!
