Idalin McKenzie

Idalin McKenzie

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Toronto , Ontario

Resilient Leadership | Execution Ready Governance | Award Winning Transformation Leader

  • Expertise
  • Articles
  • Leadership Development
  • Resilience & Change
  • Inclusive Leadership
  • Trust Relationships
  • Women's Leadership
  • Future of Work
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Strategic Thinking
2022 Best & Brightest Executive Mba: Idalin Mckenzie, University of Toronto (rotman)
Intelligent and insightful, Idalin McKenzie is a dignified force with true presence. Graciously sharing her varied experiences, she...
Embracing the Essence of A Legend
Reflecting on the Women Executive Network’s (WXN’s) 2023 theme, “Like a Legend,” brings to mind the individuals I consider...
Frontline Leadership Translating Strategy Into Success
As a Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award Winner, Idalin McKenzie contributes thought leadership to WXN on how organizations can close the...
Idalin Mckenzie’s Journey Through Leadership and Legacy
Featured as an award-winning CFO and transformation leader, Idalin McKenzie reflects on two decades of strategic impact across finance, IT,...

IDALIN MCKENZIE BIOGRAPHY

Idalin McKenzie is an award-winning finance and transformation executive, widely recognized for her expertise in governance, strategy, and execution, and as the creator of two proprietary models KalmGovernance™ and KalmLeadership™ that have positioned her as a global thought leader. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by WXN in 2023 and one of Poets & Quants’ Best & Brightest Executive MBAs worldwide, she has built a distinguished career spanning more than two decades across public, private, and social sectors. From professional services to energy, crown corporations to utilities, and retail to real estate, Idalin has consistently driven impact by helping organizations turn vision into results through clarity, accountability, and disciplined execution.

Currently, Idalin serves as Vice President of Finance & Asset Management at YWCA Hamilton, where she oversees finance, IT, and facilities while leading major initiatives in governance, risk management, and capital project delivery. She is also the Founder and Principal of a boutique advisory firm specializing in governance, finance, and transformation, and the Founder of a platform for advancing governance and leadership practices worldwide. Through these ventures, she has acted as a strategic partner to organizations ranging from startups to established industry leaders—strengthening governance, securing funding, and providing timely strategic reporting to support execution-ready operations. She also coaches executives and boards, helping them navigate complex decisions and build confidence in governance conversations.

Idalin is the creator of KalmGovernance™, a globally relevant framework that closes the gap between strategy, policy, delivery, and outcomes. She also developed KalmLeadership™, a leadership model that equips leaders with the resilience, competence, connection, and confidence to thrive in turbulent times. Together, these execution-ready tools enable boards and executives to govern with accountability and lead with impact. Their unique practicality has positioned Idalin as a thought leader in execution-ready governance and resilient leadership, two areas where many organizations struggle but few have actionable solutions. Her models have been applied across industries and sectors, equipping leaders to make confident decisions and deliver results in moments of complexity.

Through her keynotes, workshops, coaching, and advisory work, Idalin equips boards, executives, and leadership teams with practical tools to thrive in disruption, build inclusive cultures, govern emerging technologies responsibly, and deliver results. Her ability to bridge governance, leadership, and strategy has made her a sought-after speaker at corporate events, board retreats, and leadership conferences.

Her academic and professional credentials further underscore her authority. Idalin holds an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management, a CPA designation, and a Master of Science in Computer-Based Management Information Systems, alongside a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Accounting. She also holds certifications in corporate governance, audit, risk management, and business analysis.

In addition to her executive leadership, Idalin serves as a board director in the social services sector and is deeply committed to mentorship. She supports the next generation of leaders as a CPA Ontario mentor and as a Women’s Ambassador for the Rotman Executive MBA program. She also shares her expertise as a professor at Sheridan College’s Pilon School of Business, where she teaches postgraduate students in accounting, finance, technology, and audit.

Whether advising boards, coaching executives, or addressing global conferences, Idalin McKenzie empowers leaders with practical tools, strategic clarity, and her signature KalmGovernance™ and KalmLeadership™ models—helping organizations thrive and deliver impact in a rapidly changing world.

Idalin McKenzie Topic Presentations

Idalin McKenzie Toronto , Ontario, Canada delivers keynote presentations, workshops, fireside chats, moderated Q&A, and other presentation formats on a wide variety of topics. Each presentation is unique, customized and tailored for audiences, industries, conferences and event formats.

Resilient By Design: Building Organizations That Withstand Disruption

AI and Accountability: Who’s Responsible When Algorithms Make Decisions?

The Future of Work and Leadership: Thriving With Confidence in A Changing World

From Intention to Action: Leading Inclusively in Today’s Workplace

Execution-ready Governance: From Strategy On Paper to Results in Practice

Leading With the 4cs™: Competence, Courage, Connection, and Confidence

Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate, A Future to Build

Idalin McKenzie Speaking Testimonials

It was a pleasure having Idalin McKenzie attend our entrepreneurship community event to speak on business planning. Her tailored presentation, expertise, and dynamic delivery style captivated our audience of business owners. She imparted insightful and actionable strategies for planning at different stages of business, from start-up to scaling to sustaining. Our audience was left inspired to explore and implement the strategies discussed. I look forward to having her at future events.

T.V. Walker

RBC Dominion Securities

Idalin’s talk on enterprise resilience was practical, relatable, and impactful. She skillfully decoded the complexities of strategic risk management, equipping our organization to navigate uncertainties proactively. Her framework of transforming challenges into opportunities inspired our teams, fueling a drive to cultivate a risk-conscious culture. Idalin McKenzie is the perfect speaker for any organization looking to enhance its approach to managing risk.

Z. Yuan.

Finance Executive
Global Automotive Solutions Company

Idalin McKenzie is a leader who sparks engagement. She possesses a natural ability to skillfully decode the complexities of topical inclusive leadership practices within organizations. The audience felt empowered with actionable strategies to foster trust and transparency among leaders, colleagues and employees that would achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Idalin’s leadership, gravitas and credibility resonate, spark engagement and motivate her audience to action.

S. Chisholm

President
EWIIN

Thank you, Idalin McKenzie, for not only joining our community today but for encouraging us to remember that excellence is a journey, not a destination. You inspired our entire community.

D. Powers

Dean of Students
St-Mildred’s-Lightbourn

Idalin McKenzie, thank you so much for joining our Empower Conference and participating in our Women in Leadership panel discussion. Your insights as a woman in leadership were profoundly impactful and offered invaluable perspectives to our audience.

DWIB, DeGroote – McMaster University

Idalin McKenzie’s keynote sharing her professional journey was a masterclass in resilience and continuous learning. Her talk offered motivational and empowering insights that left everyone feeling inspired and invigorated.

Student Recruitment
CPA Ontario

You May Also Like

Related Speakers

Meghan Agosta

Meghan Agosta

Olympic Champion & Police Constable | Leadership, Teamwork & Resilience Expert

Meghan Agosta

Speaker Topics

  • Leadership
  • Leadership and Change
  • Peak Performance
  • Teamwork
  • Resilience & Change
  • Adaptability & Agility
  • Burnout Prevention
  • Olympians & Olympics
  • First Responders
Meghan Agosta is an Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian women's hockey team, competing in four Olympic Winter Games. Renowned for her...
Andrew Allen

Andrew Allen

Multi-Platinum Singer-Songwriter |Transformational Thought Leader | Keynote Concerts

Andrew Allen

Speaker Topics

  • Mindset & Goal Accomplishment
  • Resilience & Adversity
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Personal Growth
  • Mental Health
  • Leadership Development
  • Intentional Habits
  • Character Development
Andrew Allen is a multi-platinum Canadian singer-songwriter and keynote speaker, recognized for 5 top-10 singles, international chart...
Elaine Allison

Elaine Allison

Leadership | Customer Service and Sales | Customer loyalty And Sales Expert

Featured

Elaine Allison

Speaker Topics

  • Brand Strategy & Storytelling
  • Business & Corporate
  • Business Ethics & Values
  • Business Growth
  • Business Leadership
  • Business Management
  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Confidence
Elaine Allison is a Certified Speaking Professional who specializes in customer service strategies and training. She is the author of the...
Dr. Chitra Anand

Dr. Chitra Anand

Innovation Speaker | Award Winning Communications & Marketing Executive

Dr. Chitra Anand

Speaker Topics

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Change Management
  • Communication
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • Health & Wellness
  • Business Technology
  • Intrapreneurship
Dr. Chitra Anand is an award-winning communications and marketing executive with over two decades of leadership in the tech sector,...
Adera Angelucci

Adera Angelucci

Award-Winning Producer | Director | #1 Best-Selling Author | Speaker

Adera Angelucci

Speaker Topics

  • Digital & Social Media Marketing
  • Brand Strategy & Storytelling
  • Leadership
  • Leadership and Change
  • Excellence & Success
  • Women In Business
  • Resilience & Adversity
  • Change Management
Adera Angelucci is an Award-Winning Host, Director and Producer. She's also a video and marketing coach to passionate, purpose-driven...
Erez Avramov

Erez Avramov

Resilience & Communication Expert | Leadership and Change Management Executive Coach

Erez Avramov

Speaker Topics

  • Resilience & Adversity
  • Leadership
  • Adaptability & Agility
  • Leadership and Change
  • Mindset & Attitude
  • Performance
  • Reinvention
  • Empowerment
Erez Avramov is a resilience expert, keynote speaker, and executive coach recognized as “the Man Who Refuses to Die.” A former elite...
Dr. George Ayee

Dr. George Ayee

Leadership | Change And Transformation Expert

Dr. George Ayee

Speaker Topics

  • Business & Corporate
  • Business Growth
  • Business Leadership
  • Business Management
  • Change Management
  • Disruption Management
  • Employee Management
  • Global Business & Trade
  • HR & Corporate Culture
George Ayee is an organizational effectiveness, corporate change leader, business transformation, coach, professional speaker & consultant...
Calgary Calgary, Alberta
Josef Azam

Josef Azam

Digital Marketing Expert | Leadership Coach And Motivational Speaker

Featured

Josef Azam

Speaker Topics

  • Business Growth
  • Innovation & Creativity
  • Digital & Social Media Marketing
  • Sales
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Business Leadership
  • Corporate Responsibility (CSR)
  • Public Relations & Media Training
  • Future of Work
Josef Azam is a successful entrepreneur and digital marketing expert at the same time a fitness and health advocate and speaker. Josef...
Rachel Baptiste

Rachel Baptiste

Human-First Culture Strategist | DEI Transformation | Executive Coaching Expert

Featured

Rachel Baptiste

Speaker Topics

  • Organizational Leadership
  • Leadership Development
  • Personal Leadership
  • Talent Management
  • Workplace Culture
  • Trust Relationships
  • Psychological Safety
  • Inclusive Leadership
  • Corporations & Businesses
Rachel Baptiste is a Human-First Culture Strategist, executive coach, and leadership expert known for advancing equity, diversity, and...
Joanna Barclay

Joanna Barclay

Corporate Culture Change Expert And Mindful Conscious Leadership Consultant

Featured

Joanna Barclay

Speaker Topics

  • Adaptability & Agility
  • Business & Corporate
  • Business Growth
  • Business Leadership
  • Business Management
  • Change Management
  • Employee Retention
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Excellence & Success
Joanna Barclay is a global speaker and author on cultural transformation, building high performing workplace cultures, & conscious...
Dr. Dean Barnes

Dr. Dean Barnes

Leadership & Equity Specialist | Representation, Storytelling & Education Expert

Dr. Dean Barnes

Speaker Topics

  • Leadership
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • Inclusive Leadership
  • Teamwork
  • Cultural Diversity
  • Leadership and Change
  • Business & Corporate
  • Athletes & Sports
  • Inspirational Leadership
Dr. Dean Barnes is a Canadian speaker, podcaster, collector, and education leader who shares powerful stories of leadership, equity, and...
Burlington Burlington, Ontario
Richard Bartrem

Richard Bartrem

Former WestJet VP | Leadership & Workplace Culture | Branding and Marketing Expert

Featured

Richard Bartrem

Speaker Topics

  • Business Growth
  • Customer Service & Experience
  • Innovation & Creativity
  • Brand Strategy & Storytelling
  • Business Ethics & Values
  • Business Leadership
  • Public Relations & Media Training
  • Consumer Behaviour
Richard Bartrem is the former VP of Marketing Communications at West Jet, who is now a speaker and expert on leadership, brand, marketing &...
Calgary Calgary, Alberta

FAQ

How to book Idalin McKenzie for an event?

Idalin McKenzie keynote speaker is an expert presenter and has a wide range of experience speaking to a wide variety of audiences and organizations. Idalin McKenzie delivers keynotes, workshops & training sessions. They may also host or emcee events. Hire Idalin McKenzie from Toronto, Ontario for your event to inspire the audience to take action and make change in their work and their lives. Your workplace will benefit from our keynote speaker and their keynote talks and speeches will shift the mindsets or behaviours for the audience members in Canada. 

Interested in booking Idalin McKenzie for an event?

Are you looking to hire Idalin McKenzie for your event? Idalin McKenzie Toronto, Ontario is a dynamic and engaging speaker that offers audiences researched content paired with expertise and a dynamic speaking ability. Idalin McKenzie is also a Canadian corporate consultant and coach and facilitates workshops and training sessions for a corporate audience. Idalin McKenzie is an expert keynote presenter and speaks on wide variety of topics. Hiring a great speaker for your event is important and working with a thought leader like Idalin McKenzie from Speakers Canada's roster will engage audiences into the content of the presentation to bring awareness and a fresh perspective for their approach to their work and their lives. Book Idalin McKenzie to educate, motivate and activate the audience through an interactive and entertaining presentation at corporate meetings and gatherings.

Known as a popular key note speaker in Canada, Idalin McKenzie creates life changing experiences for the participants with practical insights and strategic advice they can implement right after the session. Working with one of our leading expert speaker like Idalin McKenzie from Toronto, Ontario offers organizations a fresh perspective to assist the people of the organization. No matter if it is a government, association, or business crowd, Idalin McKenzie is a perfect speaker for your event. Through unique practical insights for trending topics and years experience speaking to different organizations, Idalin McKenzie focuses on changing individuals to make better decisions at work and their lives. No matter if you are holding an in person or virtual event, having an influential speaker such as Idalin McKenzie will engage, motivate, and activate the audience to make a change in their lives and inspire action for results to meet organizational goals. Your workforce will benefit from Idalin McKenzie's presentations and speeches, with measurable results set to shift the people of the organization and core direction of the company. Book Idalin McKenzie speaker for your annual general meeting, conference, summit, or convention in Canada.

How much does it cost to hire Idalin McKenzie for a keynote presentation or virtual event?

Idalin McKenzie is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada's talent have different ways to assess their fees, and Idalin McKenzie speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget. 

Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Idalin McKenzie to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Idalin McKenzie for your event. As Idalin McKenzie's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization's behalf to try to help you get in touch with Idalin McKenzie and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

Idalin McKenzie Disclaimer

Speakers Bureau Canada assists companies and event planning teams seeking to hire talent like Idalin McKenzie for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, conference appearances, training sessions and workshops facilitations. Our Canadian speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Idalin McKenzie, however they are represented by Speakers Canada, and we work with them closely for their Canadian speaking opportunities and bookings. As Canada's top speaker bureau, we represent Canadian motivational keynote speakers and professional guest speakers that will be available on your upcoming events date and location that are withing the budget. Our talented bureau speaker booking agency can help find business speakers or celebrity speakers that aligns with each organization, audience, event theme and the topic themes you hope for the speaker to address in their presentation. 

When SBC receives a request to book Idalin McKenzie we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization's event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact Idalin McKenzie about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker's fees. If you are looking to hire Idalin McKenzie, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.