Todd Hirsch

Todd Hirsch is a leading expert on adaptability and managing the transition in a complex and unpredictable global economy. A visionary in his field, he inspires audiences around the world to re-think the modern economy, and directs leaders to re-imagine how to survive and thrive in an ever-changing world.

He holds a B.A. (Honours) degree, and an M.A. degree, both in Economics. His Masters Thesis focused on Quatranary Theory of corporate head office location in Canada's energy sector.

His professional career spans three decades in corporate banking, holding the position of Vice President and Chief Economist at ATB Financial for 16 years. Prior to that, he was an Economist with the Bank of Canada, a Chief Economist at the Canada West Foundation (a non-partisan policy think-tank), and a Business Analyst with the Canada Pacific Railway.

For nearly a decade, Todd taught economics at the University of Calgary, focused on Public Finance as a sessional instructor. He also taught in the Faculty of Continuing Education at the same university (Economics for Business), as well as in the Faculty of Business at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Extention.

Todd has written four books, two of them on adapting to sudden, unwanted change. Within the context of an ever-changing economic landscape, these books present interview-based research on dozens of companies, not-for-profits and individuals -- all of which successfully managed sudden change. The books then distill a detailed list of traits and characteristics of successful adapters. From this list, Todd builds his presentations to equip audience members actionable tools that will make them more successful in the face of unwanted disrutpion.

He demystifies today's volatile and colliding economic factors and interprets their impact, illustrated by relevant and memorable examples valued by industry leaders. His expert assessments map global trends to deliver a fresh, insights-fuelled outlook that enables his audiences to adapt to the emerging economic forces affecting their world, industries and careers.

With three TEDx Talks, hundreds of presentations and four books, Todd delivers well-researched presentations with compelling examples, metaphors and images replacing the traditional deluge of charts and graphs. He represents a modern approach to current economic trends that take into account the past, present, and most importantly the future. Take-aways for attendees include tools to navigate their business, their team and even their personal lives through a world that is in constant flux.

His two primary keynote presentations are summarized here:

KEYNOTE #1

From Frenzy to Focus: Finding Clarity and Control in a Chaotic Economy

With the rules of geopolitics being rewritten, the global economy is in unfamiliar and unpleasant territory. Traditional pillars of trade security and interest rate stability are compromised. The pre-pandemic calm and complacency have been replaced with complexity, confusion and chaos.

This presentation will explore the drivers of disruption:

* a fractured trade relationship between the U.S. and its traditional trading partners

* tariffs, and what this could mean for supply chains and macro disruption

* extreme weather events and their economic impact

* the path forward for interest rates and inflation

* technological disruption, especially A.I.

The practical take-away will be STRATEGIC TOOLS to help audience members navigate the chaos. The tools will draw from extensive research in my two books on successfully adapting to unwanted change.

KEYNOTE #2

Adapting to Sudden, Unwanted Change: Lessons from Spiders!

Adding to the list of death and taxes, the other unavoidable challenge in life is change. For any business, not-for-profit, industry association or even an individual, change is inevitable.

How do you manage change when it comes suddenly? A phone call from your major client. An email from your top sales person. A message from your physician. Sometimes, change comes with cruel speed. Everything changes in the matter of a few minutes.

Fortunately, nature has provided a bit of a playbook. The adaptability of spiders to sudden change reveals characteristics inherent to the successful adaptor. This keynote presentation offers an inventory of necessary traits, and ways we can each foster them in our businesses and live – BEFORE the sudden change hits.