Agenda

SCARE to CARES: Leading Digital Transformation without Chaos

Digital transformation projects rarely fail because of technology. They struggle when stress rises, communication breaks down, resistance grows, and teams lose confidence in the path forward. 
 
Drawing from more than 25 years of leadership experience and real-world lessons learned while leading organizations through complex transformations and a major ransomware incident, Saby Waraich introduces the SCARE to CARES framework - a practical leadership approach for guiding teams through uncertainty and change. 
 
Participants will learn how to recognize the common leadership traps that create Stress, Chaos, Anxiety, Resistance, and Ego (SCARE), and how to replace them with Communication, Adaptability, Relationships, Empowerment, and Staying Calm (CARES).  
Through stories, audience interaction, and actionable strategies, attendees will discover how successful leaders create trust, maintain momentum, and keep people engaged when the stakes are high. 
 
Whether leading a digital transformation, major project, organizational change initiative, or crisis response, this session provides practical tools that can be applied immediately to help teams navigate change with greater confidence and achieve lasting results. 
 
Key Takeaways 
Identify the leadership behaviors that contribute to Stress, Chaos, Anxiety, Resistance, and Ego during change initiatives. 
Apply the CARES framework to build trust, resilience, and team engagement. 
Strengthen communication and decision-making during periods of uncertainty. 
Lead digital transformation and organizational change with greater confidence and impact. 
Create a culture where people can adapt, contribute, and perform at their best. 
 
 

Cracking the PM Interview

Give attendees an inside look at how HR professionals, hiring managers, and career development practitioners evaluate project managers, what makes a resume stand out, and how to ace interviews. 

Strategy as Risk Management: Leading Through Uncertainty in Complex Organizations

We will be exploring how strategic leaders can treat risk not as an obstacle to be managed around, but as the core discipline through which lasting organizational impact is built.

The Application of Alternative Construction Methodologies and Sustainable Frameworks for Building Infrastructure: A Municipal Project Delivery Perspective  

Climate resilience of municipal building infrastructure can be defined as the capacity of the asset to “anticipate, prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from” a climate change disruption or impact. Now so, more than ever, there is a requirement for municipalities to take progressive action to increase the resilience of their building infrastructure, both existing and new, to address projected weather events resulting from climate change. 

The City of St. John’s will be speaking about two capital construction projects and how they are applying different construction methodologies and sustainability frameworks to improve their project delivery as they look towards their goal of becoming net zero by 2050. 

How project managers can evolve into strategic leaders by effectively managing stakeholders, navigating complexity, and delivering results in real-world environments

Project success rarely depends solely on methodology; it depends on leadership, stakeholder alignment, and execution. Drawing from experience leading initiatives across nonprofit organizations, real estate developments, operational transformations, and multi-stakeholder environments, this presentation will explore how project managers can move beyond process management to become strategic leaders.

Participants will learn practical approaches to aligning diverse stakeholders, proactively managing risks in uncertain environments, balancing governance with agility, and translating organizational strategy into actionable plans. Through real-world examples and lessons learned, attendees will gain practical tools that can be applied immediately regardless of whether they work in Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid environments.

Key takeaways include stakeholder engagement strategies, executive communication techniques, and a framework for delivering results in complex project environments.

Building Digital Health Facilities: Navigating Deployments as a new PM

Delivering Digital Health infrastructure requires balancing fixed construction timelines with agile IT deployments. Drawing on experience managing large-scale facilities as a new project manager—including Western Memorial Regional Hospital and Unity Health Centre—this talk focuses on navigating tight deadlines and constrained resources.

The presentation outlines transitioning into project management from a technical background, building cross-functional credibility, and ensuring technology delivers real operational value. It also details hybrid scheduling strategies for impactful technology releases.

Leadership by Design: The Hidden Tools Behind Stronger Projects

Strong projects are not built on plans alone. They are built through clarity, trust, timely decisions, and people who feel confident raising risks early.

In this practical, high-energy session, Stephanie Howlett explores the leadership habits that help project teams stay aligned, responsive, and moving forward. Through an interactive Project Myth busters activity, participants will consider the people practices that influence communication, stakeholder relationships, decision-making, and momentum.

Participants will leave with:

• More confidence leading project conversations that build clarity, trust, and momentum
• Simple ways to strengthen alignment, ownership, and team connection
• Three practical leadership moves they can use right away

“I've learned that people will forget that you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou 

Beyond the PMBOK: What Government Projects Actually Taught Me

When frameworks meet the beautifully messy reality of public sector delivery, what
actually makes projects succeed? Drawing on my experience as a project manager with
the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, this talk explores what public sector project management really looks like when frameworks collide with real stakeholders, shifting leadership, and the culture of government. I will share three practical lessons: first, trust is built in informal moments — the coffee machine and the social club — not the formal kickoff; second, government projects face “policy creep” and “leadership creep,” and re-anchoring to public value is the most powerful pivot when leadership changes; and third, the soft skills are the hard skills, because influencing without authority and delivering hard news are the real job. I will close with a simple, no-cost tool: the 15-minute mid-project pulse check.

01 - Trust is built at the coffee machine — not the formal kickoff.
02 - Policy & leadership creep — re-anchor to public value.
03 - The soft skills are the hard skills — influence without authority.