A group of business colleagues in collared suits and blazers tacking colourful sticky notes to a glass window pane during a brainstorming session

Executive Leadership Program

Tuesday, May 27 – Thursday, May 29, 2025

Georgian College, Barrie Campus

The Executive Leadership Program, brought to you by Lakehead University and Georgian College, is designed to produce long-term results for you and your organization. If you want to further your leadership skills and develop evidence-based strategies that take your team to the next level, this program is for you!

About the program

Become the leader you want to be

Facilitated by leading faculty and delivered in the heart of Simcoe County, this innovative program will help you, and your team, reach their full leadership potential.

The program builds on your real-world experience, analyzes your personal leadership style, and helps you improve your own impact and drive performance and culture within your organization. The goal of the program is to prepare you to navigate complex challenges, lead with conviction, and drive organizational success.

The Executive Leadership Program is for:

  • directors, senior managers and business owners from a broad range of industries including corporate, government, manufacturing and health care
  • professionals with five + years of experience leading people, teams, or large projects
Two people in grey suits shaking hands, while another is inputting data from paper pie chart and line graphs on a tablet

What you need to know

Two business people shaking hands

What does the program provide?

  • AtmanCo. Psychometric Assessment
  • The Basadur Innovation Profile
  • A network of likeminded individuals in the Simcoe County region from a variety of sectors
  • Access to academic contacts within Lakehead University and Georgian College
  • A certificate of completion
Two people collaborating with sticky notes on whiteboard

Your program journey

  • A three-day intensive in-class program
    • Day 1: Leading self
    • Day 2: Leading and engaging others
    • Day 3: Getting results
  • Action-based interactive learning
  • Leader’s toolkit
Group of people fist bumping

Top take-aways

  • Enhance your leadership skills and capabilities
  • Integrate self-awareness and personal power
  • Master the principles of employee engagement to build highly productive teams and create a culture of belonging
  • Cultivate leadership practices that motivate staff to achieve a high level of commitment
  • Develop the skills you need to establish and maintain effective coaching dialogue
  • Lead and inspire your organization through change successfully

Discounts

The Executive Leadership Program offers the following discounts. Please contact us for more information!

Alumni discount

Lakehead University and Georgian College alumni receive 10 per cent off the program.

Group discount

Groups of three or more people from the same organization may be eligible for a per person discount.

Non-profit discount

Non-profit employees can receive up to 10 per cent off the program.

Testimonials

Hear what program participants have to say about the Executive Leadership Program!

The Executive Leadership Program brought to you by Lakehead/Georgian was a truly impactful experience. The combination of self-reflection, skill assessment and forward thinking provided exceptional learning and real-world learning. I would recommend this program for anyone who is looking to enhance their skill set and better understand their current state and future goals as a leader. From start to finish every detail was executed with thought and consideration of the attendees, this contributed to the overall high quality experience, I say this with genuine thanks.

Stefanie Smith, Spring 2024

Taking part in the Executive Leadership Program was an incredibly rewarding experience. This program provided me with some valuable tools and knowledge to further develop my leadership skills while building my network with like-minded individuals. The variety of guest speakers and topics kept the three days very exciting and full of opportunities to learn more about what it takes to be an effective leader.

Robert Dick, Spring 2024

The Executive Leadership Program exceeded my expectations for a locally offered leadership course. Not only was the course material extremely relevant and thought-provoking, but the ability to work through interactive material alongside other participants allowed me to build cross-sector relationships with executive leaders across the region. The availability of this type of leadership program here in our community has the potential to create new partnerships, spur innovation and build strong homegrown leaders who can continue to inspire others.

Laura Thompson, Spring 2022

The Executive Leadership Program was an engaging, interactive 3-day event with an incredible array of useful and relevant subjects and dynamic speakers. The opportunity to meet individuals from a variety of industries across Simcoe County was very enjoyable and it was interesting to learn how each of the subjects impact their operations. Everything was well-planned and executed – from the location, the speakers and overall organization – it was obvious a lot of time was placed in ensuring the attendees felt the time away from the office was well utilized. Highly recommend to any leader looking to enhance their skillsets.

Marjorie Cook, Spring 2022
Carmine Stump the president an CEO of Soldiers' Memorial Hospital
The Executive Leadership Program brought to you by Lakehead University and Georgian College is an excellent partnership to build leadership capacity locally. Leaders across different sectors in our community can learn together and from each other, providing added value to the experience.Carmine Stumpo, President and CEO, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital

The people of Executive Leadership

Peter Ferreira, Academic Director in the Executive Leadership Program at Georgian College
Peter Ferreira, Academic DirectorGeorgian College Chevron

Peter Ferreria has 20 plus years of education, sales and executive leadership experience spanning across diverse organizations including: Canadian & Global companies in IT, SaaS, Finance, Wholesale, Retail, eCommerce, Learning and Development industries for brands such as Synnex, CIT, Dell Technologies, Turning Technologies, AtmanCo., Halifax Sales Executive Consulting, and Luxury brands such as Cavalinho. Peter is a corporate facilitator for Continuing Education and Corporate Training at Georgian College where he delivers customized industry-driven, quality training that supports sectors including: healthcare, manufacturing, business, education and corporate organizations.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, Management and Leadership and a Business Management Diploma from Georgian College along with the following certificates: Effective Manager, American Management Association, Signature Selling, Welch & Pridmore and Leadership/Coaching and Team building.

Photo of Irena Pozgaj-Jones
Irena Pozgaj-Jones, FacilitatorGeorgian College Chevron

Irena is a collaborative leader guiding community research, collective impact, data management, community development, social innovation, and knowledge mobilization. Bringing over 18 years of expertise leading social and community services research projects within municipal government, Irena is systems thinker and has worked alongside executive leadership teams to help make the complex more tangible when it comes to creating new types of innovation

Irena is the Director for the Child Youth and Family Services Coalition of Simcoe County, Irena guides the operational functions and strategic planning to support the Coalition’s mission of maximizing the capacity, effectiveness, and cultural uniqueness of the child, youth, and family services system through collective efforts.

As part of Georgian Irena is a part-time faculty and a Social Innovation Fellow as part of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Social Innovation Department. She is currently supporting the NSERC funded ‘Future of Belonging Project’ alongside the YMCA Simcoe-Muskoka as part of the vision to establish the Community Innovation Network and Community Innovation Council.

A life-longer learner, Irena has an Environmental Engineering Technology diploma, a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Research Analyst post-graduate diploma, a post-graduate certificate in Community Economic Development, and will be starting a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation this fall.

Dave Shorey, Facilitator in the Executive Leadership Program at Georgian College
Dave Shorey, FacilitatorGeorgian College Chevron

Dave Shorey grew up in Southampton, left for school, and stayed in the Waterloo Region for work until returning home in 2020. Dave, his wife Constance (social worker with the Bluewater Board), and his daughter Annette live in Port Elgin and consider themselves lucky to live close to family and friends.

Dave currently serves Georgian College as Executive Director of the Owen Sound Campus. Dave cultivates, develops, and nurtures positive relationships with community, government, and industry partners. Dave also ensures continued quality programs and exceptional service delivery and oversees campus administration, organizational planning, and operations. Dave is also a faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University and teaches in the Master of Education program.

Previously, he served the Municipal Innovation Council (MIC) in Bruce County as the Innovation Officer, where he built an innovation ecosystem for 1500+ municipal employees and fostered collaborative problem-solving amongst all eight member municipalities. Dave was also Associate Director of Residence Education at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he championed collaboration across the institution and the co-creation of innovative transition and success programs.

Dave is near the completion of his Doctor of Education at Western University. He is a member of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Leading Research in Education (CLRiE), focusing on lifespan, living, and learning.

Debora Opuku Mulder, Facilitator in the Executive Leadership Program at Georgian College
Debora Opoku Mulder, FacilitatorGeorgian College Chevron

Debora Opoku-Mulder is an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion champion with experience fostering inclusive environments across a range of sectors, including corporate, non-profit, educational, and governmental organizations. Debora specializes in developing strategies and programs that promote diversity, combat systemic bias, and create equitable workplaces where all individuals, regardless of race, gender, ability, or background, can thrive.

Debora holds a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology.  In addition to her consultancy work, Debora has been a therapist for 16 years and works to erase the stigma associated with mental health and give people the tools they need to share their story and recognize that they are not alone on this journey.  Debora is currently the manager of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Centre at Georgian College.

Driven by a passion for equity and inclusion, and is committed to making workplaces more inclusive and equitable for all, and to challenging the systems that perpetuate inequality. Debora is recognized for her ability to engage diverse audience in meaningful conversations about race, privilege, and allyship, while driving tangible change.

Video resources

Leading through unprecedented times

The COVID-19 crisis challenges leaders in unique ways, but the lessons learned will serve us for years to come. In this session, learn how local leaders navigate the pandemic while maintaining the strength and reputation of their organizations.

Leading to connect: Building citizenship by building relationships

Dr. David Richards shares findings from his own research and leadership evidence to discuss not only how individual differences affect relationships with employees and their engagement and citizenship behaviours, but also some ways in which leaders can be proactive in building relationships today.

Questions? Contact us

Sara Tuck, BBA, CMP
Manager, Continuing Education and Corporate Training

This program is brought to you by

lakehead university and Georgian College logos

Accommodations *HIDDEN SECTION*

Looking for accommodations while you attend the Executive Leadership Program?

We have set up a block of rooms at Lakehead University in Orillia:

  • Standard bedroom with private bathroom – $93.50 per night, plus HST
  • Standard bedroom with shared bathroom – $66.00 per night, plus HST

One parking pass is included per room, per night (valued at $6.00 per day). Check-in time is after 3 p.m., with checkout by 11 a.m.

For reservation inquiries, please call the Residence Front Desk at 705.330.4010, ext. 3030 or email orilliaresidence@lakeheadu.ca and reference the room block: Executive Leadership Program.