RIAZ MEGHJI

Human Connection Expert |Author of Every Conversation Counts

Riaz Meghji is a human connection keynote speaker and author of the book Every Conversation Counts: The 5 Habits of Human Connection That Build Extraordinary Relationships. He is also an accomplished broadcaster with 17 years of television experience, interviewing experts on current affairs, sports, entertainment, politics and business. Along the way, he not only learned the power of a candid conversation, but also how to put it into practice.

Meghji has hosted for Citytv’s Breakfast Television, TEDxVancouver, MTV Canada, CTV News, and the Toronto International Film Festival. He is a natural storyteller with a proven ability to conduct engaging, in-depth conversations across various disciplines, making him a highly sought-after keynote speaker and moderator. Meghji is also the founder of Every Conversation Counts: a platform that shares insights from leaders, celebrities, athletes, and philanthropists all with one common thread—memorable conversations that forever altered the course of their life.

Off camera, Riaz dedicates himself to philanthropy and causes he cares about including Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and Covenant House. He holds a degree in business from Simon Fraser University and studied Leadership Communication at Harvard’s Extension School and the Canadian Management Centre.

BRENDON OGMUNDSON

Brendon Ogmundson is the Chief Economist for the BC Real Estate Association. He holds an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and is a CFA Charterholder. Brendon specializes in housing market analysis and macroeconomic forecasting and authors several BCREA monthly and quarterly publications. He is a member of the BC Ministry of Finance’s Economic Forecast Council, a contributor to the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s Survey of Professional Forecasters and was recently named one of the most influential economists in BC by Business in Vancouver Magazine.

TAMARA TAGGART

Tamara Taggart is a community leader, activist, veteran broadcaster, cancer survivor, and mother.

With a broadcasting career spanning 28 years in television, radio, and digital media, Tamara has also focused two decades of volunteer efforts on health care and the well-being of children and people with disabilities. She is a community leader who advocates for others and raises much-needed funds for many important causes, contributing thousands of hours and serving as a director of several non-profit organizations. Tamara currently hosts the podcast Telus Talks with Tamara Taggart from her home studio and is the volunteer president of Down syndrome BC.

In 2015 Tamara was awarded the Order of BC—the highest honour awarded by the Government of British Columbia—in recognition of her years of public service. She also received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2016.

Tamara is a sought-after keynote speaker on self-advocacy, resilience, and overcoming challenges.  She and her husband Dave have three children— son Beckett, and daughters Zoë and Poppy.  They also share their home with George their Airedale Terrier, Penelope their rescue dog and rescue cats Broccoli and Brussel Sprout.