HSBC’s Chief Economist Keynotes New ICT Conference in Toronto

David Watt, Chief Economist at HSBC Canada, and a highly regarded authority in North America’s financial and capital markets, will present the keynote speech at a Nearshore Americas event, Sourcing Decisions 2017, in Toronto in early March.

Watt has significant expertise in economics and the financial sector, and is known as a fixed income and currency strategist, whose words are heard keenly by investors in markets across the Americas.

Scheduled for March 2, the conference will provide a platform for sourcing buyers and decision-makers to discuss the explosive state of global services, where cloud, as-a-service offerings, and nimble startups are forcing a brand new procurement paradigm.

More than anything else, the conference is intended to ignite deep discussions on the impact that robotics and automation will have inside and outside the enterprise.

“Our goal is to help decision-makers become smarter about how to use these new automation tools to increase efficiency and dramatically reduce the cost of operations, while minimizing exponential levels of risk,” says Kirk Laughlin, Managing Director of Nearshore Americas.

Technology has become a key driver of change in Canada. The country’s financial technology (fintech) market is thriving like never before, with a huge number of venture capital funds pouring money into the sector. According to figures compiled by Reuters, venture capital investment in Canadian financial technology firms reached $240 million in 2016, a 74% increase from 2015.

Laughlin and his team say they acknowledge the “outdated nature” of traditional outsourcing, adding that the conference will spearhead a “next-generation” dialogue.

Sourcing Decisions 2017 will feature a series of panel discussions and presentations from some of the leading minds in North American sourcing, enterprise ICT procurement, and vendor management.

Another interesting feature of the conference is a Q&A discussion with RBC’s Vice President of Innovation Gabriel Woo, who will share insights on how the Canadian bank partners with fintech startups to deploy cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions.

The conference will also feature discussions on new models that support third-party sourcing, managing risk in RPA, customer engagement in the new era of digital, new vendor management tools for 2017, nearshore partner strategies including detailed discussions around the importance of NAFTA and Caribbean-Canada relations, and sourcing’s role in managing big data, among other topics.

To register for the event and for further information about other notable speakers, click here.