Jill Heinerth
More people have walked on the moon than have visited many of the places that Jill Heinerth has seen on Earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never-before-seen ecosystems inside giant Antarctic icebergs, Heinerth’s curiosity and passion about our watery planet is the driving force in her life. In her visually stunning presentations, she encourages audiences to reach beyond their limitations, challenge the unknown, and overcome their fears, while sharing practical lessons on risk management and safety, discovery learning, failure, and collaboration.
From desert oases of the Sahara to Baffin Bay's cold waters, Heinerth has been the hands and eyes for climatologists, archaeologists, and engineers worldwide. She led the first dives into underwater caves inside Antarctica's massive B-15 iceberg and was a lead diver on a ground-breaking US Deep Caving Team project, piloting the first accurate 3D cave mapping device using tech that’s now bound for space.
Heinerth became the first Explorer-in-Residence of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2016. She is also a fellow of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, Underwater Academy of Arts and Sciences, Women Divers Hall of Fame, and the Explorers Club, which awarded her with the William Beebe Award. In addition, Heinerth has been honoured with the Explorer’s Club Stefansson Medal and the Wyland ICON Award, and she is the inaugural recipient of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration. In 2023, she received her first honorary doctorate from Victoria University of the University of Toronto.
A bestselling author, Heinerth’s first book Into the Planet, was lauded by the Wall Street Journal, Oprah Magazine, and the New York Times. Her children’s book, The Aquanut, is a Blue Ribbon Selection for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Heinerth is also the subject of a new documentary Diving into the Darkness, which won Best Documentary Feature at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where it premiered.
Jill Heinerth leverages her adventurous life experiences to empower every woman to take on new challenges with confidence. Early in her career in advertising, Heinerth shifted gears, pivoting to a remarkable career as a creative professional in the underwater world. But it was not an easy path. Battling misogyny, financial ruin, and a devastating diving accident, she emerged to build a successful life on a road less traveled.
In this presentation, she shares her original vision about mapping a path to success in a non-traditional role while sharing heartwarming human stories about the challenges she encountered and overcame along her journey.
Louis GialloretoLouis Gialloreto has been a Professor of Marketing at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management for over 25 years and current Module Director for the McGill HEC EMBA and Directors Education Program. As a specialist in strategic growth, commercial innovation, market competitiveness, governance and business trends, including AI transformation, he has taught a wide range of audiences from board members and executives in multinational organizations to aspiring graduate students.
Louis has also been a Lecturer in the Law Faculty at McGill and is a visiting lecturer at a variety of institutions in North America and Europe, in addition to being a frequent speaker and panel chairman at conferences worldwide. He has also been involved in several SSHRC Research projects in a variety of legal and commercial subject areas.
In addition to his academic background, Louis has twenty years of professional corporate experience in a variety of positions with both regional and major airlines, financial services and in management consultancy. During ten years at Air Canada, he held a variety of management jobs culminating in a senior marketing post.
Louis has developed and taught on executive and management education seminars and corporate consulting mandates with representatives of over 100 companies. He is the author of over 40 published articles, several book chapters and a book entitled Strategic Airline Management - The Global War Begins.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept—it is already shaping how value is created, decisions are made, and organizations compete. In a business environment defined by rapid change, cost pressure, and uncertainty, DHI members need practical tools and clear thinking to navigate what’s next.
This interactive session, delivered by the McGill Executive Institute, will equip participants with a strategic and operational understanding of how AI is influencing value creation across industries—and how those lessons can be applied within the door and hardware sector. Rather than focusing on technology alone, the session emphasizes how AI is changing the way people think, work, and make decisions.
Through real-world case examples, best-practice insights, and learn-by-doing table discussions, participants will explore where AI can enhance productivity, support smarter decision-making, uncover new opportunities, and help solve persistent business challenges. Attendees will leave with a clearer framework for evaluating AI opportunities, asking better strategic questions, and identifying practical next steps for their own organizations.
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