It was an absolute pleasure to be back in Toronto, Canada for the 21st National Conference, the STEP Canada Board meeting and AGM. I had visited in February, early in my tenure, given the importance of the region to STEP overall and to learn more about how we operate in different parts of the world.
I was joined on this trip by Simon Morgan TEP, our worldwide Chair and Jim Walkinshaw, COO Finance and HR, from the London office.
We met the Canada Board on the first day, and then attended the AGM and Board meeting. It was great to meet the incoming and outgoing board members and get the opportunity to update the Canada Board on what we are working on in the worldwide office to further the vision and mission of the society.
In the evening we moved on to a reception which included Simon Morgan and STEP Vice Chair Nancy Golding TEP presenting Prof Albert Oosterhoff with Honorary Membership of STEP. Prof Oosterhoff became the second Canadian to receive such an honour and is one of only 11 worldwide.
The next morning saw the conference open and 784 delegates converge on the Metro Toronto Conference Centre. After the formalities, we were into the first session of the day with Richard Hay TEP leading us through a masterclass thought-leader piece on the effects of globalisation on the tax collection of nation states. The question of whether we could be headed toward a central taxing authority that imposes globally-coordinated taxation may not be so far-fetched; how would we have reacted to the current disclosure rules ten or 15 years ago?
Alongside the many important technical sessions the two other stand-out pieces for me (as a non-practitioner) were the lunchtime sessions. On Thursday we listened to S Jay Olshansky from the University of Illinois looking at ageing and longevity; some of the ‘markers’ for that were surprisingly basic, eg the younger you look, the older you tend to live, and what impact that should have on planning for future health and finances. On Friday we had the equally thought-provoking Caron Croland Yanis sharing her experiences on the intersection of family values, sustainable governance and technical compliance in philanthropy.
Before heading off to dinner we were delighted to attend the Student Awards ceremony where the latest winners were recognised (pictured). I always enjoy these type of events and getting to meet the brightest of the new professionals coming through, and I’m confident that we saw some of the future leaders of the profession. Dinner that evening had to be the networking and social highlight of the two days – held at Arcadian Court, an historic and impressive art deco event space.
For me the barometer of a conference’s success is how many people are still actively engaged at the end of the event – and STEP Canada certainly set the bar high by having a varied and well thought-through programme that kept most of the delegates through to the final sessions.
It certainly met our mission statements of promoting high professional standards, educating professionals and connecting advisors. As ever with these events, the eventual success sits deep in the planning, and I saw first-hand during my visit back in February how detailed, focused and accountable that planning was. Based on that, the event was always going to a success!
Altogether it was a very informative and enjoyable few days. I genuinely learned lots, I have seen content and formats that we can use, and/ or adapt for the Global Congress in Dublin next year, and the networking was outstanding.
Huge congratulations go out to the whole STEP Canada conference programme committee led by Corina Weigl TEP (Chair), Brian Cohen TEP and Richard Niedermayer TEP (Co Deputy Chairs) and the fabulous staff team led by Michael Dodick and Janis Armstrong. What a formidable force to have behind the biggest conference event in the STEP calendar.
It’s always interesting to see what other conferences are on in a major venue. As I arrived in Toronto the hotel and centre was full of body builders at the 2019 Toronto Pro Supershow and EXPO, and as we left the cannabis industry had moved in for the 2019 Toronto Cannabis EXPO – it’s a booming market after it was legalised last year…
Mark Walley is CEO of STEP
STEP met HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) this week, together with The Law Society and Solicitors for the Elderly, to obtain an update on the delays and disruption to the Probate Service in England and Wales.