What does it mean to communicate as a leader today? How can you meaningfully engage with remote teams? How can you foster knowledge sharing and collaboration in a hybrid and virtual environment?  

In this webinar, offered as part of the U of T Hub on Ten Thousand Coffees networking platform, we will hear from three alumni professionals, Bart Egnal (BA 2001 A&S), Lei Shi (MA 2014 CIRHR), and Siddhesh Karnik (MA 2021 CIRHR) who will share their years of experience in leading and supporting multi-cultural and multi-geographical teams in a hybrid world.  Open to all U of T alumni. 

Attend this webinar to: 

• Hear about how other industry leaders are adapting to a hybrid world 
• Explore the best team building practices and leadership communication approaches 
• Learn how leaders can create a virtual work environment that supports inclusivity and diversity 

The U of T Hub on Ten Thousand Coffees is a free, online networking tool for the entire U of T community. More than 12,000 alumni professionals and students use the free hub to give and get career advice anytime, anywhere. 

Office Hours are online career webinars offered as part of the U of T Hub. For alumni by alumni, Office Hours deliver peer-to-peer learning based on professional best practices. Alumni volunteers also deliver Office Hour webinars tailored for students.

To hear more about the U of T Hub and other upcoming webinars, sign up for the hub now.

About the panelists

Bart Egnal (BA 2001 A&S) 

Bart Egnal graduated from the University of Toronto in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After two decades with The Humphrey Group, Bart now leads the company as its CEO and owner and he oversees the expansion the company from Toronto to Vancouver, Calgary, Mexico City, and the US. He is passionate about inspirational leadership communication skills, and he is the author of a book, Leading Through Language: How To Choose Words That Influence and Inspire (Wiley, 2015). He is proud of being recognized in 2015 by the International Alliance of Women for his contributions as an ally and continues to be deeply committed to creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable world. 

Lei Shi (MA 2014 CIRHR) 

Lei Shi is a graduate of Master of Industrial Relations and Human Resources program from University of Toronto. As a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), she has over 17 years of experience, Canadian and international combined, working as a Human Resources professional and strategic leader in private sectors. Lei is passionate about helping individuals develop the skills and knowledge to realize their full potential in their chosen profession, as well as supporting organizations achieve sustainable growth through cultivating value-based employee-centric culture. 

Siddhesh Karnik (MA 2021 CIRHR) 

Siddhesh Karnik graduated from the University of Toronto in 2021 with a Master of Industrial Relations and Human Resources degree. He is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), possesses over 10 years of HR experience in Canadian and international markets and also holds a Masters in HR from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). He has a myriad of experiences in HR across various industries and sectors, focused on partnering with businesses to build their talent capabilities. Currently, as a Senior HR consultant at Sun Life, Siddhesh focuses on various talent and data related projects, and leading implementation of company’s key HR initiatives. Prior to this role, he has worked with General Electric and Shell and has had a brief stint with a start-up, building an HR team and key HR processes. He is passionate about building people centric cultures based on trust and transparency.