Spark Summit 2023

The Spark Summit aims to connect and inspire professional women in the sports and entertainment industry.

Hear from professionals making big plays in the business and learn from their first-hand experiences navigating the world of sports.

Following the panels, join us for an evening of networking and soccer on the Club Level of Tim Hortons Field during the Forge FC v. Cavalry FC match.

Jacqueline Doorey is a Toronto-based host and producer with 9 years of experience in the sports industry.

She got her start with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats then worked at CBC Sports where she covered four Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as various world cups and world championships. She’s currently working as a producer and host at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, covering and producing videos for events like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL Draft and the NHL All-Star Game.

Meghan is a Co-Founder/CEO of Stathletes, a hockey data and analytics company.

Stathletes provides industry leading hockey insights in over 22 leagues worldwide and has scaled to the highest professional levels across North America and Europe. In another industry role, Meghan is a Data Scientist in Residence at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

She was featured on the insert cover of the Hockey News’ Top 100 of power and Influence, listed at 95 overall and in the Top 10 for Hockey Business Executives. Meghan and Stathletes have also been awarded Top Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018/2019 by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Top 40 under 40 in hockey for the Athletic in 2019 & 2020. She is on the board of advisors of US Integrity in the sports betting space.

Lindsay Hamilton joined TSN in September 2016 and is currently an anchor for SportsCentre.

Hamilton started working in broadcasting at a young age, becoming the first host of the Family Channel in 2008. For more than five years she interviewed entertainment icons, athletes, and musicians across North America, including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and One Direction.

In 2012, Hamilton hosted events during the 100th Grey Cup Anniversary Week, and by 2014 she joined Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment as a host for Toronto Marlies, IIHF World Juniors, and Toronto Maple Leafs games and team events.  She’s also hosted a variety of major events during her time on TSN including The Masters, CP Women’s Open, FIFA Women’s World Cup, The Grey Cup, Queen’s Plate and Curling Day in Canada. Hamilton competed in a variety of sports while growing up in Mississauga, Ontario, including playing varsity lacrosse at McMaster University and competing on Team Ontario.

Patrice Whiffen is the Founder of Patrice Whiffen Marketing + Events, a boutique marketing, events and multimedia firm based in Toronto, specializing in sports and entertainment.

With 13 years of experience working with brands such as The Toronto Maple Leafs, Big Machine Label Group, PrimeTime Sports & Entertainment, The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Warner Music Canada, Boots and Hearts Music Festival, The CFL Alumni Association, The Country Music Association of Ontario and many more, Patrice has established herself as a young leader in social media marketing, event management and multimedia.

Patrice is the In Game Host for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, as well as the sideline reporter for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. She is also the host of Tiger-Cats Time Out on the Ticats Audio Network. Patrice is a Director for Don Cherry’s Pet Rescue Foundation, sits on the Young Professionals Board for You Can Play, and works as a Part-Time Professor for Fanshawe College, Georgian College and Mohawk College.

Karen Volden’s managerial and budgetary acumen combined with her passion for storytelling has helped produce impactful and award-winning television programming throughout her distinguished 30 year career working at the highest level of Canadian sports broadcasting.

Karen was an integral member of the team that launched Uninterrupted Canada in 2019, the Canadian production partner of the Lebron James-led Uninterrupted company, specializing in athlete-empowered story-driven documentaries and branded content. Her notable productions at Uninterrupted Canada include the highly acclaimed “Wick” – the powerful bio profile of the world’s best female hockey player – Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser, “Anything is Possible”, the story of Toronto Raptor Serge Ibaka’s triumphant return to his hometown Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo after the Raptors won the NBA Championship, which was nominated for ‘Best Sports Program’ at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, and “Black Ice”, the gritty and groundbreaking documentary that examines the role of Black players in Canadian hockey, from pre-NHL contributions to the game to the struggles against racism that continue to this day. “Black Ice” won the People’s Choice Award for documentaries at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

Prior to joining Uninterrupted Canada Ms. Volden was Senior Production Manager for “Hockey Night in Canada” from 2014-2019. She also served 17 years as a Senior Production Manager of TSN’s award winning live and documentary feature production. This included oversight of TSN / CTV’s historic coverage of the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games. Prior to joining TSN, Volden held roles with production and budgetary responsibility starting with the CTV launch of Sportsnet back in 1990.

Tiffiny Lai is the Senior Manager of Brand and Creative Design at the Canadian Football League. She leads the continued growth and strategy of the CFL Brand while implementing Brand Governance and Compliance processes leaguewide.

Tiffiny works collaboratively across 9 CFL teams to operationalize brand insights and shift leaguewide brand perceptions. Prior to working at the CFL, Tiffiny worked with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) across a handful of business verticals including Licensing, Global Events, Marketing and Community Relations.

This breadth of experience has fortified Tiffiny’s knowledge and insights across the Brand landscape while establishing connections with multiple Global Brands. Tiffiny is a strategic and creative-minded professional who constantly seeks new ways to authentically transform Brands and Brand perceptions.

Mary Lobson is the Founder and CEO of REES Technologies Inc. She has worked for 30 years in the gender-based violence field and in 2020 launched REES (Respect, Educate Empower Survivor); a trauma-informed online platform for reporting bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination.

Since 2009, Mary has worked at the intersection of technology and gender-based violence as an advocate for change across sectors and industries while continuing to lead innovation in the area of trauma-informed technology. She is a recent graduate of Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies and has been active as a board member of the Ending Violence Association of Canada (EVA Canada) and D Division RCMP Sexual Assault Investigative Review Committee.