Ask the Experts | Spend, Save or Scale? Making Smarter Business Decisions About People, Money & Technology
Date and Time
Thursday Nov 26, 2026
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM EST
8:30 AM - Registration and refreshments
9:00 AM - Program begins
Location
London Chamber of Commerce
101-244 Pall Mall Street
London, ON
N6A 5P6
Fees/Admission
Free for members
$20 for future members
Contact Information
Silvia Rodriguez Palacios
Send Email
Description
Should you hire more people or invest in technology?
Expand your business or protect your cash flow?
Pursue a new opportunity or focus on strengthening what you already have?
Every business owner faces decisions that can shape the future of their organization. When costs rise, markets shift, resources are stretched, and new opportunities emerge, knowing where to invest, what to change, and when to hold back becomes more important than ever.
The challenge isn't just making decisions. It's making the right decisions for your business, your people, and your bottom line.
Join the London Chamber of Commerce for a practical, business-focused conversation exploring how leaders can navigate uncertainty, manage competing priorities, and make smarter choices about people, money, technology, and growth.
Featuring perspectives from business leadership, finance, operations, and people management, this session will explore the real-world decisions that businesses face, from hiring and automation to managing costs, evaluating investments, and planning for sustainable growth.
Rikka Bouseh, President of Envol Solutions, will open the session by examining how people, leadership, and organizational capacity influence business decisions and long-term performance. A moderated panel featuring leaders from industry, business advisory, and banking will then share perspectives on evaluating opportunities, managing risk, allocating resources, and positioning businesses to adapt and grow.
What You'll Take Away
Whether you're running a small business, managing a growing team, or leading an established organization, this session will help you:
-
Know when to spend, save, or scale. Evaluate investments, manage financial pressures, and recognize when to pursue growth opportunities.
-
Make smarter people decisions. Explore when to hire, develop existing talent, outsource, or restructure work to improve performance.
-
Understand when technology is worth the investment. Consider how automation and digital tools can improve efficiency, productivity, and business results.
-
Grow without overextending your business. Balance new opportunities with cash flow, workforce capacity, and operational demands.
-
Make more confident business decisions. Learn how to weigh risks, costs, and long-term value before committing your resources.
Who Should Attend?
Business owners, entrepreneurs, founders, executives, managers, and organizational leaders responsible for decisions about staffing, budgets, operations, technology, investment, or growth.
If you're deciding where your business should spend, where it can save, or whether it's time to grow, this conversation is for you.
Join us for practical insights, fresh perspectives, and valuable conversations to help you make your next business move with greater confidence.
Featured Speakers
Opening Keynote: Rikka Bouseh, President Envol SolutionsRikka is a seasoned HR strategist with 16+ years of experience helping organizations turn people challenges into business advantages. With a unique ability to bridge talent strategy with operational outcomes, she has supported companies across North America — from high-growth startups to complex, multi-national enterprises — in improving performance, navigating change, and accelerating growth through smarter people practices.
Known for her sharp business acumen and collaborative leadership style, Rikka partners closely with executive teams to design HR strategies that fuel organizational goals. Whether scaling operations, strengthening leadership pipelines, or guiding organizations through major transformation, her work is rooted in practical, real-world application — not theory. With deep expertise in instructional design, facilitation, organizational development, and change leadership, Rikka brings both structure and simplicity to complex people challenges.
She is especially skilled at creating alignment across diverse stakeholder groups, ensuring teams feel heard while driving toward clear, measurable business outcomes. Today, Rikka empowers organizations and HR teams to think more strategically, act more intentionally, and build workplaces where people and performance thrive. Her approach consistently delivers what leaders value most: clarity, alignment, and momentum.
Meet our Panelist:
-
Victoria Daly - Vice President, GE
-
Marsha Bradley - President, Watson-Bradley
- Michelle Parkinson - Director, BMO
Meet our Moderator:
-
Ali El-Ayoubi - Josh Morgan Campaign Manager
