Speakers

As an entrepreneur, business owner, and former beef producer, Darrell brings a unique perspective to agtech commercialization and is committed to advancing Canada's agri-food sector. As CEO of the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN), he leads a team dedicated to building a community that supports data-driven agriculture technology. CAAIN funds the development of agricultural innovations that increase the profitability and productivity of farmers and primary processors, and it funds smart farm networks as platforms for technology validation and demonstration. Before joining CAAIN, Darrell held several innovation leadership positions focused on assisting inventors and founders with intellectual property management and the acceleration and growth of technology startups.

Ali Velshi is an award-winning journalist, host of "Velshi" and Chief Correspondent for MSNBC, and a weekly economics contributor to NPR's "Here And Now." He has reported extensively from Israel during the war with Israel and Hamas, and Ukraine and across Central and Eastern Europe during the Russian invasion. In the US, he has covered the COVID-19 pandemic, the killing of George Floyd and the protests which followed it in Minneapolis, during which he was shot with a rubber bullet fired by authorities while reporting live. 

Velshi is known for his immersive on-the-ground reporting and his interactive discussions with small groups, which form part of his ongoing series, Velshi Across America. He hosts the "Velshi Banned Book Club" on MSNBC, and the "Velshi Banned Book Club" podcast. 

Prior to joining NBC News and MSNBC in 2016, he hosted "Ali Velshi On Target," a nightly primetime show on Al Jazeera America. Before that, he served as CNN's chief business correspondent, anchor of CNN International's "World Business Today," and host of CNN's weekly business roundtable "Your Money." Velshi also co-hosted CNN's morning show, "American Morning." He is the author of Gimme My Money Back and co-author with Christine Romans of How to Speak Money, and of the forthcoming "Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy Of Endurance And The Fight For Democracy" (St. Martin's Press, 2024), and "Open Space: How The Second Great Space Race Will Shape Our Future" (Knopf, 2025).
 
Velshi is also the editor of "The Trump Indictments" (Mariner Books, 2023), and the author of the foreword to the compendium "Great Muslim Leaders: Lessons For Education" (IAP 2023).

Born in Nairobi and raised in Toronto, he graduated from Canada's Queen's University with a degree in Religion, and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from his Alma Mater in 2016. Velshi splits his time between New York City and Philadelphia.

He has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, and is the recipient of two National Headliner Awards and a Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award.

The Amazon River

See pictures and commentary from Malcolm on his recent trip to the Caribbean, Devils’ Island, 1500 kms up the Amazon, Manaus and the rain forest.