2022 CFLA National Annual Conference
Speaker Biographies
Michael Rothe
Michael is the President & CEO of the Canadian Finance & Leasing Association. With over 200 corporate members from large banks, OEM credit facilities, and independent finance companies, through to many high-tech, legal and consulting firms, the CFLA is the premier resource and advocate for Canada’s $440 billion asset-based finance and leasing industry.
Prior to joining the CFLA, Michael practiced regulatory law for over 15 years, nine years of which he served as Director of Legal Services with the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, for a short period holding the position of Acting-Deputy Registrar. At the request of the Ontario College of Trades, Michael was seconded to the College to conduct an in-depth review of the College’s complaints and enforcement process. The resulting report which encompassed a review of more than a dozen leading regulators, provided over 50 practical recommendations and immediately reduced the College’s 14,000 file backlog by over 99%.
Michael is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and has studied at Heidelberg University, the University of Mannheim, Moscow State University, and Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Program. Michael received his LL.B. from the University of New Brunswick and his LL.M., along with a post-graduate diploma in Justice System Administration from Osgoode Hall Law School. He recently completed the ICD.D program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Michael is a frequent speaker at legal, regulatory, and industry conferences.
William B.P. Robson
Bill Robson took office as CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute in July 2006, after serving as the Institute’s Senior Vice President since 2003 and Director of Research from 2000 to 2003. He has written more than 260 monographs, articles, chapters and books on such subjects as government budgets, pensions, healthcare financing, inflation and currency issues. His work has won awards from the Policy Research Secretariat, the Canadian Economics Association, and the Donner Canadian Foundation. He is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He is a member of the Panel of Senior Advisors to the Auditor General of Ontario and the Ifo World Economic Survey expert group, and a regular commentator on BNN/Bloomberg. Bill taught undergraduate public finance and public policy at the University of Toronto from 2000 to 2003, and a Master’s level course in public finance at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy from 2014 to 2019.
Ralph Petta
Ralph Petta is the President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 550+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. Mr. Petta leads the organization in executing its mission to foster business development, deliver industry information and analysis, provide educational opportunities and advocate for the industry. He is also President of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, which is dedicated to inspiring thoughtful innovation and contributing to the betterment of the equipment leasing and finance industry.
Mr. Petta, an authority in the business of equipment finance, has been with the association since 1987. Before assuming the role of President and CEO in January 2016, he served as Chief Operating Officer for six years, providing coordination, direction and oversight of ELFA programs and services designed to add value to the association's member organizations. Prior to that, he served as Interim President. From 1987 to 2010 he was Vice President-Research & Industry Services, managing ELFA's information, benchmarking and market research initiatives. Throughout his career at ELFA, Mr. Petta has assumed leadership roles in virtually all functional areas within the organization, including governance, membership marketing, communications, business and professional development, state advocacy and the association's affiliated Foundation.
He is often quoted in industry trade publications and is a frequent speaker about the role of equipment finance in the U.S. economy and trends and developments in the equipment finance sector.
Mr. Petta is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), as well as ASAE's Key Industry Association Committee (KIAC). He completed the ASAE/University of Maryland College of Business and Management executive development certificate program in association management. He also was selected for and participated in the ASAE Future Leaders Conference. Mr. Petta is a member of the Exchequer Club of Washington, DC.
Before joining ELFA, Mr. Petta worked for nine years in the office of United States Senator Sam Nunn, serving in a variety of professional capacities. He was Senator Nunn's legislative assistant when he left to join the association. Mr. Petta graduated from Syracuse University, earning a B.A. degree in political science.
Stephen Haddrill
Stephen was appointed Director General of the FLA in October 2019 and took up his role in early December 2019. Prior to this he was CEO of the Financial Reporting Council 2009-2019, was Director General of the ABI 2005-2009, and Chairman of the Institute of Employment Studies 2007-2011. He also held various senior positions at the Department of Trade and Industry including as Director General of Fair Markets, responsible for a wide range of regulatory functions, covering consumer, competition, company law and employment policy.
The Finance & Leasing Association is the leading trade body for the asset, consumer and motor finance sectors in the UK. Their members include banks, subsidiaries of banks and building societies, the finance arms of leading retailers and manufacturing companies, and a range of independent firms.
David Gandolfo
David is a Board Patron and Past President of CAFBA (Commercial & Asset Finance Association of Australia), which is the peak national body of both commercial and equipment finance brokers in Australia.
David began his career in finance in the early 80s after having studied economics and learned the practical aspects of business lending in his first role, with CAGA Finance in Melbourne. As he progressed, he was attracted to the customer-facing side of lending and joined a broking firm in 1985. A few years later, in 1991, David returned to a state management role at Household Commercial Finance in Sydney, which was great for career development and experience in running a larger receivables business. He then worked for Crown Forklifts in their fleet management division in Melbourne, providing leasing solutions for Crown’s national warehousing and distribution clients. His career progression continued with Melbourne Finance in the early 90s as Executive Director, but David found himself feeling limited by not having ownership of the business.
Dan Lyons
Dan Lyons is one of the best-known science and technology journalists in the United States. He was the technology editor at Newsweek, a staff writer at Forbes, and a columnist for Fortune magazine, while also contributing op-ed columns to the New York Times about the economics and culture of Silicon Valley. As the technology editor of Newsweek he broadened the scope of the magazine's tech coverage to include energy policy, artificial intelligence, supercomputing, fusion energy, robotics, autonomous vehicles, nation-state hacking and cyber defense.
Dan is the author of two of the most important recent books about Silicon Valley: Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble, an international best-seller, and Lab Rats: How Silicon Valley Made Work Miserable for the Rest of Us, which was chosen by The Guardian as one of the best business books of 2018 and earned a glowing review in The Economist for its forward-thinking analysis connecting tech-driven globalization, hyper-capitalism in Silicon Valley, and widening income inequality—as well as a prescription for rebuilding capitalism for the 21st century. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. “In the establishment-skewering tradition of Voltaire, Cervantes and Jonathan Swift, we now have a new voice for our own digital age,” Newsweek raved in a review of Dan’s satirical novel, Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs, an international hit. Dan also was a writer for HBO’s acclaimed comedy series, “Silicon Valley.”
Dan has spoken at the European Central Bank technology and twice at the Royal Society for the Arts (RSA) in London, a venue that attracts policy makers, investors, and thought leaders. He has given countless keynote addresses at conferences and corporate functions. Dan is “the expert on the culture of work, and how it’s changing business and lives,” says Dave Ramsay, who runs the “Ramsay Talks” series in Toronto.
Dan has advocated for racial, gender and age equality in the technology industry. He has penned articles about "bro culture," worker exploitation, and the "hustle" mentality that leads to employee burnout. He was an early critic of the gig economy for its poor treatment of workers. His work helped draw attention to working conditions in Amazon warehouses.
Rick Mercer
Rick Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Made In Canada and Rick Mercer Report. He is the author of four books all of which have been national best sellers. Mercer has received nearly 30 Gemini Awards and Canadian Screen awards for his work on television. His CBC Television special Talking To Americans remains the highest-rated Canadian comedy special ever, with 2.7 million viewers.
Rick holds Honorary Doctorates from Memorial University, Laurentian University, University of British Columbia, McMaster University, Bishop's University, Brock University and the University of Guelph. In 2014, he received Honorary Doctorates from the Royal Military Academy and from the University of Western Ontario and York University.
He is on the board of directors of Historica Canada, an organization dedicated to promoting Canadian history, identity and citizenship. They are the "Heritage Minute" people.
He is a recipient of the Governor Generals Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement and, in 2014, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
He is a native of St. John's, Newfoundland.
Robert Ghiz
Robert Ghiz is President and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) and Chair of the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada.
Twice elected Premier of Prince Edward Island, Robert’s accomplishments included his successful stewardship of PEI’s economy through the 2008 global financial collapse, overseeing its record-setting economic growth following the recession, implementing full-day kindergarten for the first time in the province’s history, and leading successful trade missions in Europe, Asia, South America and the United States. Robert is a proud champion of Canada’s wireless industry and its ability to enhance the lives of people across the country.