AI, Innovation & Mental Health Speaker
The North Entrepreneur in Residence at Schulich School of Business ($90M Raised)
CEO at One Percent-Her (1M Followers, 200M Views)
Cherry Rose Tan
Cherry Rose Tan is a tech and innovation leader, The Schulich North Horizon Entrepreneur in Residence at the Schulich School of Business, and a world-class expert in AI. She advises over 250 startups, has helped Schulich founders raise $90M, and teaches MBA courses on innovation. A former venture capitalist, she turns exponential technologies like AI and blockchain into real-world solutions for her clients. As the Founder of #REALTALK, North America’s largest platform on entrepreneurial mental health, she helps organizations build the future without burnout. Featured in Forbes, Inc., and The Globe and Mail, Cherry Rose is a sought-after speaker on AI, innovation, and leadership.
Biography
Fifth-generation entrepreneur Cherry Rose Tan is The Schulich North Horizon Entrepreneur in Residence at the Schulich School of Business, where she advises 250 startups and 3,000 members. She leads Advisory and Fundraising services, where founders have raised $90M in venture capital.
A builder of movements, Cherry Rose is also the Co-Founder & CEO of One Percent-Her (a play on the phrase “one percenter”), a global entrepreneurial platform empowering women to build businesses on their terms. With 1M followers and 200M views, their mission is to uplift women through tactical and practical business education.
Her previous company #REALTALK, the mental health movement for the tech industry, was North America’s largest platform on Entrepreneurial Mental Health. Serving C-Suite leaders, Cherry Rose grew the movement to 45,000 leaders and 70 national champions in four years, with a synonymous Top 14 Business podcast on iTunes.
As an AI, Innovation & Mental Health Speaker, she works with clients to rethink what’s possible. Speaking to corporations, associations, and universities around the globe, Cherry Rose demystifies complex tech and helps leaders realize the future is something they can actively create through her methodology Possibility Executed™.
Her companies have been featured on Forbes, Inc., The Globe and Mail, CBC, Nasdaq, and Insider. She has served on the board for the Canadian Mental Health Association, and is the best-selling author of Still Standing: What It Takes to Thrive and Innovate in a Messy World, a roadmap for leading our organizations into the future.
Published Books:
Best-selling author
Still Standing: What It Takes to Thrive and Innovate in a Messy World
A tactical roadmap for building and leading our organizations into the future, from the founder of #REALTALK, North America’s first and largest platform on entrepreneurial mental health.
Expertise
- Artificial Intelligence
- Innovation & Disruption
- Mental Health
- Future of Work
- Women in Leadership
- Women in Tech
See the room follow her
Four minutes with Cherry Rose Tan
She is the translator. Technology that usually arrives as jargon or panic lands as something a room can actually act on.
Start hereMental Health Speaker Reel
Speaker reel · Wellbeing
The Future of Voice AI and AI-Generated Content
Keynote recap · MPI theEVENT
AI Now & Next: A Mini-Keynote + Industry Panel
Mini-keynote and panel · CMEE
Stage Intro Reel
Stage intro
Keynote Topics
In a world where technology evolves at lightning speed and market pressures never stop, leaders are expected to navigate uncertainty, inspire teams, and innovate relentlessly… without burning out. The challenges are real: economic volatility, talent shortages, and constant disruption can leave even seasoned leaders feeling overwhelmed.
Fifth-generation entrepreneur and venture capitalist Cherry Rose Tan brings her experience coaching over 300 startups and executive teams to share the mindset, heartset, and skillset leaders need to not just survive (but thrive!) in the game of innovation. Using real-world examples and actionable strategies, she equips leaders with tools to future-proof their organizations while cultivating resilience across their teams.
This keynote is perfect for leaders and teams:
- Facing rapid technological and market change
- Leading AI, innovation, or digital transformation amid resistance or low morale
- Struggling to recruit, retain, and inspire top talent, while building a culture of innovation and accountability that scales
The audience will leave with:
- A shared language to address stressors and challenges before they escalate or derail your team
- A practical 3-part leadership model to navigate change and uncertainty
- The energy, confidence, and clarity to take bold action toward an innovative, future-ready culture
AI is no longer coming. It’s here: making decisions, creating content, replacing workflows, and redefining what it means to lead and to compete. The question is no longer, “Should we use AI?” but “Who will we become because of it?” Organizations that embrace this moment are unlocking unprecedented speed, intelligence, and scale. Those that don’t risk becoming irrelevant faster than they ever thought possible.
In this electrifying keynote, serial tech founder Cherry Rose Tan pulls back the curtain on what’s actually happening in AI and what matters. From generative AI like Lovable to agentic AI like OpenClaw, many of these tools can execute entire workflows without human intervention. She reveals the three ways AI can help you create, work, and lead, so you can accelerate your business and your leadership in these changing times.
This keynote is perfect for leaders and teams:
- Overwhelmed by AI and looking for an expert to show where the opportunities and distractions are
- Wanting to move beyond experimentation to create real competitive advantage
- Experiencing massive industry or business disruption, and feeling the pressure to act now and to act decisively
The audience will leave with:
- A practical framework of the types of AI out there, plus the opportunities that each of them can unlock for your specific industry
- The inspiration, energy, and clarity to tackle AI head-on as an organization
- Real-life case studies to translate this conversation from theory to practice and empower immediate application
In today’s world, standing out isn’t optional: it’s essential. 90% of opportunities go to 10% of people, so if people don’t know who you are, you’re not even in the running. In this tactical keynote, celebrated podcast host and movement builder Cherry Rose Tan shows how to move beyond being “good at what you do” to being visible, memorable, and the obvious choice when opportunities arise.
Through actionable strategies and behind-the-scenes content, explore the power of narrative, presence, and visibility to craft a personal brand that reflects your unique value. This keynote addresses questions like, “What makes your voice distinct? How do you consistently share in a way that aligns with your goals?” Learn to activate thought leadership and turn your personal brand into a tool for opportunity, influence, and sales.
This keynote is perfect for leaders and teams:
- Seeking to stand out, while having clarity on their unique value and expertise
- Guiding themselves and their teams in building authentic, memorable personal brands that drive business
- Facing confusion on the platforms, formats, and content buckets to express their thought leadership
The audience will leave with:
- A personal branding blueprint they can start implementing immediately, including my tech stack for static, audio, and video content
- Precision on your narrative and value proposition, so you can communicate who you are and why it matters with any setting and any stakeholder
- Confidence to own your story, be seen, and become the option everyone remembers
How might we use AI as a vehicle for good? AI is reshaping every industry and every profession, where human-first (ethical) leadership has never mattered more. Many organizations face concerns around bias, transparency, privacy, and accountability, as AI adoption occurs faster than we can regulate it. In a world where data and decisions move quickly, the true differentiator is not AI itself, but the human being guiding it.
In this keynote, social entrepreneurship professor and tech founder Cherry Rose Tan invites audiences to rethink AI through a Human First lens: where our AI strategy and decisions are grounded in integrity, innovation, and impact. Rather than offering a single “right” answer, Tan will empower your people to become stewards of AI because after all, the real question isn’t what AI can do… it’s how we choose to use it.
This keynote is perfect for leaders and teams:
- Navigating uncertainty and apprehension around AI, as employees balance technological possibility with human responsibility
- Aiming to innovate without compromising ethics, trust, or long-term impact
- Committed to empowering their people to use AI confidently, creatively, and responsibly
The audience will leave with:
- A clear Human First framework to guide ethical and strategic AI adoption
- A renewed sense of agency, where each individual embraces their role as stewards (not just users) of AI
- Inspiration and confidence to use AI as a vehicle for meaningful innovation and impact
During a time where uncertainty, pressure, and change are constant, resilience isn’t a luxury: it’s a daily imperative. Cherry Rose Tan has spent the last 15 years answering this question, culminating in her company #REALTALK, the mental health movement for the tech industry. She has worked with over 45,000 leaders across 27 industries, helping teams build the mental and emotional strength to lead their organizations.
Drawing on personal experience and leadership insight, this keynote shares a practical, three-level approach to building resilience and mental health at scale: Me, You, and Us. Walk away with real practices that make resilience something you live and take action on each day. In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure world, knowing how to stand tall after every setback is what separates teams that survive from those that thrive.
This keynote is perfect for leaders and teams:
- Experiencing high levels of burnout, change rage, or quiet quitting
- Facing employee turnover or absenteeism, leading to costly talent and HR practices
- Searching to increase psychological capacity and personal productivity, as employees deal with significant stress and change
The audience will leave with:
- A shared and approachable language for talking about Workplace Mental Health and emotional resilience
- A safe space or first step, so that organizations can build on this momentum and trust
- Resilience habits that drive measurable impact on engagement, collaboration, and business results
What does it take to be in the top 1% of your field? Whether you’re building a business, leading a team, or climbing the corporate ladder, all of us aspire to be our best. As a Filipino-Chinese woman who carved her own path as a CEO, Cherry Rose Tan’s success represents less than 1% of tech founders. Her experience in male-dominated industries like tech and academia gives her insight on what it takes to excel.
In this inspiring and interactive session, she guides audiences through her signature Seasons of Success™ framework: a roadmap for navigating the cycles of our career that every professional goes through. Through real-world stories and stage-specific strategies, discover where you are, what you need, and how to win in your specific season, so that you can maximize your potential and your results each day.
Grounded in real-life stories, she brings two decades of entrepreneurial experience, along with lessons learned from 140 years of entrepreneurship in her family.
This keynote is perfect for leaders and teams:
- Aware of the need to cultivate their organization’s future leaders and successors
- Searching for clarity, confidence, and actionable strategies for career advancement
- Seeking examples of leadership and success from diverse and decolonized perspectives, while welcoming both women and allies
The audience will leave with:
- A clear understanding of your current career season (surviving, thriving, or giving), and the strategies that work best at each stage
- A real-life perspective on what it takes to be a powerhouse leader, plus the habits used by world-class founders and entrepreneurs to excel
- An exciting and welcoming way of investing into inclusive leadership or voices
What does the rapid evolution of AI mean for your industry, and where are we headed next?
Cherry Rose Tan opens this dynamic session with a powerful 10 to 15 minute Mini-Keynote exploring the current state of AI, the shifts already underway, and what leaders need to consider as we move into the next era of work and business.
She then brings the conversation directly into your world, moderating a customized panel featuring leaders selected by your organization. Ahead of the event, Cherry Rose gets to know the panelists, understands your organization’s goals, and strategically designs the questions to uncover meaningful insights, not just surface-level discussion.
Having interviewed billionaire CEOs to known celebrities, she knows how to ask the questions that others don’t. The result is a highly relevant, engaging experience that combines big-picture AI expertise with the real-world perspectives, challenges and opportunities unique to your industry.
Part keynote. Part conversation. Completely customized to your audience.
Testimonials
Cherry Rose is personable, funny, and captivating. She spoke to us about managing disruption as an organization and had the entire group engaged throughout her talk. Her wealth of experience across numerous industries is remarkable and this was core to what made her keynote so powerful. Thank you!
George Silva, National Manager, Dealer Operations at Mercedes-Benz
Cherry Rose was absolutely amazing. She brought such a genuine and intellectual presence to our Leadership Event. We received great feedback, including from our CEO, who specifically mentioned how impressed he was with her ability to take a complex topic and present it in such a clear and accessible way.
She’s incredibly sweet, down to earth, and an all-around amazing individual. We were both so moved by Cherry Rose’s talk and the impact it had on our team. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with her and look forward to staying in touch for future opportunities!
Tewodora Nigatu, Communications and Events Coordinator, Bayshore Healthcare
Cherry Rose Tan delivered a truly outstanding session at our Ethics Conference. Her expertise, eloquence, and thought-provoking insights resonated deeply with our audience. The feedback from our members was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the richness of her perspectives and the clarity of her delivery.
This was further reflected in her impressive overall rating of 9/10 voted from attendees, a testament to the remarkable impact she made. We appreciate your ongoing commitment to excellence, and we look forward to many more opportunities to collaborate and continue delivering such high-quality experiences to our members.
Vodina Lebo, Product Research Specialist at CPA Ontario
I worked with Cherry Rose Tan in 2025, where she did our Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) keynote two years ago. She was great to work with. Two years later, I brought her here to lead a panel. She was even better, even more polished, and great with our panelists. She did a 12-minute keynote that ran into a VIP think box panel.
She was polite and tactful; these panellists were C-Suites that she prepped and she was amazing. Every step of the way, she communicated. She was able to listen to vision and turn vision into reality.
Working with Cherry Rose, she’s professional, she’s diligent, and more than anything, whatever you ask for, you’re gonna get more than you bargained for in the best way possible. The audience connects with her, and she’s a dream to work with.
We just had a session where not only every seat was full, we didn’t even have standing room. She was CMEE’s 2nd highest-attended session (out of 16) this year.
Shawn Shapiro, Show Manager at Canadian Meetings + Events Expo (CMEE)
We were absolutely delighted to have Cherry Rose. Her presentation was tremendous in a room of women CEOs who are leading organizations of different kinds. It really helped us to understand all of the layers and challenges that go along with mental health, not only as a leader with the teams that we lead, but also with the challenges that women entrepreneurs across this country are facing. It really touched on ways that we can better support them in their entrepreneurial journey.
My favorite part was Cherry Rose’s authenticity and vulnerability, and really understanding the challenges at hand. After her keynote today, I really felt inspired and equipped to deal with these challenges. Cherry Rose’s impact on this room was incredible.
Alison Kirkland, Chief Executive Officer at Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada
Cherry Rose was great and our audiences loved her. Her message was compelling and she was a joy to work with. She came extremely prepared at all stages of the preparation and made additional effort to customize the talk to our people and our context, which we very much appreciated!
Amy Lee, Senior Manager, Diversity & Inclusion at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Cherry Rose spoke at our inaugural Maple Vital Signs event and her session was impactful. Our partners were truly energized by the tangible insights you shared on how they can better support their teams’ and communities’ mental health.
Our respondents noted that she was an excellent and knowledgeable speaker, and that her presentation was thought provoking and inspiring. I’ve started reading your book Still Standing, and it’s already sparking so many thoughtful reflections!
Natalie Cunningham, Vice President, Brand Marketing at Maple
Cherry Rose was an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish. She was our AI Keynote at MPI’s theEVENT this year, and several attendees called her keynote a great way to kick the day off.
People loved that it put AI and event planning into perspective, and we appreciated that it focused on meaningful discussion rather than just technique. Many attendees told us they’d love a deeper dive into the topic because they want to dig in even further. That’s a wonderful sign of how much she sparked their curiosity!
Overall, Cherry Rose sparked real, thoughtful conversation on a topic our community is actively wrestling with, and we’re so grateful she brought her voice to our stage.
Lori Pugh, Vice President at MPI Academy
Cherry Rose’s keynote left a lasting impact that surpassed our expectations. She effortlessly connected with the audience by sharing personal stories and insightful reflections, creating a genuine bond that set the tone for the conference weekend. Her empowering discussion left attendees feeling valued and motivated to make a difference.
Cherry Rose’s ability to simplify complex ideas into practical strategies for leadership was incredibly valuable! Her keynote wasn’t just a speech: it sparked growth and transformation within our TMU community. The ripple effect of her words inspired our audience to take meaningful action and equipped them with the tools to succeed.
Kaela Menezes, Leadership Development Facilitator at Toronto Metropolitan University
From the moment she stepped onto the stage, Cherry Rose spoke authentically and with conviction that her message around prioritizing mental health must be shared to help others, and quite frankly, to save leaders and their families from the consequences of stress. Her personal story resonated with me and I left knowing I need to protect my mental health, in order to be able to continue helping those around me.
Between her deeply personal storytelling and her practical advice, I’m compelled to take action. Cherry Rose delivered an excellent keynote and one that I will remember for a long time.
Stephanie Fontaine, Regional Director, Canada and the United States at WEConnect International
Cherry Rose brought an incredible view to the future to us at this conference. It was incredible to learn about all of the technologies that we hear about in the media and go into depth. As CPA members, we have clients who work at these leading-edge companies, and we need to know how to provide accounting and finance services for them.
She brought this knowledge to us in such an accessible kind of way, that I feel empowered to serve my clients and our members better. What I really appreciated from Cherry Rose’s keynote was that she took the time to personalize it to our profession, to the CPAs in the room. It made it very relevant and impactful for our audience, and there was a lot of value gained here.
If you’re thinking of booking Cherry Rose, go for it. I would highly recommend her.
Geeta Tucker, President & CEO at CPA Manitoba
Cherry Rose did a great job taking her experience and applying it to the problems we are trying to solve. Her path to today was inspiring and she really ignited the team to think differently about innovation. She brought a robust approach to applying innovation in our day-to-day opportunities, and the attendees found a lot of value in her talk.
Eric Dressler, Associate Vice President, Data and Analytics at Canadian Automobile Association
I’ve attended so many of these conferences and always end up zoning out or losing interest. Cherry Rose’s keynote was the complete opposite. Her story was so real, and I was captivated and engaged through every moment of her talk.
Evan Woo, Student Trustee at Toronto District School Board
Mental health can be a difficult issue to discuss, but Cherry Rose made me feel simply put – involved. Rather than a series of points on a slide deck, her session made me consider how these issues impact me and the people around me. If you want someone who will crack open the doors and allow your people to think through the issues, then book her.
Alan Wilson, Chief Executive Officer at Tripwire Interactive
As an executive at Microsoft and a serial entrepreneur, I have heard hundreds of professional speakers across 25 years. I can’t remember being moved EVER in the way Cherry Rose’s speech left me reflecting on life and priorities. I was blown away by her authenticity, knowledge, and insights on innovation and mental health for corporate executives and founders. I would highly recommend her as a keynote speaker for any event. Her message is powerful and thought-provoking, and she delivers it with grace and eloquence.
Sultan Akif, Social Entrepreneur & Changemaker
I have had Cherry Rose on my stage, speaking to hundreds of entrepreneurs and her work transforms people. My community wants and needs solutions that serve and empower them. When you have a leader like her come on stage, ‘I went through this and this, and I’m still standing,’ that is such a powerful message to the world.
Theresa Laurico, Founder at SociaLIGHT Conference
Her keynote One Percent-Her was well aligned to our event. Cherry Rose was our closing speaker and she took the time to work with our team and our sponsor, in order to create a memorable experience. She was an excellent speaker and I felt inspired by her journey, her leadership, and the confidence that she projected. Thanks again for working with us!
Bryan Murao, Assessor, Residential Lower Mainland & Provincial Strata at BC Assessment
We’ve worked with Cherry Rose for several years on supporting high-performing business leaders, who are encountering difficult leadership challenges in the current innovation economy. When she speaks, she brings an authenticity to everything she does and engages the audience with her candor, consideration, and ability to hold space for others. Cherry Rose is incredibly easy to work with and I could not recommend her enough.
Meghann Coleman, Director, MindFrame Connect at Dalhousie University
Thank you for speaking at our event on navigating the pandemic. It was timely. The focus on where the puck will go and making sure you’re listening to your stakeholders, stands out. Your talk was very rich and it was super helpful, bringing the reality of what’s happening out there to us. You did an awesome job!
Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi, Professor at Sheridan College
The keynote Cherry Rose shared at this event is something that I needed to hear. We spend so much time at the workplace and to have leaders being aware of our mental wellbeing is so important. By leaders being able to say to their employees, ‘Okay, I want to be sure that you are taken care of’, she has a ripple effect beyond the workplace.
Terrence Ho, Head of Global Sales Education & Operations at Braze Mobility
Cherry Rose is the real deal. It’s hard sometimes to get the words out when you have people that make a genuine impact on not just the attendees, but on the event organizers and everyone around them. It’s a very rare thing. It’s very rare. There is nobody better at what she does than Cherry Rose.
Steven Pulver, Co-Founder at Fireside Conference
When Cherry Rose spoke, I went much deeper than I thought I would. She just has that effect on people… to talk. She speaks to people in a way that everyone can just sit back, exhale, and be like, ‘You know what, it’s okay to talk about this’, because she opens up so fully to the audience. Cherry Rose is definitely the person you need to come and speak at your company.
Tami Zuckerman, Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer at VarageSale
Thank you so much for a wonderful event. Our participants were very enthusiastic about the information shared and how well everything was explained and addressed. You simplified complex topics for our leaders and a lot of material was covered in a short timeframe. We appreciate the concrete tools you provided and how you made the hybrid session engaging!
Carolina Almeida, Diversity & Inclusion Project Manager at Simon Fraser University
Cherry Rose was our speaker at our Women’s Summit and she was fantastic! The topics that she covered were very informative, and our people loved hearing her interpretation and learning from her. It was amazing.
My favorite part was that she made it real for all of us. Her authenticity came through and she left us with a roadmap for navigating the season of life we’re in. There were so many great takeaways.
Debra Wilson, Executive Director at Aurora Chamber of Commerce
I first saw Cherry Rose speak when she presented a session on blockchain and their business applications. She made us all feel comfortable to ask any questions and created a supportive space for us to learn new concepts that are intimidating to most. A compelling and articulate speaker, I found her to be kind, earnest, and adaptable to our needs.
If you are looking for a speaker who will engage your audience, book her without hesitation!
Lisa Stam, Founder & Managing Partner at SpringLaw
Seeing Cherry Rose speak, it brought a lot of reflection. To hear her speak and connect with the audience, it just drew me into that piece about who I am. Her talk impacted me for a number of days afterwards. Cherry Rose connects with leaders who are often unreachable or uncoachable. They want to be coached by those who’ve lived it.
Chris Carder, Executive Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Schulich School of Business, York University
Cherry Rose presented to a group of women leaders about the importance of mental health and wellbeing. She shared her personal stories with us that provided a deeper understanding why this is such an important issue that can impact anyone in their work or lives. As a successful business leader herself, Cherry Rose kept me and the rest of the audience connected and engaged!
Tanya Priske, Executive Director at The Centre for Women in Business
Cherry Rose is a collaborator. When you work with her, you know that she’s giving it her most. The Canadian Innovation Exchange’s community of 10,000+ founders and investors value the spaces that Cherry Rose creates for our leaders. She brings a different, yet very needed kind of conversation.
Lauren Linton, Executive Director at Canadian Innovation Exchange
You were exactly the kind of keynote speaker we had hoped for: the one who breaks the ice, captures attention, and inspires real action. Cherry Rose was our Opening Keynote at our annual conference of business leaders, and people were drawn to your warmth and presence even before you stepped on stage.
You truly set the tone for the entire day. Your keynote on AI broke the ice, lifted the energy in the room, and spoke straight to both the head and the heart. You tailored this talk so precisely, that it feels as if you’ve known our audience forever. Thank you!
Annie Raines, Co-Founder at The O Six Foundation
I saw Cherry Rose speak and was immediately struck by her rare and compelling mix of candor, compassion, and expertise on how mental health is essential for success. Few speakers combine their lived experience of handling personal crises and offer listeners the professional skills to navigate those difficult times. If you are thinking of booking her: Do it.
Caitlin Kelly, Regular Contributor at The New York Times
Photo Gallery
Canadian Meetings + Events Expo (CMEE)
MPI theEVENT
MPI Book Signing
Virtual Keynote with Home Studio
CPA Manitoba
ADMEI
Collision
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)
