People at the Centre: Looking Back at the First Summer School on Digital Transformation
Phil Thomas, Group Head and Chief Risk Officer of Scotiabank, and Atlantic Scotiabank representatives with attendees of the 2026 Summer School on Digital Transformation
This September, 17吃瓜网在线鈥檚 College of Digital Transformation welcomed students, faculty, and industry leaders for its first-ever Summer School on Digital Transformation鈥攖hree days dedicated to providing participants with a strategic understanding of digital transformation, covering both its foundational concepts and practical implementation.
Held from August 31 to September 2, 2026, the inaugural Summer School brought together 50 students from 17吃瓜网在线鈥檚 Faculty of Computer Science and Faculty of Management for an intensive program combining academic perspectives, industry expertise, practical activities, and opportunities for discussion and connection.
While technology is an essential part of digital transformation, the Summer School was deliberately designed to look beyond technology itself. Across the three days, participants explored the people-centred dimensions of digital transformation, including digital strategy, organizational change, leadership, and technology management.
Fireside chat with Phil Thomas, Scotiabank, and Paul Saunders, Stewart McKelvey
Three days of learning, discussion, and connection
Workshop session with speakers Dr. Coel Conrad and Kewoba Carter
The Summer School brought together an interdisciplinary group of speakers from academia and industry, giving students an opportunity to hear directly from people researching, managing, and leading digital transformation in a range of contexts.
Sessions explored digital transformation from multiple perspectives鈥攆rom developing effective digital strategies and navigating organizational change to understanding the leadership challenges that emerge when organizations adopt new technologies and ways of working.
The program emphasized that successful digital transformation is rarely simply a matter of introducing the right technology. It also requires understanding organizations and the people within them: how decisions are made, how change is communicated, how teams adapt, and how leaders can create the conditions for new approaches to succeed.
Throughout the program, students were encouraged not simply to listen, but to participate. Interactive sessions and conversations created opportunities to apply ideas, ask questions, share experiences, and learn across disciplinary boundaries.听聽
It also offered students an opportunity to connect with professionals working on digital transformation in practice. Speakers included academic and industry experts working across areas such as technology leadership, digital strategy, change management, innovation, and organizational transformation.听
The Welcome Reception and Networking Mixer also provided opportunity for students and industry leaders to connect.
Welcome Reception and Networking Mixer at the Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity
Looking ahead
As the first Summer School came to a close, one thing was clear: understanding digital transformation requires us to understand much more than technology. It requires thinking about people, organizations, leadership, strategy, and change鈥攁nd bringing together individuals with different forms of expertise to tackle those challenges collectively.
Thank you to the students who brought their curiosity, questions, and perspectives to the program; to our speakers for sharing their time and expertise; and to everyone who helped make the first Summer School possible.
Following the success of the inaugural program, planning is already underway for the 2027 Summer School on Digital Transformation! The College of Digital Transformation is excited to approach this under the leadership of Dr. Richard Evans, Co-Director of the CDT and Dr. Paola Gonzalez, who was recently appointed as Co-Director of the College.听
Co-Directors of the College of Digital Transformation, Dr. Paola Gonzalez (left) and Dr. Richard Evans (right)
We look forward to continuing to build a community of students, researchers, educators, and practitioners interested in understanding鈥攁nd shaping鈥攖he future of digital transformation.
Connect with the College of Digital Transformation through its website, , or at our email address: CDT@dal.ca.听