AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa
Bringing the cloud community together to innovate, build, and learn
Join us for the AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa 2023, and discover new ways to transform the services you provide to Canadians.
Explore how the cloud can help you enhance security, analyze data at scale, advance sustainability, and achieve your mission—faster and at lower cost. Returning in 2023 with all-new content and speakers, this must-attend event features inspiring keynotes from Canada’s tech leaders, breakout sessions, hands-on workshops, networking hubs, and more.
20+ sessions will cover topics ranging from artificial intelligence and big data analytics to cybersecurity and citizen service transformation. Whether you’re new to the cloud or an experienced user, you’ll gain key knowledge that you can use right away.

Event highlights
20+ sessions
Lecture-style and interactive sessions to learn from, join us no matter where you are on your AWS journey.
Experiential zones
Join AWS experts to discover trends and possibilities for your data and experience the latest in innovation and live demos.
Ask an AWS expert
Speak to an AWS team member one-on-one and ask the questions you have on your mind.
AWS training
Get equipped with the knowledge it takes to move your company—and career—forward.
Keynote
Across the public sector, innovation and problem-solving are more essential than ever before. Join Colonel Chris Hadfield, First Canadian Commander of the International Space Station, to discover how you can drive innovation throughout your own team, based on lessons learned from his three decades at NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.
You’ll also hear from Dr. Bratin Saha, Vice-President of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Services at AWS, as he dives deep into Generative AI and the transformational role it can play in government, defence, health care, and education.
Whether you’re new to the cloud or a seasoned expert, you’ll leave this keynote with practical insights you can use right away.
Keynote speakers

Dr. Bratin Saha
Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Services
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Dr. Bratin Saha is the Vice President of Machine Learning and AI services at AWS where he leads all the ML and AI services and helped build one of the fastest growing businesses in AWS history. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School (General Management Program), Yale University (PhD Computer Science), and Indian Institute of Technology (BS Computer Science). He has more than 70 patents granted (with another 50+ pending) and more than 30 papers in conferences/journals. Prior to Amazon he worked at Nvidia and Intel leading different product groups spanning imaging, analytics, media processing, high performance computing, machine learning, and software infrastructure.

Col. Chris Hadfield
Astronaut | First Canadian Commander of the International Space Station
Referred to as “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Chris Hadfield is a heavily decorated astronaut, engineer, and pilot who has become a worldwide sensation. Formerly NASA’s director of operations, Hadfield spent more than three decades working for NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.
Throughout his distinguished career, he has flown three space missions, built two space stations, performed two spacewalks, crewed the Shuttle and Soyuz, and in 2013 commanded the International Space Station for six months off planet. His many awards and recognitions include the Order of Canada, the Meritorious Service Cross, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
His TED talk “What I Learned from Going Blind in Space” has been viewed more than 11 million times. He is also the co-host, with actor Will Smith, of National Geographic’s One Strange Rock, which was directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Kirsten Robinson
Federal Government Leader, Canada
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Kirsten Robinson is a senior business leader with 25 years’ experience in sales, consulting, and business operations. Having joined AWS in 2018, she currently serves as Federal Government Leader, where she focuses on shaping and delivering strategies to enable government digital transformation. Prior to joining AWS, Kirsten held senior leadership positions with both public and private sector organizations, spanning multiple roles within tech startups, enterprise firms, and academia.
Kirsten is the past co-chair of Technation’s Cloud Working Group, and the co-author of a Government of Canada whitepaper titled “Governments Embracing Cloud: An Opportunity for Modernization, Innovation and Transformation”. An avid gardener and traveler, she lives in Ottawa with her husband, son, and dog, Bailey.

Ray Hession
National Security and Defense Leader, Canada
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Ray Hession leads AWS Canada’s national security and defence practice, drawing on over 25 years of experience as a consultant, trusted advisor and sales executive in the IT, IM and BI/Analytics sectors.
Before joining AWS in 2016, Ray served key Government of Canada departments as a Key Account Executive at cloud data protection leader Commvault. Previously, he has held roles at SAS, HP, and other world-leading firms in the areas of data management, predictive analytics, and IT Service Management & Operations management software.
Opening Keynote
Time: 1.5 hours
Keynote description.
Morning Keynote
Time: 30 min
Keynote description.
Afternoon Keynote
Time: 30 min
Keynote description.
Agenda
Thursday, September 7, 2023
This event is specifically designed to help public sector organizations across government, education, nonprofit, healthcare, and financial services navigate the increasingly complex and ever-evolving tech landscape.
Our goal is to empower you, the leaders and architects of public sector digital transformation, with new capabilities and insights that help you accelerate your mission and improve the lives of people and the planet using cloud technology.
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Expo
See cutting-edge products and the latest solutions from our sponsoring partners and learn how they can help you transform your organization.
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Breakout sessions
The Symposium features 20+ breakout sessions across four main tracks: technical, management, security, and data.
Discover content to accelerate your public sector mission, and hear from government, nonprofit, healthcare, education, and aerospace and satellite customers. Grow your existing cloud skills to learn how to build, deploy, and operate your infrastructure and applications learning from lecture-style and interactive sessions.
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AWS Training & Certification
Learn from AWS experts about how AWS Training and Certification can help you gain practical experience with real-world cloud scenarios, validate your cloud expertise, and much more.
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Closing reception
Join the conversation at our reception at the end of the day. Mingle and connect with your peers to discuss topics that interest you after a day of learning.
Schedule
08:00AM - 09:00AM EST: Registration
09:00AM - 10:50AM EST: Breakout sessions
10:50AM - 11:15AM EST: Break
11:15AM - 12:15PM EST: Keynote
12:15PM - 01:15PM EST: Lunch
1:15PM - 01:30PM EST: Break
01:30PM - 03:20PM EST: Breakout sessions
03:20PM - 03:40PM EST: Break
03:40PM - 04:30PM EST: Breakout sessions
04:35PM - 05:30PM EST: Closing reception
Agenda is subject to change.
Session level guide
Level 100: Introductor
Sessions are focused on providing an overview of AWS services and features, with the
assumption that attendees are new to the topic.
Level 200: Intermediate
Sessions are focused on providing best practices, details of service features and demos with the assumption that attendees have introductory knowledge of the topics.
Level 300: Advanced
Sessions dive deeper into the selected topic. Presenters assume that the audience has
some familiarity with the topic, but may or may not have direct experience .
Level 400: Expert
Sessions are for attendees who are deeply familiar with the topic, have implemented a
solution on their own already, and are comfortable with how the technology works.
F I N D O U T M O R E
Frequently asked questions
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Who should attend the AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa and when?
Whether you are new to the cloud or an experienced user, you can learn something new at AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa. The AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa will help you develop the right skills to design and deploy solutions in the cloud to accelerate your mission.
The AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa is scheduled for September 7, 2023.
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Is there a virtual component?
We designed the AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa for an in-person audience. You will be able to access a select number of sessions on demand following the event.
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Is there a price to attend?
No, registration is complimentary for this event.
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Where should I stay if I plan to attend?
We don't currently have dedicated attendee room blocks for this event.
The AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa will take place at the Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Canada
You can also explore other nearby hotels.
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When and where will the AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa take place?
The event will take place at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Canada on September 7, 2023 from approximately 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM EST.
We will communicate exact meeting rooms prior to the event.
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How can I contact the event organizers?
Please email wwps-symposiums@amazon.com with any questions.
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How do I update, change, or cancel my registration for AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa?
To change or cancel your registration, email us directly at wwps-symposiums@amazon.com
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Where can I view sessions for AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa?
We'll have several sessions available to view on the AWS Public Sector Symposium Ottawa agenda page. As we confirm more sessions, we'll add them to the agenda.
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Are lactation rooms available?
Yes. Lactation rooms are designed to provide a private, secure space for lactating attendees to express milk.
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