Clients and Testimonials

"Thank you for bringing David to Queen's. He one of the most engaging, entertaining and enlightening speakers I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. His messages of, "Assume everyone is intelligent, have passion for what you do and get over yourself" are simple yet powerful themes that apply to all people in all walks of life."

Paul Chesser, Director, Annual Giving
Queen' s University

"Dave’s talk set the perfect tone for our Alumni Mentorship Program reception. We wanted someone upbeat who could motivate and inspire our audience as they began their mentoring relationships. Dave completely delivered on his promise. His words spoke to both the mentors and the protégés and as a result, he received rave reviews from those in attendance. I wouldn’t hesitate to use Dave again or recommend him to someone else."

Heather Hines, Events & Outreach, Career Centre
University of Toronto at Mississauga

"I had the responsibility of organizing a very large networking seminar for academia and industry at the University of Toronto. I wanted a speaker who could provide a mixture of humour and insight and well as someone whose reputation could help fill the room. After attending one of Dave’s seminars, I left feeling educated and inspired and knew I had found my speaker.

We soon reached capacity with almost 300 people registered for the event. The seminar was a resounding success. Working with Dave on organizing the event was a pleasure. Dave was very helpful and accommodating throughout the process. I am sure that Dave’s unique approach in the way that he connects with his audience. His extensive knowledge on sales and networking experience will be of great value to any organization looking to engage and motivate its employees."

Dorota Dajnowiec, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
University of Toronto

"Dave Howlett's seminar [Knocking down Silos] was truly everything I expected. I had heard rave reviews from numerous colleagues and students, and he certainly lived up to his reputation. Dave helped in the organization and promotion of the most successful seminar hosted by the AstraZeneca Master of Biotechnology Program to date. Dave's combination of experience, presentation skills and humour made this informative seminar both enjoyable and memorable. I received great feedback after the event from numerous students and people from industry."

Donna Heslin Corporate Liaison
Coordinator University of Toronto at Mississauga

"As manager of placement services for a private vocational school, I found I wanted to immediately pass along Dave's concepts to our students. They have an empowering effect for anyone who is intimidated by meeting new people and exploring new opportunities."

Lise Kosmack, Manager, Placement Services, Medix School

"Thanks for your wonderful networking lecture yesterday in U of T. I am also impressed by your lifestyle, i.e. marathoner, businessman, teacher and toastmaster."

Shumin Jin, MBA,Marketing, Schulich School of Business

"Your talk brought home concisely many of the things we try to transfer to our students during their two years in the Program. What you do is important and needed for young people starting out and was a good reminder for old-timers like myself."

Paul Horgen Ph.D, Director of Master of Biotechnology Program,
University of Toronto at Mississauga

"With over 500 people registered, Knocking down Silos was one of the best attended events we have ever put on at the University of Guelph. Of all our combined student and alumni events, Dave Howlett's interactive seminar received the highest possible feedback; 100% of those who evaluated this seminar provided top marks! Knocking Down Silos has successfully elevated our level of offerings to students and alumni. I'm positive that more people will be engaged in our campus programs and activities as a result of this fantastic networking experience! Thanks Dave."

Jason Moreton, Director, Alumni Affairs,
University of Guelph

"Your networking talk was full of useful information, lively, and upbeat; the inclusion of your professional and personal accomplishments in your introduction immediately set you into the context of someone who has a message and who has, and who continues to earn respect. Your follow-up of an emailed PDF to all participants is remarkable."

Dr. Ulrich J. Krull, Professor of Analytical Chemistry and AstraZeneca Chair in Biotechnology,
Vice-Principal: Research University of Toronto at Mississauga

"Our 2008 Rock the Farm conference is an annual event for Albertan farmers to be educated and also to network. However many of our attendees tend to stay in their comfort zone and don’t really enjoy “working the room.” We were looking for an entertaining and humorous speaker who could show our participants how to “break the ice” and inspire them to exchange ideas with each other.

Since your presentation of “Knocking down Silos” we have received nothing but rave reviews. You also showed us your “real human being” authenticity by how you acted before and after your presentation. You really practice what you preach Dave. Given the feedback, I anticipate it is going to be easy to sign people up for Rock the Farm 2009!"

Jennifer Norrie, Rock the Farm

"AdFarm is a unique marketing communications agency in the aspect that we specialize solely in agriculture. We drive deeper for our clients to come up with outside-of-the-box strategies that resonate with our target audience. This year we designed a plan for our client that included a strategic lecture series for agricultural retailers on how to sell premium products. As their retailers operate in a feature-heavy industry, we needed a speaker who could entertain as well as inspire and educate the audience. We challenged Dave to the task of speaking to audiences in 5 cities across Western Canada and the response from our client (and their retailers/customers) was overwhelming. Thank you cards and glowing feedback forms continue to flood in. Dave definitely exceeded our expectations - and that bar was really high! And as Dave teaches in his seminars - exceeding expectations translates into more business for everyone. Dave was flexible and able to truly understand and engage his audience. We will definitely rely on his talent in the future. We would absolutely recommend Dave to any company who wishes to jumpstart both morale and the bottom line."

Laura Laing, Director, Public Relations, AdFarm

"Our recent 2008 Hydropool Annual Retailer Learning Conference was a success and we wish to thank you for your extraordinary presentation and contribution to our event. Our goal is to assemble our worldwide network of retailers in an effort to further their abilities to sell more hot tubes and spas. We have been holding annual learning conferences for many years and have invited many speakers. You delivered one of the most relevant and remarkable presentations that we have ever seen. Your delivery of the “real human being” designation hot home with many people as it is actionable, sensible and has the potential to prevent prejudice in many ways, shapes and forms. We also enjoyed the “amazing woman” and “good guy” concepts as this accurately describes the manner in which many people deliver referral advice to others that they know and trust. We understand that your speaking services are in high demand and wish you well in the months and years to come. Your presentation and message exceeded our expectations and we would be honoured to provide you with a glowing referral."

Len Carter, VP Marketing & Business Development, Hydropool

"WOW! I can honestly say that I have never been so pumped and enthusiastic after a networking seminar (or any other seminar for that matter) as I was last night. I’m already doing some of the things you mentioned but the most valuable thing I learned is how to get myself remembered. Everyone likes to be valued for what they do and if I make others feel good about what they did for me then ‘what goes around, comes around’. It makes perfect sense! "

Mary Judge, Virtually Working for You

"At the last presentation, I sat in the back, like I always do. Dave challenged us all to talk to some people around us. I did. Guess what? I made a contact that I have stayed in touch with ever since. It turns out that both of us are “reluctant networkers”. We meet regularly for coffee and to encourage each other. Thank you Mr. Connector! Jim LoveManaging PartnerPerformance Advantage "I left your “Knocking Down Silos” seminar completely energized about networking - the first time that has ever happened. I attribute this to the clarity and practicality of your presentation and the techniques you outlined. These are things I can easily incorporate into my business to be immediately more effective at marketing my services. I feel like my eyes have finally opened and I can see things in a whole new way. Your talk gave me information unlike anything I learned in business school!"

Robert Steinbach MBA, CFA, Workflow & Productivity Coach

"A quick follow up note to tell you how much I enjoyed your presentation last night. You kept things moving, had lots of valuable information, and the humour was refreshing. I connected with a couple of students during the breakouts and had interesting connections with both."

David Lewis, The LoweMartin Group

"Thank-you for putting on a great seminar last night; your enthusiasm is very contagious! I met up with a couple of friends afterwards and couldn't stop talking about all the things that I'd learned. Although I'd already been to this seminar in the past, I thought it would be good to get a refresher."

Nicole Tingley, Torcan Chemical Ltd

"Dave, I wanted to send you a brief note to thank you once again for your excellent presentation last month during our Global sales group’s international conference. I have just reviewed the audience feedback forms, and thought you would be interested to see a few of the representative quotes from your session. The feedback quotes included: "Dave was excellent, he really captured and held the entire audience throughout"; "Dave was highly effective and memorable"; "Dave's stories, wit and satire were captivating and profound"; "Dave provided several important ideas that I can implement immediately". Dave, this was a very tough crowd of seasoned sales professionals; and as you can see, the feedback from your session was tremendous. Needless to say, I would be more than pleased to recommend you as a speaker to any company who is looking to boost both morale and sales effectiveness. "

Carmen Giordano, VP Corporate Sales Global Transaction Banking, Scotiabank Group

"Dave Howlett's "Knocking Down Silos" presentation was a great experience! We are always looking for ways to add value for our customers and during a recent event we hosted in Calgary, we asked Dave to speak to the audience. Our demands weren't an easy match for many presenters as we were looking for a high energy, interactive session that would both motivate while providing practical and easy to implement strategies for success. Dave really delivered. He took the time to understand the needs of the group and the challenges they face on a day to day basis and addressed these head on during his presentation. The response from the audience was great and we'll be looking for opportunities to partner together in the future."

Dana Brant, Senior Manager, TD Mutual Funds

"I have worked in a sales management role in the hospitality industry for over 11 years and so have attended many events and heard hundreds of speakers on different subjects. Dave Howlett is unique. He is not a politician, a sports figure or a celebrity. Dave delivers a powerful philosophy based on sound advice and simple actions. Our sales staff and our convention clients ranted about the impact of his talk in their personal and business lives. Dave’s teachings can be used in every facet of one’s life and create aspirations to becoming “A Good Guy” globally… and that’s good for business!"

Stephen Ing, Westin Hotels and Resorts

"I went to Dave's seminar last night, “Knocking Down Silos”, at the University of Toronto. It started at 6:30p.m. and ran until just after 9:00p.m. I thought: "Are you kidding me? - what's he going to talk about for 2 and a half hour!!!" Given my deficient attention span, I was particularly worried about lasting the duration. Turns out, the night flew by and I have to say, I was completely "wowed" by Dave, his interaction with the audience and the presentation itself. It was one of the best networking/sales seminars I have ever been to and every person I met or spoke with in attendance shared that sentiment. I met some really interesting people, who because of Dave, were looking for ways to help me, whether it be in business or with a personal challenge. The concepts presented are easy, genuine, self rewarding and can be implemented immediately. At the end of the presentation, I thought I would wait around and say a quick hello to Dave. By just after 10:00, he was still surrounded by people from the audience, who wanted to meet or speak with him, so I never had the chance. It was unbelievable - talk about "magnetic"! For anyone who has the opportunity to hear Dave speak in the future, invest the time because it is definitely worth it."

Allison Bryce, Partner, The MAGNES Group Inc.

"We recently had Dave Howlett speak at our Quarterly Managers meetings. His “Knocking down Silos” seminar was a perfect fit and change of pace to our intensive 2-day conference. Covering topics relevant to both personal and professional growth, Dave was also able to customize the seminar to draw on specific examples within our industry. Upbeat and entertaining, both humorous and profound, Dave’s seminar exceeded all expectations and proved to be a positive experience for everyone in attendance. We would recommend Dave to any company in any business that wants to make a positive impact upon their employees and would not hesitate to book Dave for future events.
Celebrating 20 years in business, STRONE is a full service residential and commercial disaster-restoration contractor providing 24/7 Emergency Response Services exclusive to the Insurance Industry."

- Mark Finlay, Operations Manager, STRONE

"Dave, you are awesome. Thank you for sending the lecture-summary over, it will always stay on my wall as a reference. Our Master of Biotechnology Program is so much better because of your participation in our seminars. I will definitely forward to my friends and colleagues so they won’t miss out. I will schedule my calendar for your next talk!"

John Tang, PDS Quotations & Business Planning, Patheon Inc.

"In the last decade that I have spent working in academia, I have never had an opportunity to hear
people talk about DOs and DON’Ts of networking. It took Dave and his humorous and masterful presentation style to make me realize that there is an entire world of “Networking Manners” that I have never known before."

Marija Popovic, Ph.D. Novardis

"Many thanks for your tremendous contribution to the success of the HealthCare and Life Science Connectivity Event last night. I have been at 2 of your presentations and have walked away energized – it is really an enjoyable experience. The ‘buzz’ you created was instrumental in the invigoration of the networking after the formal presentations – well done!!"

Dr. Ulli Krull Chairperson
HealthCare and Life Science Connectivity Event

"Many, many thanks to you for giving us such a great presentation at our Annual General Meeting! You provided lots of food for thought and pulled back the curtain around the word “networking” to remind us that essentially it’s about people first! The feedback and comments from our members was very positive, and by all accounts everyone enjoyed the evening! Thank you for making it such a success for us!"

Judy Howes Administrator
Canadian Laboratory Suppliers Association

"After hearing rave reviews about Dave Howlett's seminars, it became clear that we could not miss out on having him as a guest speaker as part of our Master of Biotechnology Program's AstraZeneca Canada Seminar Series. The reputation that precedes him has proven true - Dave is a pleasure to work with. We began promoting the networking seminar to the biotechnology and biopharma communities approximately 6 weeks prior to the event. Within a week it became necessary to increase the size of the event in order to accommodate everyone who was interested. Only two weeks later we reached our capacity and started a waiting list! Any organizer interested in having a speaker with a great reputation who will draw a large number of participants should consider inviting Dave."

Tina Mann, Corporate Liaison Coordinator, WGTA Consortium

"I am quite skeptical about networking techniques, but I believe it is your sincerity when it comes to helping others do their job better and your positive attitude about people and their business potential, that makes your approach work."

Celia Graham, Account Director, The Health Initiative Inc.

"I just want to let you know that the topics you spoke about that day have stayed with me, and I still refer to them in my day to day life. I can honestly say that hearing what you had to say about networking and word of mouth was among the most beneficial, and ultimately practical, lessons I was taught that year."

- Megan Zinn, Co-Director of Events for the MS Society of Canada

"I came to your session ready to speak about the BC Cancer Foundation and to thank people for generously donating to the foundation at the door. I had no idea that your session would affect me both professionally and personally, I came away energized and motivated. The way that you integrated in the BC Cancer Foundation into your talk was brilliant and especially when you were speaking of the challenges that people have in life and you drew on the BC Cancer Foundation and got me to stand up and say "what Challenges the BC Cancer Foundation had". This gave me another great opportunity to share the BC Cancer Foundation's story to a room of people and explain to them what our biggest challenge was in the community and how we are different from other cancer organizations.

For me your networking session couldn't of came at a more perfect time in my professional career, I took away so many valuable tips on how to grow as a person professionally. It was a good wake up call!"

Jennifer Harper-Uncao, Director Special Events BC Cancer Foundation

"One of the many take home messages from Dave Howlett’s Knocking Down Silos presentation is the importance of giving back. Approximately 25,000 people in Waterloo Region need to access emergency food each year. Almost half of them children. The Food Bank of Waterloo Region is able to meet this need because of the willingness of this community to ‘give back’. By donating this presentation and encouraging donations to The Food Bank, Dave raised 361 lbs of food for those needing assistance."

Ruth Friendship-Keller, Manager of Community Partnerships, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region

"Dave, I wanted to send you a brief note to thank you once again for your excellent presentation last month to our Global sales group. I have just reviewed the audience feedback forms, and thought you would be interested to see a few of the representative quotes from your session.

The feedback quotes included: "Dave was excellent, he really captured and held the entire audience throughout"; "Dave was highly effective and memorable"; "Dave's stories, wit and satire were captivating and profound"; "Dave provided several important ideas that I can implement immediately".

Dave, this was a very tough crowd of seasoned sales professionals; and as you can see, the feedback from your session was tremendous. Needless to say, I would be more than pleased to recommend you as a speaker to any company who is looking to boost both morale and sales effectiveness."

Carmen Giordano, VP Corporate Sales
Global Transaction Banking, Scotiabank Group

"AdFarm is a unique marketing communications agency in the aspect that we specialize solely in agriculture. We drive deeper for our clients to come up with outside-of-the-box strategies that resonate with our target audience.

This year we designed a plan for our client that included a strategic lecture series for agricultural retailers on how to sell premium products. As their retailers operate in a feature-heavy industry, we needed a speaker who could entertain as well as inspire and educate the audience.

We challenged Dave to the task of speaking to audiences in 5 cities across Western Canada and the response from our client (and theirretailers/customers) was overwhelming. Thank you cards and glowing feedback forms continue to flood in. Dave definitely exceeded our expectations - and that bar was really high! And as Dave teaches in his seminars - exceeding expectations translates into more business for everyone. Dave was flexible and able to truly understand and engage his audience. We will definitely rely on his talent in the future.

We would absolutely recommend Dave to any company who wishes to jumpstart both morale and the bottom line."

Laura Laing, Director - Public Relations, AdFarm

"One of the concerns I have is that networking is starting to get more of a negative perception than a good one. So it was not until I had been recommended to hear Dave by several people that I finally caught up with his 'Knocking Down Silos' event. I was more than pleasantly surprised. He talks the talk that I want my clients to hear, because as executive and professional women they have been exposed too many times to the wrong approach or expectations and are sometimes reluctant to network because of it. In his talk Dave gives us all of the right reasons - that networking really is about building relationships, having good knowledge to share and helping others - it's the message that many need to be reminded of from time to time."

Paul Copcutt, Personal Brand Consultant for Professional and Executive Women

"Now, I've been to dozens, if not hundreds, of these kinds of seminars, where speakers wax on eloquently about how to network and how to build a solid Rolodex and how to find leads and sales prospects. I’m not a businessperson or a salesperson, so I usually just write about the event - if it's important to my readers - and then forget about any information I may have picked up there. It just doesn't help me much in my capacity as a journalist and editor - or as a person in general .Howlett actually had some great ideas about creating opportunities - ideas that just might change my life."

P.J. Harston, Business Editor, London Free Press

"In my 27 year career in the investment industry I have heard and participated in many workshops, seminars and presentations. Dave Howlett's amazing 2 1/2 networking..."Breaking Down Silos” event was fantastic! Seldom does a speaker capture my attention for long periods of time...Dave was the exception. His presentation was captivating, interesting and fun...the best parts... I learnt something, made some contacts and walked away invigorated!"

Deborah Eaton-Kent, CFA Training and Development Consultant

"I have worked in a sales management role in the hospitality industry for over 11 years and so have attended many events and heard hundreds of speakers on different subjects. Dave Howlett is unique. He is not a politician, a sports figure or a celebrity. Dave delivers a powerful philosophy based on sound advice and simple actions. Our sales staff and our convention clients ranted about the impact of his talk in their personal and business lives.

Dave’s teachings can be used in every facet of one’s life and create aspirations to becoming “A Good Guy” globally… and that’s good for business! "

Stephen Ing, Westin Hotels and Resorts

"You had everybody in the audience from 20 year olds to 50 year olds like me listening intently to you. You really have a gift and you should take it on the road to broader audiences. Yes even Broadway."

Bill Laidlaw, Executive Director, The Biotechnology Initiative

"Dave Howlett’s “Knocking Down Silos” seminar is, quite simply, a phenomenal experience; one that should be mandatory for all professionals. In March 2006, TechAlliance welcomed a crowd of nearly 100 Londoners (professionals, academics, recent grads and students) to Dave’s seminar; all were impressed, including the Business editor of our local daily, who wrote, “Now, I’ve been to dozens, if not hundreds, of these kinds of seminars, where speakers wax on eloquently about how to network and how to build a solid Rolodex and how to find leads and sales prospects…Howlett…actually had some great ideas about creating opportunities — ideas that just might change my life.

From the perspective of the TechAlliance organization, Dave really provided an important professional development opportunity, one of tremendous benefit to our members and guests. His approach to networking and business development is not only highly effective, it is genuine -- a genuine attempt to make positive human contact in this age of digital “facelessness”. Comments from attendees were overwhelmingly positive; Dave’s highly accessible approach really warmed up the room for the “Power Mixer” portion of the event, where almost all attendees (incredibly!) stayed around even longer than prescribed to share contacts and knowledge, particularly with our student attendees."

Lindsay Zajac, Director, Programs and Services, TechAlliance

"With over 31 million passengers a year, Toronto Pearson International Airport is the busiest airport in Canada. Providing Quality service to these travellers is our highest priority after safety and security. The vision I have for GTAA is to pursue continuous service improvement by strengthening communication, creativity, innovation and trust. Variances in trades, unions and demographics can occasionally however present a significant challenge to implementing this type of company-wide team building effort.

We engaged Dave Howlett to present his "Knocking Down Silos" workshop beginning with management cadre. He had a great interactive presentation that was well received amoung GTAA leaders. It reinforced an ownership-philosophy that urges people to take charge of their career. The concepts of "assume everyone is intelligent, have a passion for what you do and get over yourself" resonated with my team long after the talk."

Lloyd A. McCoomb
President and Chief Executive Officer
Greater Toronto Airports Authority