Ontario Sailing Symposium

Steve Indig

Steve Indig, BRec, LLB, began his career with Sport Law in 2003, immediately after being called to the bar as a lawyer. Steve has had the opportunity to work with over 1,000 national, provincial, and local sport organizations providing consulting and legal services related to governance, employment, contracts, policies, disputes, and privacy. He is a regular guest speaker and presenter at AGMs, conferences, and workshops. 

Steve graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelors of Recreation degree and a successful five-year career as varsity athlete in swimming. Steve attended three CIS National Championships, was named the CIS athlete of the month, and qualified for the 2000 Olympic Trials. Steve was inducted into the Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. 

John Stevenson

John Stevenson is the founder of TerraNova360, a Toronto strategy and marketing agency that helps established organizations grow by closing the gap between where their strategy is pointed and where their market actually is. 

Over more than twenty years building and leading marketing and research agencies, John has driven growth for brands and organizations across sport, retail, and beyond, including MLSE, the Toronto Blue Jays, Golf Canada, Cricket Canada, Sephora, Ford Canada, and Diabetes Canada. His work with Blue Mountain introduced skiing to Chinese and South Asian newcomers, helping to revive the sport by opening it to new communities. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Holt Renfrew and J. Sainsbury in the UK. 

John’s connection to the water runs deep. He grew up sailing at RCYC, is a racing member of the Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club and sits on the SailGP Toronto Bid Committee. He brings a strategist’s eye and a sailor’s heart to the question every club is now asking: how do we grow this amazing sport? 

 Dr. Julie Stevens, Facilitator, Sport for Life

Dr. Julie Stevens is a professor in the Department of Sport Management and co-founder and Past Director of the Centre for Sport Capacity at Brock University. She previously served as the Special Advisor to the President – Canada Games, where she led academic innovation initiatives for the Brock University-2022 Niagara Canada Summer Games partnership. 

For over 30 years, Julie’s research has focused upon change and system integration. Drawing upon a unique interdisciplinary background, her work examines managerial challenges and solutions in sport. Her research also explores capacity-building strategies within sport contexts from international to local levels and within single-sport to multi-sport contexts. 

Julie seeks to discover, integrate, and apply her research in a manner that builds bridges among academic, professional, and community forums. Her consulting experience within public and nonprofit sectors spans a wide range of areas such as strategic planning, program and event evaluation, and training workshops. She enjoys engaging with volunteers through pragmatic initiatives, where she is constantly challenged to ensure her work is connected, relevant and practical. 

Murray McCullough

Join Murray McCullough, Executive Director of Ontario Sailing, for a keynote exploring the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping sailing across the province. 

With more than 20 years of experience spanning small, medium, and large yacht clubs and the club, provincial, and national sport systems, Murray brings a unique perspective on the sailing ecosystem and the realities facing today’s club leaders. He also holds an Executive MBA from Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business, bringing a business and organizational leadership lens to the challenges and opportunities facing our sport. 

Drawing on provincial data, sector trends, and the experiences of Ontario Sailing member organizations, Murray will explore what is changing—and what those changes could mean for participation, volunteers, programming, financial sustainability, partnerships, and the future of our clubs. 

Ryan Kelly

Ryan Kelly is the Chief Executive Officer of Sail Canada, the national governing body for the sport of sailing in Canada. Since joining the organization in 2024, he has led a period of strategic renewal focused on strengthening the national sailing system, modernizing programs and governance, expanding participation, and supporting Canada’s pathway from first-time sailors to Olympic and Paralympic athletes. 

Ryan has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of sport, leadership, education, and marine operations. Before joining Sail Canada, he served as Special Adviser to the Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, was President of Sail Newfoundland and Labrador for eight years, and spent many years supporting the Cadets Canada Sailing Program, coach development, and workforce training in the marine sector. 

A lifelong sailor, Ryan remains an active coach, learning facilitator, and offshore racer. His recent offshore campaigns include multiple editions of the Caribbean 600 and the Newport–Bermuda Race, experiences that continue to shape his perspective on leadership, teamwork, preparation, and performance under pressure. 

Based in Kingston, Ontario, Ryan is passionate about building a stronger sailing community across Canada and believes the future of the sport depends on investing in people—from volunteers and coaches to clubs, athletes, and lifelong participants.