Torch - Spring/Summer 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

he world today looks a lot different from the one Old Girl Lauren Epstein graduated into. When Epstein left Havergal in 2003, there was no Facebook. It would be another six years before journalist Tina Brown coined the phrase “gig economy,” and even the iPhone was a glimmer in Apple’s eye, still four years from market. And yet, it’s almost uncanny how much Epstein’s career to date reflects the future of work. For starters, there’s her current job, spotting and cultivating the next big things in tech. As an associate with OMERS Ventures, Epstein works on the forefront of innovation, identifying high-potential start-ups and working closely with those companies’ founders to help their businesses grow. Then there’s the path by which she got there, by way of job experiences such as a communications consultant for the Ontario PC Party, a year as a judicial law clerk for the Ontario Court of Appeal and several more years working as a commercial litigator for a boutique Bay Street law firm—the sort of non-linear trajectory analysts predict will increasingly become the workforce norm.

“I’m not sure I ever had any idea of where I would end up,” Epstein laughs when asked about her career journey. “I’ve never been a person with a long-term plan, which would probably surprise a lot of people, because I’m extremely Type A. But I’ve always pursued multiple things at any given time. That was definitely true of my time at Havergal, where in addition to my academics, I was on the Swim team, I was also in Orchestra and the Choir, I was on School Council and I sat on committees. One role that has become much more significant in my career was my role as Head of the Computer club, as well as my participation on the Robotics team.” At the time, Epstein says, she decided to participate in such a breadth of co-curriculars purely out of interest; after Havergal, she pursued a BA in government at Harvard and then earned degrees from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and Rotman School of Management ’ s combined JD/MBA program, thinking she’d probably end up in politics. But she credits her varied activities, and the tools she developed as a result of those Havergal experiences, for setting her up to succeed for whatever the future may bring next.

1 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “The future of education and skills—Education 2030: The future we want.” April 5, 2018. Accessed on March 3, 2020, via oecd.org/education/2030/E2030%20 Position%20Paper%20(05.04.2018).pdf. 2 RBC. “Automation to impact at least 50% of Canadian jobs in the next decade: RBC research.” Cision. March 26, 2018. Accessed on March 3, 2020, via newswire.ca/news- releases/automation-to-impact-at-least-50- of-canadian-jobs-in-the-next-decade-rbc- research-677900483.html. From the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and other international bodies to private consultancies such as McKinsey and PwC, thought leaders are virtually obsessed with ongoing seismographic shifts driving workplace change. According to OECD’s The Future of Education and Skills 2030 project, there are three key forces at work. The first is environmental, encompassing the effects of climate change on natural resources. Economic forces include rapid-paced innovations in science and technology, as well as financial aspects such as globalization, and data privacy and security. Lastly, the world is also being reshaped by social factors such as urbanization, migration, politics and trends such as eroding trust and confidence in governments and institutions. 1 While some of the effects of these forces are already apparent, how they will ripple and evolve in years to come is much harder to predict. What might they mean for the future of work? To start, one RBC forecast predicts automation will disrupt at least 50 per cent of Canadian jobs within the next decade. 2 A rise in remote work and telecommuting will fuel productivity and save billions of dollars, but will also heighten requirements for collaboration and

Lauren Epstein 2003 works on the forefront of innovation as an associate with OMERS Ventures.

SPRING/SUMMER 2020 • TORCH 19