The HRPA 2021 Summer Conference July 27-29

Kris Tierney, CHRP, CHRL

Vice President, HR and Learning

Kris’s approach as an executive leader is to achieve results by creating outstanding workplaces where people & culture are strategic priorities. She is a passionate and skilled business executive with 15 years’ experience leading HR in hi tech, high growth companies in automotive and financial services where she served as a trusted people and culture strategist, advisor and business partner to the C-Suite.

Kris started her career in hospitality where she held various leadership and management positions. For more than 20-years, Kris has served as a valued member of senior and executive leadership teams, where her skills in HR, leadership, strategy, and culture were honed and her passion for business and human resources were developed. She is periodically called upon by media, conferences and academia to contribute her experience and perspectives as an HR and business leader.

Kris has achieved the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designations as awarded by the Human Resources Professionals Association in Ontario, Canada. As a lifelong learner, Kris is thrilled to bring professional development and learning opportunities to the HR community in her role as Vice-President, Human Resources and Learning at the HRPA.

Aoife Donovan lee

Coaching Psychologist

​Aoife is a Coaching Psychologist with expertise in the areas of technostress, high performance, leadership, and building emotional capital. Aoife has over 15 years’ experience in leadership and people development. During that time, she has gained a wealth of experience in both Irish and Canadian multinational organisations, as well as running her own business.

Jordan Lester

Lawyer, Cheadles LLP

Jordan is a partner at Cheadles, having joined the firm in September 2013. Prior to joining Cheadles, Jordan articled as a judicial law clerk for the Superior Court of Justice – Northwest region. While based in Thunder Bay, he also clerked for the Superior Court judges of Kenora, Sault Ste. Marie and Parry Sound.

Before entering the world of law, Jordan spent several years as a reporter for the CBC, filing stories at the regional, provincial and national level, making regular contributions to programs such as World Report, Ontario Today, and The World This Weekend. Jordan is very active with various not-for-profit organizations in Thunder Bay, and in his spare time he enjoys snowboarding, playing hockey, fishing and watching the Blue Jays.

Jamelle Lindo

Emotional Intelligence Leadership Coach, PARADIGM People Development

​Jamelle Lindo is an emotional intelligence leadership coach, trainer and speaker with over 11 years of diverse learning and development experience. He has worked with thousands of professionals across Canada to help them ‘level-up’ through the practical application of emotional intelligence and mindfulness-based strategies. Jamelle is certified in EQ-i 2.0—the world’s leading assessment tool for measuring emotional intelligence—and he uses this to establish a scientifically valid benchmark to begin a leader’s development journey. Jamelle has published several thought leadership pieces on Forbes .com and is an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council, an invite-only organization for successful business coaches. Jamelle is driven to empower leaders to become their best selves and in so doing, achieve the kind of business success that makes the world a better place.

Alison Grenier

Head of Culture, Great Place to Work

​Alison Grenier is Head of Culture and Research for Great Place to Work. With 15 years’ experience studying the Best Workplaces in Canada, Alison knows what it takes to transform workplace culture. Alison leverages GPTW’s unparalleled data library to uncover the leading workplace trends, and support organizations with specific and actionable feedback to drive their culture forward. Prior to joining the Institute, Alison worked in a variety of human resource roles in the manufacturing, professional services and not-for-profit sectors. Alison lives in Kelowna B.C. and enjoys exploring all the province has to offer with her family.

Natalie Aris

Senior Director of HR, Equitable Bank

Natalie Aris is Senior Director of HR at Equitable Bank and has been with the organization for 10 years. She is responsible for HR operations and also involved in strategy planning on their Employee Value Proposition & Employer Brand, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Management.   Equitable Bank was once a Trust Company with 50 people and now they are a Schedule I Bank with almost 1000 employees with amazing organic growth.  Their focus is to hold on to their small family culture that started 15 years ago as they continue to expand as the top Canadian Challenger Bank.

Cathy Lim

Director of Human Resources, PopReach Games

Cathy Lim is currently the Director of Human Resources for PopReach Games and the volunteer Executive Director for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. Her passion to engage with employees and provide a safe and inclusive workplace has resulted in multiple Great Place to Work accolades, most notably Canada’s 50 Best Workplaces, and Best Workplaces for Inclusion, Women, and Mental Wellness. Cathy also teaches workshops for multiple non-profits and schools year-round, she loves to educate and empower everyone around her.

Karen Scott

Senior Vice President of People & Growth, Softchoice2.

Karen Scott joined Softchoice as Senior Vice President of People & Growth in September 2019. A seasoned human resource executive with deep understanding of service-based organizations, Ms. Scott is responsible for leading organizational development and employee engagement at Softchoice. She oversees Softchoice’s talent management, recruitment and retention, performance initiatives and compensation programs, HR systems and is executive sponsor of Softchoice Cares, the Company’s employee-led social impact board. Prior to joining Softchoice, Ms. Scott was the Chief Human Resources Officer of Sgsco, where she helped transform the organization’s way of working and built core people practices, including succession management, employee development, change management, people insights and talent acquisition. Previously, Ms. Scott was the Vice President, HR for Mosaic (North America) where she spent 13 years helping to lead their exponential growth. During her time at Mosaic, Ms. Scott pioneered Mosaic University and Mosaic Cares, launched career development programming, led their Great Places to Work engagement survey, and continued the development of their culture. She holds a BA from Western University in Administrative and Commercial Studies with a specialization in Human Relations and Social Organizations.

Kris Tierney, CHRP, CHRL

Vice President, HR and Learning

Kris’s approach as an executive leader is to achieve results by creating outstanding workplaces where people & culture are strategic priorities. She is a passionate and skilled business executive with 15 years’ experience leading HR in hi tech, high growth companies in automotive and financial services where she served as a trusted people and culture strategist, advisor and business partner to the C-Suite.

Kris started her career in hospitality where she held various leadership and management positions. For more than 20-years, Kris has served as a valued member of senior and executive leadership teams, where her skills in HR, leadership, strategy, and culture were honed and her passion for business and human resources were developed. She is periodically called upon by media, conferences and academia to contribute her experience and perspectives as an HR and business leader.

Kris has achieved the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designations as awarded by the Human Resources Professionals Association in Ontario, Canada. As a lifelong learner, Kris is thrilled to bring professional development and learning opportunities to the HR community in her role as Vice-President, Human Resources and Learning at the HRPA.

Todd Humber

Publisher, Talent Canada

​Todd Humber is a group publisher at Annex Business Media in Toronto. As a journalist, he has spent more than 20 years covering issues of importance to HR professionals and employers. In 2019, he launched Talent Canada — a cutting-edge media brand designed to educate senior leadership about the importance of investing in people. Before that, he worked at Thomson Reuters where he was the publisher and editor-in-chief of a national human resources publication.

Dr. Bill Howatt, Ph.D., Ed.D

Founder and President, Howatt HR Consulting

​​Bill Howatt is Ph.D., Ed.D., Post Doctorate Behavioral Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, RTC, RSW, ICADC. He is Founder and President of Howatt HR www.howatthr.com. Dr. Howatt is known as one of Canada’s top experts in mental health issues in the workplace and has more than 30 years’ experience in the field of mental health, addiction, and human resources consulting.

Zaheer Lakhani

Partner, Lakhani Campea LLP

​Zaheer Lakhani is a partner at the boutique law firm Lakhani Campea LLP, which specializes in employment law, workplace investigations and litigation services. Called to the Bar in 1998, Zaheer advises and represents various sized employers as well as individuals in a variety of areas such as human rights, including disability and accommodation; wrongful dismissal claims; employment standards compliance and litigation, and general strategic HR advice.

Zaheer is frequently sought out to provide third party investigation services for various employers including municipal clients, school boards, and Canadian Universities. In the spring of 2020, his investigation involving the conduct of an elected school board trustee was referenced in various news media including the Ottawa Citizen, CBC, Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail.Zaheer has also appeared as a guest on CBC Radio and Radio Canada to discuss discrimination and toxic workplaces and he was quoted by the Canadian Safety Reporter in an article related to workplace harassment. Zaheer has delivered presentations on a variety of topics on behalf of various chapters of the Human Resource Professional’s Association (HRPA), the HRPA’s annual conference, as well as the Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association (OMHRA) Spring and Fall Conference. Most recently, he delivered a presentation discussing the Impact of Racial Bias and Racism in the Workplace.

Dr. Amanda Matejicek, PhD, ACC

Co-creator, People in Business Inc.

Amanda is creative, compassionate, and dynamic. She intertwines the drivers of humanity with the drivers of business. With a PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology, she supports individuals, teams, and organizations to hone their emotional, social, and adaptive intelligence to harness the human potential in organizations. As a consultant, Amanda builds trusting and supportive relationships with her clients through her straightforward and compassionate approach to personal growth and organizational transformation.

With over 20 years as an organizational consultant, she has extensive experience in creating and sustaining transformational change through large-scale initiatives, leadership and talent development programs, succession planning, as well as individual and leadership alignment coaching.

Dr. Tatijana Busic, PHD, CPych

Co-creator, People in Business Inc.

​Tatijana marries the art and science of human emotion and behaviour to how individuals, dyads, and teams think, feel, relate and behave at work. As a psychologist and an organizational consultant, her passion is to support individuals, organizations, and communities to build healthy relationships through harnessing emotional and social intelligence. She is also a trauma and stress expert and provide services to individuals, teams, and organizations that foster psychological healing, resilience, and the motivation for growth. Her goal is to optimize human potential in organizations and to build psychologically safe, culturally brave, and racially and socially just organizations while supporting organizations to meet 21st century demands and business objectives.

Tatijana is a licensed clinical and organizational psychologist with over 15 years of private practice experience in psychological assessments and interventions with individuals, dyads, and organizations. She has guest lectured in organizations and universities on the psycho-biology of stress and adaptive change processes, and has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and the Rotman School of Management.

Dr. Julie McCarthy

Professor of Organizational Behavior and HR Management, University of Toronto Scarborough

​Dr. Julie McCarthy is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and HR Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough with a cross-appointment to the Rotman School of Management. Julie’s research examines strategies that individuals can use to build resilience and achieve success in their work and home lives. Her work is published in leading academic journals, including The Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Psychological Science, and is generously supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). In addition to receiving numerous awards and recognitions for her research contributions, Julie’s work has received a considerable amount of media attention. Julie’s work has also been featured in several prominent media outlets, such as Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Financial Post, CBC, CTV, and Macleans. In the corporate sector, Julie has developed training programs, performance management systems and personnel selection tools on behalf public and private corporations. Julie has also demonstrated success leading corporate resilience workshops in the public and private sectors, including several sessions tailored specifically to senior leaders, lawyers, police officers, and medical professionals.

Natalie Fisher

Lawyer, Sherrard Kuzz LLP

Natalie regularly advises, represents and advocates for employers on a variety of employment and labour law matters. She began her career with Sherrard Kuzz LLP as a law student, during which time she was seconded with the Ontario Labour Relations Board. 

Natalie is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, Canadian Bar Association and Ontario Bar Association (Labour & Employment; Civil Litigation; Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights; Workers’ Compensation; and Young Lawyers). 

Val Duffey

Chief Human Resources Officer

Val Duffey is a Chief Human Resources Officer whose career spans 25 years in financial and professional services organizations such as KPMG Canada, Aviva Canada and Torys LLP. Most recently, Val was CHRO at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority with a mandate to transform Pearson’s workforce and culture toward its vision of becoming a global mega hub airport. With a reputation for building business-centric HR strategy and driving transformational change, Val brings a passionate, strategic and pragmatic voice to the top table. She is a trusted advisor, an invested leader, and a dedicated coach and mentor.

Since early 2020, Val and collaborator Mark Edgar have been examining emerging market trends and new workplace realities brought about by the pandemic and calls for social reform. Together they have developed the Reimagine Work framework—a holistic view of the key paradigm shifts that are defining today’s world of work—which they use to support CHROs to reimagine their future-focused HR strategies.

Val holds a degree in Education from Ryerson University, a Certificate in Executive Organization Development from Columbia University, and a Certificate in HR Management. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and sits on the Board of St. Michael’s Choir School in downtown Toronto.

Kris Tierney, CHRP, CHRL

Vice President, HR and Learning

Kris’s approach as an executive leader is to achieve results by creating outstanding workplaces where people & culture are strategic priorities. She is a passionate and skilled business executive with 15 years’ experience leading HR in hi tech, high growth companies in automotive and financial services where she served as a trusted people and culture strategist, advisor and business partner to the C-Suite.

Kris started her career in hospitality where she held various leadership and management positions. For more than 20-years, Kris has served as a valued member of senior and executive leadership teams, where her skills in HR, leadership, strategy, and culture were honed and her passion for business and human resources were developed. She is periodically called upon by media, conferences and academia to contribute her experience and perspectives as an HR and business leader.

Kris has achieved the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designations as awarded by the Human Resources Professionals Association in Ontario, Canada. As a lifelong learner, Kris is thrilled to bring professional development and learning opportunities to the HR community in her role as Vice-President, Human Resources and Learning at the HRPA.

Dr. Carlos Davidovich, MD

Neuromanagement Expert

​​Carlos has over 20 years of experience supporting the development of leaders and management teams alike on an international scale. Raised and educated in Argentina, Carlos lived and worked in Europe for twelve years, in Canada for seven years where he worked as a Performance Coach and was given workshops and lectures on Neuromanagement, applying neuroscience in organizations and business. Actually, is back in Madrid working with clients from Europe, US and Canada.

Daniel Wong

Partner & Chair, Employment Law Group, WeirFoulds LLP

Daniel Wong is Chair of the Firm’s Employment Law group with a practice that is focused on employment and labour relations. 

He is frequently sought out by clients for his well-reasoned, practical and strategic advice for complex situations. 

Daniel frequently advises employers on all aspects of employment and labour relations including executive compensation, employee hiring and terminations, employment standards compliance, unfair practice and human rights complaints, employee privacy issues and the development and execution of initiatives and policies. 

He regularly represents employers before the courts on wrongful dismissal and provincial offence matters, before various administrative tribunals on , employment standards issues, human rights complaints, occupational health and safety (OHS) investigations and workers’ compensation appeals, and before labour arbitrators on unionized employee grievances. 

Daniel also conducts HR and employment audits on behalf of employers to ensure compliance with applicable laws and employer best practices. 

Maja Djikic, Ph.D

Associate Professor, OBHRM, Director, Self-Development Laboratory, Rotman School of Management University of Toronto

​​Maja is a psychologist specializing in the field of personality development. Her work examines means of developing a congruent and flexible self. She has been a post-doctoral fellow with the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking at the Rotman School of Management, and Psychology Department at Harvard University. She has published more than 30 articles and book chapters in the area of personality development. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, Salon, Slate, The Scientific American Mind, and many other media outlets. Her previous speaking engagements include Facebook Inc., McKinsey & Co., Deloitte, Eli Lilly, CSL Behring, Sunlife Financial, RBC, TD, Aird & Berlis LLP, & Hyundai Canada.

Mary Ann Baynton, MSW

Director of Collaboration and Strategy, Workplace Strategies for Mental Health

​Mary Ann is an expert in workplace mental health, psychological safety, resolving conflict and building resilience.

Neena Gupta

Partner, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP

​P.A. Neena Gupta is a partner at Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP where she has a broad employment and human rights practice. She is also co-chair of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. She has been repeatedly recognized by Lexpert® and Best Lawyers® for her excellence in employment and human right law. She was awarded one of the 2017 Zenith Awards recognizing Women in the Legal Profession and the Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee Awards for her service to the legal profession.  She has taught at the Faculties of Law at both Queen’s University, Kingston and the University of Toronto. Neena serves on the board of BioTalent Canada, an industry not-for-profit addressing the skills and labour shortages in the bioscience industries in Canada, the Literary Review of Canada and the United Way of Waterloo Region. She has also served on the boards of several corporations – both publicly-traded and private. She is a popular and informative speaker on a variety of topics and is a published author on matters relating to employment contracts, wrongful dismissals, human rights and investigating harassment. Neena is the mother to a wonderful teenager and is the “grandmother” to a 500-kilo horse, whom she considers her “fur grandchild”. She’s an expert at shovelling manure and calming nervous animals – skills that are directly transferable to her day job.

Amy Davies

Founder and CEO, First 30

​Amy Davies is the founder and CEO of First 30 offering advanced onboarding and outplacement services to businesses. She is also the author of A Spark in the Dark: Illuminating Your Path to a Brilliant Career in a Reorg World.

Naomi Titleman Colla

Co-Founder, future foHRward

As Co-Founder of future foHRward, Naomi brings an unmatched wealth of experience and perspective to developing leading-edge content, events, and thought leadership for HR Leaders. She is also the Founder of Collaborativity Inc., a Toronto-based consultancy focused on driving progressive talent strategy in the new world of work and a monthly contributor to the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. She has proven success leading teams and collaborating with senior executives and Boards of Directors to develop and implement creative strategies to maximize employee engagement and, ultimately, drive business impact.

From 2010-2016, Naomi held multiple HR roles at American Express, most recently as VP and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Amex Canada, responsible for all aspects of the end-to-end employee experience for the Canadian business. Prior to American Express, Naomi spent 10 years consulting with Financial Services Institutions, as a member of Deloitte’s Enterprise Risk Services and Human Capital practices, in New York.

Naomi holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor of commerce degree from McGill University. She’s the winner of the 2016 HR Leader of the Year award (Canadian HR Awards), the 2016 HR Professional of the Year award (National HR Awards) and was named one of HR Reporter’s 2016 Top 25 HR Professionals of the Year.

Mark Edgar

Co-Founder, future foHRward

As Co-Founder of future foHRward, Mark’s global experience and deep industry knowledge allow him to bring a fresh perspective to the current challenges of Human Resources (HR) Leaders. Mark also runs his own consulting business focused on helping organizations and people thrive in the new world of work.

Most recently he worked for RSA for over 8 years in the role of CHRO & Senior Vice President, Human Resources with overall responsibility for HR and Communications for the Canadian business.

Previously, Mark was based in the UK as Head of Human Resources within Centrica Plc; a major energy company operating in the UK under the British Gas brand. He has also worked for BSkyB, a TV, broadband and phone company, in an HR role responsible for their operational business units and customer facing teams.

Mark is a Board member of SC Network.

Jennifer Moss

International public speaker, author and workplace expert.

​​Jennifer Moss is an international public speaker and the award-winning journalist and author of Unlocking Happiness at Work. She is a nationally syndicated radio columnist, reporting on topics related to happiness and wellbeing. She writes for Harvard Business Review and SHRM and is a member of the UN Global Happiness Council. To acknowledge her contributions to business and public service, Jennifer was named a Canadian Innovator of the Year and International Female Entrepreneur of the Year. She was also a recipient of the Public Service Award from the Office of President Obama. Her next book, The Burnout Epidemic, will be published by Harvard Business Press and launching globally in September 2021.