Responsible for the strategic development of EAInfoBiz’s growing Human Resources organization, leading talent attraction, ret0oklention and expanding its corporate culture as the company ramps up for significant anticipated growth in US, Canada, India. With over 30 years in the Human Resources field, she brings expertise in diversity, employee engagement, talent acquisition management, and organizational and professional development.

“My focus is in matching talent with opportunities and supporting their continued growth. My passion is employee engagement and client satisfaction.”

Chris is the Finance Director at Asset Management Ontario, and organizations that aims to foster a center of excellence and innovation for public sector asset management in the Province of Ontario.

Jenny is a Policy Analyst with Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. She has extensive experience in program management and policy development. In addition to her work with the long-term care homes sector, Jenny has worked with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Government of Canada, Robarts Research Institute and the Advanced Facility for Avian Research.

Jenny is passionate about volunteering in the local community and providing mentorship to the next generation. Jenny has a Honors Business Administration (HBA) degree from Ivey Business School and a Bachelors of Science, Honors Specialization in Genetics and Minor in French Studies, from the University of Western Ontario.

Sydney Helland is a digital content strategist and design geek with a background in marketing and photojournalism.

She specializes in communicating complex information in a clear and accessible way and has been responsible for scoping and designing a diverse range of websites, from teaser splash pages to large-scale search engines.

She is also a Trans-Canada cyclist and is currently writing a guidebook based on her experience. When she’s not in front of a computer, she is usually found riding her bike around Toronto in search of craft beer and cheese samples.

Valerie Khan is an accomplished Talent Acquisition Leader with over 19+ years of expertise leading talent acquisition teams across Canada, the US and Europe for leading brands including GE, CIBC and BMO.   Valerie has a led the design, build and implementation of best practice sustainable recruitment solutions.  Areas of expertise include: talent acquisition technology and processes, employer branding, social media recruitment and diversity & inclusion strategies.

Throughout Valerie’s career she has been responsible for the development and implementation of innovative talent acquisition solutions, recruitment marketing initiatives and diversity strategies to give organizations a competitive advantage to identify and hire top talent.

Currently, Valerie is embarking on the next chapter of her career as an independent Talent Consultant & Senior Contributor for www.alphawomanco.com

Valerie also serves as an Executive Board Member for www.ourplacecommunityofhope.com

Jennifer Longworth is a current Senior Director of Human Resources at Loblaw Companies Limted.  Jennifer’s career has spread over 20 years in Human Resources starting in the early days in the construction industry and growing her career in construction working on some of the largest construction projects in Canada and working for Aecon, Canada’s largest construction and infrastructure development company, providing strategic HR support for the company across Canada and internationally on highways, airports and dams across the world.

After spending many years in construction, Jennifer moved on to join Loblaw’s where she has spent the last 10  years of her career as a strategic business partner to many areas of Canada’s largest retail and drug store.  Always an advocate of further education and a graduate of Ryerson with her B. Comm and MBA from Athabasca University, Jennifer continues to support the development of brilliant young minds through events such as this.

Carrie has been involved in sales, training and leadership for over 20 years. She’s certified to deliver a variety of training programs, including Challenger and also has a certificate in adult learning. Most recently she received her designation as a CSL Certified Sales Leader from CPSA. Her focus is on increasing the performance of those in the classroom and those on her team.

The three words that best describe her are food, family and fun. She loves to bake and cook! Food makes people happy and unites us. She is motivated to be a role model for her two teenage daughters. Her passion for fun is evident in her mission to put a smile on someone’s face every day. She finds fun in her everyday activities, playing slo-pitch on weekends and travelling around the globe on her next musical adventure.

Shelly has spent her career in the Packaged Goods Industry. Upon finishing an Honours Business Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, Shelly joined Calvin Klein Fragrances as they began operations in Canada.  Her roles ranged from Financial Analysis to Operations over a 6 year period.

After studying part time for her MBA at the Schulich School of Business, Shelly moved to Unilever Canada’s Headquarters into the Marketing Department where she support brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Sunlight and Breyers. Shelly subsequently spent 18 years in Customer Development, driving the growth of all Unilever brands with most major customers, including Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart, at a Senior level.

Throughout her career, Shelly has had an interest in helping young professionals determine their path. She was an active member of the University Recruiting program at Unilever and now a lead for the Coop program within Henkel. She also volunteers as a professional mentor for the Network of Executive Women (NEW).

Talent and HR practices have always been a passion for Natalie. Having studied HR, she quickly fell in love with the space and the impact it can have on broader business success.

Today, she’s particularly interested in exploring new ways of delivering the optimal candidate experience. She’s fascinated by the influence a brand can have on recruitment, and vice versa. Natalie was also recruited through Twitter, so she appreciates the role that new platforms and channels play in today’s talent acquisition arena. After many roles at Indigo, she is currently the Manager of Talent Acquisition Programs.

Outside her day-to-day work, Natalie likes to share her interests and insights with the HR community in Toronto, as a regular speaker at industry events and local Universities, and as one of the organizers of Toronto’s DisruptHR meetups.

If you want to talk to her about anything other than HR, dogs are usually her topic of choice!

“My focus is in matching talent with opportunities and supporting their continued growth. My passion is employee engagement and client satisfaction.”

Dr. Vineet Sharma is a human resource professional with significant and progressive experience of 15 years across diverse functions of HR. He has been working intensively in Recruitment, Training & Development, Talent Management and Organization Development areas of Human Resources. In many assignments, he worked with leading consulting firms like McKinsey, Korn Ferry HAY Group, Capgemini and PwC.

A seasoned certified ‘Executive Coach’ by ICF, Dr. Vineet has also contributed in helping a strong leadership pipeline through solution-focused Coaching interventions. People Development is his passion and helping others to bring out the best in them is his mission.

Dr. Vineet is an active member of HRPA, Canada (Human Resources Professionals Association). As a six-sigma green belt certified professional, his passion is to make people practices and processes more robust.

“Keep Learning; keep growing.”

Sandra was born and brought up in Kuwait. Moving to Canada, she joined the City of Mississauga in 2011 through a Career Edge internship and has been there since. She worked with Corporate Business Planning, Human Resources and is currently a Management Consultant in the Corporate Services Department.

Her previous positions include Advisor to CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait, Director of HR, Administration and Marketing Divisions in Kuwait Finance and Investment Company, and Director of HR in a Not for Profit in Kuwait.

Sandra graduated from Florida International University in Miami and she holds an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management.

In her spare time, Sandra loves to travel, visit museums, and read books.

Karen Sihra joined CPPIB in 2018 as a Director to lead the enterprise-wide Inclusion and Diversity efforts. Prior to this appointment, she was at TD Bank where she held a number of progressively senior business roles with her final appointment being the lead for their Women In Leadership and Business specific inclusion and diversity efforts.

Karen has an MA and a PhD from the University of Toronto where her academic interests focused on Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice in Education.  She has taught university-level courses and seminars on related subjects including “Diversity Matters” and “Ethics, Social Responsibility and Sustainability”. She has also published work in international books and journals on topics of peace and social change.  Her passion also manifests in her active involvement in community volunteering with a focus on enhancing opportunities for others, especially women.

Jim is Executive Advisor for Altitude HCM Inc., where he focuses on assessing and developing the Emotional Intelligence of leaders at all levels. His business career spans over 30 years in senior leadership positions with companies in the electrical, automotive, materials distribution, and service sectors. Jim’s broad experience includes corporate administration, shareholder relations, business development, and Human Resources.

A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, and the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, Jim served in the Royal Canadian Air Force primarily as a flying instructor, fighter pilot and fighter weapons instructor.  He was Commanding Officer, 42 Radar Squadron, Cold Lake, Alberta prior to transitioning to his business career.

Throughout his dual career, Jim has been deeply involved in teaching and coaching others.  His passion is to engage with emerging leaders, coach their development, and then “let them fly”. He is certified in the Brantas Performance Inc. psychometric assessment, the MHS Emotional Intelligence EQ-i 2.0TM and EQ 360 assessments, and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360 assessment (The Leadership ChallengeTM).

With a Post Graduate Degree in Engineering and vast experience as a HR professional in diverse environments, Pallavi is actively engaged in learning the brain science behind people, culture and growth requirements in organizations. With over 6 years in the Human Resources field, she works towards striking a balance between the diverse needs of the business and the nuances of the team. She believes in approaching people and problems, one at a time.

She lives by the motto: “Continuous learning and engagement can create a path to continuous growth of a business and the success of its people.”

Sunny Vykunthan is a Senior Manager of Employer Brand & Marketing at RBC. His passion is building better experiences for employees through human centric design, communications and marketing techniques. In 2015, he started at RBC through the Career Edge program and was awarded the Career Edge Intern of the year. Outside of work, he enjoys giving back by working with organizations that are close to his heart.