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For any awards, carrying out fair, consistent, and accurate judging is key to ensuring the true winners are recognized. To deliver this, we have assembled a diverse and unbiased judging panel of experts. The judges are assigned categories which reflect their expertise and are asked to recuse themselves from voting in any category in which there is a conflict of interest.
All Judges are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement for the purpose of preventing the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. This includes the sharing of the information contained within the submission forms with any third parties and communicating with shortlisted nominees in any way.
CEO & Principal Consultant
True North HR
CEO & Principal Consultant
True North HR
Paola Accettola is the CEO & Principal Consultant of True North HR, a nationally recognized HR consulting team in Canada. Paola specializes in operations and optimizing clients’ HR processes, systems, and structures. Before True North HR, Paola spent 25 years working in senior-level positions with companies such as Nike and Cineplex, creating committed, motivated, and engaged teams that come together to create great work.
Founder
Accessible Creates
Founder
Accessible Creates
Sydney Elaine Butler is the founder of Accessible Creates, where they also remotely speak and consult about Accessibility, Neurodiversity primarily with other areas of Diversity and Inclusion for companies in various industries so that companies know how to be more accessible and inclusive in the workplace and to their employees.
President & Chief Executive Officer
YES – Youth Employment Services
President & Chief Executive Officer
YES – Youth Employment Services
Timothy Lang is President & CEO of YES – Canada’s leading youth employment service provider, who annually counsel, trains, empower and inspire tens of thousands of youth to become contributing members of society through employment placement. YES has a close to 90% success rate and focuses on our most vulnerable youth, helping create safer, stronger communities and change lives.
Timothy Lang is an accomplished leader in the private and not-for-profit sector with a record of inspiring organizations to achieve record results and growth. Previously Tim held senior management and executive positions with Xerox, Bell, Energy Savings Income Fund, and St. Francis Xavier University. As Vice President at Energy Savings Income fund, Tim drove its growth and expansion across Canada and into the U.S. and increased the customer base by hundreds of thousands and up 300%, leading to a $2 billion market cap. As VP External at StFX University, he helped raise $120 million for the Brian Mulroney Institute for Government and the Frank McKenna Leadership Centre and developed innovative branding and communications to enhance the reputation of the university. Tim has a B.A. from StFX University and a Master’s degree from the University of Manitoba. Tim was born in Saskatoon, is bilingual, and has lived and worked across Canada, the U.S., and Great Britain. He sits on several not-for-profit Boards and received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to the community in 2012.
Emotional Intelligence Leadership Coach, Paradigm People Development Inc.
Official Member, Forbes Coaches Council
Emotional Intelligence Leadership Coach, Paradigm People Development Inc.
Official Member, Forbes Coaches Council
Jamelle Lindo is an emotional intelligence executive coach and international keynote speaker with over 12 years of diverse learning and development experience. He is driven by his mission to empower leaders and professionals within organizations to realize their highest ideals, leading to healthy and diverse cultures, happy employees, and thriving businesses that make the world a better place.
Jamelle has worked with thousands of professionals across Canada to help them level up through the practical application of emotional intelligence and mindfulness strategies. Certified in the world’s leading assessment tool for measuring emotional intelligence (EQ-i 2.0), Jamelle uses this powerful tool to establish a scientific benchmark to begin his clients’ development journey.
He is an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council, an invite-only organization for successful business coaches, and an associate certified coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF), which represents the gold standard for professional coaching worldwide. Jamelle’s thought leadership has been frequently published on Forbes.com.
As an in-demand speaker, he focuses on teaching his audiences the importance of emotionally intelligent leadership amid today’s rapidly evolving digital environment (otherwise known as industry 4.0). He is a charismatic, dynamic, and powerful presence on stage who compels his audience to critically look at how they can use emotional intelligence and mindfulness to enhance their abilities and create winning cultures within their organizations.
Jamelle is committed to giving back to his community in the greater Toronto area. Locally, he serves on the executive council for United Way and provides professional development workshops for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada and the Mississauga Board of Trade.
Councillor
City of Kitchener
Councillor
City of Kitchener
Ayo Owodunni is a management consultant and facilitator who brings over 10 years of experience in coaching, training and strategic direction to the table. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Ayo aims to help enterprise-level clients achieve big-picture goals while focusing on diversity, inclusion and cultural understanding in the workplace. His approach combines subject matter expertise, personal stories and just the right amount of humor all intended to break barriers and facilitate better communication between people at all levels of an organization.
Ayo’s passion and natural talent for connecting with audiences shine through in everything he does. His impressive client list spans a variety of industries and includes renowned companies such as Spotify, Canada Life, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, CIBC, TMX Group and Hydro One to name a few. He is the author of the book, “Values, Culture, Period” – Redefining the Value of Values to Drive Business Results and “Inclusive Leadership”: The Immigrant View – Helping immigrants thrive and soar in your organization. He is also the co-creator of The Ring: 4 Steps to transforming your organization through the power of your values & culture.
Upon immigrating to Canada in 2016, Ayo overcame many challenges before finding his stride-challenges he today helps others avoid. He learned something new every step along his path to success and would later incorporate these pearls into his innovative training programs. Ayo holds an MBA in entrepreneurship and a Life Coach certification. He serves on several organization boards, including immigrantnetworks.com, expedier.co, and Emergency Response Africa. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants.
Senior Manager
Ontario Public Service
Senior Manager
Ontario Public Service
Talene is an energetic and collaborative HR and human services leader. She is known for leading strategic people strategies, policies, and programs to align with changing social and economic priorities and creating inclusive, creative, and high-performance work cultures.
From 2007 to 2018, Talene served in various corporate HR leadership roles for the Ontario Public Service (OPS) – including talent and performance management, corporate leadership development, and mass recruitment. She was appreciated for evaluating and evolving workforce development programs, including programs that attracted and developed hundreds of talented post-secondary graduates and internationally trained professionals to the Ontario Public Service, and corporate social responsibility programming that changed countless young lives through work-integrated learning opportunities.
Since 2019, Talene has led the strategic policy development function for Employment Ontario programming ($1B+ per annum). She has consistently delivered innovative workforce policy solutions supporting local workforce development and in response to the challenging pandemic supporting Ontario’s job seekers, workers, and employers.
Before joining the Ontario Public Service, Talene consulted at national and international levels for the National Judicial Institute, Centre for International Governance Innovation, and Universalia Management Group.
She holds an MA from McGill University and a combined honours degree in social sciences from Western University. Talene serves as an HR Advisory Council member for the Ted Rogers School of Business Management, at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Founder and CEO, Point North
Professor, George Brown College
Founder and CEO, Point North
Professor, George Brown College
Edward is the Founder and CEO of Point North, an augmented Intelligence learning journeys consulting firm. He has an interdisciplinary background of Organizational Behaviour, Sales and Marketing, eCommerce, and Advanced Convergences of Technology. Edward held various executive roles in global organizations like Best Western’s Worldhotels Luxury Collection, USA and HRS Group, Germany.
Edward has three academic degrees and currently on his doctoral program studying the impact of Social Media to Pedagogy. Edward has spoken at over seven dozen global conferences, executive board member at international professional associations, a regular columnist for EyeonTravel, guest writer for Reuters, Hotel News Resource, Digital Travel and more. He was a featured guest at CNN-Asia and has authored multiple textbooks and compendia, published by Pearson publications. You can find more about Edward’s work at https://www.edwardaperry.com/
Director of Human Resources
Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation
Director of Human Resources
Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation
Sharon Robinson is the Director of Human Resources with Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for talent management, total rewards, labour relations, learning & development, employee engagement and health, safety and wellness. Everyday Sharon is inspired to contribute to the financial well-being of Nova Scotians by strengthening their retirement futures.
She is a graduate of Dalhousie University and holds an Advanced Diploma in Human Resources Management and a certificate in Strategic Human Resources Management. Sharon is a long-time volunteer and a past Board Chair with CPHR-NS, the professional and credentialing association for Human Resources Professionals in Nova Scotia.
Chief Executive Officer
Skills for Change
Chief Executive Officer
Skills for Change
Surranna Sandy is an award-winning nonprofit executive, currently CEO of Skills for Change, a multiservice social services charity that helps 16,000+ Immigrants and Refugees resettle in Canada annually. Surranna has an MA in Leadership and Management, (Anglia Ruskin), an MBA in Human Resources Management (Wales), and a Hons B. A in Leadership and Management (Northumbria); Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (Western University), Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Certificate (Harvard) and a Certificate in Human Resources Management (Ryerson) and a Diploma in HR Management.
Surranna is currently completing a Master of Liberal Arts degree at Harvard University in Global Development Practice, concentration on Environmental Policy and International Development focused on understanding how policy instruments, social complexities, human health risks, ecological system dynamics, technological innovations, and financial models can advance sustainable development.
She is an Advisor for Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience; Member Stakeholder Committee LMIC / CIMT; Chair of Communications Committee for International Women’s Forum- Canada Toronto Chapter; Chair Board of Directors of the Black Human Resources Professionals of Canada; Deputy Director of Communications and Global Engagement Harvard University Extension Student International Relations Club; Co-Chair of the Global Task Force on Environmental Action for Masters in Development Practice Student and Alumni Advisory Committee (Global MDP SAAC). She is a former inaugural member of the City of Toronto’s Partnership & Accountability Circle (“PAC”) for The Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-black Racism, completing a 2.5-year term in Spring 2021.
She sits on various boards and committees related to sustainability and the environment, anti-oppression & anti-racism, immigrant and refugee services, women leadership & empowerment, decent work, and digital equity & literacy. She has received multiple awards for her nonprofit leadership and community development work including from the Federal Government of Canada and 100 Accomplished Black Women.
Founder & CEO
Maslow Research Center
Founder & CEO
Maslow Research Center
Timothy is passionate about the intersection of organizational culture and coaching. With vast experience in marketing, sales and HR at large organizations such as Procter & Gamble, Intel and Index Group, he has coached C-level leaders and taught at Bogazici University Lifelong Learning Center, Global Knowledge Canada, and Simon Fraser University. He holds five coaching certificates, is trained in multiple coaching styles and is a PhD. candidate on building a culture of coaching for 21st century organizations. Timothy has four nationally published books in Turkish, including one on coaching, and he has worked with clients such as MEC, Telus, Aviso Wealth, Doctors of BC, and Suncor.
President
National Payroll Institute
President
National Payroll Institute
As President of the National Payroll Institute (the Institute), Peter Tzanetakis emphasizes that timely and accurate payroll is vital to the health of every business in Canada and the right of every working Canadian. In collaboration with members, stakeholders, subject matter experts, business partners and policymakers, he has leveraged leading-edge research, functional expertise, and a clear strategic vision to underscore payroll’s value to employers, employees, the government and the economy.
Since joining the Institute in 2018, Peter has worked to elevate the payroll profession as a champion for payroll designations — the gold standard for payroll expertise — and upholding the highest professional standards. This work includes establishing Payroll Standards Canada, a new professional body overseeing the educational and professional requirements, a public registry, and the code of conduct governing designation holders, in the spring of 2023.
Peter has over 30 years of experience in public policy and business development within government, and the private and not-for-profit sectors. He has served as Vice-President of Government and Corporate Relations at The Financial Advisors Association of Canada (Advocis); Director, Economics and Statistics with PricewaterhouseCoopers; Senior Manager, Tax Policy Services at EY; and Senior Economist and Director of Policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
He received his Bachelor of Arts, Honours Economics, from the University of Western Ontario in 1989, and earned his Master of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University in 1991.
Chief Research & Development Officer, Point North
Professor, George Brown College
Chief Research & Development Officer, Point North
Professor, George Brown College
Dr. Robin Yap is a textbook author, researcher, and professor with over 30 years of interdisciplinary experience in human learning journeys, performance management, social data analytics, ethics of augmented intelligence systems, and applied technology in business and entrepreneurial practices. Robin is the Canadian Head and Chair of Delegation for the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Learning Services standards in Switzerland. He is on the Ontario Research Ethics expert panel, have been an invited expert with the Canadian Press, been a featured guest on CNN-Asia and Toronto/Kitchener/Waterloo’s Metro-Morning shows, and been an invited lecturer and speaker at Columbia University (USA), New York University (USA), Oxford Brookes University (UK), Aalborg University (Netherlands), Christian University (Japan) and University of Navarra (Spain). You can find Robin’s work on YouTube @Yap with Dr. Yap, Instagram @robinyap and at robinyap.ca.
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