Canadian HR teams face ongoing pressure to attract qualified, motivated talent while building workforces that reflect the communities they serve. This webinar introduces the Hiring Event model, an innovative recruitment approach developed by the national Refugee Jobs Agenda Roundtable, co chaired by the Honourable Senator Andrew Cardozo and Daniel Tisch, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
Unlike a traditional job fair, the Hiring Event model connects employers with candidates who have already been screened, matched, and prepared based on the organization’s specific hiring needs. Talent managers can focus their time on prescheduled interviews with qualified candidates rather than reviewing large volumes of applications. Between 50 and 85 percent of shortlisted candidates advance to a second interview or receive a job offer, demonstrating the model’s potential to deliver strong recruitment outcomes.
Candidates also receive dedicated résumé support and interview coaching, helping them arrive prepared and ready to engage. This allows hiring managers to spend less time screening and more time connecting with candidates whose skills and experience align with their available roles.
Organizations including CBRE, Starbucks, SE Health, CIBC, RBC, TD, IKEA, Accenture Canada, and EQ Bank have used this model to fill positions while strengthening their reputations as inclusive and community focused employers. By accessing a broader talent pool, organizations can benefit from valuable skills, resilience, and fresh perspectives that support innovation and help them better serve diverse customers and communities.
Facilitated by Jumpstart Refugee Talent, this CPD webinar will explain how the Hiring Event model works and how employers can participate. The session will also feature insights from executives at Accenture Corporate Citizenship Canada, CBRE, and Starbucks, who will share their experiences and practical perspectives.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how the Hiring Event model differs from traditional job fairs and other recruitment approaches.
- Identify the model’s key recruitment benefits, including improved efficiency, stronger candidate matches, and access to qualified and diverse talent.
- Evaluate how the Hiring Event model can be adapted to different sectors, roles, organization sizes, and recruitment needs.
- Apply lessons and promising practices shared by participating employers to determine how the Hiring Event model could support their organization’s talent acquisition strategy.
Who should attend this program?
- HR professionals
- Talent acquisition specialists
- Recruiters
- Hiring managers
- Workforce planning professionals
- Diversity and inclusion leaders
- Professionals seeking to expand their talent pipelines
- Employers looking to improve recruitment outcomes
- Organizations committed to attracting qualified, diverse talent & building more inclusive workforces
Registration Difficulties/Questions: Please reach out to the Professional Development team at PDwebinars@hrpa.ca
Speaker(s)
Tony Jabbour
Tony Jabbour is the Manager of Knowledge Mobilization at Jumpstart Refugee Talent, where he works with employers and community partners across Canada to strengthen inclusive recruitment practices and help businesses access skilled talent. He has played a key role in expanding the Hiring Event model and building collaboration between employers and the employment services sector. Previously, Tony worked with the Toronto Region Board of Trade, supporting businesses and contributing to initiatives focused on business growth and economic development.
Naima Salemohamed Bio:
Naima is a healthcare informatics professional turned workforce innovation practitioner, driven by a central question: How can we make it easier for talented people to work where they’re needed most?
At Accenture, she leads work that connects healthcare organizations, community partners, and technology to open up real career pathways — particularly for newcomers and internationally educated healthcare professionals trying to build a life in Canada's healthcare system.
As lead for Accenture's Healthcare Jobs Alliance, she brings together health organizations, community groups, and tech leaders to tackle a problem that's been around too long: skilled people who want to contribute, and a system that makes it harder than it needs to be to let them in.
Her bet is simple: get the right partners in the room, and you can create opportunities that actually last.
Arnold Mascarenhas Bio:
Arnold Mascarenhas is a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS), where he leads national recruitment initiatives across Canada. With extensive experience in talent acquisition, workforce planning, and HR, he partners closely with business leaders to attract, assess, and hire top talent while navigating the changing dynamics of today's labour market.
Ross Anderson
Starbucks Canada
Ross Anderson leads government affairs, stakeholder relations and sustainability for Starbucks Canada. Ross advises on, and addresses, government policy and regulatory impacts on the business.
Prior to joining Starbucks, Ross had a long career at Scotiabank where he headed government relations for the Bank globally across over 50 countries as Vice President, Government Communications, Policy & Research. Ross gained experience in strategy development, media and internal communications, issues management, stakeholder relations, social impact and community investment. From this vantage point, Ross has dealt with a wide range of issues including macro- and micro-economic policy, foreign policy, social policy and community collective impact.
Following an honours bachelors degree from Western in philosophy and political science, Ross obtained a M.A. in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. Ross served on the Advisory Board of the Canadian Consumers Council, as Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Government Relations Committee, as a member of the Canadian Services Coalition and a Board member of the Couchiching Institute of Public Affairs and of Mentor Canada.
Ross skis in the winter, cycles all year and accepts as many invitations for tennis or golf as he can.
Ross, his partner and his two children reside in Toronto.