HRPA Meeting Details

Laura Williams is an award-winning labour and employment lawyer. As the founder of Markham-based Williams HR Law and Williams HR Consulting Inc., Laura is committed to helping employers think proactively about their people-management challenges. Whether working with Fortune 500 companies or small and medium-sized businesses, Laura has spent more than 20 years helping organizations develop and implement HR and legal strategies, policies and practices that do more than comply with legislation and help mitigate legal risk. Her goal is to help employers recognize that effective people-management strategies can produce game-changing results for an organization.

A regular columnist for PROFIT magazine and the National Post, Laura has been featured across media outlets including the Globe and Mail, Canadian Lawyer, Lawyers’ Weekly, Law Times, Canadian Employment Law Today, CBC Radio, Global TV, CTV News, Rogers Daytime and Chatelaine.

Laura is a seasoned speaker who regularly presents at conferences, seminars and delivers in-house, customized leadership development client programs. Laura is a long-standing labour relations instructor in the University of Toronto’s Human Resources program, and developed and instructs the HRPA’s 3-day certificate program in labour relations.

In addition to her practice, Laura is a member of various professional associations and community and service organizations. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of 360°kids and a past Governor of Holy Trinity School in Richmond Hill.

Laura is a member of and legal advisor to one of the Toronto-based Women’s Presidents Organization chapters, and was recently named one of Canada’s top female entrepreneurs by Canadian Business magazine.

Susan Lill brings more than 25 years of experience to Williams HR Consulting. Sue has worked or supported clients in nearly every industry both in Canada and the United States. As a member of senior leadership teams, she has spearheaded the creation of business strategies, human resources strategies, organizational change initiatives, due diligence, organization design and process improvement initiatives. As a practitioner, Sue has experience in all aspects of human resources. She has added specialization in business and HR strategy organizational effectiveness and design, meeting facilitation, conflict resolution, knowledge management, process improvement, employee sensing and diversity training. Sue is the Past-President of an HRPA chapter and has chaired various committees

Lisa McFarland brings more than 25 years of experience in the field of Human Resources, specializing in designing and delivering practical solutions that align with organizational culture and people strategy. Lisa is dedicated to promoting leadership capability, elevating team performance and creating a foundation of stability for a culture of high performance. She recognizes that stability requires transforming from reactive, fire-fighting mode to intentional clarity through goals, priorities, roles and responsibilities, as well as, processes and procedures. As a training facilitator, Lisa has experience facilitating domestic and international workshops. She conveys enthusiasm for her subject matter that translates into a vibrant learning experience.

Dominic is a Managing Director in Ferguson Partners Leadership Consulting group. Prior to joining Ferguson Partners, he was a senior leader in the Chicago office for a leadership development consultancy specializing in talent assessment, executive coaching, team effectiveness, succession planning and organizational culture. Additionally, Dominic founded his own leadership consultancy specializing in strategic thinking, group decision making, ethical leadership, inclusion and diversity and presentation and persuasion.

His approach to leadership development is underpinned by his experience managing large scale clients, operating in multiple industries with c-suite executives, and developing internal and external talent. With knowledge and experience in entertainment/hospitality, financial services/asset management, private equity, energy, biotech/pharma, consumer goods, insurance, retail and real estate, he provides his clients with a depth and knowledge of leadership benchmarks across a variety of industries. In addition to his executive development experience, Dominic has managed internal training and development programs for corporations and professional services firms, has led academic and leadership programs for institutions of higher education, and has lectured on crisis management and communications.

Dominic completed his Masters in Organizational Communication, Learning and Design and Bachelors in Psychology and Legal Studies from Ithaca College.

Mark Ross is a Managing Director at Ferguson Partners. He works with domestic and international financial services organizations in attracting top talent to their teams. With 20 years of executive search experience Mark has recruited across all segments of the financial industry including traditional and alternative asset management, capital markets, investment, commercial and retail banking, leasing and insurance. His clients have included several major Canadian pension funds, Canadian and international banks, insurance companies, mutual funds and institutional asset managers. Prior to joining Ferguson Partners, Mark was a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles in the global financial services practice and a member of the asset management, private equity and insurance specialty practice groups.

Before entering the executive search business Mark practiced law with the Canadian firm McIlroy & McIlroy. There he advised clients on corporate, M&A, international trade and intellectual property issues. He established an international pharmaceutical association and represented clients at trade tribunals in Ottawa, Washington and Geneva on NAFTA and GATT related matters.

Mark holds an Honors B.A. from the University of Toronto and a law degree from the University of British Columbia.

Marc spent several years in Silicon Valley working with innovative organizations and helping his clients shape their culture by leveraging Digital as a way to exponentially grow their business. He has worked with local and global organizations in financial services, technology, public sector, media, consumer products and hospitality.

Leading Deloitte Canada's Digital Human Capital practice, he helps clients re-imagine their culture, organizational capabilities, agility and talent in a digital ecosystem. Marc serves clients in Canada, the United States, Latin America and Europe and has also worked in Asia and the Middle East in large scale transformation projects.

He was Global Director of People & Culture at a global digital organization in Cupertino, California during 8 years and prior to that worked at a top-tier strategy consulting firm in New York where he served the financial services industry.

Donna has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources and in coaching leaders. In the past 12 years she held Senior Executive roles in Human Resources for a number of multi-national fortune 500 companies. In her previous roles, Donna has had responsibility for providing leadership, executive coaching, direction and accountability for all Human Resources functions, including overall Human Resources strategy, organizational development, talent management, and learning and development. Donna holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from the University of Western Ontario and attended the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, where she obtained an executive certificate in human resources management. She is recognized as a certified human resources professional by the Canadian Council of Human Resources and HRPA. Donna is also certified in alternate dispute resolution through the faculty of law at the University of Windsor.

As the Talent Strategy Lead for Accenture Canada, Heather has over 20 years of experience in HR and Talent Management.

Through her consulting career she has worked with clients across industries such as energy, utilities, mining, automotive and government focusing on driving HR excellence. Her experience includes developing HR strategies, aligning talent management programs to support strategic objectives, leading cross-functional teams through transformation, and integrating governance structures following corporate mergers. She is passionate about the workforce of the future and how HR will evolve to support the digital organization.

Heather graduated from McMaster University and is married with two daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys taking on new challenges through running and hiking.

Sebastian Greenall leads Cadillac Fairview’s Architecture and Design team and is responsible for the company’s conceptual and architectural design of new construction, expansions and renovations. Sebastian joined Cadillac Fairview in 2011 and has since contributed to the design success of the CF Sherway Gardens and CF Rideau Centre redevelopments, and has implemented a number of successful organizational changes. Prior to Cadillac Fairview, Sebastian held senior positions with Steffian Bradley Architects and the Westfield Group in London, UK. Sebastian holds an MA (Hons) in Architecture and Postgraduate Diploma in Architecture from the University of Edinburgh and a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Practice from the University of Westminster. Sebastian is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Maggie is a Workplace Knowledge Consultant for Herman Miller’s Performance Environments Group. Performance Environments offers a proprietary suite of services to help clients develop workplace strategies and lead change initiatives that align with their organization’s business drivers. As a Workplace Consultant, Maggie helps clients envision their future, assess their current environment, effectively manage workplace change, measure the results, and continuously evolve.

With a background in Operations and 7 years’ experience in workplace design, Maggie has guided clients from the commercial, education, healthcare, and public sector. Offering expert lead insight presentations and workshop facilitation, Maggie helps clients manage and communicate change while creating work environments that foster connections, innovation, and employee wellbeing.

Maggie has a passion for data and understanding the story it tells. Equipped with innovative research techniques and the ability to code and interpret data, Maggie assesses strategic options and provides actionable insights. As a member of the Association of Professional Futurists, Maggie scans the horizon for emerging trends, identifying the drivers of change to predict how industries will evolve and inform future-proofing strategies.

As a leading workplace strategist, Crystal uses over 10 years of experience to clients’ business strategies and real estate solutions with the way their employees are working. She’s leveraged facilities benchmarks, workplace research, and programmatic requirements to implement facilities and workplace solutions.

Recently, Crystal and her team worked with Grant Thornton’s leadership and CRE teams to understand how their space is currently occupied and used throughout the work week. This workplace utilization and observation study encompassed six locations across the nation and helped validate current predictions about occupation while also developing an understanding of employee mobility patterns within the building.

Crystal’s workplace strategy, change management, and master planning expertise helps her develop pilot strategies and implementation oversight for new ways of working. She’s helped numerous clients improve their facility performance, optimize utilization, and integrate new technologies—solutions that result in successful design and better operations for her clients.

Lisa Fulford-Roy is the Managing Director at CBRE and is responsible for leading the Workplace Strategy initiatives in Eastern Canada.

With 22 years of experience in design and project leadership for many of Canada’s major corporations, Lisa’s leading-edge thinking and integrative approach to workplace strategy results in holistic client solutions with long-term benefits to the business, the brand and the employee experience.

With vast knowledge and understanding of the commercial real estate market, Lisa has been a highly sought after consultant for leading projects across the industry, bringing with her a level of business development, workplace expertise and strategy which is simply unmatched. Lisa’s area of expertise is in facility and portfolio planning, occupancy strategy, workplace innovation and change engagement. She identifies opportunities and strategizes for change with the vision of the client’s enterprise in mind, further collaborating with occupants to develop innovative, business-aligned workplace strategies to improve workplace performance, employee engagement and the bottom line.

Praised as one of the “Ten Chefs of the Millennium” by Food & Wine magazine, Susur Lee is still at the top of his game. Between helming five restaurants in Toronto—Lee, Bent, Luckee, Lee Kitchen & Fring’s —and overseeing his prestigious TungLok Heen in Singapore, Chef Lee makes numerous television appearances (Iron Chef America, Chopped Canada, Top Chef Masters, MasterChefAsia) and travels the globe as guest chef and consultant. Balancing the epicurean traditions of China with the classical techniques of French cuisines, Chef Lee improvises a daring and original culinary aesthetic.

Susan Stewart shares the art and practice of seeing the lighter side of life. The art is believing in our ability to overcome adversity and knowing that there is always more than one way to see things.
The practice is being deliberate with how we respond to the changes and challenges that come our way.

As stress and negativity continue to prevent us from thriving personally and professionally, Susan share ways to meet life with humour and a positive outlook. She also reveal how seeing the lighter side of life helps us fulfill our potential and improves our odds for success.

After earning a Theatre Arts degree from the University of Waterloo, Susan moved to Toronto and began performing stand-up comedy. Five years into her budding comedy career, fear, self-doubt, and negative self-talk manifested into depression and anxiety which led her to hang up her microphone not knowing if she would be able to perform on stage again.

After leaving comedy, she landed a Human Resources position with the Ontario Government. During her career as an Organizational Learning and Development Consultant, she was asked to present a comical presentation about wellness at a staff meeting. The presentation was a smash-hit and since that day she has been using her comedic powers for good, rather than evil. A humourist/inspirational speaker was born.

After she found my way back on stage, she began a personal journey of healing and improving my mental health by exploring spirituality, mindfulness, yoga, and Buddhism.
After all of her research, sun salutations, and meditating, she learned that the reason we humans are so stressed is that we think too much.

So far, Susan is the author of “Reaching The Laugh Resort: Why The Journey To Being Who You Really Are Is Worth The Jet Lag” and “Your New Lenses Are Ready For Pick Up: A Guide To Seeing The Lighter Side Of Life”. She has also co-authored “From The Stage To The Page – Life Lessons From Four Funny Ladies”.

Carmen is Sr. Director of Organizational Development & Culture at Cadillac Fairview, with responsibility for CF’s leadership development programming, performance & talent processes, employee engagement program and change management practice. With a unique background in Engineering, Operations, Six Sigma/Lean and HR, Carmen applies these disciplines to continuously improve how organizations support all leaders in their growth and development and ensure they will have talent it needs to deliver results today and in the future. She holds Master’s degrees in both Engineering and Business Administration and certificates in adult education and coaching. She previously held leadership positions with Maple Leaf Foods and Procter & Gamble.

Faith has over 25 years of experience working in the Human Resources profession. Prior to taking on her current role of Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Randstad Canada, she was the Vice President, Employee Experience (Human Resources) at FCT for 8 years. Faith also worked as a senior HR leader in the pharmaceutical, engineering and manufacturing industries for a number of years.

In her current role, through the development of leading edge human resources programs and services, Faith provides national leadership and direction for Human Resources strategies, policies and procedures, ensuring they are in compliance with legislation and corporate objectives.

Faith holds a Masters of Human Resources Management from the York University, A Bachelor Degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Toronto, A Business Administration, Marketing Major Diploma from Sheridan College along with a Certificate in Adult Training and Development from The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE, UofT). She is a member of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) and the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD).

Faith’s accomplishments include being selected to deliver the Convocation Key Note address for Sheridan College’s Business Administration graduation ceremonies in 2011. She was recently recognized on HRD’s Hot List in 2016 for the Who’s Who in HR in Canada. Faith has also been named one of Canada’s Top 23 Black Canadians in 2016. Notable recognition also includes a Feature story in Advantage Magazine’s 2015 publication as well as Sheridan College’s Ovation magazine in 2011. Faith was hand-picked and participated on a Rogers Cable program titled Perfect Fit/How She Does It and was interviewed on keys to success for managing career, family and education.

Faith has appeared on Canada AM, CTV News, BNN, CHCH and a number of radio stations across Canada delivering thought leadership in Human Resources. She has also been interviewed and featured in many newspapers and magazines such as The Globe & Mail, The Toronto Star, The Metro and the Sun to name a few, also speaking on thought leadership in HR.

Faith enjoys Board work for university course program development for York University and Sheridan College. She also enjoys mentoring Human Resources and Business professionals through associations and the community. Faith is passionate about giving back and volunteering for a variety of charitable events that encourages the empowerment of women, continuing educating especially for our youth.

Mr. John Morrison is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Properties REIT and has over 35 years’ experience in the commercial real estate industry, primarily in retail real estate.

Prior to his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Properties REIT, Mr. Morrison was President and Chief Executive Officer of Primaris Retail Real Estate Investment Trust from 2009 to 2013. Prior to serving in that role, Mr. Morrison was President, Real Estate Management, at Oxford Properties Group responsible for industrial, multi-family residential and shopping centre properties.

Mr. Morrison is a Trustee of Automotive Properties REIT, a past Trustee for the International Council of Shopping Centres, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the ICSC Foundation and other committees. He is also former Vice Chairman of the Urban Land Institute Toronto District Council, currently chairs the Ryerson