2015 Honorary Life Members

Betsy Gibbons

Betsy Gibbons has been putting HR to work for both business and community for more than four decades.

A life-long executive search professional, Gibbons spent her formative years with Adecco, honed her skills with The Caldwell Partners and then joined Korn/Ferry International in 2002. After a 40 year career, she retired in 2014.

In the role of “trusted advisor”, Gibbons has made a lasting impact on the mining industry. At the time she joined Korn/Ferry, Vancouver was well-known as a global centre for mining finance but issues around human capital were not well supported. An ardent student of the mining industry, she provided guidance in many aspects of human resources management to her clients, offering insights and advice well beyond the parameters of an executive search. From humble beginnings, Gibbons nurtured the mining sector into one of Korn/Ferry’s most robust practice areas with close to 500 mandates annually.

But Gibbons’ legacy extends well beyond the mining industry. For more than 20 years, she has consistently given more than 500 volunteer hours per year to her community. Notwithstanding family commitments and obligations to her employer, Gibbons has brought her strategic HR skills and community spirit to the service of community organizations in healthcare, education, the justice system and social enterprise.

This community service also benefitted CPHR BC & YK, which Gibbons joined in 1994. Serving as president from 1996-1997, Gibbons showed considerable leadership in advancing the strategic evolution of CPHR BC & YK. Most notably, she helped introduce the Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation in BC. However, she also built the capacity of the professional association by strengthening staff resources and introducing a succession model for board directors.

Thomas A. Roper, Q.C.

With a career as a labour lawyer spanning 40 years, Tom Roper has long been an advocate for the highest standards of employment practices.

Called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1975, Roper progressed through the law firms of Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang, Ogilvy Renault LLP and now Roper Greyell LLP. His appointment as a Queen’s Counsel is indicative of the regard the law profession holds for him.

In 1992, Roper was appointed by the Minister of Labour as part of a three-person panel to review the BC Labour Relations Code. The panel’s recommendations resulted in major changes to the labour code and legislative framework. The work of Roper and his fellow committee members has stood the test of time. More than 22 years later, there have not been extensive amendments to the legislation that came from the committee.

A leading legal mind, Roper has shared his knowledge with young lawyers in his firm through mentoring relationships. He continues to serve as a role model and shares his knowledge with the HR community and beyond. As a significant contributor to the education of both lawyers and business professionals in the HR and labour fields, he has led countless learning sessions. He has been, and continues to be, a guest speaker at major employer association conferences, the BC Labour Law Review, the Canadian Bar Association and the American Bar Association. A CPHR BC & Yukon member for 21 years, Roper served as president of the association in 1989-90.

David Yarmish, CPHR

For the past 50 years, David Yarmish has been contributing to the betterment of his profession, his industry and his community.

Yarmish’s career began in Vancouver in 1963 with MacMillan Bloedel Limited, a major BC-based integrated forest products company. He worked in numerous generalist roles everywhere from industrial sites to the corporate office. In 1978, he made the switch to Canfor, moved to Prince George and never looked back.

Spanning these two companies and five decades, Yarmish’s impact has been wide-reaching. From creating a model for troubled employee intervention to launching a technical upgrading strategy that met the needs of tradespeople, his work has been adopted by industrial organizations within the forest industry as well as other industrial organizations across the western provinces.

Despite officially retiring from Canfor in 1999, Yarmish remains actively working on various contracts and projects. One particular area of interest is one-to-one outplacement counseling and he has completed 400 files, many on a no-fee basis. A well-respected and admired leader, Yarmish continues to mentor and support young human resources practitioners as well as share his knowledge and experience by teaching HR courses at the college and university level.

Yarmish has been actively involved with several community groups, serving in various volunteer roles for Junior Achievement, the Prince George Crisis Centre and the Fraser Fort George Regional Museum to name just a few. Above all, Yarmish, a CPHR BC & Yukon member for 47 years, was actively involved with the association. A prominent member of the northern human resources community, he was a founding, and active executive member, of the initial CPHR BC & Yukon Northern Chapter.