2012 Award Finalists
Award of Excellence – HR Professional of the Year
This award is given to an HR individual who contributes by improving their organizations bottom-line, achieving business results, and demonstrating leadership and who serves as a personal and professional role model.
The finalists for the 2012 HR Professional of the Year are:
Crysta Knyston, CPHR
VP, Human Resources
WCG International HR Solutions, Ltd.
A champion of hidden strengths, Crysta Kynaston’s leadership has long been grounded in playing to the strengths and values of her team – especially in challenging times. Creative and solutions-oriented, since 2000, her role at WCG International HR Solutions, Ltd. has changed; her ethos of engagement and the consistency of her compassion has not wavered.
Faced with numerous challenges, since taking on the role of VP of HR, Kynaston is credited with bringing a new appreciation of change management and HR to WCG and its employees. When the impact of the economic crises demanded a restructuring that would result in a team reduction of 75 per cent, Kynaston traveled to each site across the province to deliver the news in person to each of the 112 affected employees. Time was set aside with each employee and Kynaston helped each brainstorm the transition to future opportunity. After reaching out to the staff to assess needs and desires, she also initiated an internal PD series to provide support drawing facilitators from both within and beyond the organization.
In seeking to quell discontent about who would be hired during this period of intense transition, Kynaston took a course that certified her in Emotional Intelligence (EQi) assessments; she also trained her HR team in PreVue, a benchmarking assessment. Her goal, to provide the career support necessary regardless of whether the employee remains or moves on. Moreover, in a one year period, she supported the majority of WCG’s client service delivery team, management and staff to achieve and maintain industry certification as Certified Career Development Professionals (CCDP).
Communication remains the key element that defines Kynaston’s accomplishments. Working with employees on a regular basis to work their long term goals into the current roles, Kynaston’s approach to engagement and integration is wholly natural.
Whether altering the role of a junior staff member with literary ambitions to participate as a writer on a large Request for Proposal or supporting the internal spark to develop a social media presence for WCG, Kynaston’s flexibility and forward thinking has rewarded the organization and its employees alike.
Eileen B. Stewart
Independent HR Consultant
For over 35 years, Eileen Stewart has been making HR work for businesses, educational institutions and the greater community. Having worked in leadership positions for The City of Vancouver, UBC, BCIT, UVIC and Vancouver Coast Health, her efforts have arguably shaped the working experiences of a great many who live and work in the Lower Mainland.
While head of HR at UBC in the mid-80s, Stewart promoted a more collaborative approach to labour relations. In a typically confrontational time, her approach was unique, risky and ultimately successful.
An early champion of win-win scenarios, Stewart championed another paradigm shift at the City of Vancouver in the mid-90s, promoting a strategic approach to people management with a focus on training and development. This translated financially into a $2 million/year commitment, a significant increase from $0 and marked the first time in its history the organization had directed money towards the development of its employees. The goal was a more customer service focused front line and remains to this day.
For Stewart, strong HR and good leadership have long been synonymous. As the author of Essentials of Managing Human Resources and HR program head at BCIT from 1999-2007, her passion for people practices has made significant contributions towards increasing the profile and impact of professional HR management.
Such was her revitalization of the HR program at BCIT that it remained the top program in the School of Business for 10 years. The revitalization was in depth: curriculum review, recruiting and retaining good staff, encouraging staff connections within the business community, CPHR BC & Yukon involvement and creating a new market awareness of the value of HR grads as ideal hires. As per its effectiveness? Enrollment in the HR program had been low when Stewart stepped into her role; decade later, five applicants awaited every space available. In the course of her careers, she has also nurtured a strong volunteer aspect, sitting on the boards of YWCA, Science World and the Women’s Health Research Institute; she is currently vice chair of BC Women’s Foundation and sits as an HR advisor on the Vancouver Aquarium Board’s HR committee.
As both a vanguard and a shepherd of forward-thinking ‘best practices’, Stewart has been involved with CPHR BC & Yukon on many levels since 1985: as a board member, as past-president and sitting on numerous Conference committees over the years. Fittingly, she currently chairs the Leadership Forum.
Diane Taylor, CPHR
HR Manager Store Operations
RONA
With almost 20 years in human resources, Diane Taylor knows that people are any organization’s biggest asset; in the past four years alone, she has completely changed the perception and impact of HR at RONA. In a culture that had not previously witnessed HR’s potential, Taylor has since orchestrated a concerted effort to put HR at the forefront and re-envision RONA as an Employer of Choice.
Her natural passion for aligning people practices with business objectives had been previously honed by seven years of prior experience in the high-tech sector. In short order at RONA, Taylor has unequivocally applied her passion with newfound purpose and support on all levels from management to the store floor front lines.
As per her impact on RONA, she changed the culture from a transactional to a transformational HR experience; it is a shift which extends beyond developing the HR team. For Taylor, the facilitation of a leadership culture was key to the development of “Generation NEXT” – a program that targets high potential leaders. Moreover, by championing change while remaining in close dialogue with senior leaders, Diane has facilitated leadership development throughout the organization.
In 2009 Diane was instrumental in developing a new HR structure for Western Canada. Today she leads a team of 12 HR professionals in the four western provinces. Spurred by numerous acquisitions and integrations, Taylor developed “Building a Strength Based Culture”, harmonizing the culture with a focus on each team member. Taylor went on to develop training modules to facilitate management and talent development at the store level. When she became a Certified Coach in 2011, RONA benefited from an infusion of a coaching culture whereby each HR team member has a bi-weekly coaching call.
On the national level, her contributions to RONA’s major management re-organization in 2011 was later adopted across the country as a best practice. On the legal front, her expertise in employment law led to the similar development of best practices that have significantly reduced all forms of claims against RONA. As strong a believer in her profession as her team, Taylor has been an active member of CPHR BC & Yukon since moving to BC in 1997 and a strong supporter of both the CPHR and mentorship programs.
Award of Excellence – Innovation
This award recognizes an individual or team that has successfully implemented an innovative and progressive program and/or project (within financial or corporate limitations) in response to a new or ongoing HR challenge or opportunity within their organization.
The 2012 Innovation finalists are:
Ann Leckie
Partner, RDL Management;
HR Consultant to Teldon Media
Like many companies, Teldon Media was hit by the economic challenges of 2008. However, in light of the accompanying technological changes, Teldon’s print manufacturing arm was hit harder than most, necessitating a major realignment of their workforce and strategy alike. With the understanding that the world of print was moving towards digital models of personalized print, a fundamental strategy shift was needed and is underway. In moving the model of their business, in early 2010, Teldon Media underwent a 50 percent reduction of their print manufacturing workforce, with the length of service for those being laid off averaging 10 to 15 years.
As this was occurring at a time when similar jobs would be difficult to find, Teldon wanted to give the departing employees as much support in possible. This was understood by Teldon’s HR head Ann Leckie and her team and resulted in an effective plan, replete with programs to address the employee’s emotional, career and financial needs; unfortunately, few originally reached out to make use of the programs.
Teldon understood that they had to re-package the programs in a lighter presentation model than the common marketing material. In essence, they had to normalize the process of seeking help – something that addressed the core concerns in a way that was simple, straightforward and empowering.
Leckie took that aspiration and approached a pair of friends, writer/editor Lucinda Atwood and project manager Marina Glass; nine months later, A Girlfriends Guide to Money was published. Designed to bring money matters into a empowered perspective, the guide was designed to reach an audience of women and present important financial information for future building in the present. As an innovative alternative to traditional HR programs, the guide – supported by the girlfriendsguidetomoney.com blog – has already proven its worth.
Even given the challenges of the economy, 100 per cent of the transitioned employees found appropriate roles within six months. Moreover, in the follow up survey, they spoke highly of Teldon and the guide alike. The Girlfriends Guide to Money is now sold widely through Chapters-Indigo, Amazon and other retailers.
Capital Regional District “iLead” Program
(L-R) Chris Neilson, Sarah Hood, Elaine McMath, Angela Maunders
(Missing) Nadine Dillabaugh, Mary Stock
In their Corporate Strategic Plan for 2007-2009, Organizational Performance was one of Capital Regional District’s top five strategic objectives; from this emerged a three year strategic HR plan to drive an organization-wide culture shift. Leadership alignment was made a year one strategic priority and the CRD Leadership Competency Profile was developed. However, developing leaders is not the same thing as developing leadership.
With that in mind, the HR team at the Capital Regional District in Victoria designed a new approach to leadership development: one that would change the way their leaders thought about leadership, their role as leaders and the CRD as a whole. The CRD’s HR team (Chris Neilson, senior manager of HR; Sarah Hood, manager, workforce development and strategies; HR managers Mary Stock and Nadine Dillabaugh; and HR advisors Angela Maunders and Elaine McMath) led the initiative that resulted in a strategic partnership with Royal Roads and the development of the “iLead” program.
The leadership model and “iLead” program were completed in 2008 and with Royal Roads faculty contracted to deliver the theoretical and action learning components. As per the program coordination, assessments and linkages to strategic objectives and other internal programming, Hood and her HR team led the way with “iLead” which stands for “Integrated Leadership Education Assessment and Development”.
What “iLead” does is bring together executives, managers and supervisors to uncover new perspectives to leadership application and highlight the leadership aspects at all levels of the CRD. Mandatory managerial attendance has created both a common vocabulary and critical mass of support. The team forged direct links between strategic HR development initiatives and “iLead” outcomes, resulting in a leadership program grounded in the CRD’s culture shift. Four groups have since completed the program, including all managers at the CRD.
Nationally recognized by an educational award from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators in 2011, the iLead program has shifted the CRD culture internally as well: employee perception of leadership dynamics has risen by 11.5 per cent over 18 months.
Rising Star Award
The Rising Star Award recognizes a CPHR BC & Yukon member who is ‘lighting the HR community on fire.’ Our young HR trailblazers hold the future of the HR profession in their hands and are the lifeblood of many CPHR BC & Yukon volunteer committees.
The finalists for the 2012 Rising Star Award are:
Nikki Cescon, CPHR
HR Advisor
Kelowna Flightcraft Group
In five short years, Nikki Cescon’s HR career has taken flight. Cescon was hired as an HR assistant by the Kelowna Flightcraft Group shortly after completing her bachelor in business administration (BBA). Within a year the extent of her focus and skillset became apparent. A promotion to HR Advisor followed quickly and Cescon has since redefined how many in the company traditionally viewed the impact of HR.
She now provides HR support and leadership to several key areas of the Kelowna-based business. The Materials Management department is one such area and comprises 10 per cent of Kelowna Flightcraft’s employees; traditionally, turnover for the entry level positions was upwards of 40 per cent. Cescon’s input, which included fostering more senior opportunities in entry-level positions, has helped reduce the turnover to 10 per cent and a healthy portion of that percentage are leaving for internal promotions.
In 2009, the scope of her responsibility expanded considerably. In that year, she became the HR representative for several of the company’s support departments, as well as Flightcraft’s 10 different base locations coast to coast.
Moreover, Cescon was also support the company’s military training contract in Manitoba; when the 25 flight instructor pilots recently became organized under the Manitoba Government Employee’s Union, she played a key role in successfully negotiating the initial CBA – and actually reduced overall company costs. She is now the key point of contact on the CBA.
Core accomplishments aside, Cescon has played an integral role in defining Kelowna Flightcraft’s involvement in the community. From employee Canadian Blood Services Drives to Easter Seals 24-hour Relay for the Kids, along with a plethora of company activities, she has committed significant time and energy on her own, and inspired a strong culture of engagement and volunteerism in the process.
Tyler Cheyne, CPHR
HR Advisor
Omicron Canada Inc.
A drive to learn and a willingness to take on challenges have changed Tyler Cheyne’s life in short order. In only two years, at Omicron, the scope of his challenges, along with his role has grown.
Within the first year at Omicron, Cheyne took charge of the end user portion of the company’s Timesheet software system – a critical aspect of the business given Omicron’s project-based environment. Mastering the administrative aspect of the system, he redesigned the employee orientation for the system. Through training and continued follow-up, the results impressed: late or inaccurate timesheet submissions were reduced by 75 per cent in one year, HR hours spent on timesheets dropped by 66 per cent and the billing cycle was halved, resulting in improved cash flow and more timely reporting.
Promoted to HR advisor shortly thereafter, Cheyne has continued to improve the employee orientation program, partnering with functional leaders to create more specifically aligned orientation programs for all core roles – as well as implementing employee check-ins at the 30/60/90 day mark.
Of particular impact was Cheyne’s role in developing a demographic and skills analysis profile within the company’s construction and architectural disciplines. Cheyne partnered with Omicron’s leadership to design a survey to capture the key skill sets; this was accompanied by a self-assessment and manager assessment on matters of mastery and years of experience. Once graphed and analyzed, the initiative has allowed Omicron greater clarity regarding areas of strength and skills gaps and is being used in the company’s 2012 workforce planning.
All Omicron achievement’s aside, some of Cheyne’s greatest contributions have been through volunteer activities; his contributions to CPHR BC & Yukon began when he took on the Greater Vancouver communications portfolio lead in 2009 and currently he co-leads the Coastal Vancouver CPHR and Professional Development portfolio. From 2008-2010, Cheyne was a driving force of the Winter Olympic spirit as a VANOC volunteer training facilitator where his orientation and training skills readied countless other volunteers to welcome the world.
Candice Wright
Labour Relations Research Analyst
BC Public School Employers’ Association
At the core of Candice Wright’s contributions lies a multi-faceted skill set, an eye for innovation and an athletic appreciation for what a team can accomplish. Equipped with a Master of Industrial Relations and a passion for public sector labour relations, Wright has proven an invaluable asset to the BC Public School Employers’ Association.
After joining the organization in 2010, Wright quickly distinguished herself as a valuable member of the Provincial Teacher and Support Staff bargaining teams. In a high-pressure environment fraught with time deadlines, media presence and politics, Candice Wright has distinguished herself as being a genuine pleasure with whom to work.
Upon joining the BCPSEA, Wright distinguished herself in the areas of her passion; moreover, she has consistently taken on challenges ranging from research to information technology to health and safety and training and development.
As a member of the Support Staff Education and Adjustment Committee, her work with employer and union representatives at the provincial level is valued no less; Wright works with HR professionals in 60 public school districts to enable effective training opportunities for support staff.
Most recently, she became the BCPSEA liaison for Education Assistants training and works closely with districts to encourage training opportunities for support staff who work with children with special needs.
Wright’s leadership and teamwork played a primary role in BCPSEA’s new online member offering, called the ‘HR Community’. Wright’s insight and technical skills quickly filled a void in the creation of a network hub for HR professionals working in education.
On the national level, she manages the Canadian Education Negotiations portal which connects all the education employers’ associations across Canada; the information Wright compiles is used nation-wide to set organizational goals and priorities.
Wright continues to promote teamwork and camaraderie outside the office. Her colleagues and friends can count on her to organize social events and fundraisers for charitable causes. As a volunteer with the YWCA she puts her background in human resources to good use by mentoring and coaching women entering the workforce. Candice is also actively involved in Civil Air Search and Rescue and has recently completed her training as a spotter for rescue missions.
Fellow CPHR
The Fellow CPHR (FCPHR) is a prestigious title that recognizes the most exceptional CPHRs in Canada who have made outstanding contributions to the human resources profession and their communities.
This year, CPHR BC & Yukon is proud to celebrate the outstanding work of:
Dr. Craig C. Pinder, PhD, FCPHR
Distinguished Professor
University of Victoria
Dr. Craig Pinder’s recognition as a Fellow CPHR is just the most recent in a distinguished career: a lifetime’s record of devotion to learning, the betterment of business, and people practices in particular.
As an academic, his impact at the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Business, recently renamed the Peter B. Gusatvson School of Business, is renowned amongst students and peers alike. In 2005, he was granted the singular honour of being named “Distinguished Professor” for his academic excellence and contributions to the greater university community alike. As the youngest professor at UBC’s Faculty of Commerce, Craig epitomized from the start of his professional journey the hallmarks of a leader on many levels. As the author of four books and numerous articles on the subject, Craig is both a recognized scholar and a key practitioner, best known for his practical approach to work motivation.
An avowed mentor and champion of women in industry, Craig’s efforts have never been confined to the classroom. Whether consulting to business or contributing his experience to the bigger picture of the HR profession, his discipline, rigour and insights have benefited countless workplaces.
When the BC Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia and Yukon CPHR BC & Yukon sought academic input for the development of the CPHR designation in BC, Craig not only answered the call, but served on the board as Designate Chair during rocky times. Providing significant academic rigour and input to the original design of the exams and requirements, his diligence and duty was in large part responsible for provincial and national acceptance.
Remaining an active member of CPHR BC & Yukon throughout his career, even during his recent LTD health challenges, Craig remains in touch with his colleagues. His passion for people and the meaning of work remains undiminished. The ultimate professional, Craig has devoted his professional life to the advancement and furtherance of professionalization of HR, passing on to others a life long journey of growth, learning and ongoing development.