2015 Award Finalists

Monica Alcerreca, CHRP
Human Resources Advisor
Nature’s Path Foods
Richmond

When Nature’s Path Foods needed to tackle a critical business challenge, they looked no further than within their own ranks to Monica Alcerreca, CHRP.

The results of the company’s 2013 team engagement survey revealed that employees didn’t understand how total rewards were determined and, more specifically, that employees felt pay was inadequate. In fact, pay and benefits rated as the lowest item across all locations.

With a bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology, Alcerreca started her HR career in the training and organizational development field. Flash forward a few years and she had earned her CHRP designation and graduated with distinction from the HR management post-diploma program at BCIT. Alcerreca joined Nature’s Path as an HR coordinator on contract, transitioned to an operations/supply chain role and then settled back into the HR department as an HR advisor.

Well respected for her multi-disciplinary understanding of the business, Alcerreca was tasked with championing the total rewards program. Always ready for a challenge, Alcerreca jumped in with both feet. While taking courses and workshops to increase her knowledge of total rewards, she ultimately created a new compensation structure. From facilitating the development of the company’s total rewards philosophy, ensuring best practice methodology and moving the market review to an annual timeline, Alcerreca had her hands in all aspects of the project from the beginning to end.

Alcerreca worked with all levels of staff in all departments to ensure buy-in to a company program and not just an HR initiative. Most importantly, she worked to ensure all 500 employees understood the total rewards program — from culture and leadership to compensation banding and benefits. The first phase of this multi-year strategy has been implemented to overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Further answering the call for transparency within Nature’s Path and improving the crucial ability to disseminate priority business info to employees, Alcerreca took the initiative to develop an intranet for all employees and a collaboration tool on Sharepoint structure for the HR team.

Realizing the opportunity to create an intranet when the company upgraded technology, she again jumped in with both feet despite having no previous knowledge or training in intranet or website development. More impressively, this project was completed in three months at zero cost.

Transitioning from an outdated document repository to a user-friendly, webpage feel, the intranet—NP Connected—can be accessed from anywhere and information can be customized, so every individual employee always has access to relevant information. When launched, the usage of the site spiked from almost non-existent to an average of 3,000 hits per month.

Using the same platform, Alcerreca was able to transition the HR team site from an outdated data storage system to a cloud-based system that includes new features such as discussion boards which help communication between various HR team locations. Again, the results have been overwhelmingly positive.

Alcerreca’s leadership and cheerful attitude extends to her community. She served as a team leader of the company’s “Eat Well, Do Good” fundraiser for the food bank. She also liaises with the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau which calls on employees to donate toys to less fortunate kids and teens in the Lower Mainland. Finally, as an avid supporter of the HR profession, Alcerreca served on CPHR BC & YK’s 2014 conference speaker selection committee for the talent management track.

Serena Aroon, CHRP
Recruitment Advisor
SNC-Lavalin
Vancouver

When SNC-Lavalin expanded its Transmission and Distribution (T&D) business unit to include a Vancouver office, the rapid growth brought with it unanticipated growing pains.

Fortunately, one of their newest hires, Serena Aroon, CHRP, opened their eyes to the true meaning of “We Care”—the company’s value statements of employee well-being, health and safety, community, environment and commitment to ethical practice.

In 2012, Aroon joined SNC-Lavalin, a company with 40,000 employees in more than 50 countries, on a temporary assignment in the Infrastructure business unit. She soon transferred to a recruitment advisor role in the Transmission and Distribution division. By then, the Vancouver office had already grown to 65 employees. When the number surpassed 150, there were significant morale and attrition issues.

A SNC-Lavalin employee satisfaction survey in 2013 revealed a sense of isolation in Vancouver from the larger team in Alberta and a disconnect between lines of business. Employees longed for a greater sense of belonging and turnover reached 23 per cent. The survey results were echoed in exit interviews.

Graduating with a Human Resources Management Certificate from BCIT in 2010 and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Capilano Univeristy in 2012, she further honed her HR skillset at Aerotek Engineering, ProActive Personnel and Concord Security Corporation before applying the breadth of her experience with SNC-Lavalin.

With high-energy and a passion for all things HR, Aroon analyzed the results of the employee satisfaction survey. Inspired by the new CEO’s vision of employee engagement globally across SNC-Lavalin, she worked to create a strategy in which employees could take an active role in improving their own engagement and created a committee of employees to drive the initiative.

Aroon proved the value of HR by aligning the team’s energies and efforts to the “We Care” value statements and strategic objectives. She created job descriptions, set goals, and instilled metrics so progress was quantifiable. With no budget, the group started small but committed to two events per quarter which would encompass at least one of the “We Care” values. The group also committed to having one event per year in partnership with other SNC-Lavalin business units.

Turnover was reduced to single digits. Within the first three months, survey results improved by more than 30 per cent and consistently increased for the next two quarters. Employee satisfaction scores for the T&D business unit in BC and groups linked to the engagement team were at the top compared to all other business units globally.

What’s more, there is a better overall sense of team on a national scale. With a contagious enthusiasm, Aroon’s ideas and events were used as the platform to launch a formalized model, including budgets and toolkits, in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Brazil. With vision, perseverance and initiative, Aroon successfully bridged the geographical distances of the organization.

It was a similar vision and a drive to excel that has led to Aroon’s commitment to the HR profession. Earning the CHRP designation early in her career, she has demonstrated that she is a true HR business partner. Aroon is currently a member of CPHR BC & YK’s Coastal Vancouver Advisory Council. Her community spirit also extends to Dress for Success Vancouver Career Centre, where she donates her time and HR expertise to coaching clients through their job search.

Lewisa Anciano, CHRP
VP, People
Coast Capital Savings
Surrey

Lewisa Anciano, CHRP is known for walking as fast as she talks, and peppering her conversations with colourful ‘Lewisa-isms’: “skunk on the table,” cheap but cheerful,” “heart and smart.”

Her personality is surpassed only by her passion and vision for building high-performing organizations. Boasting a BBA, Masters and too many multi-disciplinary credentials to list here, Anciano embodies the commitment to learning that is now embedded in the culture of Coast Capital Savings.

From start-ups, turnarounds and established corporate cultures, Anciano has worked with Teligence, Citizens Bank of Canada, Westminster Savings Credit Union, and has also managed a successful consulting practice. Her introduction to Coast Capital Savings came in 2010 when she took the organization on as a client. Not long after, in 2011, she joined Coast Capital Savings as the vice-president of people.

Bringing with her a philosophy of “knowledge to action,” Anciano, working with her team at Coast University, redeveloped the Coast University Learning Initiatives program. A generic learning program has become a strategic company-wide learning movement tied to the business plan. Featuring 195 in-house training sessions, in addition to 196 external courses, the training program engaged 80 per cent of employees.

Seizing the opportunity to make a difference, Anciano led and mobilized her team of 38 HR and learning people in developing an agile, engaged workforce ready for the future. With a collaborative foundation, and dynamic enthusiasm, she influenced buy-in at the executive level.

Aligning the training programs with the needs of the business demonstrated the impact HR has on a business’ bottom line. In 2013, Coast Capital Savings was outperforming the market, earned record profits and won several employer awards, including Canada’s Top 10 most admired corporate cultures. Staff participation in training increased 20 per cent and feedback from focus groups was tremendously positive.

Continuing the trend of investing in people, Anciano turned her vision and enthusiasm to a new project in 2013. When results from the annual employee engagement survey revealed staff wanted more opportunities for internal promotions, she led the creation of Coast’s Inside First policy. Although she will be the first to recognize the accomplishments of her team, Anciano was the driver behind the policy.

Creating and sustaining talent pipelines is vital to organizational success and she worked to balance “buy” and “grow” in people development. The Inside First policy created a consistent pattern of hiring qualified internal candidates for vacant positions by formalizing a process to enable it. With her talent for viewing the big picture and then breaking it down to actionable items, Anciano created a dedicated HR team to focus on this policy. She developed an internal marketing plan with a strong focus on internal education and the benefits of the policy to garner buy-in from the Board and executive level down.

Since launching in 2014, 26 per cent of staff has been on the move within Coast Capital with 154 promotions and 195 lateral moves. The policy hit a significant milestone in 2014 when their new CEO was hired from within.

The leadership and commitment Anciano has shown to Coast Capital is also shared with her community. She is a former Board of Director for CPHR BC & Yukon and served as the chair of the finance committee. She has taught management courses in the business continuing studies program at Langara College and HR Bootcamp at SFU’s Executive MBA program. She is also a frequent guest speaker at conferences such as the American Society of Training and Development International and the Talent Management Alliance. Believing that her most important role is to empower her team and act as a champion, advisor and facilitator, Anciano has at least 10 informal mentoring relationships every year.

Debbie Paulsen, CHRP
VP, Talent and Guest Services
Rocky Mountaineer
Vancouver

Where others see challenge, Debbie Paulsen, CHRP sees opportunity. Not even a 444 day labour dispute could derail her.

In 2011, when Rocky Mountaineer encountered the first labour dispute in the company’s history, it was Paulsen and her team who kept the business on track. As a federally-regulated employer, the company was permitted to continue operating its business using non-union employees and replacement workers.

After having served in various HR roles at Dynapro Systems Inc and 3M Company, Paulsen made the move to the tourism industry, taking an executive director of human resources position with Rocky Mountaineer in 2006. With her CHRP designation, Six Sigma green belt certification, an executive certificate in business leadership from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, and a BBA in HR management underway at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Paulsen has a unique understanding of complex business challenges.

She put both her education and experience to work building a strategic plan to manage the labour dispute and, more importantly, handle its impact on the people of the organization. With an emphasis on customer and employee stakeholder groups, her comprehensive contingency plan included hiring and training replacement workers, developing a security plan, and engaging office staff to help with other duties such as working on the trains themselves. Paulsen also formed a core project team and managed communications and logistical issues.

At the conclusion of the labour dispute, the results of Paulsen’s efforts were notable. The collective agreement was successfully restructured, excellent guest satisfaction scores were maintained and employee turnover was actually reduced from 22 per cent to five per cent. Even employee engagement increased from 73 to 81 per cent between March and August 2011.

A true demonstration of a trusted employer, Rocky Mountaineer now has direct relationships with employees and an improved ability to deliver services. Through it all, Paulsen managed to keep other significant projects heading in the right direction.

Seeing the need for a pipeline of talent at the leadership level at Rocky Mountaineer, Paulsen partnered with the Sauder School of Business to create an accredited, accelerated leadership development program. The fact that this process has taken four years speaks to Paulsen’s perseverance and tenacity. Working with Sauder, Paulsen developed guiding principles, learning outcomes and success measures. Taking it a step further, Paulsen based the curriculum on the strategic needs of the organization.

Using 360 degree data, she developed a competency framework and individual development plans. In November 2014, the first 10 employees graduated from the program. The result? Improved leadership bench strength, a solid succession pipeline and increased engagement at the leadership level. As an added bonus, several of the program’s action learning projects were then implemented in the real-life setting of Rocky Mountaineer which resulted in tangible business results.

Paulsen is a collaborative professional who serves as a role model and provides informal mentorship to other female leaders at Rocky Mountaineer. She is also formally mentoring two employees in regards to their personal career development. Paulsen’s passion for human resources also flows into the community. Serving on the Board of Directors for her church, she helped developed a performance management system for paid positions including senior pastor.

Grant Stevens, CHRP
Director, Human Resources
Kelowna Flightcraft
Kelowna

According to his peers at Kelowna Flightcraft, Grant Stevens, CHRP should have ‘GTD’ credentials on his business card. He Gets Things Done.

More remarkably, he gets them done under difficult circumstances.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, Stevens’ background includes everything from labour relations to managing organizational change. After years of service with Weldwood of Canada Limited and Riverside Forest Products Limited, Stevens made the switch from forestry to aviation when he joined Kelowna Flightcraft as director of HR in 2005.

Kelowna Flightcraft is Canada’s largest air cargo operator with a fleet of 60 aircraft and nearly 950 employees. With bases in Kelowna, BC and Hamilton, ON they were the sole carrier for Purolator for decades—before their contract was terminated in its 39th year in 2014.

When Purolator decided to leave Kelowna Flightcraft, the impact reverberated throughout the entire organization. Fortunately, Stevens regularly stretches beyond his HR specialization and has an innate ability to understand and strategize all lines of the business. Moreover, he is not afraid of bad news, tough decisions or difficult conversations while at the same time acting with compassion and care.

Given one year’s notice of the contract cancellation, the challenge was to keep people engaged and maintain operations as per the service agreement despite impending layoffs for up to 30 per cent of their workforce. The unionized pilot group at Kelowna Flightcraft added to the complexity.

Stevens strategized a transition plan that delivered. Rolling up his sleeves, he created retention bonuses for key positions, proactively recruited to backfill vacancies from turnover, offered transfer opportunities and formed a business development group to help bring in replacement work. Renowned for knowing the name of every single employee, he even helped some of them get jobs with the new carrier for Purolator.

One of the strongest elements of the transition plan was communication with employees. For consistency purposes — and great leadership — Stevens was responsible for all communication. He implemented a policy of transparency and responded to all employee questions.

The results speak volumes of Stevens’ contribution to the organization. Where there was a potential to lose 300 jobs, the net loss was kept to just 35.

Focusing on the future sustainability of Kelowna Flightcraft, Stevens switched gears and seized the initiative to develop alternate revenue sources. Turning his analysis to the maintenance department, he identified 28 per cent of work as non-revenue generating. Recognizing the opportunity to increase profitability, he again put his energy into developing a strategic plan.

Stevens introduced a new staff/contractor model, trained team leaders on tracking hours and created a new labour analyst position responsible for the control and management of project numbers, payroll hours versus project hours, and the reporting of all non-billable hours.

Non-revenue hours dropped to 13 per cent and is forecast to drop further to 10 per cent in 2015. In an extremely competitive market, the decrease in non-revenue producing hours has had lucrative results by saving on contractors and increasing the number of projects the company can take on.

Stevens is an active community member in everything from his profession and industry to charity and athletics. An active member of CPHR BC & Yukon and a CHRP holder, Stevens has spoken at numerous events and recently hosted a CPHR BC & Yukon Showcase. He has been on the Board of Directors for the Transportation Career Development Association, sat on the Aerospace Human Resource Committee and participated in the Aerospace Sector Advisory Group. Stevens has also donated his time to the Kelowna Ringette Association and Kelowna Minor Baseball Association.