Conference Speakers

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Giselle Kovary - Keynote Speaker

Human Resources Expert Specializing in Generational Diversity

As president and co-founder of n-gen People Performance Inc., Giselle is dedicated to building strategies and programs that help clients target, motivate and engage employees in order to increase performance and productivity. She is a sought after resource to industry leaders, having worked with 18 of the top Fortune 500 companies across North America. With over 18 years of experience in learning and development, she has devoted more than a dozen years to researching the impact that generational differences have on organizational performance.

Giselle has created solutions and programs that focus on five practice areas – sales & customer service, leadership, team building, Gen Y and HR and has co-authored two books: Loyalty Unplugged: How to Get, Keep & Grow All Four Generations and Upgrade Now: 9 Advanced Leadership Skills. As a human resources expert, Giselle is regularly quoted in national publications and appears on television and radio.

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Mike Lipkin - Keynote Speaker

President of Environics/Lipkin, the motivation and sales empowerment practice of Environics Research Group

President of Environics/Lipkin, a global research and motivation company based in Toronto, Mike is also an international strategic coach, facilitator and catalyst for high performance, and the author of 9 best selling books on personal leadership and effectiveness.

Mike’s mission is to help you and your team achieve preeminence – that’s where you become the benchmark by which all others are judged. It’s where you play at such a level that you set the standard for your industry or category. It is achievable. In fact, it’s necessary. If we’re not defining the standard, then someone else is and they are going to enjoy the rewards of being the best. Either we become the best, or we become irrelevant. There is no middle ground! These are extreme times. We’re all being subjected to extraordinary stress and scrutiny by everyone around us – our colleagues, our clients, and our communities. Good enough isn’t good enough any more. Even great may not be good enough.

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Bryan Peña - Keynote Speaker

Senior Vice-President, Contingent Workforce Strategies at Staffing Industry Analysts

As Staffing Industry Analysts’ Senior Vice President, Contingent Workforce Strategies, Bryan Peña is internationally recognized as the expert on contingent workforce management strategies and tactics. He manages the unique needs of the CWS Council globally, helping companies deploy cutting-edge strategies for managing their contingent talent and workforce programs. Peña’s specific expertise comes from over a decade of strategic sourcing in Fortune 500 companies and includes services pricing and negotiation strategies, contract construction, risk management, and international MSP and VMS program delivery models.

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Paul Broad

Lawyer, Hicks Morley

Paul Broad is an experienced labour and employment lawyer practising out of Hicks Morley’s London office. He has a general labour and employment practice, and works with a variety of employers in both the public and private sectors in a broad range of areas including employment standards, privacy and information management, labour relations, human rights and accessibility-related issues. His practice includes advising temporary help agencies.

In addition to providing practical day-to-day advice to clients, Paul assists with complex compliance initiatives – particularly focusing on employment standards compliance. He has significant experience advising on the employment and labour aspects of corporate transactions for both purchasers and vendors. 

Paul’s privacy and information management practice includes advising clients on compliance issues, policy development, and assistance with appeals of access decisions under freedom of information legislation. He has worked with a variety of clients to achieve compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), including assisting with internal audits of electronic communications practices and policy development. Paul also regularly advises on accessibility-related issues and the application of the AODA to Ontario organizations. 

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Brian Delle Donne

President, Talent Tech Labs

Brian has been a leading force driving innovation through his career in operating roles in the staffing industry. Since serving as Chief Operating Officer at both large public and privately held staffing and project firms he has amassed a wealth of insight into effectively applying innovation. Talent Tech Labs is entirely focused on promoting technological developments in the field of Talent Acquisition. At Talent Tech Labs Brian and his team have been identifying and then assisting emerging companies with breakthrough ideas and opportunities available through the advancement of recruitment technology. TTL provides its insights to both the staffing industry as well as corporate talent acquisition executives who are buyers of new technology. Always seeking ways to improve processes in talent acquisition, Brian has guided Talent Tech Labs as a unique incubator, and importantly has elevated the company to a leading authority on emerging technology addressing talent acquisition.

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Eric Gilpin

Senior Vice President, Sales

Eric leads the sales team at Upwork, where he oversees the company's global sales operations, including enterprise sales, sales engineering, channel development and client success. Prior to joining Upwork, he was at CareerBuilder for 15 years, where he most recently led the Vertical Sales Group and was responsible for generating over $200 million in global revenue.

Eric holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business.

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Jonathan Kestenbaum

Managing Director, Talent Tech Labs

Jonathan Kestenbaum is the managing director of Talent Tech Labs. Talent Tech Labs was originally founded to foster the growth and development of emerging ideas and companies in the talent acquisition technology space. An entrepreneur at heart, Jonathan spends his days building and advising the technology companies of tomorrow.

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Ryan Lazar

Managing Director, Careerbuilder Canada

As leader of CareerBuilder Canada, Ryan is responsible for business development, marketing and site performance in Canada. Ryan is an expert in helping organizations across North America develop a more efficient recruitment process, through automation, while creating a better candidate experience. Ryan has been with CareerBuilder for five years.

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Mary McIninch, B.A., LLB

ACSESS Executive Director, Government Relations

Mary holds an LL.B and Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honours in Political Science) from the Universities of Ottawa and McGill respectively, and is a member of the Quebec Bar Association. Mary joined ACSESS in 2000 where she works closely with staff and elected leaders in the development of ACSESS as an industry association, and in providing comprehensive government relations services representing the industry across Canada.

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Christopher Minnick

Co-founder & Executive Vice President, Brightfield

As Brightfield’s co-founder and executive vice president, Christopher is responsible for sales and marketing and corporate affairs. He also leads the company’s Governance, Risk and Compliance practice where he advises clients on how best to create global governance models, understand co-employment risks and develop a wide-range of compliance programs. A frequent contributor to industry publications and much requested presenter, Christopher speaks with contingent management professionals througout North America and Western Europe on a variety of workforce–related topics from contingent workforce program assessments to the misclassification of workers.

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Sheila Musgrove

TAG Recruitment

Sheila started TAG Recruitment in 2005 with an IKEA desk, bargain website, and a computer monitor as big as a fish tank. TAG has since grown into a thriving multi-million dollar organization with a strong reputation for finding stellar talent. Sheila has received numerous professional awards including repeat appearances on Profit and Chatelaine’s ranking of Canada’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs, and recognition by Red Deer College as their 2016 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

As she continues to run a very successful business in an uber funky office, as well as actively participating in ACSESS, Sheila has also branched out as an author. Her first booked Hired! How to Get the Zippy Gif. Insider Secrets from a Top Recruiter! hit theAmazon Best-Seller lists in both Canadand the USA wihtin the first 24 hours of being released.

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Rhéaume Perreault

Partner, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin

A partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin’s Montréal office, Rhéaume focuses his practice on labour and employment law.

He acts as a strategic adviser for many employers in small, medium and large-sized enterprises, helping them with the planning and reorganization of their human resources. He also frequently acts as a negotiator in connection with collective bargaining agreements and represents clients, in particular, before the Superior Court, the Quebec Court of Appeal and various administrative tribunals.

Rhéaume works with employers from the private and public sectors, as well as with non-profit organizations, and has provided professional advice to ACSESS on a number of industry files. He frequently takes part in specialized conferences and provides substantial corporate training on a variety of topics including: the workplace in the social media age; pre-employment traps; the duty to accommodate; is drug and alcohol screening possible? privacy laws in the private and public sectors; and drafting employment contracts: how to avoid the pitfalls.

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Marc-André Robert, CRIA

Lecturer in Employment Law, Faculty of Legal Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal

Marc-Andre holds a Law degree from the Université de Montréal, and was called to the Quebec Bar in December 1999. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations and practiced labour and employment law in major national law firms before going into the business world. He has held many positions in human resources, notably as Vice-President of Human Resources and Legal Affairs at a well-known multinational company. He was also President of a human resources management and labour relations consulting firm before founding Global Human Resources with Richard Dufour. In addition to acting as Lecturer in Employment Law in the Faculty of Legal Sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Mr. Robert sits on the Disciplinary Revision Committee of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec. Mr. Robert is President of the Quebec chapter of ACSESS, and is regularly invited to give speeches on various aspects of labour relations and human resources management.

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Heath Slawner

Professional Speaker

As a professional speaker since 2008, Heath has delivered over 200 keynotes for some of Canada's most iconic brands such as Canadian Tire, CN, Loblaw, McDonalds, RBC, and Rogers, as well as the United Nations and its affiliated agencies around the world. 

Helping leaders bring teams together to achieve extraordinary results, Heath shows audiences that trust and purpose – based on a genuine concern for others – are what's at the centre of it all. He addresses how to consistently and effectively get people to listen, follow, buy-in, and take the next step. When we are clear about why we're here, where we're going, who we serve and how we're getting there, everyone will start to feel valued and work together to bring bold visions to reality.