Tuesday, June 6, 2023

The employee-driven labour market dominated HR conversations of 2022. It put demands on many employers to refine their value proposition to current and future employees, and to develop creative ways of appealing to logistics talent. In 2023, experts agree that workers are no longer in strong command - but the market hasn't swung back to putting negotiating power fully in the hands of employers either. 

With a more balanced supply and demand of talent, and employers still aware of the benefits of employee-centric HR strategies, there's perhaps even more uncertainty in the labour market than in recent years. 

What does the middle ground look like? How important and durable are the employee-centric pivots of 2022? How do you attract the best talent - and how do you find the best workplaces? 

This panel discussion will answer these questions and more, and give you insight into the very latest best practices in HR. 

Moderated by:

Pina Melchionna, BA, PFP, LL.B, MBA, TEP, ICD.D, GCB.D
President & CEO
CITT

Pina has served as CITT's President and CEO since 2017. She has a Juris Doctorate Law Degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and a specialized Master of Business Administration in Financial Services from Dalhousie University. She completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program and was awarded the ICD.D designation in 2015. Pina is a member in good standing of both the Ontario and Saskatchewan Bar Associations and is also a member of the Professional Financial Planning Council and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Pina has several volunteer board positions, including director for St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Community Foundation and The Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan and is Chair of the Society of Tax and Estate Practitioners (STEP). She is currently a professor of Transportation Law at CITT's academic partner, Centennial College, and a member of the Board of Directors for The Royal Canadian Mint, Raymond James, and Emmanuel Health.

Panelists:

Tracy Arno, ICD.D
CEO/Founder
Essence Recruitment

Tracy Arno is a business leader, entrepreneur, and owner of one of the leading boutique search firms in Western Canada, Essence Recruitment. She leads by her values and believes in helping others in her community through her expertise in recruitment and training.

Tracy is passionate about her community and has extensive involvement in several boards and countless hours volunteering for various causes and community events. In 2022, she received her ICD.D designation. Tracy’s most recent appointments include the Chair of Prairieland Park, the past chair of the NSBA, the board of directors for Sask Water, and the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation. She is also the past president of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and represents the province on Saskatchewan Provincial Court Judicial Council. Tracy’s most recent initiative was in early 2023, where she created a much-needed training program for Small to Medium sized businesses, Improve your Recruitment Skills. Most important to her is he husband and two children.

Gurleen Bajwa
Human Resources Business Partner
Bolloré Logistics

Gurleen is an HR professional with extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. His areas of focus include employer branding, recruitment, and employee engagement. With his previous work in the post-secondary sector and the k-12 sector, Gurleen is currently the HR Business Partner at Bolloré Logistics responsible for Western Canada. 

Kelly Mawhinney
Partner and Career LOB, Toronto
Mercer Canada

Kelly Mawhinney is a Partner with Mercer Canada, where she leads the Toronto Career practice. The Career line of business focuses on providing clients with Talent & Rewards advisory services and products. Kelly works in conjunction with two other business lines bringing all of Mercer’s capabilities; Health, Wealth and Career - to the Canadian market.

Previously, as the CHRO of Holt Renfrew (Interim) Kelly ran the day-to-day HR business, stabilizing the HR team, filling in functional gaps, and adding practices such as Org. Effectiveness, D&I and HRIS; bringing forward a refreshed leadership team, and imbedding the function with change and project management disciplines. Prior to 2021, Kelly had several leadership roles within professional services firms. Most recently, based in Amsterdam, working across Western Europe, Kelly led the Talent practice at Willis Towers Watson supporting CHRO clients. Previously, with Accenture, Kelly lead an HR Transformation team within the Human Capital practice, while also teaching part-time as an adjunct professor in Human Resources Management at York University.  

Ms. Mawhinney holds an Master Human Resources Management from York University’s School of Human Resources Management, and an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridus School of Business.