Professional Awards

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A department of one in a construction company on Vancouver Island, Allison Greaves has built a reputation for proactivity and carrying her work all the way over the line at Durwest Construction Management (DCM).

Allison joined the project operations team in Victoria in 2014, and during her early years in the company there was no dedicated overseer of Human Resources. She made a case to the heads of the family-owned business that a HR Manager was needed for supporting staff at worksites and underpinning future growth. Her case was accepted and the position was hers in 2018.

Once moved into her newly-crafted role, the HR newcomer reached out to the worksite employee base with a first-of its-kind Staff Satisfaction Survey. The clearest need identified in the survey data was for improved knowledge and information sharing within the company, so Allison got to work on a fix. She spearheaded a new HRIS system so that documents, data, training materials, and current information could be accessed in a central place by all employees.

DCM was one of the first adopters of The Builders Code, a provincially-funded code of conduct for employees on construction sites in B.C. With the goal of ensuring work environments are safe and pleasant for everyone, Allison championed this initiative from the beginning and ensured that all DCM worksites received the standard training. Allison’s follow-through resulted in DCM taking home the inaugural Initiate of the Year award in 2019, with specific recognition of Allison’s efforts to increase the retention of tradeswomen using The Builders Code framework.

The company has seen tangible benefits from Allison’s work in the HR Manager role, including the improvement of worksite culture and the development of people who have not traditionally felt welcome within the construction industry. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Allison has remained an empathetic ear for staff struggling through pandemic obstacles, while staying on top of and communicating changing regulation and guidance from the Province on matters of Public Health.

One of Allison’s most noteworthy achievements in the HR field is the founding of BuildingWell, which aims to support good HR practices across the construction industry. When she is not at work, Allison is an active community volunteer, a devoted mom to two children, and a lifelong learner. When she is though, she can be proudly known as the newest and first female Partner of DCM as of January 2021.

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When a technology company hits a growth phase, holding the team together is the difference between making it big or a total breakdown. Fortunately for FreshWorks, Shannon Parker has been developing leading-edge HR programs for the studio’s diverse team of software developers, designers, testers, and everything in between since 2017.

Shannon joined Victoria’s FreshWorks Studio as the first member of their People Ops department just before a period of quick expansion changed everything for the young company. Headcount tripled in three years, and it was incumbent upon Shannon, HR Manager, to quickly address the gaps that were forming. Turnover was high, and conversations with departing employees pointed to the urgent need to clarify roles, lay out advancement opportunities, and foster mentorship. Though she was relatively new to the profession, Shannon was more than up for the challenge.

Defining standard interviewing and hiring practices, as well as creating a clear onboarding process for the waves of new hires, were some of the first initiatives Shannon is credited with tackling in record time, without the luxury of consultants or lengthy guidance. Shannon grew a central repository of employee information, resources, and policies into the FreshWorks Playbook, an intuitive intranet which houses everything an employee should need to know during their employment.

Born from the feedback received from exit surveys, Shannon implemented a suite of coordinated internal touchpoints and transparency mechanisms, including 1-on-1 check-ins, pulse surveys, HR Office Hours, and open-door opportunities with the CEO and COO. These initiatives helped reduce attrition rates significantly and extended average employee tenure.

The contribution of a Career Development Program to FreshWorks is perhaps Shannon’s signature product. A blend of mentorship, performance management, and career planning, the program brought some quantitative clarity to a flat and nimble company structure. The numerous facets of the Career Development Program were instrumental in handling the load of FreshWorks’ growth.

Over the past few years, Shannon has become a regarded HR innovator and resource within the local business community. She brings her passion and skill to the broader Victoria tech world by volunteering as a Board member for iWIST (Island Women in Science and Tech) and mentor for Locelle’s Mentor Moments program. She has also assisted with mock interviewing at Camosun College and UVic and mentors at the Junior Achievement BC Techworks’ Annual Women in Technology Event. With Shannon on the team, FreshWorks is on course to continue innovating for years to come.

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The 2021 Rising Star Award was sponsored by:

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Olivia Phua has been an invaluable addition to Trevali Mining Corporation since she joined three years ago. Together with the Chief People Officer, she manages a spectrum of broad-reaching functions for the Canadian metals mining company.

Olivia completed her Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Simon Fraser University in 2016, focusing her studies in HR and Marketing. She joined Trevali’s HR department shortly after finishing school, and has precociously developed initiatives for the clusters of staff across international mining sites.

With her contributions to Trevali’s Performance Management Framework, Olivia showed signs of maturity and competence far beyond the norm for a recent grad. She was instrumental in the development and roll out of the new performance management framework and incentive pay plan design that aligns to the company’s pay-for-performance philosophy and focus on values, and has been appointed the global go-to lead of this program. It is no surprise that Olivia has been promoted multiple times in her short tenure with Trevali.

Olivia interfaces frequently with the management team, the Board of Directors, and the Compensation & Human Resources Committee. Her conscientious preparation of materials for these groups has provided sharp clarity for decision makers on trends, risks and opportunities. In addition, she has written the Group HR Standard that has been implemented company-wide, and formalized a global mobility program for connecting Trevali’s sites and employees.

With the company’s new operating model and diverse agile workforce, Trevali identified the need to implement a company intranet for centralized internal communication, which Olivia has co-led. In addition to designing the intranet’s architecture, curating content and driving adoption, Olivia was integral in orienting the Internal Communications Specialist who was hired to manage the new platform upon implementation. Her skillful mentorship and management prowess were on full display during this project, which is now entering its second phase.

Olivia has risen quickly and demonstrated the beginnings of an exceptional career in HR. Her efforts at Trevali have been impressive to the many senior professionals she has worked alongside, with many forecasting precious yields from Olivia for years to come.

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Sharde Long found herself off to a quick start in her HR career. While she was still a student of Camosun College’s HR program, Sharde started a role with Victoria Women’s Transition House. As the only onsite HR professional for close to 80 people, she had no option but to snap into action, providing valuable educational programming internally and making a strong impression externally in Victoria’s HR community.

Stepping into a first HR role can be daunting for anyone, even with a support system of senior professionals on your side. For Sharde, there was no such luxury. From the jump at Victoria Women’s Transition House, the demands on her were immense and complex. There were investigations to conduct, collective agreements to administer, jobs to classify, and employees to train. Sharde did not hesitate and handled it all with professionalism and competence, tackling the role of a much more senior HR leader in a complex, high-risk workplace.

Sharde has made a measurable impact on reducing staff turnover with her innovative Respectful Workplaces training program. After thorough research, pitch, and approval, Sharde leveraged her training skills to develop mandatory curriculum for all employees. The program established common understanding of what a respectful workplace looks like and the behaviours that are condoned and not condoned. It also confirmed for employees that the organization was committed to maintaining a workplace of respect and safety.

Conscious that a team of highly-skilled, educated staff would be receiving the training, she ensured the experience was collaborative and dialogue-driven for participants. Since implementing the program, Victoria Women’s Transition House has seen a 55% drop in turnover for casual staff and 80% drop in turnover for regular staff.

Outside of what is now her full-time HR Manager role, Sharde is generous with her time in the community. She leads the Victoria Roundtable for CPHR and acts as the Vice President on Leadership Victoria’s Board of Directors, where she contributes to strengthening the HR processes for the organization.

As a young HR professional, Sharde has risen to the challenge at every step, making a difference for the employees that in turn make a difference for marginalized women in Victoria at any hour of the day or night.

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The 2020 Rising Star Award was sponsored by:

2019

Miranda Birkbeck	Recipient
Kristine Saltmanis	Finalist
Stuart Heaven	Finalist

2018

Tierra Madani	Recipient
Mindy Gobbi	Finalist
Marli Penner	Finalist

2017

Courtney McKissock	Recipient
Supreeti Ghosh	Finalist
Larissa Pepper	Finalist

2016

Christina Seargeant	Recipient
Kristina Chambers	Finalist

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From B.C.’s northern capital, Kara Biles is leading inclusion and diversity at Canfor, one of the world’s largest producers of sustainable lumber, pulp and paper. Male-dominated industries are a daunting arena for this pursuit, but the influence, tenacity and lived experiences Kara brings has ushered in progressive and impressive change to a traditional company’s HR practices.

Kara’s journey at Canfor began as an HR Generalist. A decade later as Director, Learning and Leadership, Kara has been integral in developing an Inclusion and Diversity strategy. As the I&D Lead and Diversity Council Co-Chair, she has executed unconscious bias training with nearly 100% of salaried staff. Kara’s tackling systemic barriers, sharing results, and taking action to promote the initiative. With overwhelmingly positive response and eager requests for more, Canfor’s goal of “achieving a workforce balance reflective of our communities” is seeing significant progress.

In addition to the pioneering I&D portfolio, Kara leads L&D and delivers leadership programming for every level. Her mentor-centric Accelerated Leaders program has paved clear internal pathways for future executives, notably for women in top level succession plans. Kara’s MentorMe program is highly sought after and she has executed Canfor’s Business Bootcamp, a COVID-19-specific “Shifting Gears: Leading in the New Normal” series and panels on women in leadership and STEM roles.

The recruitment function has also felt Kara’s positive influence. Kara transformed talent acquisition within Canfor’s Canadian operations from a decentralized model to a centralized corporate service. She enhanced talent sourcing and introduced international recruitment and an Employee Referral program yielding quality referrals, with a retention rate above 90%. Most recently, Kara’s team spearheaded the Indigenous Talent Program, increasing hiring rates of Indigenous Peoples by 244% and delivering Indigenous Cultural Awareness training.

In her community, Kara is involved with CPHR and serves on the Board at the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and Two Rivers Art Gallery and is a sessional HR instructor with the School of Business at UNBC.

Hailing from the Batchewana First Nation, Kara is Anishinaabe and mixed settler ancestry, and has been instrumental in fostering transformational change within Canfor, a change lauded by many of Kara’s peers as impressive in its speed. This is no doubt thanks to her passion and tireless work for the cause.

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Tanya Wick is a veteran HR professional who made history as the first female executive at Tolko, a B.C.-based forest services company. She was also the youngest ever appointed to the VP level when she joined as Vice President of Human Resources in 2010. Since then, Tanya has pushed the company into new realms of positive change, filling in areas of the business that were once overlooked.

Early in her tenure, Tanya planted the seeds with a male-dominated executive peer group that Tolko’s people were the foundation of future success. She began measuring diversity within the company and advocated for a greater representative balance. As time passed, her efforts grew to fruition, including a Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee, an annual People Awards program, and Unconscious Bias training for executives, managers, and supervisors.

Tanya has executed on specific projects for Tolko’s female employees. In addition to sending a personalized welcome to each new female hire, she fosters connection between the women of the company and ensures accessibility for them to share their viewpoints with her and the broader executive team.

Tanya is also affecting change farther afield. She leads a “Women Succeeding in Forestry” LinkedIn group, and is sought after as a keynote speaker and subject matter expert on Diversity and Inclusion within the primary industry. She was also selected as one of three industry reps on the National Gender Equality in Forestry Steering Committee, helping to bring change to the industry nationally. Tolko has evolved to become a leader in this area, in no small part due to the relentless pursuit of improvement by their first female VP.

The accomplishments Tanya can hang her hat on at Tolko were neither instant successes nor easy wins. She still encounters pushback, but those who have worked with Tanya credit her tenacity, persistence, and unfailing desire to evolve old ways of thinking and operating into the modern times. Unafraid of standing out, she started using her voice early to create the change she believed was necessary and inspired a great number of future leaders along the way.

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The 2021 Award of Excellence – HR Professional of the Year was sponsored by:

• John Carson
• Simon Evans, CPHR
• Hugh Finlayson, CPHR
• Betsy Gibbons
• Noel Hall
• Joan Harrison, FCPHR Retired
• Gavin Hume
• John Madsen
• Simon Mason, CPHR Retired
• Gary Moser
• Michael Pegler, CPHR Retired
• Thomas A. Roper, Q.C.
• Eileen Stewart
• Norm Trerise
• David Yarmish, CPHR Retired