Schedule | Registration 

Insights from Women CEOs: Leadership Lessons and the Value of HR

In this session, a panel of new women CEOs in Saskatchewan reflect on their journey to the CEO role. They will share stories of success, challenges, leadership lessons, and the value of HR in their workplaces and to the CEO.

This session will be moderated by Dr. Gina Grandy, Dean of Hill and Levene Schools of Business, University of Regina. 

Heather Ryan, B.Comm., CPHR
CEO Federated Co-operatives Limited

Heather Ryan has been the Chief Executive Officer of Federated Co-operatives Limited since May 2022. Heather joined FCL in September 2013 as Director Human Resources Advisory Services, was appointed to Vice-President Human Resources in November 2015, and then appointed to Vice-President, Supply Chain in August 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan and received her Chartered Professionals Human Resources (CPHR) designation in 2002.

Heather provides strong, collaborative, and effective leadership for the strategic direction of FCL, its subsidiaries and related companies.  She currently service as Chair for the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation Board. Heather previously served as a Director for the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, the Co-operative Superannuation Society (CSS), Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan, and FoodTech Canada.

Heather and her husband Sean have two children, a son (Jack) and a daughter (Rylee).

Prabha Ramaswamy
CEO Saskatchewan Chamber

Prabha Ramaswamy is a champion of Saskatchewan business, a passionate community leader, and an organizational visionary. 

With a Masters of Social Work in Community Development, Policy and Planning, Prabha has a diverse career spanning 28 years. Prabha’s career has included leading organizations through change for strategic growth, achievement of vision/mission, and competitive positioning. Driven by the principle “begin with the end in mind,” Prabha is passionate about defining a vision and steering organizations in the right direction. Fueled by the spirit of “doing the right thing,” Prabha embraces courage and integrity as a leader.

Prior to beginning her role with the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Prabha spent eight years as the CEO of Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK) launching several breakthrough programs designed to support the business community and close the gender entrepreneurship gap in Saskatchewan.

Prabha served as the first President of the Leaders Council of the Paul J. Hill and the Kenneth Levene Schools of Business at the University of Regina and currently serves as a member of the Paul J. Hill School of Business Advisory Board.

Darlene Brander, B.Ed., CPHR
CEO Wanuskewin Heritage Park

Darlene Brander is the Chief Executive Officer of Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Darlene worked at Wanuskewin from 1998 to 2000, where she was an Aboriginal Awareness Education Manager. Since that time, her 18-year career has included progressively responsible positions with not-for-profit organizations, gaming institutions, municipal governments, and First Nations organizations. The return to the park, in the CEO capacity, allows Ms. Brander to honour Wanuskewin’s past, thrive in the present, and realize it’s future. A Band Member of the Red Earth Cree First Nation, Darlene holds a B.Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation.  An active community member, Ms. Brander sits on several boards including, Discover Saskatoon and Hospitality Saskatchewan. Darlene has served as Past Chair of the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners, the Canadian Association of Police Governance, and Nutrien Wonderhub.

 

 
Dr. Gina Grandy
Dean, Hill and Levene Schools of Business

Dr. Gina Grandy is a Professor (Strategy and Leadership) and the Dean for the Hill and Levene Schools of Business at University of Regina. She also serves as the lead for the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) in Saskatchewan. 

Gina is a trained leadership and performance coach and she has designed and facilitated leadership development programming, for both aspiring leaders and those holding leadership positions. Gina’s leadership, research, teaching, and consulting experiences are international in scope. Gina has taught at seven universities across Canada, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

She is the co-editor of two books and her research on leadership, gender and women’s experiences at work, and stigmatized work has been published widely. She currently serves on the boards of several local and national organizations and is active in the community with various initiatives that work to advance opportunities for equity deserving groups.

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Legal Considerations for Remote Work

Remote work – what was once the exception in most workplaces is now becoming the new standard. With the shift to remote work, however, comes new legal issues and challenges for employers. Shane Buchanan will address a number of issues related to remote work and highlight the best practices for implementing a remote work policy. The webinar will conclude with a question and answer period. 

Remote Work Legal Considerations

• Employment Standards
• Occupational Health and Safety
• WCB Requirements
• Human Rights and the Duty to Accommodate
• Tax Considerations
• Employment Agreements
• Remote Work Requests
• Requests to Work From other Locations/Jurisdictions
  

Remote Work Policies

• Key Elements of a Remote Work Policy
  • Employee Eligibility
  • Work Hours and Schedules
  • Office Equipment and Costs
  • Confidentiality and IT Security
  • Dependents and Childcare
• Practical Considerations
  • Accountability
  • Productivity
  • Communication
    
• The Right to Disconnect
  

Shane Buchanan, CPHR Candidate
Lawyer, MLT Aikins LLP

Shane Buchanan maintains a general labour and employment practice.  With a background in human resources, Shane provides an understanding of the issues faced by human resources professionals and provides practical solutions to all areas of labour and employment law, including COVID-19 related issues, collective agreement interpretation, workplace policies, discipline and discharge, employment contracts, OH&S, workers’ compensation, labour standards and human rights. 

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Unexpected Tragedy, Organizational Needs & Leading Change

It is unlikely anyone saw this pandemic coming. The past couple of years have rocked organizations around the world to their very core. This global tragedy has had a dramatic impact of how organizations fulfill the needs required to ensure they are able to sustain their ongoing viability.

Human Resource Professionals work at the critical intersection of business and people. That intersection is a very unstable place these days. The ongoing pandemic, supply chain issues, climate change, significant economic shifts and growing global instability are all significant challenges requiring an effective approach to leadership and change. No one chose these changes, yet they demand every organization’s attention.

This engaging and practical program provides a comprehensive, systems-based approach for building leadership capacity in dynamically changing organizations. You will apply an organizational needs model to your own organization to determine how unexpected tragedies have and continue to impact it. You will explore a variety of helpful tools that will enable you to help your organization adapt to the current environment and help ensure its continued success.

Chris Edgelow
Founder & President, Sundance Consulting Inc.

Chris Edgelow is the Founder & President of Sundance Consulting Inc. an organization dedicated to providing consulting, training, and learning resources to help organizations change. For more than 30 years, Chris has helped hundreds of HR Professionals around the world increase their capacity to guide change in their organization more effectively. He has taught at the university level and is a sought-after speaker at many conferences each year. Always engaging and very practical in his approach, Chris shares a wealth of knowledge and experience. He has developed a comprehensive, yet practical approach to leading change along with numerous helpful resources to be applied in any changing organization.

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Business Ethics

In this session Mr. Kalesnikoff will outline some of the challenges and issues in the interaction of business ethics and personal ethics. Topics will include insight into the degree to which people are honest and dishonest, and how the organization can affect the behavior of either. From the organization perspective the importance of an ethical environment will be outlined as well as barriers to achieving an ethical organization. From an individual perspective the session will outline of how ethics is a personal choice and how an individuals’ behavior is molded by who we choose to be.


Douglas Kalesnikoff, FCPA, FCA, IFA
Associate Professor, Edwards School of Business

Doug Kalesnikoff has practiced in the forensic accounting discipline for the past 35 years. He has provided expert evidence in the courts, international commissions of inquiry, and other commissions, hearings and tribunals on over 60 occasions. Doug has also developed and instructed courses on Forensic Accounting, Fraud and Tax Auditing provided to law enforcement, Taxation authorities, International Agencies, and Accounting Bodies.

Doug is an Associate Professor with the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan. His teaching responsibilities include: the Masters of Professional Accounting Program (MPACC), the Masters of Business Administration Program (MBA) and undergraduate courses. He developed and instructed a senior level accounting course titled: Fraud Prevention Detection and Investigation.

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Leader Transition is Risky Business

This workshop identifies potential risks your business may face when leaders transition and what you will need to manage. Participants will discover:

• Exploratory research results conducted in Saskatchewan regarding leader transition:
  • Leaders’ struggles and barriers
  • What is at risk
• Magnitude of the risks for your business
• Level of urgency for you to address these risks
• Actions you can take immediately
  

Marielle Gauthier, ACC, Results Certified Coach, Conversational Intelligence Coach, Positive Intelligence Coach, ABC, BA 
Executive and Leadership Coach
Redworks Communications & Coaching

Marielle Gauthier works with and supports emerging, new and current leaders build a solid foundation and make improvements in their knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes to succeed in their role and achieve their business goals efficiently and effectively. 

She helps leaders understand who they are and what they need to improve so they can successfully transition to new roles, new careers, and into retirement. 

Marielle provides strategic consulting, training, coaching and facilitation in the areas of leader development, employee engagement, career success, mental fitness, effective communication, relationship building, customer service, effective execution, stress management, time management and retirement lifestyle planning.

Kathleen Ozmun, B.Sc., CPC, ELI-MP, ICF-ACC, EMCC-ITCA, Prosci
Organizational Change Consultant
Team, Executive & Leadership Coach
Crossing Point Coaching & Consulting

Kathleen Ozmun partners with change leaders and their teams to implement value-creating strategies that accelerate team outcomes by increasing collaboration and learning. She is a systemic team coach, an experienced facilitator, consultant and trainer, and owner of Crossing Point Coaching and Consulting.

Kathleen has 20+ years of experience in developing leadership abilities, leading technical and organizational change, engaging stakeholders, resolving conflict, and planning strategy in business, government, community and ‘for-benefit’ sectors.

She has certifications in Coaching Team Leaders and Enabling Teams, Prosci Change Management, Korn Ferry Leadership Architect, MBTI, and Human Synergistics. She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation.

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Focus on the 90%

Darci Lang will be sharing her keynote presentation Focus on the 90%.  Darci believes that we all have a choice where we focus our magnifying glass. We can focus it on what is positive and good in our lives or what is not good.  It is time to focus on all that you have done in your HR role, you truly have been people leading business!  What do you focus on with those around you at work and at home? How can you give so much of yourself at work and still have something left our personal lives?  

This presentation will fill your professional and personal tool box back up!

Darci is a motivational speaker, an author, an award-winning entrepreneur, a wife, and a mom to adult children and rescue pets.

Darci Lang
Author | Motivational Speaker

Darci Lang is an inspirational speaker, an award-winning entrepreneur, one of only 40 Canadian Association of Professional Speakers Hall of Fame recipients, a bestselling author, a wife and a mom, whose simple tool helps individuals reframe the way they look at, and think about, their work and interactions and relationships with others. In the midst of her flourishing entrepreneurial career, Darci has learned powerful lessons about maintaining balance, bringing her best self home to her husband and adult children and embracing her own victories.

Darci Lang has discovered a solution to help you live your life, do your job, and connect with the people who matter most, to the fullest. Darci has a bold, joyful presence — illuminating the good in audiences' lives with her dynamic message. For 29 years, Darci has been sharing tough love with empathy, creating perspective shifts and having an impact on hundreds of businesses in diverse industries. She helps to transform cultures, employee engagement and in turn, boosts morale and profitability and her connection to her audience is astounding.

Darci Lang is an engaging, entertaining, and powerful speaker whose message about ‘Focusing on the 90%’ is clear, insightful and most of all, important. Darci's Focus on the 90% message will help you and your team find the positives at work, rise above adversity and triumph in all you do!

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