Blog - Tech Talent North : Tech Talent North

Anna Petosa Champions Human-Centred Leadership in a Hybrid World

While putting people first in the minds of decision-makers has been a mainstay of strategic HR for some time, the recent pandemic and waves of social revelation have put a renewed priority on human-centred leadership across the board. We sit down with Anna Petosa, VP of People Operations for Pelmorex—an international weather information and data management company. Pelmorex owns and operates the weather brands The Weather Network, MétéoMédia, Eltiempo.es, Clima, and Otempo.pt – to talk about the revolution in antiquated leadership and the toolkit required for human-centred leadership to thrive.

Life and Taxes: Jeff Waldman Talks Trends in Total Compensation

While the definition of total compensation has held steadfast, its focus as a key, strategic priority has exploded for employers of all sizes since the pandemic’s terra forming of the prior workplace. We sit down with Jeff Waldman, founder and CEO of ScaleHR—a company committed to helping small to medium-sized businesses scale their success with people in the priority lane—to discuss total compensation trends in an increasingly competitive market. Interestingly, while there is no one formula, the call for flexibility is greater than ever—as is the opportunity for savvy employers to strategically tailor for sustainable success.

Shradha Mittal Encourages Trust in Aligning Individual Development and Organizational Goals for Greater Good

A core commitment to aligning career development and growth with organizational objectives can prove an invaluable investment in competitive times. For Shradha Mittal, SVP of People and Culture for Trulioo, it is the keystone of a people-approach that takes a step beyond the talent wars to create strong bonds that surpass geographies and competitive offers alike. Applying that lens of people-first at a time of exponential growth has shone through in the figures and feedback alike.

Yiorgos Boudouris: Talking Tiny Mile and the Big Picture Drive for Transparent and Flexible Compensation Strategy

Taking the stage at our recent Tech Talent North, Yiorgos Boudouris, head of talent for Tiny Mile, helped us confront a common fear in the recruitment process—compensation strategy. We caught up with Yiorgos post conference to dig deeper into what has made pay strategy has become a primary concern for employers of all sizes—and why transparency and flexibility are key for candidates and employers alike.

Weaving D&I Into Job Posting DNA with Nikki Gore

Given the benefits of boosting the diversity of any given team, reaching beyond mainstream talent pools has become both a necessity and an elusive objective. Nikki Gore, director of business development and marketing for auticon Canada, swims in that pool daily, recruiting and representing a growing team of autistic consultants nationwide. We sit down to talk about the disconnects of D&I and how to connect those dots from the start with a few simple changes to job postings.

Location-based Pay Raises Questions (Near and Far)

With the pandemic proving the efficacy of remote work and hybrid options redefining the traditional office infrastructure, greater numbers of employers are looking to location-based pay, both to incentivize and of necessity. We sit down with Jafar Owainati, co-founder of the compensation management software company Barley to talk the pros, cons and things often unconsidered in the location-based pay realm.

Talking TAP 2022 Tech Salary Survey with Stephanie Hollingshead: Surging Salaries, Global Competition and the D&I Opportunity

With the numbers now in and TAP Network’s 2022 Tech Salary Survey now available, we sit down with TAP Network’s CEO Stephanie Hollingshead to talk about what sets this year apart from any other in the survey’s history. In short, it was a year of great movement, surreal pay increases and competition from all over the globe for Canadian tech. Digging into the data, Stephanie looks to the trends confirmed and the very real opportunity for greater equity and diversity that such volatile change presents for the industry.

Elevating the Candidate Experience with Uncommon Purpose

Given how often we hear about the tough competition for talent, particularly in the tech sector, how is it that so many businesses have yet to revisit their recruitment process? We sit down with Manu Varma, long-time people person and now external relations for Uncommon Purpose, to discuss the good, the bad and the lost opportunities of recruitment—and how playing that wisdom forward within their own client base is building better business scenarios from first contact onwards.

Blackbird Interactive Takes Wing with Four-day Work Week

In the fall of 2021, one Vancouver-based games developer went boldly where many may wish to venture, but few have gone before—the four-day work week. What began as a pair of pilot projects took wing and in April 2022, Blackbird Interactive moved the entirety of its 260-person team to the same abridged model. We sat down with Pam Lee, HR director for Blackbird Interactive to explore the impetus, results and unexpected learnings gained. What has happened since is testament to doing more with less and rediscovering the roots of true employee engagement.

Engaging The Empathic Art of Tough Talks (vs. Facing the Costs)

With mental health concerns at an all time high and remote work removing the opportunity for daily check-ins or even casual conversation, a lot is going unsaid that leaders know needs to be addressed. We check-in with resiliency and change expert Joe Roberts (a.k.a. The Skid Row CEO) to get to the heart and the art of tackling critical conversations—and how those tough talks can make a world of difference for organizations and individuals alike.

Why The Majority of Mergers Fail (And Why It Doesn’t Have to be This Way)

Buying, selling and merging tech companies is commonplace these days – but the successful management of post-merger integration continues to be a perpetual challenge. Unifying operations, building culture, and getting buy-in on new corporate goals and visions can be difficult work if not initiated early enough. Tim Morton shares his strategies in today’s PACT news article to help you get started on the right path to M&A.

Putting Our Trust in Hire Thinking: Leveraging Trust in Attraction and Retention

Trust is the tie that builds and bonds. For over 20 years, Dr. Darryl Stickel, founder of Trust Unlimited, has been helping individuals and organizations open themselves up to one of the most sustainable, but vulnerable, resources on the planet—trust. Grounding his work on a model developed for his PhD on “Building Trust in Hostile Environments” from Duke University, Darryl has since become one of the world’s leading experts on a topic that gets a lot of talk, but too little action.

Better Business Begins with Strategic HR Partnership at Heart

Julie DeBuhr, head of HR for 1Password, knows just how far the human resources profession has come—and how exhausting the last two years of the journey has been despite the exponential progress made on multiple fronts. From winning the respect of employers juggling people problems on every front to championing the success of remote workers, the ascendancy of HR as a key business partner has never been more apparent. That said, it has not come without burden—and more heavy lifting with a light touch lies ahead.

Virtual Workplace Confidential (Making a Practice of Privacy in the Remote Era)

Despite workplaces closing shop overnight in March 2020 to reopen the next day in home offices, kitchens and living rooms across B.C., nothing has actually changed in the laws governing confidentiality or privacy rights in the remote era. As Keri Bennett, a partner with Roper Greyell LLP explained to us, good faith has gone a long way to maintaining the balance of trust, but lax practices can settle in with the growing fatigue. Fortunately, she also had a few great tips.

VanHack Waives Placement Fees and Fuels Global Opportunities for Ukrainian Tech Talent

As the Russian invasion in the Ukraine continues to draw global condemnation and sanctions from world leaders, individuals and industries alike are looking for ways to make a positive impact. We sat down with Ilya Brotzky, CEO of VanHack to talk about how their team is helping wave a global talent flag, while waiving traditional fees.

Virtual Leadership Begins with Real Self-Awareness

With so many having risen to the surface in the past two years alone, naming the greatest challenge facing leaders in the virtual era is, well, challenging. In fact, as leadership expert, author and presenter Vanessa Judelman has discovered over the course of innumerable conversations and training sessions, the primary hurdle remains one of self awareness— accompanied by unprecedented shifts and ongoing, unpredictable change.

Great Mondays Still Begin With Good Relationships (Whether Near, Far or Fully Distributed)

While the physical workplace vanished overnight, along with the interactions that ‘happened to happen’ in shared proximity, relationships in asynchronous times remain invaluable. Speaking with Josh Levine, owner/author of Great Mondays: How to Design a Company Culture Employees Love and co-founder of Culture LabX, we get to the heart of relationship-building in changing times.

How to Create Cultural Belonging in the Workplace

Creating a sense of belonging in the workplace is every bit as important as finding where you belong personally. It’s a passion that has fuelled Jessie Sutherland — an international speaker, trainer, consultant and the founder of Intercultural Strategies — who has devoted her career helping organizations and communities to engage diversity, build belonging and ignite intercultural collaboration.

6 Competencies Every Remote Leader Needs to Cultivate

Remote work has been around for decades, but that’s still very new in the context of the working world. Speaking with PACT News, Candace Giesbrecht, the Director of the Teamit Remote Performance Academy, explained the foundational research behind remote leadership and the six competencies every remote leader needs to cultivate.

Behaviour Change is Easy (and Other Myths about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Work)

I don’t think any founder will tell you they don’t want an inclusive workplace where all employees can do their best work. Unfortunately though, intent is only half the battle. When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at work, we often think in terms of training and behaviour change. Speaking with Sharon Nyangweso, founder and CEO of QuakeLab, she explained why behaviour change being easy is a myth when it comes to DEI work – and what founders should do instead.

What Wave Does to Bring Humanity Into Talent Acquisition

You can theoretically forgive companies for not being totally honest about the bad parts of working there when it comes to talent acquisition. After all, they need talent in the door. But when you remember how much of your life you spend at work, suddenly the empathy fades away. Wave understands this reality, so the company is not interested in lying to people to get a signed employment agreement. Speaking with PACT, Wave’s VP of Organizational Effectiveness Joshua Siegal shared what the company does to bring humanity into their talent acquisition process.

Why Recruiters Should Think of Themselves Like Sport Scouts

There are a lot of analogies you can use about recruiting, but they all boil down to one thing: in a heated war for talent, companies need to work even harder (and get more innovative) to find the right talent at the right time. Speaking with PACT News, Dan Jacob, the Head of Partnership and Development for The Knowledge Society (TKS) shared why he thinks recruiting should be more like sports scouting than anything else.

The 4 Pillars of Emotional Intelligence for Startup Leaders

Emotional intelligence (or emotional quotient – EQ) isn’t about being the nicest person in the room, it’s about being the most effective person in the room. EQ is what allows us to get our intellectual and emotional resources working in concert so that we can be at our best, and in turn help others be at theirs. Dr. Leeno Karumanchery knows this conundrum well as co-founder and head of behavioural science at MESH/diversity. Speaking with PACT News, he shared the four pillars of emotional intelligence for startup leaders.

How To Take Your Meetings From Dull To Delightful

Aydin Mirzaee is a self-described tech-loving entrepreneur with a passion for building great products, leadership and people. He is CEO and co-founder of Fellow, an app that promises to help managers and their teams work better together—and one way they do that is by making every meeting a productive and delightful work session.

How to identify when an employee is about to quit (and what you can do)

Not all employee turnover is bad, but when they call it the “Great Resignation,” you’re forgiven for worrying. Thankfully, help is on the way. Debby Carreau has helped hundreds of companies with turnover and hiring through her company Inspired HR. Speaking with PACT, Debby shared her insights on how to identify when an employee is about to quit (and what you can do).

How To Embed DEI Into Your Corporate Culture

Sage Franch is the founder and CEO of Crescendo DEI, a company on a mission to advance equity for all in all workplaces. It is a platform combining software and the human touch to deliver micro-learning opportunities and organizational analytics, for a personalized learning journey of diversity, equity and inclusion training unique to each individual.

The Simple Processes CoLab Uses to Build Company Culture

As many startups grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, CoLab was just finding its footing. Over the past year, the St. John’s, Newfoundland startup scaled from 20 to 50 people and is continuing to hire. Speaking with Tech Talent North, co-founder and CEO Adam Keating explained the simple processes CoLab uses to scale their culture as they scale the team.

Thinkific’s Co-Founder Shares What President Obama Taught Her About Corporate Culture

Despite being in business nearly a decade, Thinkific is nowhere near done evolving its culture. In fact, it never will be done. In a conversation with Tech Talent North, Thinkific co-founder Miranda Lievers explained the foundation she built, the guard rails she put in place, and the process that the company uses to evolve its culture without losing its foundation.

How Rewind Scaled its Culture as it Scaled its Customer Base

Mike Potter, the CEO of Rewind, believes culture is the driving force behind startup growth. Yet he also doesn’t follow traditional advice to build a certain system when the company was small, and a different system as it grew. Speaking with Tech Talent North, Mike shared how he views culture and how he scaled up Rewind’s culture as the company scaled up its customer base. 

For Axonify, Culture Starts at the CEO Level

Waterloo-based Axonify, which provides a training and communication solution for frontline workers, has long prioritized culture as an important part of building the company. It’s why, every year since 2017, Axonify has been recognized as a Great Place to Work. Great Place to Work certifies workplaces based on internal benchmarks, and against other companies around the world with strong cultures.

Hopper CEO Fred Lalonde explains how to approach culture like a product

As CEO Fred Lalonde told us in the SAAS North newsletter, Hopper has a customer-obsessed culture. Among its leadership principles, working backwards based on customer feedback and learnings is key among them — and one that suits Hopper well as they’ve hired hundreds of people to expand their product.

The Power of Compassionate Leadership and What it Means for Your Employees

Workplace mental health is in the spotlight more than ever. As we begin to ease out of the pandemic, HR leaders are being asked to help lead meaningful conversations within their organizations and to help create a supportive culture for workplace wellness.

Paystone CEO Tarique Al-Ansari explains why you should include HR early in acquisitions

In our interview with Tarique Al-Ansari, CEO of London, Ontario-based Paystone, he detailed the important lessons learned after undergoing five acquisitions, including the importance of a corporate development team and how to align acquisitions with a company’s vision.

The difference between scaling from 0-50 and 50-100+, according to HiMama CEO Ron Spreeuwenberg

When a company is scaling, a lot changes about how to hire and retain the right talent. CEOs now have to think about the right processes that didn’t come to mind back in the scrappy startup days, and the question of seeking profitability or raising investment becomes an important one. In this wide-ranging interview, Ron Spreeuwenberg, CEO of HiMama, talks SAAS North about what changed when his company reached the 50+ employee milestone, and staying true to yourself as a founder.

How Jobber supports employees at every step: CPO Sara Cooper explains

When growing a company, it can be difficult to grow your talent alongside your values. That’s why Jobber is intentional about growth and equity at every step of the way. In this feature, chief people officer Sara Cooper explains how Jobber keeps employees engaged in their career development, and how they prevent bias in hiring practices.

Equity expert Camille Dundas explains why a focus on gender gap is leaving a big hole in your DEI strategy

Camille Dundas, one of Canada’s top diversity, equity and inclusion consultants, tells her story and explains the challenges racialized people face in the workplace. Learn of the responsiblities each of us must take on if we are ever to achieve a truly equitable and inclusive workplace.

VanHack CEO Ilya Brotzky shares tips to find the best tech talent in the world

For many HR professionals in the Canadian tech sector, recruitment and retention of highly qualified personnel has quickly become a top priority as the industry continues to grow. Ilya Brotzky, founder and CEO of VanHack, Canada’s largest international tech recruitment company, shares his expertise building strong culture in a remote office, tips for hiring globally and how to… Read More

Paul Rubenstein on the power of data to change workforce representation

One of the biggest topics in HR for 2021 is workforce representation and Paul Rubenstein, Chief People Officer with Visier, shares how people analytics offers a powerful solution. Organizations are using people analytics to collect and analyze data in ways that we’ve not seen before.

P A C T People and Culture in Tech Newsletter #1

Hello!Welcome to our first edition of P | A | C | T! Your bi-weekly newsletter about People And Culture in Tech! I’ll be sharing exclusive interviews on topics affecting you and your teams, in addition to compiling tactical tips, hot news stories, and my favourite content from other leading publications, books, and podcasts.We want this newsletter to be valuable for you… Read More

Closing the Pay Parity Gap is Top of Mind for HR Tech Professionals in 2021

HR professionals working in the tech sector have spent the last year navigating pandemic-driven challenges, and now a new recruitment challenge is surfacing. Leslie Collin, CPHR, VP People & Culture at Unbounce, explains how closing the pay parity gap will ensure competitive recruitment for your company.

New Tech Talent North Helps Tech Companies Navigate Unique Human Resource Challenges

Leaders in Canadian tech are rallying online May 12-13, 2021 to learn, share, network and grow at Tech Talent North. The producers behind SAAS NORTH, Canada’s largest gathering of SaaS entrepreneurs, are excited to announce the launch of sister event Tech Talent North, presented by HR Tech Group.

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