Symposium Speakers

Carolynn Ryan, Senior Vice-President, People & Chief Human Resources Officer, BC Hydro

Carolynn Ryan is the Senior Vice-President, People & Chief Human Resources Officer at BC Hydro, where she leads people strategy, culture, talent, and organizational transformation.

With more than 25 years of experience in human resources and change leadership, she is recognized for helping organizations build high-performing, inclusive, and future-ready workplaces. Guided by her philosophy of Lead. Learn. Share., Carolynn is a passionate advocate for leadership development, workforce readiness, and the human side of transformation.

Carolynn holds a Master of Industrial Relations from Queen's University, a Human Resource Management Certificate from BCIT, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia. She is a frequent speaker on leadership, workforce transformation, culture, and the future of work.

Lisa Spitale

Lisa Spitale is a senior municipal executive and Registered Professional Planner with nearly 40 years of experience; with 26 years in senior management in local government. Lisa served 13 years as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City of New Westminster, overseeing a 1,400 employee corporation and delivering award winning major civic facilities, community services, public amenities, transformative urban revitalization, and nationally recognized housing and social policy innovation.

Lisa retired as CAO in January 2026 and is now consulting. As Principal of Lisa Spitale Consulting Inc., Lisa provides expert guidance to CAOs, Councils, and public sector organizations on governance, organizational restructuring, development approvals, affordable housing, homelessness response and downtown revitalization. She is recognized for advancing women's leadership, promoting innovative public policy, modernizing complex systems and leading transformative urban initiatives.

Shannon Harvey-Renner

A seasoned public service professional with over 35 years of experience in local government including human resources and labour relations at the most senior level, occupational health and safety, community recreation, and facility management. Expertise in labour relations, recruitment, collective bargaining and collective agreement administration, policy development, manager coaching and support. After 23 years, Shannon retired from her role of Director, Human Resources with the Township of Langley in May 2023.

Since then, and in between curling and cycling, she now dabbles in HR consulting where she enjoys working one on one with managers to provide assistance and coaching with difficult situations, developing and delivering training for managers, establishing strategies for dealing with sensitive labour relations and investigation maters and drafting and researching policies and procedures.

Nina Leemhuis

Nina has extensive professional experience and significant executive leadership accomplishments in both the public and private sectors. Bringing a varied and broad perspective, an innovative leader who thrives on supporting, developing, motivating and mentoring teams around a shared vision, strategic plans and objectives. Nina possesses a strong ability to cultivate and maintain robust, long-term relationships throughout an organization and with external stakeholders.

In her most recent senior executive role as Chief Administrative Officer for the District of West Vancouver, she provided leadership to a complex, multi-business, multi-union, and diverse organization within a highly engaged community, ensuring corporate and organizational alignment with Council’s priorities. She also developed and implemented corporate objectives in support of organizational best practices in human resource management, corporate and fiscal sustainability, asset management, emergency preparedness and community engagement.

In her previous roles as the Chief Financial Officer for the District of West Vancouver and for BCIT, Nina provided financial and organizational leadership; forging strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, transforming the service and support areas within the financial services portfolios from a decentralized, transactional processing model to a customer-focused, strategic partner and support model; ensuring alignment with the strategic direction and key objectives of individual departments, divisions and the organizations.

In addition to her public sector experience, she was co-owner of a successful, medium-sized construction company with 65+ employees for several years, forging a new style of leadership and management in a unionized environment.

Currently, she provides consulting to municipal organizations in the areas of finance, capital asset management, performance evaluation and other issues common to many municipalities. Nina has received the Charter Director designation, the Chartered Professional Accountant designation, and a Diploma of Technology in Business Administration from BCIT and is currently completing her Master of Arts in Global Leadership at Royal Roads University.

Lisa Southern, Founding Partner, Southern Law

Lisa Southern is an accomplished labour and employment lawyer with 30 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex workplace challenges. As Founding Partner at Southern Law, she specializes in investigations, dispute resolution, and proactive training that supports strong organizational culture and effective HR practice. Lisa founded Southern Law in 2013, and it has grown to be the largest firm in Canada that focusses on neutral organizational services.

Lisa is widely recognized for her leadership in this work. Her work spans both public and private sector clients, with deep expertise addressing issues related to harassment, human rights, privacy concerns, workplace health and safety, and systemic issues. She is frequently tasked with working on high profile cases involving issues of public interest.

Lisa is a member of the Government of Canada’s national registry of workplace harassment and violence investigators, and has served in a number of appointed roles, including Registrar of the BC Labour Relations Board, as the inaugural Integrity Commissioner for City of Vancouver, the Integrity Commissioner for the Vancouver Park Board, the Ethics Commissioner for the City of New Westminster, the Integrity Commissioner for the Squamish Nation and the Ethics Officer of the BC Nurses Union.

Lisa received her LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1997. She is consistently recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada for her contributions to labour and employment law, and is deeply committed to community service through non-profit participation and leadership.

Michael Oland, Barrister & Solicitor, Southern Law

Michael Oland is an experienced labour and employment lawyer, mediator, and workplace investigator known for his pragmatic, fair-minded, and direct approach to resolving workplace challenges. At Southern Law, he specializes in workplace investigations, dispute resolution, and conflict management, helping organizations address complex workplace issues through practical solutions.

Michael’s work spans public and health sector environments, with experience in labour relations, employment law, human rights, and workplace conflict. He has represented clients in mediations, arbitrations, and collective bargaining and is recognized for his ability to find common ground and support constructive resolutions.

Michael has conducted numerous workplace investigations and delivered training on investigations, respectful workplaces, conflict resolution, and the rules of evidence. He worked closely with Lisa Southern in the development and administration of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner for the City of Vancouver. His appointments include serving as a Mediator and Investigator under the BC post-secondary Common Agreement, an Independent Investigator for Sport Integrity Canada, and a troubleshooter under the Health Employers Association of BC collective agreement.

Michael received his law degree from Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law, where he was awarded the Robert W. Kerr Labour Law Prize. He was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2015, the British Columbia Bar in 2016, and the Yukon Bar in 2025. He is a Qualified Mediator through the ADR Institute of Canada and completed the Mediation and Conflict Management program through Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation.

Indy Batth, Consultant, IKB Coaching​

Indy Batth is an ICF-certified coach (PCC) with an M.A. in Educaon and advanced training in neuroscience coaching (CTNC), organization and relationship systems coaching (ORSC), and trauma-informed somatic practice. With 25+ years as an educator and 18 years as a coach, she supports leaders navigating complexity, culture shifts, and high-pressure environments.

Drawing on neuroscience and frameworks for understanding power, Indy addresses what's often unexamined: the nervous system patterns that keep leaders reactive and overwhelmed, the power dynamics that silence voices and stall progress, and the systemic structures that erode trust and prevent authentic belonging. She helps leaders develop presence under pressure and lead without depleting themselves or their people. Teams strengthen trust and collective capacity. Organizations move from stating values to living them.

Indy works across sectors and teaches leadership and equity at SFU and UBC. She is an immigrant settler on the unceded and traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples.

Suzanne Hawkes, Consultant, Convergence Communications

Suzanne Hawkes is a management consultant, leadership trainer and ICF-accredited coach. She has supported strategic planning, change management and leadership development with business, non-profit, political and public sector clients across the US and Canada for over 20 years.

Suzanne is a principal with Convergence Strategies, based in Vancouver, Canada. She is also an associate with InPartnership Consulting, a U.S. management consulting firm with a focus on equity and organizational effectiveness. She is the sole Canadian trainer with the Rockwood Leadership Institute, based in California, which supports equity-embedded leadership capacity building for community and civic leaders from around the world.

Suzanne is the founding instructor for Simon Fraser University’s Certificate Program in Executive Leadership, focusing on team performance, and a co-instructor for SFU’s Essentials for Leading Teams. She also co-teaches two courses on decision-making in the Equity Essentials certificate program for SFU and the Provincial Health Services Authority. She co-facilitates the renowned Art of Leadership multi-day training each year at Hollyhock Leadership, which draws participants from around the world. Suzanne has been a Dialogue Associate with SFU’s Centre for Dialogue since 2016.

Suzanne entered the facilitation and organizational effectiveness field through an initial focus on multi-stakeholder engagement in natural resource management. She has an Honour’s Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, and a Master’s degree in Resource and Environmental Management from SFU, both with a focus on Indigenous resource management. She went on to support hundreds of civil society organizations in strategic communications efforts for more than 10 years, when she founded Canada’s first non-profit communications training and service center, housed within the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society.

Suzanne is a certified Integral Facilitator. She is also certified to lead the Intercultural Development Inventory, which assesses intercultural competence; the Interpersonal Leadership Styles assessment, a tool to support more effective communication and partnership across diverse teams: and the Diamond Power Index, a 360-degree survey tool aimed at developing an organizational leader’s skillful use of power.

Core Areas of Work​

• Executive coaching for senior leaders
• Leadership team effectiveness and alignment
• Strategic planning and decision-making
• Leading through complexity, change, and ambiguity
• Accountability, feedback, and performance conversations
• Organizational trust, culture, and team dynamics

Ken Peacock, Economist

Ken Peacock is a leading economist based in British Columbia, with expertise in fiscal policy, labour markets, trade, and economic competitiveness. He spent more than 20 years at the Business Council of British Columbia, including a decade as the Council’s Chief Economist, where he advised policymakers, business leaders, and industry associations on economic trends and challenges.

Earlier in his career, he worked as an economist with Central 1 Credit Union, the umbrella organization for BC’s credit unions.

Known for his clear, evidence-based insights, Mr. Peacock contributes regularly to public dialogue through reports, commentary, and speaking engagements. He co-authors a monthly column in Business in Vancouver and recently launched the BC Economic Brief on Substack to inform public dialogue and help support policy development in the province.

Dr. Bailey Parnell, Globally Renowned Pioneer in Digital Well-Being | Expert in AI and Human-Centered Leadership

Dr. Bailey Parnell is a pioneer at the intersection of technology, AI, leadership, and well-being. Named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women, she has partnered with the United Nations, Deloite, the NFL, and governments worldwide, teaching leaders and teams how to harness AI ethically, beter navigate change, and build thriving workplace cultures. As a world-renowned speaker, Parnell delivers research-backed, actionable strategies that help audiences learn to lead with greater humanity, adaptability, and impact in the digital age.

A multi-award-winning entrepreneur and international leadership expert, Parnell is the founder and CEO of SkillsCamp, a soft skills and leadership development company that provides personalized expert-led training solutions that empower high-performing teams, leaders, and organizations. She has spent more than a decade designing leadership programs for such organizations as Microsoft, L’Oréal, GE Aerospace, the Government of Canada, and global universities.

Parnell recently earned her Doctorate in Education in Learning and Organizational Change, where she studied how leaders can use AI for more human-centric leadership practices — research that now informs her groundbreaking approach to what she calls "Super Human Leadership”. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Good Morning America, Inc. magazine, and numerous other publications. Parnell has also consulted with major media franchises, including Survivor, Love Island, and Big Brother, which gave her unmatched insight into human behaviour in digital environments, including what strengthens or fractures collaboration. Her TEDx talk, “Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?”, has been viewed by over five million people and inspired her to found the Center for Digital Wellbeing, a charity dedicated to helping people thrive in the digital age.

Steve Mossop, Executive Vice-President, Western Canada, Leger

Steve Mossop is an accomplished speaker and media personality and has been public speaking for 20+ years on a variety of social, economic, consumer and political trends in front of audiences all over North America. The foundation of his content is the hundreds of thousands of public opinion surveys he has conducted over a lifetime (40 years) spent in the marketing research industry.

Steve has publicly released 1000+ different opinion polls on everything from politics, economic confidence, support or opposition to various environmental, social and economic policy issues, consumer & shopper trends, social media habits, healthcare issues, tariffs and trade wars, and AI trends. He has correctly predicted the outcomes of over 25 elections over his career.

Steve’s presentation style is open, casual, entertaining and is full of story-telling examples to help captivate the audience and deliver content that is backed-up factually by a multitude of up-to-date public opinion polls that are custom-tailored to the audience he is speaking to.

As Executive Vice President of Western Canada for Leger, he leads a team of 40+ researchers in BC and Alberta serving public and private sector clients with full-service market research solutions. Leger is Canada’s largest and best-known public opinion polling firm. Before this, Steve was president of Insights West who Leger acquired in late 2021, that offered insights-driven solutions via leading-edge tools and normative databases and a large consumer panel. Insights West had 15+ employees and $3M+ in billings annually in the 10 years it operated. Prior to this, Steve was at Ipsos for 17 years managing 30+ client service staff in multiple cities after starting his career at the Angus Reid Group and TNS in earlier years.

His accomplishments include winning Leger’s office of the year award in 2022, launching Insights West to be the fastest growing BC market research company, winning Business in Vancouver’s “Top 40 Under 40” award in 2006, and winning BCAMA’s 2001 Marketer of the Year Award. Steve was chair of the BCAMA’s Senior Executive Program for 4 years and was an active member of Vancouver EO for 5 years.

Steve is a frequent public speaker and media personality in British Columbia making regular appearances on a wide variety of media outlets as the spokesperson for Leger and in the past for Insights West and Ipsos. Steve holds a BBA degree from Simon Fraser University with a concentration in Marketing.

Sandra Guarascio – Partner, Roper Greyell LLP

Sandra is a partner* at Roper Greyell and is a member of its management commitee. She practices in all areas of employment and labour law, with a focus in human rights and respectful workplace issues.

Sandra works with public and private sector employers providing proactive and practical advice for unionized and non-unionized environments. Her interests include respectful workplace issues, investigations, hiring and termination issues, accommodation and disability management, collective agreement administration and disputes, workplace policy development and training.

A strong advocate for her clients, Sandra offers a balanced approach to their workplace issues through creative problem solving and strategic intervention. Her constructive approach to client challenges enables her to find strong and thoughtful solutions. She provides strategic advice to employers in handling complaints and addressing respectful workplace issues including workplace and employment discrimination, harassment, bullying and workplace conflict. She is a skilled investigator who has conducted numerous workplace investigations including those in highly sensitive circumstances and in complex environments. She also designs and conducts workplace audits for employers and handles formal complaints provincially and federally.

Sandra is an experienced facilitator and speaker, an instructor with the Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Services, and a guest lecturer at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She is also a volunteer with the BC Law Society and Continuing Legal Education, serving as co-chair of the award-winning annual CLE Human Rights Conference.​​

Outside the office, Sandra recharges by connecting with nature. She can usually be found meandering on beaches and trails with her family and their three much loved Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

*Law corporation​

Andrew Carricato – Associate Counsel, Roper Greyell LLP​

Andrew is Associate Counsel at Roper Greyell, with extensive experience advising and advocating for unionized and non-unionized local government employers across BC in all areas of employment, labour law, human rights, and privacy law.

Andrew is a sought-after advisor to councils, boards, and their senior management team on a wide range of workplace, good governance, meeting procedure and local election related issues.

Andrew has a deep understanding of the full legal and regulatory landscape that shapes the local government sector. He also appreciates the public nature and political environment in which his advice is being given. He is known by clients for his genuineness and his practical and strategic problem solving.