Spring HR Forum
Jun 3, 2021
10:00AM to 3:00PM
Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/06/2021
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Join your HR partners and colleagues from across the university for a day of informative and interactive sessions on topics meant to connect our virtual campus community. Sessions include a variety of speakers and activities which will enable you to connect with each other, with senior university leaders and with subject matter experts.
- Who should attend? HR professionals and employees engaged in HR related work activities
- When? Thursday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Where? Zoom Meeting
Register for the forum once and attend as many sessions as you would like. Attendees can self-select the sessions they wish to attend. Sessions will not be recorded but copies of any presentations will be made available to attendees after the event.
Updated AGENDA (download a detailed agenda using the link at the top right of this page):
- 10:00 a.m. Welcome and HR Strategic Updates – Wanda McKenna (Chief Human Resources Officer) and Christine Costa and Stephanie Nicoll (HR Forum Planning Committee Members)
- 10:45 a.m. Trivia Challenge and Break with Kathleen Kirkoski and Emily Kiriakopoulos (HR Forum Planning Committee Members)
- 11:00 a.m. HR Review Updates – learn about current progress on HR Review initiatives from the HR project team and Roger Couldrey (Vice-President Administration)
- 11:50 a.m. DocuSign Overview – learn about how you can use the DocuSign application for electronic signatures and contract/document management to support your HR processes from our UTS partners Carmalita Larkin and Laura McBride.
- 12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
- 12:30 p.m. Optional Networking Session – join us over lunch for an informal networking session that will enable you to connect with HR colleagues from across campus during a few rounds of speed meeting
- 1:00 p.m. Exploring the Future of Work – join us for a panel discussion with external leaders to explore trends with the future of work. Our guest panelists will be:
- Brett Leibsker*, Interim AVP HR, University of Chicago
- Peggy Capitain*, Senior Manager, Future of Work and Culture at RBC
- Jamie Bruno*, Chief Transformational and Organization Culture Officer, Ontario Tech University
- Panel Moderator: Franca Berti-Bogojevic (Director, HR Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives)
- 1:45 p.m. Stretch and Break with Lee-Anne Wilson (Fitness & Wellness Coordinator)
- 2:00 p.m. Planning for the Future of Work – learn more about the Return to McMaster planning and join this interactive session to consider the key considerations to plan for the future of work at McMaster with Wanda McKenna (Chief Human Resources Officer), Susan Mitchell (Director of Administration) and Kim Dej (Acting Vice-Provost, Faculty).
- 2:50 p.m. Closing Remarks and Photo Contest Winner Announcement with Jesse Wilson (HR Forum Planning Committee Member) and Wanda McKenna (Chief Human Resources Officer)
PARTICIPATE in our PHOTO CONTEST by Telling us it’s Spring without telling us it’s Spring. We invite you to participate in the HR Forum spring photo challenge. You can participate by uploading a photo that signifies spring to you and voting on your favourite photo. The contest is now open and will continue to run throughout the day of the forum.
*Learn more about our guest panelists!
Brett Leibsker, Interim AVP HR, University of Chicago
Brett Leibsker joined the Human Resources team at the University of Chicago in 2018. In his chief human resources officer role, Leibsker leads a team of 45 employees comprising six centers of excellence including employee & labor relations professionals (13 contracts), total rewards (health, welfare, retirement, and compensation), human capital analytics, HR information systems (Workday), and talent management/acquisition to create a simple and seamless human resources experience for the University of Chicago staff and faculty of more than 10,000. Leibsker also leads a team of Employee and Labor Relations consultants who advise campus leaders on related matters for more than 8,000 union and non-union represented employees. He has experience counseling all levels of management on labor and employment issues, including development of the overall labor relations strategy, and he has extensive experience as chief negotiator at collective bargaining negotiations. Leibsker has held similar roles in local government, manufacturing, and in the service industry. Leibsker holds a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and a master’s degree in industrial relations from Loyola University of Chicago Quinlan School of Business.
Peggy Capitain, Senior Manager, Future of Work and Culture at RBC
Peggy Capitain is the Senior Manager, Future of Work & Culture and she leads key talent strategies to ensure RBC thrives in the rapidly changing world. During her tenure in Human Resources, she led many high-impact programs that aimed to unleash employees’ potential. They include: diversity and inclusion initiatives to increase the representation of women and visible minorities in leadership roles, work-integrated learning strategies to help young people navigate the school to work transition, as well as the enterprise reskilling strategy to help employees build relevant skills and thrive in the new world of work. Since joining RBC almost two decades ago, she has held several progressive roles at RBC in many areas, including Retail Banking, Advice Centre, Enterprise Operations, and Human Resources.
Peggy is a dedicated community leader and has led many successful fundraising campaigns helping advance women and children’s holistic well-being. In recognition of her contributions and achievement in her communities, she was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the RBC Global Citizen Award in 2017.
In her spare time, Peggy enjoys exploring new adventures with her husband and son. To fuel her curiosity and love of learning, she sought higher education and graduated from the Executive MBA program with Ivey Business School at Western University in 2019.
Jamie Bruno, Chief Transformational and Organization Culture Officer, Ontario Tech University
Jamie joined Ontario Tech University in 2017 and was recently assigned as executive lead on work transformation and organizational culture. In addition to this expanded accountability, Jamie maintains leadership for the full scope of human resources at Ontario Tech, including labour relations, total rewards, disability management, and organizational development.
Jamie has spent nearly 20 years in both human resources and labour relations across the broader public sector, serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at North York General Hospital, where he launched the hospital’s first People Strategy, and leading strategic HR business operations at both Treasury Board Secretariat and Ministry of Government Services in the Ontario Public Service.
Jamie holds a master’s degree in industrial relations from Queen’s University and is completing his executive MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.
For any questions or to discuss any accommodation requirements, contact Christine Costa, Organizational Development and Design Consultant, at costac5@mcmaster.ca.