Canadian Institute for Procurement and Materiel Management

2016 CIPMM National Workshop - Speaker BIOs

Session 1
Build in Canada Program

Anna Kourla, Senior Advisor, Build in Canada Innovation Program, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Anna Kourla has been with the Build in Canada Innovation Program almost since its inception in 2010. After serving as an Innovation Management Advisor managing the testing of Canadian innovations with government departments before moving to her current position as the program’s lead on outreach and communications.

Anna’s field of expertise is in communications and marketing. Prior to joining Public Services and Procurement Canada, she worked for several years for the Department of National Defence handling various public affairs and operational communications portfolios. She has also had an extensive career in the private sector handling the communications requirements of small and medium sized companies.

Session 2
Government Procurement Obligations in Canada’s International Trade Agreements

Pierre Marier, Director, Government Procurement, Trade and Environment (TPZ), Global Affairs Canada

Pierre Marier is the Director of the Government Procurement, Trade and Environment Division at Global Affairs Canada. Mr. Marier is responsible for leading Canadian trade policy interests in the areas of Government Procurement and Trade and Environment internationally, including at the World Trade Organization and in the context of free trade agreements (FTAs). Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Marier was responsible for leading Canada’s positions in the area of Rules of Origin. In this capacity, Mr. Marier was Canada’s Lead Negotiator for Rules of Origin in multiple FTA negotiations, including the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Mr. Marier has also worked in the trade policy areas of Goods Market Access (tariffs), Trade Facilitation, and Emergency Actions (bilateral safeguards). Prior to joining Global Affairs Canada in 2006, Mr. Marier worked as a Senior Economist in the Trade Policy Division within Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Carlos Vanderloo, Deputy-Director, Government Procurement, Trade and Environment Division (TPZ), Global Affairs Canada

Carlos Vanderloo is the Deputy Director responsible for Government Procurement Trade Policy in the Government Procurement, Trade and Environment Division at Global Affairs Canada. Mr. Vanderloo is responsible for advancing Canadian government procurement trade policy interests internationally, including at the WTO and in bilateral free trade negotiations. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Vanderloo was responsible for coordinating Canada’s trade policy initiatives in Latin America, including exploratory trade discussions with Mercosur, the implementation of the Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement as well as Canada’s trade policy engagement with the Pacific Alliance. From 2007-2011, Mr. Vanderloo was posted to Canada’s Mission to the European Union in Brussels where he worked in the trade policy section. Mr. Vanderloo joined Global Affairs Canada in 2003 and has worked in various areas, including trade missions, cabinet affairs as well as the bilateral relations with Europe desk.

Session 3
The Challenges of Procuring in an Emergency Situation

Carlo Beaudoin, Chief Financial Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada

Carlo Beaudoin was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Public Health Agency of Canada in November 2013. Mr. Beaudoin has been with Office of the Chief Financial Officer at the agency since 2011. Prior to this Mr. Beaudoin had spent over 20 years in the federal government primarily in the areas of financial management and internal audit with Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Department and Finance and Treasury Board Secretariat. Mr. Beaudoin has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Bishop’s University and holds a designation as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). Mr. Beaudoin is responsible for finance and resource management, the Centre for Grants and Contributions and co-manages the financial operations under a portfolio shared services partnership with Health Canada.

Patricia Stewart, Procurement Section Head, Department of National Defence

Patricia Stewart has been working as a senior procurement & contracting manager with the Department of National Defence for over 30 years. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, with directed research studies in “Federal Procurement as an Instrument of Canadian Industrial Policy”. In addition to her current position as the manager for transportation contracting, she has supported a variety of major procurement projects, has contributed to the department’s acquisition and procurement reform efforts and has been a mentor both formally and informally to junior procurement personnel.

Session 4
Defense Procurement Strategy

Charles McColgan, Executive Director, Defence Procurement Strategy

Charles McColgan joined Public Services and Procurement Canada in May 2015 in the role of Executive Director, Defence Procurement Strategy Secretariat. Prior to his arrival Charles was the Director General Transformation in the Innovation and Information Technology Branch of Employment and Social Development Canada. He also had an extensive career within the Department of National Defence working for three different Branches of the Department at different times. In addition to working in the National Capital Region for most of his career, he also had the opportunity to spend three years in Brussels, Belgium at the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO Headquarters as the First Secretary Infrastructure and Finance, working for the Assistant Deputy Minister, Finance and Corporate Services at DND and the Canadian Ambassador to NATO.

Session 5
Acquisition Cards, an e-Procurement Tool in the CRA

Suzanne Young, Assistant Director, Canada Revenue Agency

Suzanne is the Assistant Director responsible for client support in the Contracting division at the Canada Revenue Agency. Her mandate includes acquisition support, business processes and systems analysis for the maintenance and enhancements of e-procurement and business intelligence tools, stakeholder communication, reporting and monitoring of procurement activities.

Harold Lessard, Acting Director, Canada Revenue Agency / Directeur intérimaire, Agence du revenue du Canada

Harold Lessard is an Assistant Director within the Contracting Division at the Canada Revenue Agency. He has extensive experience in the area of Procurement Services, Materiel Management and Supply Chain Management. Harold’s team manages CRA’s requirements for goods and tax programs support services.

Session 6
PSPC Client Satisfaction Survey

Caroline Landry, Regional Director, National Capital Region, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Caroline hails from Atlantic Canada and joined the federal public service in 2000 after a lengthy career in the regional economic development field.

In 2008, she moved to Ottawa to join Public Works and Government Services Canada, Acquisitions Branch. Caroline is currently an Account Executive for the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and Strategic Engagement.

Caroline holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Session 7
Don't take a back seat when it comes to your ergonomic health.
Presented by: Grand & Toy

Chris Batchelar Account Manager, Eastern Ontario- ergoCentric

Has been selling ergonomic seating solutions for a total of 8 years (2 with ergoCentric and 6 with Grand & Toy). Providing ergonomic solutions to Crown Corporations, Hospitals and Educational Institutions, Provincial Government, Federal Government and Private Large and Enterprise Businesses.

Session 8
Implementing Performance Standards

Thomas John Connolly, Chief, Assets and Data Management Health Canada / Public Health Agency of Canada

Thomas John (TJ) Connolly graduated from St. Francis Xavier University where he was chosen, by his peers and professors as Valedictorian for the graduating class of 2002. TJ began his career in the private sector with Microsoft Canada with a focus on Marketing Enterprise Solutions for Government Organizations. TJ joined the Public Service in 2005 where he began work at the Public Health Agency of Canada. TJ went on to join the Health Canada Procurement team in 2007 as a junior procurement officer, advancing to Chief of Procurement and Contracting in 2014. TJ now leads the Assets and Data Management Unit of Health Canada. Under Health Canada TJ has contributed to the procurement business process mapping of multiple procurement and data systems employed at Health Canada including most recently the Procure to Pay (P2P) implementation within SAP.

Session 9
Ottawa City Implementing Supplier Performance Standards

Will McDonald, Chief Procurement Officer, City of Ottawa

Will McDonald is the Chief Procurement Officer for the City of Ottawa. He leads a purchasing team that procures more than $1 billion dollars of goods, services and construction on an annual basis on behalf of the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Police Services and the Ottawa Public Library. Will possess over 17 years of procurement experience at the Federal and Municipal levels, and in the Private Sector developing bid strategies for client organizations responding to procurement initiatives from all levels of Government.

Session 10
Are you ready to manage a P3 Relationship? You decide

Michael Komery, Director General, Corporate Services Operations and Private Public Partnership (P3) Management, Communications Security Establishment (CSE).

Michael joined CSE in March 2014 as the Director, Acquisition, Material and Contract Management (AMCM) which consists of Procurement, Service Management (P3 Oversight), and Asset Management. Since May 2015, Michael led the management and the transition to a new way of doing business under a P3.

Michael began his federal career in 1990 as an Intern Officer under the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Over the last 25 years he has held a variety of managerial and senior officer positions at Canada Border Services Agency, Department of Justice, Library and Archives Canada, Canada Revenue Agency and PWGSC, leading complex multi-million dollar projects related to supply chain management, shared services and facility management.

Mike Marasco, CEO Plenary Concessions, Plenary Group

Plenary Concession is the company which holds all Plenary project specific companies. In this capacity, Mike is responsible for project development, delivery and asset management for Plenary Group building projects in North America. Prior to joining Plenary Group, Mike was one of the founders and Vice-President, Partnerships Development & Delivery for Partnerships BC, where during his tenure, Partnerships BC closed more than $4.7 billion in eleven infrastructure projects in health, transportation, advanced education and resource sectors. Mike is a Director for a number of private companies, and sits on the Boards of both the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships and the National Council for Public Private Partnerships in the US. With his 26 years of public sector experience and his 9+ years in the private sector, Mike has a solid understanding of the value proposition that the private sector brings to the development of public infrastructure in North America.

Bruce Hirst, Deputy Chief, Corporate Services

Mr. Hirst was appointed Deputy Chief of Corporate Services (DCCS) in October 2011 and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in June 2012. Prior to his appointment, Bruce was Executive Vice President and CFO for London Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Health Care, one of Ontario’s largest health care complexes. In this capacity, he was responsible for the financial management of a $1.2 billion budget, contracting, material management, retail food services, as well as housekeeping and security services.

Previous to his tenure in the Health Care industry, Bruce had an extensive career in the federal public service. In 2008, he was appointed the Assistant Deputy Minister and CFO of the department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), a $2.5 billion department with 160 embassies and missions worldwide. Before his time at DFAIT, Bruce was Director General, Finance at Natural Resources Canada, a science-based department conducting research and funding private sector initiatives to foster development and protect Canada’s resources. From 1992-2002, Bruce held various executive positions within the Office of the Comptroller General (OCG) and Treasury Board of Canada (TBS) . Bruce was responsible for providing internal government direction and policies to over 100 departments and agencies.

Prior to entering the public service, Bruce had a successful career in the Royal Canadian Navy holding senior level positions in the finance, procurement and human resource areas.

Ross Welsman, Director, National Capital Region, Defence Construction Canada

Ross Welsman graduated in 1982 as a Civil Engineer from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Since that time he has had a varied career working for government, owners and consultants in the private sector in the areas of Engineering, Real Property and Environmental, all connected to infrastructure. He worked for a Heavy Civil Contractor, as a Project Manager, building bridges, sub-divisions and dams, for Oil Companies as a Project Manager managing the investigation, design, construction and operation of environmental remediation at retail petroleum sites across Atlantic Canada, and for a publicly traded IT school as a Vice President managing the design, leasing, construction and operation and maintenance of 6 schools in class A buildings across Canada and the US.

Ross has served 15 years with Defence Construction Canada (DCC). The major areas of operation in DCC, a federal crown corporation established by Parliament to deliver defence related projects under the Defence Production Act, are procurement and contract management of new construction, renovations, operations and maintenance and environmental remediation. During this time Ross has contributed in many different capacities starting as a Project Engineer at a three different military bases, to an Area Engineer responsible DCC operations in Atlantic Canada and to Regional Director for Atlantic. Ross moved to Ottawa in 2011 to take up the position of Director of the National Capital Region. He is also National Service Line Leader for Real Property Management Services in DCC.

Session 11
Managing the RCMP Uniform Program

Supt. Ian Cowan, Director, Uniform and Equipment Program, RCMP A second generation member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Supt. Cowan’s brother is also a member of the RCMP. Supt. Cowan attended Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry, he then pursued a career with the RCMP, attending Depot in 1986.

Upon graduating from Depot, Supt. Cowan was posted to Neguac, New Brunswick where he worked in General Duty Policing. Three transfers, a marriage, four children, and eleven years of service later, Supt. Cowan was promoted to corporal and transferred to Cornwall, Ontario, working on Cross Border Crime. Supt. Cowan left Cornwall as the S/Sgt Operations NCO i/c in January of 2007, to take his commission to the rank of inspector in Ottawa. In May of 2009, Supt. Cowan assumed the Director’s position at the Uniform & Equipment Program, which also oversees the operations of the National Armourer Program.

Supt. Cowan is an accredited strategic planner with experience at the detachment, provincial, and branch levels. He has extensive knowledge and experience on the delivery of uniform and equipment items to law enforcement. Second generation member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Supt. Cowan’s brother is also a member of the RCMP.

Lunch with a Keynote Speaker
Ray Zahab, Ultra-Marathon Runner and Adventurer, Turning the Ordinary into Extraordinary: How We Are Capable of Exceeding Our Perceived Limits

A former “pack a day smoker,” Ray Zahab ran across the Sahara Desert in 111 days; he ran the three coastal trails of Canada, covering 400 kilometres; he and two others broke the world speed record for an unsupported expedition by a team to the South Pole; he ran 1,200 kilometres in 20 days in the Atacama Desert; and in 2013, he took on his most gruelling journey yet when he ran over 2,000 kilometres to cross Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, and if that’s not enough, in 2015 he ran 1000km across the Patagonian Desert. The founder of impossible2Possible, an organization that inspires and educates youth through adventure learning, and the host of television’s The Project and To The Edge, Ray’s high energy and visually stunning presentations showcase his challenging adventures, focus on his philanthropic endeavours, and–most importantly—relay that the impossible is possible.

National Geographic tracked Ray's journey across the Sahara for their documentary Running The Sahara, produced by Matt Damon, and directed by Academy Award winner James Moll, showing not just Ray's incredible feat, but also raising awareness for the drinking water crisis in North Africa. After this experience, Ray decided to leverage his future adventures to raising awareness and funding for causes that he supports and believes in. Running The Sahara began a journey of discovery: that we ALL can truly achieve extraordinary things.

Ray founded impossible2Possible (i2P) in 2008, which sees young people taking part in amazing challenge-based expeditions, with students around the world taking part using virtual technology.

Incredibly, Ray has also found the time to write two successful books, Running for My Life and Running to Extremes, for young readers.

A member of the board of Directors of Ryan's Well Foundation, an Athletic Ambassador and Board Member of ONExONE.org, and a representative of SpreadTheNet, Ray received the 2007 ONExONE Difference Award and the 2010 Torchbearers Award. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Canadian Geographical Society.

Ray has spoken at events such as TED, IOC World Conference, The Economist World, and World Affairs Council, spreading the message that we are all capable of the extraordinary in our lives and that in fact, the impossible is possible.

Session 12
Does your procurement have CLCA Obligations?

Cathryn Kallwitz, Director of Operations, Setaside Solutions

Cathryn Kallwitz is Director, Operations, Setaside Solutions - an Aboriginal Joint Venture with RFP Solutions, that specializes in providing procurement advisory and support services to the Canadian public sector. Setaside Solutions’ focus is on assisting organizations to implement policies and processes that support the engagement of Aboriginal peoples and businesses within a sustainable procurement practice.

Cathryn has over 12 years of professional experience in the field of procurement and asset/materiel management, and a depth of expertise in the application of Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements (CLCAs) in the procurement process. She provides strategic and transactional advice to public sector clients in the planning, development and execution of complex procurement strategies, RFx processes and evaluation methods, organizational asset and procurement management assessment and the design and delivery of training to managers and operational personnel.

Drawing upon her experience working with over 100 organizations at all levels of the Canadian public sector on complex, high value procurement files, she and her team work to support both corporate administrative staff and program personnel in applying CLCA obligations, Aboriginal Business strategies and related policies and requirements in their procurement processes.

Cathryn led the design and managed the development and implementation of Setaside Solutions’ C5Expert® System and Quick Search Map - a software-as-a-service system that assists public sector organizations and Aboriginal Nations in identifying procurement obligations under Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements applicable to their specific procurement transactions. For 6 years the C5Expert® systems and services have supported clients with over 700 procurement projects to assess and implement the requirements of CLCAs successfully within their process and contracts.

Dennis Brunner, Senior Advisor, Treaties & Aboriginal Government, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

Dennis is a federal government employee with many years of experience in the fields of contracting, policy development, professional training and development, systems design, accounting and finance. He is currently a senior advisor with the Implementation Branch at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. He provides advice and guidance to federal government contracting and project authorities when their contractual requirement is a deliverable of a good, service or construction in a Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (CLCA) area.

He has built Aboriginal Benefits Plans to address CLCA contracting obligations for major projects such as the DND Alert Bay facility in Nunavut, the 5 Wing Goose Bay care and maintenance in Labrador, and the North Warning System.

Dennis has trained over 2,700 federal government employees on CLCA contracting obligations. In addition, he has provided contracting related awareness sessions to numerous CLCA signatories.

Dennis has an outstanding grasp of the complex constitutionally protected contracting obligations found in CLCAs.

Session 13
Open Dialogue on the Certification Program for the Federal Government Procurement and Materiel Management Communities

Melody Jeaurond, Senior Advisor and Certification Program Manager Acquired Services and Assets Sector, Office of the Comptroller General, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Melody Jeaurond joined Treasury Board Secretariat in 2014, where she passionately shares her vast knowledge, gained during almost 15 years in procurement operations, as Senior Advisor in the Acquired Services and Assets Sector Communities Management Office, Office of the Comptroller General. She moonlights as the jet-setting representative of the Certification Program for the Federal Government Procurement and Materiel Management Communities. She has a degree in international business from Carleton University and speaks four languages.

Session 14
Beyond The Box Creativity Exercise & Interactive session

Bob Presner, President, Beyond the Box, Inc.

Bob Presner comes from both the business and creative sides of movies, where he worked as a producer, completion guarantor, production manager and assistant director on feature films, television series, documentaries and commercials. As former President of Film Finances Canada, he was responsible for the successful completion and delivery of more than $200,000,000 worth of production each year. He has worked on projects helmed by esteemed directors such as Tony Scott, Atom Egoyan, Deepa Mehta, David Cronenberg, Robert Lepage and Sidney Furie, as well as Academy Award® winners Paul Schrader, Sir Richard Attenborough and Denys Arcand.
As President of Beyond the Box, Bob runs leadership training and team-building workshops for international corporations, three levels of government, and not-for-profit organizations. Clients include the Bank of Canada, Kellogg's, Accenture, CIBC, the Treasury Board Secretariat, Audi, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Lola Rasminsky, C.M.: Founder and Vice-President, Beyond the Box, Inc.

Founder Lola Rasminsky has built four successful arts-based enterprises: a corporate training company - Beyond the Box; a thriving arts school - the Avenue Road Arts School; and two charitable organization - Arts for Children and Youth and the Arts Access Fund. Armed with a M.A. in Philosophy and training as an educator, Lola is interested in new ways to develop and internalize the skills needed to think differently. She is also trained in the Aboriginal Circle Process of conflict resolution.
In 2006, Lola received the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Trailblazer Category. In 2007, she was given the Toronto Mayor’s Arts Award. In 2008, she was honoured with the Order of Canada. In 2009, she received the Canadian Urban Institute’s Local Hero Award. She currently sits as a Board Member of the Toronto Foundation.

Session 15
OSME Supplier Survey Results

Lori Kibbee, Senior Director, Public Works Government Services Canada

Lori Kibbee has 20 years of experience as a public policy professional in the Government of Canada. In 2009, Lori joined the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) in Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) - the federal government's purchasing department. She is the Senior Director responsible for Supplier Engagement and Regional Coordination.

OSME is mandated to assist small and medium enterprises in doing business with the Government of Canada. OSME provides information and support to existing and potential suppliers, and advocates on their behalf to address barriers to their participation in federal procurement.

Lori holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Carleton University. She is married to a member of the Canadian Forces and has two young daughters.

Session 16
Essential Transformation: A Vision for the Procurement Group in the Government of Canada

Jessica Sultan, Director, Strategic Procurement and Contracting Operations, Contracting and Material Management Comptrollership Branch, Canada Border Services Agency

Jessica joined the Public Service in 2002. She has spent her career in procurement, beginning as a recruit/trainee in the PG Development Program at DND in 2002, and spending over ten years at National Defence before joining the Canada Border Services Agency in 2012. Jessica is currently the Director of Strategic Procurement and Contracting Operations at the CBSA.

Session 17
Fairness Monitoring – Lessons Learned

Steve Johnston, Managing Director, RFP Solutions Inc.

Steve Johnston is the Managing Director of RFP Solutions Inc., specializing in providing procurement and fairness support to all levels of the public sector in Canada. Steve is a Fairness Specialist for Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Fairness Monitoring Program.
Prior to joining RFP solutions in 2010, Steve enjoyed a career in the Federal Public Service for more than 35 years.

Steve has over 30 years of experience in public sector procurement. In the last 5 years alone, he has provided Fairness Monitor and Advisory services to over 50 high profile public procurement projects, including a variety of infrastructure, capital equipment, complex services and solutions’ acquisitions, across a variety of sectors; collectively valued at over $12 Billion.

Steve is the former Corporate Secretary for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (now Indigenous and Northern Affairs). As a member of the department’s Senior Executive Committee, he was responsible for providing executive support and planning to the Minister’s and Deputy Minister’s offices, as well as for the corporate management of the department’s Access to Information and Privacy and Indian and Inuit Art Centre programs. Steve established the department’s Centre for Integrity, Values and Conflict Resolution and served as Senior Integrity Officer. In this role, Steve was the Departmental liaison to the Procurement Ombudsman on fairness, and was also responsible for conducting investigations and reviews into procurement and fairness issues.

Prior to his appointment as Corporate Secretary, Steve served as INAC’s Director of Administrative Services for nine years where he was responsible for a wide range of support services, including the management of the department’s $250 million plus annual procurement program and management of departmental assets and property. During this time, Steve was a very active member of the federal procurement and real property communities, serving on various interdepartmental fora. He was a member of CIPMM’s Board of Directors for many years and served both as President for three (3) terms and as past president. He was also a founding member of the Real Property Institute of Canada.

In 2012, Steve received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to the Federal Public Service.

Richard DeVidi, A/Director, Fairness Monitoring & Business Dispute Management, PSPC

Richard DeVidi is Acting Director of the Fairness Monitoring Program at Public Services and Procurement Canada. He joined the federal public service in 2007. Richard has been involved with the Fairness Monitoring Program since 2010.

Richard holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario.

Session 18
Collaboration and the Implementation of the Integrity Regime

Lyndsay Rajaram, Manager, Policy, Analysis and Reporting

Lyndsay Rajaram is the manager of the Policy, Analysis and Reporting Unit in Material Management at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She has been with AAFC since 2006 spending her entire time within the Material Management division. She started working in procurement of goods and assets, then moved onto professional services contracting, and in 2015 assumed the role of manager in Policy. Currently she is responsible for departmental reporting obligations, implementing new initiatives such as the Integrity Regime and various other procurement related activities. In 2012 Lyndsay obtained her level 1 Certified Federal Specialist in Procurement.

Deborah Bellocchi-Covella, Functional Analyst Procurement Policy Analysis
Deborah Bellocchi-Covella is the Functional Analyst for the Procurement Policy Analysis and Reporting Unit at Natural Resources Canada. She has been with NRCan since 2009 where she started out as an Executive Assistant to the Associate Executive Director in the Shared Services Office. After three years of gaining extensive knowledge of NRCan’s client services she moved into her current role as Functional Analyst. She is currently responsible for departmental reporting obligations such as Access to Information, Parliamentary requests and Proactive Disclosure. Additionally, Deborah is responsible for liaising with stakeholders to ensure reporting data accuracy, developing and maintaining operating procedures, contributing to business process improvements and implementing new initiatives such as the Integrity Regime and various other procurement related actives.
She performs quality control reviews on procurement related reports and files to ensure policy compliance as well as data accuracy and identifies and implements corrective actions as appropriate. In her role as the departmental subject matter expert in intergovernmental working groups (SAP Partner Forum – Material Management, and Open Government Working Group) relating to procurement reporting and business process improvements, Deborah was able to contribute to refining the new Proactive Disclosure of Contracting Data on the Open Government Portal. The creation of a working group with AAFC, DFO and CFIA has allowed her to build a great working relationship with these departments allowing them the opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing to adopt a more unified approach to procurement and reporting.

Kathrine Abrams, Manager, Materiel Management and Procurement Policy
Katie Abrams recently joined the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as Manager of Materiel and Procurement Policy. During this past decade, prior to accepting this role, she worked up within Public Works and Government Services Canada to the Team Leader level delivering a wide range of procurement and support services, both in Headquarters and from Ontario’s regional office in Kingston. Katie also has significant experience in strategic policy and planning as she lead and participated in a number of initiatives in support of the procurement transformation process (Procurement Renewal) at PWGSC. Katie has also delivered a number of courses, training events and speeches at department and client-sponsored events. While she has experience in a wide array of commodities due to her background in headquarters and the regions, she considers her expertise to be aligned with the procurement of professional services. Katie holds a Bachelor of International Business degree from Carleton University and recently graduated from Queens University with a Masters in Public Administration. She is also a graduate of the procurement professional (Intern Officer) development program at PWGSC and was part of the first graduating class of Ontario Federal Council’s Leadership Development Program.

Brenda Harlow, Team Leader, Procurement Services
Brenda Harlow is currently the Team Leader with Procurement Services within the Finance and Procurement Branch at Natural Resources Canada. Mrs. Harlow has over thirty years of experience within the Federal Government. Mrs. Harlow work experiences in procurement, including project-related roles, were gained while working at PWGSC, Correctional Services Canada including the last seven years within NRCan. Mrs. Harlow has worked in various levels of procurement from simple transactional requirements to supporting the first refresh of the TBIPS procurement vehicle. Mrs. Harlow provided training in procurement, SAP and as a “super user” including guidance for development of procedures. Currently, Mrs. Harlow participates in various Advisory Committees, takes on complex files and work on sensitive requirements including manages a team of Buyers that process various types of requirements up to the departmental limit of $2M.

Peter Waisberg, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Peter Waisberg joined Public Services and Procurement Canada in November 2014 in the role of Chief, Integrity Policy to work on policy development for the Integrity Regime. Since the announcement of the Regime in July 2015, Peter has worked with client departments and agencies on the implementation of the Integrity Regime across the federal government.

Archie Pacheco, Manager, Procurement Policy Analysis and Reporting Unit
Archie joined Natural Resources Canada in 2010 as the Manager of the Procurement Policy Analysis and Reporting Unit. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a graduate of Public Works and Government Service Intern Officer Program in 1989. He worked for over 20 years within PWGSC, both in Ottawa and the Winnipeg and Vancouver regional offices where he gained extensive experience in procurement, project management and quality assurance work. His most memorable work included working with NASA on the Canadarm and the Robotic Workstation; with DND on jet fighter training; a Major Crown Project (Radar maintenance up North) ; and the acquisition of services for plucking and eviscerating chickens for Correctional Services. No work was too big or too small.

Today, he is responsible for establishing and operating NRCan’s Procurement Quality Assurance program. He manages a small but effective team responsible for departmental procurement monitoring and reporting, implementing new initiatives (integrity framework) and using his unique perspective to improve the overall quality of procurement in his department.

Session 19
The Impact of CLCA's on your process

Dennis Brunner, Senior Advisor, Treaties & Aboriginal Government, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

Dennis is a federal government employee with many years of experience in the fields of contracting, policy development, professional training and development, systems design, accounting and finance. He is currently a senior advisor with the Implementation Branch at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. He provides advice and guidance to federal government contracting and project authorities when their contractual requirement is a deliverable of a good, service or construction in a Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (CLCA) area.

He has built Aboriginal Benefits Plans to address CLCA contracting obligations for major projects such as the DND Alert Bay facility in Nunavut, the 5 Wing Goose Bay care and maintenance in Labrador, and the North Warning System.

Dennis has trained over 2,700 federal government employees on CLCA contracting obligations. In addition, he has provided contracting related awareness sessions to numerous CLCA signatories.

Dennis has an outstanding grasp of the complex constitutionally protected contracting obligations found in CLCAs.

Session 20
Fleet Management

Serge Joannisse, Senior Policy Analyst, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Serge Joanisse is a Senior Policy Analyst in the Real Property and Materiel Policy Division of the Office of the Comptroller General at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Serge has worked in the federal public service for 36 years and has been at the Secretariat since 1997, where he has maintained a portfolio on materiel and fleet management policy direction and guidance.

Prior to this, Serge spent 18 years at PWGSC in various positions including Section Chief and Commodity Manager for the unit that was responsible for the procurement of motor vehicles for client departments.

Serge currently manages the Treasury Board policy instruments related to the management of the federal fleet of motor vehicles and he also chairs the inter-departmental Fleet Management Working Group.

Session 21
Buy and Sell Demo

Kenneth McMillan, Acting Regional Director, National Capital Region of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Kenneth McMillan is the acting regional director for the National Capital Region of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises. He has been a project manager on theBuyandsell.gc.ca program since 2010. He builds relationships with stakeholders, manages and controls contract progress, and analyzes requirements. He spreads his time between strategic activities and operations, with an occasional foray into tactical work. He has extensive experience in private and public sector business projects.

Session 22
Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business (PSAB) for Government of Canada

Dolores Coelho, Sr. Program Officer, Aboriginal Economic and Business Opportunities Branch
Dolores joined Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) in 1999 after a career of 15 years with one of Canada’s top financial institutions where, she held the position of Regional Coordinator for the Administration Unit, dealing with clients, administrative staff and management. Since September 2000, Dolores has been a Senior Program Officer in the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal (PSAB) unit. She has brought a great deal of knowledge and experience dealing with both the Procurement Community, as well as Aboriginal Businesses. Her responsibilities include Promoting and Advocating on behalf of the Aboriginal Businesses, and she has continually provided guidance on many procurement needs. She also advises on applying the PSAB strategy and how it may pertains to the procurement process when dealing with Aboriginal Communities and or Aboriginal businesses.

Her focus at present is ensuring that the procurement community and Aboriginal businesses are given the knowledge and opportunities to understand and apply both the PSAB and CLCA considerations.

Session 23
Enterprise Assets Management Forum

Blair Hurd, Assets Manager, Chief Financial Officer Branch, Health Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada
Blair Hurd is Assets Manager, Materiel and Assets Management Division, Health Canada andhas over 15 years experience in the Materials Management field. Blair started his career at Industry Canada in 1998 in the warehouse at the Communications Research Centre and has gained his experience in the field of procurement and assets management over the years. Blair has worked in various modules in SAP, such as the Materials Management Module, the Plant Maintenance Module and the Assets Accounting Module of SAP and is a strong promoter of the systems capabilities.

Opening Keynote
Lisa Campbell, Assistant Deputy Minister, Defense Procurement, Acquisitions Branch

Lisa Campbell was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of the Acquisitions Branch in January 2015. She leads the organization that is the government’s primary defence and marine procurement service provider. The Acquisitions Branch provides specialized negotiation and contracting services, notably for the Canadian military, for which it establishes and manages contracts to acquire a wide range of technically complex systems for land, naval and aerospace environments. This includes the acquisition and maintenance of ships, aircraft, armoured vehicles and weapons, as well as complex security and information systems. Given the global nature of supply chains, requirements for interoperability and compliance with trade agreements, Ms. Campbell and her group regularly engage with counterpart agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries.
Ms. Campbell has extensive experience in the private and public sectors. As a litigator in private practice, she worked in the areas of criminal, competition and constitutional law. Ms. Campbell has held numerous senior management positions within the federal public service, including at the Department of Justice Canada, the Office of Indian Residential Schools Resolution of Canada, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Competition Bureau. Ms. Campbell holds a bachelor of arts in political science from McGill University and a bachelor of laws from Dalhousie Law School. She is a graduate of the Canada School of Public Service’s Advanced Leadership and Living Leadership Programs. She has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1993.

Session 24
Procurement Modernization

Carolyne Blain, DG of the Policy, Risk, Integrity and Strategic Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Carolyne Blain is Director General of the Policy, Risk, Integrity and Strategic Management Sector and has recently joined the department. Prior to her arrival, Carolyne was the Executive Director for the Mining and Processing Division with Environment and Climate Change Canada, where she was responsible for regulatory policy and oversight of a portfolio consisting of the mining sector and other industrial sectors including iron and steel, iron ore pellets, potash, cement, lime, base metal smelters, and aluminum. Prior to this position, Carolyne was Director of the Waste Reduction and Management Division, Director of Regulatory Affairs Division and Director of the Biotechnology Secretariat. Before joining ECCC, she worked with the Treasury Board Secretariat and with the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Carolyne has been with the federal public service for over 26 years. She has a BSc in Biology and an MBA from the University of Ottawa.

Vicki Ghadban, Director General, Acquistions Program Transformation, Public Services and Procurement Canada Vicki Ghadban has been with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) (formerly Public Works and Government Services Canada) Acquisitions Branch (AB) since September 2008.

Vicki as led numerous transformational and complex initiatives in procurement since she joined PSPC such as a new national strategy for licensing commercial software, renewal of professional services procurement, new Government of Canada Shared Travel Service, and a number of complex space, satellite, and major service delivery procurement projects.

Since July 2012, Vicki has been leading the transformation of the Government of Canada Acquisitions Program. This transformation initiative is an IT-enabled business transformation that involves a review of business processes, including simplifying, standardizing and streamlining procurement business processes to make it easier for government clients to buy, for suppliers to sell to government, and to support the shift to an e-business model. Central to the transformation is the acquisition and implementation of a off the shelf commercial e-Procurement Solution for the Government of Canada. The e-Procurement Solution will improve client service, reduce costs and process burden for clients and suppliers, provide better information to support decision making to manage procurement and will enhance transparency and openness.
Prior to joining PSPC, Vicki held successively responsible procurement positions from procurement officer trainee to Director in the Department of National Defence, where she supported the Canadian Forces through such challenges as Y2K and support to the Canadian Forces missions in Bosnia and Afghanistan. Vicki holds a Bachelor of Public Administration degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and has completed the Public Executive Program at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Emilio Franco, Director, Electronic Procurement Solution Directorate, APTS, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Emilio Franco is the Director of Electronic Procurement at Public Services and Procurement Canada, where he leads the Government of Canada wide e-Procurement Solution Project – an initiative to transform and deliver new technology to support suppliers, buyers, and procurement professionals across Canada. His career has focused on modernizing procurement to respond to the challenges and opportunities of new technology, including extensive work in the areas of social media, cloud computing, and IT procurement. He holds both a Master of Science in Electronic Business Technologies and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa.

Session 25
Best Practices in Government Contingent Labour Management

Matt Moloney, Senior Client Executive, Flextrack
Matt Moloney has been delivering contingent labour solutions to public and private sector clients for the last 14 years. His focus has been current/future state planning with clients and getting them "program ready" as they look to implement MSP/VMS solutions. Matt's public sector experience extends back to 2003. Matt has been tasked with providing contract labour, consulting on labour analytics, and workforce planning and design. Matt spent the bulk of 2013 helping to implement the first MSP/VMS solution in a Canadian Province. His focus on efficiency and cost savings has been seen by clients as a true value add as they continue to change the way they acquire talent in an ever changing marketplace.

Session 26
Are we sitting outselves to death?
Presented by: CORCAN

Leon DesRoches, BScKin; BScPT, Physiotherapist and the founder of Sparx Wellness Institute and, Sparx Innovation

Session 27
Managing Supplier Relationships

Valarie Vasku is the VP of Marketing for Tiree facility Solutions and for Tiree’s Joint Venture Partnership with Colliers Project Leaders. Valarie has spent the past 15 years leading RFP responses put out to market by public and private sectors and navigating the procurement processes with clients who are embarking on major project initiatives. As a member of Tiree’s executive team, Valarie is responsible for market positioning and strategic planning for the business. She is also responsible for the leadership and operational effectiveness of a national proposal centre, management of the proposal team in Canada and is accountable for overall bid compliance. In addition to her pursuit marketing role, Valarie is responsible for Tiree’s brand management and philanthropy program.

Session 28
Procurement as an enabler of Innovation
Getting procurement right the first time: Achieving value for money against the right criteria set

Peter Marshall, Professional Services Director, Commerce Decisions
Peter Marshall is Commerce Decisions’ Professional Services Director. His focus is on assisting clients to deploy best-practice bid evaluation techniques and the AWARD® solution on strategic procurement projects.

Peter has worked with government and defence for over 15 years on some of the largest capital and equipment programs undertaken. Peter is currently leading Commerce Decisions’ work in Canada, to facilitate the delivery of evaluation criteria, which will be used to assess prospective Combat Systems Integrators for the Canadian Surface Combatant. Peter has also supported the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation in the delivery of a Guided Missile Frigate (FFG) Group Maintenance Contract. He is a regular guest lecturer at the UK defence academy and recognised speaker at international procurement and defence conferences.

Session 29
Enterprise Assets Management

Blair Hurd, Assets Manager, Chief Financial Officer Branch, Health Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada
Blair Hurd is Assets Manager, Materiel and Assets Management Division, Health Canada andhas over 15 years experience in the Materials Management field. Blair started his career at Industry Canada in 1998 in the warehouse at the Communications Research Centre and has gained his experience in the field of procurement and assets management over the years. Blair has worked in various modules in SAP, such as the Materials Management Module, the Plant Maintenance Module and the Assets Accounting Module of SAP and is a strong promoter of the systems capabilities.

Session 30
What is the Current State of the Materiel Management Community in the Federal Public Service?”

Martine Rack, Senior Policy and Program Analyst Central Agency, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Martine Rack has been working as a Senior Advisor at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) since August 2014, where she has been applying her skills such as strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and instructional design to the priorities of the Acquired Services and Assets Sector Community Management Office (ASAS-CMO).

After spending 11 years working in the private sector, Martine started her federal career in 2001 with the Department of National Defence where she worked in the fields of professional development, organization development, transformational change management and business process management.

Martine has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, has a Diploma in Adult Education from St Francis Xavier University, has certifications in Organization Development,Transformational Change, Process Mastery, and LEAN, and holds many qualifications in administering various psychometric tools.

As part of her deliverables, Martine has been asked to explore and define the current state of materiel management within the federal public service in order to better determine the support and guidance that the ASAS CMO can offer the materiel management community.

Town Hall with Comptroller General of Canada
Meeting the challenges of 2016 and beyond

Bill Matthews, Comptroller General of Canada

Bill Matthews was appointed Comptroller General of Canada effective July 17, 2014.

The Comptroller General is responsible for government-wide direction and leadership for financial management, internal audit, federal assets and acquired services. The Comptroller General also supports capacity building and professional development in each of these areas.

Prior to becoming the Comptroller General, Mr. Matthews was Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, a position he accepted in 2011.

Before joining the Expenditure Management Sector, Mr. Matthews worked at the Office of the Comptroller General for seven years, serving as the Assistant Comptroller General in the Financial Management and Analysis Sector from 2009 to 2011.

Mr. Matthews is a chartered professional accountant with over 25 years of experience in accounting and financial management in both the public and private sectors.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University.

He also serves as a board member of the Public Sector Accounting Board and the University of Ottawa’s Institute for Mental Health Research

Session 31
How Resource Supply Affects Procurement Strategy

Sue Nuttall, VP, Government Solutions, Randstad

Sue is the VP Government Solutions for Randstad Canada. Sue has extensive expertise in building complex recruiting solution for some of Canada’s largest organizations. Mostly recently, Sue’s focus has been on building solutions to attract IT Professional Resources with niche skillsets from across Canada to meet the Federal Governments staff augmentation needs. Sue is a Professional Engineer by trade; she obtained an Electrical Engineering degree from Western University and has been instrumental in building multi-million dollar business entities throughout her 25 year career.

Session 32
The Relative Value for Money (RVfM) module in our AWARD software

Philip Lear, International Business Development Manager for Commerce Decisions Limited
Philip Lear is International Business Development Manager for Commerce Decisions Limited – the supplier selection experts. Philip has acquired extensive knowledge of global procurement processes, eProcurement technology and evaluation best practice methodologies. He regularly advises Government and Defence organisations in how to make more effective, robust and evidence based procurement decisions. Philip balances his time between Commerce Decisions’ Australian and Canadian operations with life at home in the UK.

Session 33
TBS Policy Reset: Overview of Proposed Changes to Procurement and Materiel Management Policy Instruments

Danielle Aubin, Senior Director, Real Property and Materiel Policy Division, Office of the Comptroller General, Treasury Board of Canada
Danielle Aubin is A/Manager, Procurement Policy Division of the Acquired Services and Assets Sector; she has been with the division since 2013. Prior to that she has worked in various strategic policy functions at Public Safety, Veterans Affairs and the Privy Council Office. She started her career at Treasury Board Secretariat as a program analyst. In her current role, Danielle provides advice on the application of the current Contracting Policy, and is leading the development of new procurement policies under Policy Suite Reset.

Allison Christie, Manager, Real Property and Materiel Policy Division, Office of the Comptroller General, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Allison Christie is Manager, Real Property and Materiel Division of the Acquired Services and Assets Sector. She is responsible for the materiel management policy suite and the Acquired Services and Assets area of management for the Management Accountability Framework. She has been with the division since 2013. Prior to that, Allison managed the TBS Secretariat to the Secretary’s senior decision making committees. Before joining TBS, Allison worked on strategic policy and sustainable development at Natural Resources Canada for ten years.

Session 34
Public Servants promoting a Greener Environment

Teressa Dauphinais, Senior Advisor, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Teressa Dauphinais, Senior Advisor, Training, Communications and Policy at Innovation, Science and Economic Development and creator of the GCconnex group entitled: Public Servants Promoting a Greener Environment.

Session 35
Ethics in Procurement

Allan Cutler, Founder, Allan Cutler Consulting

Mr. Cutler achieved a Masters in Business Administration from Carleton University. He is the founder of Allan Cutler Consulting and in addition to his experience in supply chain management is a writer, educator, volunteer member for several professional organizations and a noted speaker and presenter

He worked for Public Works and Government Services from 1974 to 2006 in procurement and contracting and is well known as the “Whistleblower” for his role in exposing the “Sponsorship Scandal” for which he received several awards including the Queen Elizabeth !! Diamond Jubilee Medallion in 2013.

Session 36
Procuring Abroad in a Volatile Market

Josephine Dahan, Director of Missions Procurement Operations (AAO) Global Affairs Canada
Josephine Dahan is the Director of Missions Procurement Operations (AAO) for Global Affairs Canada. She is a seasoned procurement expert in government with over 12 years of government procurement experience who started off her career at Canada Post in their procurement development program where she completed the Purchasing Management Association of Canada certification. She has worked in several departments and Crown corporations such as Canada Post Corporation (CPC), Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) now known as Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and currently Global Affairs Canada (GAC), which has enabled her to develop an array of experiences and leverage best practices and lessons learned. She has significant experience in procuring large, complex, multi-year and multi-million dollar requirements for a large number of goods and services. Notably she has extensive experience in real property, transportation and logistics services, corporate programs such as Canada Post uniform program, customized software solutions, security guards, translation services, furniture (office and residential), training services, professional services and many more. In addition, she has extensive experience conducting commodity analysis, spend analysis and market research in develop strategic sourcing strategies within government. Furthermore, she also has several years of experience leading and developing procurement transformation initiatives.

Brent Hygaard, Procurement Specialist in Missions Procurement Operations (AAO) Global Affairs Canada Brent Hygaard started working in Government procurement through the Intern Officer (IO) program in 2006. Initially assigned to the Earth Sciences division of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and was later was assigned to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), currently Global Affairs Canada (GAC), after one year, and has remained there ever since. Brent was also the first procurement officer to be assigned to Afghanistan, working at Camp Nathan Smith, in Kandahar, for one year. While there he worked with the Department of National Defense, the Canadian International Development Agency, and DFAIT. He developed the procurement strategy for the three departments and held meetings with the local vendors to teach them the intricacies of government procurement. Although responsible for many types of service commodities delivered at Canada`s Missions abroad, Brent has specialized in the procurement of security guard services. He is also the lead procurement officer for the transformation of the LES pension and insurance program, which provides coverage to all LES serving abroad. Meeting these challenging requirements has given him extensive knowledge base regarding the various differences present between countries.

Session 37
SSC E Procurement / P2P in Action

Kevin Campbell, Director of Business Systems, Shared Services Canada (SSC)
Kevin Campbell, CPA-CGA, is the Director of Business Systems at Shared Services Canada (SSC). He has extensive experience in the area of Materiel Management, Finance Management and Procurement Services gained through service in different departments. Kevin’s mandate includes the delivery of an end to end electronic procure-to-pay solution to support the business of SSC.

LeAnne Spurrell, Procure-to-Pay (P2P) Project Director, Shared Services Canada (SSC)
LeAnne Spurrell, BBA, PMP, is the Project Director for the Shared Services Canada (SSC) Procure-to-Pay (P2P) business transformation project. LeAnne’s SAP Public Sector expertise has made her a trusted strategic advisor for many Canadian government executives. She has crafted a niche practice in SAP business process reengineering and SAP workflow automation projects. LeAnne is guiding SSC through this large scale business transformation initiative.

Session 38
Digital Government - Preparing for the new world of work

Craig Milner, Account Executive - Federal Government Accounts, Ricoh Canada
Craig Milner is a graduate from the Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba with a B.Comm (Hons.) , As part of the dedicated Federal Government team, Craig has spent 8 years with Ricoh successfully collaborating with clients to provide innovative solutions that address some of the most challenging business requirements. The Federal Government team is managed here in Ottawa and is an exclusive division to Federal Government Departments, Crown Corporations and Agencies. The team is responsible for all Sales, Service and Administration of the entire Federal portfolio across Canada. Ricoh has been a leading vendor in the Federal space providing hardware, software and professional services to our clients in the Federal Government for over 40 years.

Session 39
Overview of Lean Government

Craig Szelestowski, President, Lean Agility Inc.
Craig is a process improvement and people management specialist with two decades of experience implementing dramatic business transformations in Canadian government.

As Vice President responsible for Human Resources, Lean, and Quality, he lead the Royal Canadian Mint’s Lean transformation which helped move the organization through a challenging era of cutbacks and job losses into an extended period of financial and organizational health and stability. During his tenure, the Mint realized tens of millions of dollars of Lean improvements, dramatically reduced the time and effort to deliver its products and services, moving from a financial loss to a profit of over $ 68 million. In terms of employee engagement it was named by Maclean’s magazine as one of “Canada’s Top 100 Employers” (2007-2010).

He started his own firm in 2010; it works exclusively with government organizations. He has guided his clients along the path to reduce lead times by up to 2/3, increasing capacity by up to 200% and creating outstanding levels of employee engagement.

He has served multiple times as a part-time professor at the Telfer School of Business at the University of Ottawa. He is currently an instructor in Telfer’s White Belt and Yellow Belt Lean Service programs, as well as its Lean Leadership program. Bilingual, he works in both English and French.

His practical expertise is supported by an MBA from the University of Ottawa and a BA in Industrial Relations from the University of Toronto. He holds a Lean Black Belt from CITEC at Clarkson University.

Paul Choquette, Senior Consultant, Lean Agility Inc. Paul is a process improvement and people management specialist with more than two decades of experience implementing dramatic business transformations in Canadian government. As Director, Organization Effectiveness and Lean Champion at Canada Post, he led millions of dollars of business improvements.
His excellence in Lean Six Sigma was recognized in the National Capital community when he won the 2012 Mercer Vision Award for HR Innovation, where the team that he led reduced the time to staff a position by 50%, among other transformational improvements.
His style in the classroom as a trainer, and in the field as a consultant, is highly engaging and participative; he has consistently received accolades from the hundreds of people he has trained and facilitated.

Paul’s considerable practical experience is supported by a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Bilingual, he works in both English and French.