letter from the editor
TALKING
TAKEAWAYS
As I write, we’re coming out of the HRPA 2015
Annual Conference & Trade Show, and what an
event it was. From invigorating and inspiring sessions
to impressive keynote presentations to a
bustling trade show floor, I experienced several key takeaways,
two of which I’ll share with you now.
Firstly, HR is continuing its push as a strategic business
partner. By engaging business leaders and aligning HR initiatives
with business goals, HR shows its criticality to an
organization, and more and more businesses are realizing
what a key role HR plays. As the theme of this year’s
conference, this message really hit home on a number of different
levels. To resume the conversation, in this issue of HR
Professional we’ve included an article from The Conference
Board of Canada about HR’s strategic business role; flip to
page 37 to read about how HR can move from talk to action
in realizing its strategic potential.
The second takeaway I experienced from the conference
was that Big Data is here to stay. From the numerous vendors
in the trade show to different keynotes to a bounty of
sessions focusing on different facets of Big Data and analytics,
it was a topic that received well-rounded coverage at the
conference. It’s fitting, then, that the March/April issue of HR
Professional is our Big Data issue, and we’ve focused our feature
articles on different data applications in HR. Flip to the
cover feature, starting on page 14, to delve deeper into why
HR needs to embrace Big Data in 2015.
In conclusion, it was wonderful meeting so many readers
– as well as past and future contributors – and hearing your
thoughts and feedback on the magazine. I encourage you to
give me a call or send me an email any time you would like to
share ideas or comments about HR Professional, or connect
with me on Twitter by tweeting to @HRProMag. As always,
you can access the digital edition of the magazine by visiting
www.hrpatoday.ca.
Happy reading,
Jill Harris
866-953-2182
jharris@lesterpublications.com ■
VOLUME 32 / NUMBER 3 MARCH/APRIL 2015
Editor: Jill Harris | Publisher: Sean Davis
Managing Editor: Duff McCutcheon, HRPA
Legal Editor: Malcolm MacKillop, Shields O’Donnell MacKillop LLP
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Chief Executive Officer: William Greenhalgh
Vice President, Finance and Administration: Gary Monk
Vice President, Annual Conference and Sponsorship: Marta Pawych
Vice President, Marketing, Membership & Learning: Chris Larsen
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs: Claude Balthazard, PhD, CHRL
Vice President, Public Affairs: Scott Allinson
Vice President, HR Research and Development: Kristina Hidas
As the premier HR association in Canada, HRPA is internationally recognized and sought
out for its knowledge, innovation and leadership. With more than 20,000 members in
28 chapters in Ontario, HRPA connects its membership to an unmatched range of HR
information resources, events, professional development and networking opportunities.
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THE MAGAZINE OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Michael Bach, Canadian Institute of
Diversity and Inclusion/Institut canadien
de la diversité et de l’inclusion
Mary Ann Baynton, Great-West Life Centre
for Mental Health in the Workplace
Christine Burych, StarlingBrook Corporation
Eric Cousineau, OCG Strategy &
Organizational Consulting
Joseph (Val) D’Sa, York Region
District School Board
Bonnie Flatt, Master Coaches
Mandy Hanlon, Oakbridges Labour
Relations Consulting Inc.
Jennifer Laidlaw, Ontario
Securities Commission
Norm Sabapathy, Cadillac Fairview
Dr. Parbudyal Singh, York University
Sandra Smith, Southlake
Regional Health Cenre
Melissa Sonberg, McGill University
Christine Thomlinson, Rubin
Thomlinson LLP
4 ❚ MARCH/APRIL 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
