FEATURES
COVER STORY: HOT LIST ELAINE CRUISE SMITH
Chief talent and culture leader, Worldlynx Wireless
As a champion of the power of corporate culture as a source of competitive advantage, Elaine Cruise Smith believes having an environment that encourages authenticity and achievement is what allows Worldlynx Wireless – Canada’s largest independent Bell dealer – to be the most professional, friendly and helpful wireless provider in Canada. Cruise Smith takes a customer-centric approach to HR by placing customer experience at the heart of everything the organization’s employees do. This customer focus is also central to everything her HR team does – talent management, employee communications, Fun@Work initiatives and recognition programs – which, along with all business processes, are reinforced by Worldlynx’s core values. The company’s culture is being noticed externally, too: Under Cruise Smith’s guidance, Worldlynx recently became certified as a Great Workplace by Great Place to Work Canada.
STEPHANI KINGSMILL
Executive VP of human resources Manulife
Photo credit: Steve Baldassi Photography
Repeatedly named as one of the most influential women in Canada, Stephani Kingsmill began her Manulife career in 1998 and has spent the last 18 years mastering a multitude of functions, including marketing, financial services and product development, before moving on to HR. Toronto-based Kingsmill also provided valuable leadership in the execution of the real estate component of Manulife’s merger with John Hancock, the largest cross-border merger in Canadian history.
VICKI THOMSON
KRISTINE EMMETT
FAITH TULL
Vicki Thomson leads a team that is focused on recruiting and developing the talented people who join and work with this fastpaced tech company. Thomson is described as a high-energy leader who is passionate about New Signature’s corporate culture. Her nontraditional HR background includes graduating with a degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo. During her 30-year career, Thomson has held numerous roles in the technology field, including application development, training, recruiting, marketing, sales and HR.
Kristine Emmett is an HR professional with more than 25 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience – and that experience has helped make Bell one of Canada’s most in-demand employers. In her current role, she supports the Bell Media, Network and IT business units. Prior to joining Bell, Emmett spent seven years leading Inspiring Leaders, where she worked with everyone from mid-level managers to CEOs. Her forte? Ensuring executives and potential leaders reached their highest performance.
With more than 25 years of experience in the HR sector, seasoned professional Faith Tull currently heads up Randstad Canada’s HR function, where she develops and initiates cutting-edge programs and services to ensure positive effects on both internal employees and external clients. The Ontario-based HR pro is also a keen contributor to her community, and is heavily involved in a number of organizations such as United Way, World Vision and the Red Cross.
EVP of human resources, New Signature
24
VP of human resources, Bell
SVP of human resources, Randstad Canada
www.hrmonline.ca
18-29_HotList_v2-SUBBED2.indd 24
2/03/2016 8:12:42 AM