2023 CEO Year-End Message
As we close out another year, I reflect on the incredible work our association has completed in 2023. With the support of CPHR Canada we have developed a national network of over 31,000 human resources practitioners and professionals across the country and 6,240 in Alberta. We continue to work closely with our provincial counterparts to promote the value of hiring a designated professional and streamlining professional standards processes across Canada.
The association continues to grow with another record-setting year, including over 3,000 chartered members. Thank you to all our members for the incredible work you do every day.
This past year, I challenged my team to push initiatives that bring value back to our members. Our association delivered several priorities aligning with our strategic plan, with the support of our Board of Directors, while ending the year in a financially stable position.
In 2023, with support from our government relations firm, CPHR Alberta operations and board participated in various events and meetings to increase our visibility within the Alberta government. This has included our Board of Directors stepping forward to meet with local MLAs, engaging at local chamber of commerce events and connecting with organizations who can support our application. We continue to make strides with our application for self-regulation, and I encourage any members who are interested in supporting the association as an ambassador to please connect with us.
Our stakeholder work has not stopped there. In 2023 our work with provincial post-secondary institutions continued with several successful Work Integrated Learning (WIL) events, connecting businesses to HR students through practicum and co-op placements. We also delivered HRC West 2023, our premier student case competition bringing together 16 teams of students from post-secondary business programs across Western Canada to compete at a two-day event, hosted at Bow Valley College. The competition is presented annually, alternating between CPHR BC and Yukon and CPHR Alberta. We look forward to presenting again in 2025.
To further support our Student membership, the association introduced a new diploma scholarship to provide financial aid to qualifying student members. The recipient of this scholarship shows pride in academic merit, community engagement, excellence in the Human Resources discipline and demonstrates an interest to pursue the CPHR designation. We are proud to support and empower the future generation of our profession.
With our members at the heart of what we do, professional development (PD) is a key focus for our team. In 2023, we expanded our PD offering to include additional opportunities for certificate programs and introduced new offerings such as our DEI Symposium. We set a record number of attendance at paid PD offering in 2023 including our highly sought after Workplace Investigations Program and HR Law Conference. We also offered a variety of complimentary offerings including our HR Roundtables and partner webinars, which also yielded incredible attendance and engagement. Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2023 PD survey, your valuable input helps us shape our future offerings.
A highlight for our team this past year was our Annual Hybrid Conference held at the JW Marriott in Edmonton in September. The positive feedback we received from members was overwhelming and it was amazing to see the support and passion exhibited by members at our Excellence Awards on night one. With sold-out in-person attendance at over 300 and an additional 154 individuals from across our jurisdiction joining us virtually, Evolve 23 was an inspirational event that we plan on learning from and growing in 2024 in Calgary.
Showcasing our members and the incredible work they do is imperative to advancing our profession. This past year, we launched a Member Growth Campaign alongside CPHR Canada, to reach young professionals and business leaders to demonstrate the importance of hiring a CPHR and to raise awareness for CPHR Alberta. You may have seen us on Google, in mall directories, on your LinkedIn or in your local chamber communications, this work will continue into 2024 as we aim to increase the demand for the CPHR designation in workplaces across our jurisdiction.
I would like to say thank you to our members for the incredible work you are doing to protect the public and maintain such a high standard of practice for the profession. Your work does not go unseen, and it helps set us up to be a successful self-regulation profession in the near future! Thank you to my incredible team at CPHR Alberta for all their great work and to the many volunteers who supported us again this year!
Lastly, I would also like to thank our Board Chair, Lisa Watson and all of our Board of Directors for their support and guidance this past year. The work our Board has done engaging with stakeholders, attending government events and being visible and active within the business community is greatly appreciated and is setting us in the right direction for 2024.
I wish everyone a very joyous holiday season and a happy new year.
Ioana Giurca,
CEO, CPHR Alberta
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.
Author : Nicole Mahieux, Nick Canning & Kendal Tremblay Mental health is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of employee well-being, business resilience and community strength. For HR professionals, supporting mental health is no longer optional—it’s imperative. While conversations around mental health have gained traction in many industries, one critical sector still faces unique and persistent challenges: agriculture. Farmers and agricultural workers play a vital role in food production and national food security. Yet they are among the most vulnerable when it comes to mental health struggles. In fact, they experience some of the highest rates of stress, anxiety, depression—and even suicide. This is not just a personal issue. It's a workforce issue. It's a public health issue. It's a business issue. There are a range of compounding pressures makes farming one of the most mentally taxing professions. These include: 1.Financial Stress & Unpredictability Unstable markets, weather-dependent outcomes, and shifting government policies contribute to a constant sense of economic uncertainty. 2. Isolation Many farmers work alone and live in rural areas where access to social support is limited. Social isolation increases vulnerability to mental health concerns. 3. Stigma Although mental health stigma is slowly decreasing, it remains a barrier—especially among men, who represent 74% of the agricultural workforce. Traditional gender norms often discourage open conversations or help-seeking.
As a proud participant in the Glowing Hearts program , CPHR Alberta continues to champion the value that Canadian Armed Forces reservists bring to our workplaces. Since joining the program, we’ve seen firsthand how supporting reservists not only strengthens our communities but also enhances organizational resilience and leadership. The Value of Reservists in the Workplace Reservists are more than military personnel—they are strategic thinkers, adaptable leaders, and skilled collaborators. Their training equips them with discipline, problem-solving abilities, and a mission-focused mindset that translates seamlessly into civilian roles. Captain McKenzie Kibler of The Loyal Edmonton Regiment exemplifies this. In a recent deployment on Operation REASSURANCE, he developed leadership and operational skills that now enrich his civilian career. Watch his story here. Support, Recognition, and Incentives for Employers Supporting reservists doesn’t mean sacrificing business continuity—in fact, it opens the door to meaningful recognition and financial support. Through the Compensation for Employers of Reservists Program (CERP) , employers can receive grants to help offset operational costs when a reservist-employee is away for 30 days or more. At the same time, organizations that register their reservist leave policies with the Glowing Hearts program are publicly recognized on the Canadian Forces Liaison Council website and receive a certificate of support and digital badge. These benefits not only ease the logistical challenges of supporting reservists but also position your organization as a leader in community engagement and national service. Tools and Templates for HR Leaders To make it easier for organizations to support reservists, CPHR Alberta offers a Reservist Leave Policy Template. This resource outlines eligibility, leave procedures, compensation, and compliance with federal and provincial legislation—making it simple to implement a supportive policy. Access the template through the Member Portal.
Companies that invest in leadership development see real returns. According to Brandon Hall Group, organizations with strong leadership development programs are 1.5 times more likely to be financially high-performing, reinforcing the clear connection between leadership strength and business success (Brandon Hall Group, 2015). For small to mid-sized businesses, this risk can be especially high. As teams expand and complexity increases, the informal leadership structures that worked early on can start to crack. That’s where proactive leadership development and risk mitigation go hand-in-hand. The Leadership Gap Is a Hidden Business Risk According to a recent CPHR Alberta report, talent development and leadership gaps remain one of the top five organizational risks (CPHR Alberta, 2023). The consequences are rarely immediate, but they compound over time: • Missed growth opportunities • High-potential employees leaving due to lack of career clarity • Poor team morale when unprepared managers struggle to lead • Strategic drift from lack of alignment at the top A growing company without a leadership pipeline is like a car without a spare tire, it might keep rolling, but one unexpected bump can send the whole operation into a tailspin. Risk Mitigation Starts with Leadership Insight The first step in mitigating leadership risk is to move from guesswork to clarity. That means using structured tools like leadership assessments, succession planning frameworks, and targeted coaching to surface the actual capabilities of current and emerging leaders. In professional services firms, for example, it’s common to see technically strong employees promoted into management roles. While they excel in their areas of expertise, they often lack key leadership capabilities like delegation, feedback, and emotional intelligence (Gallo, 2016). Without proper development, this can lead to stalled projects, disengaged teams, and higher turnover. Leadership assessments and focused coaching are essential to identify these gaps early and build the skills needed to lead effectively. Common Leadership Risks in SMBs Every organization faces different risks, but these are some of the most common leadership vulnerabilities seen in growth-stage companies (SHRM, 2022): • Lack of succession planning: Only one person knows how to run a key function, creating bottlenecks and burnout. • Unclear decision-making authority: Teams waste time waiting for approvals or duplicating efforts due to ambiguous roles. • Promotion without preparation: High performers are promoted into leadership roles without training, leading to micromanagement or misalignment. • Poor feedback culture: A lack of honest dialogue means small issues snowball into bigger people problems. • Leadership misfit: A leader’s natural style may clash with the culture or needs of a specific team or situation. Mitigating these risks requires more than a one-time workshop. It takes intentional development, structured tools, and reinforcement over time (SHRM, 2022). What Effective Mitigation Looks Like The most successful companies don’t wait for a leadership crisis to take action. They build leadership strength proactively. Here’s what that looks like: • Leadership assessments are used during hiring and promotions to identify fit, style, and potential blind spots. • Customized coaching programs help leaders build the exact skills they need in real time, tied to their actual challenges (International Coaching Federation, 2022). • Leadership training cohorts (such as PowerUp Leadership’s “Coaching Skills for Managers” or “Authentic Leadership” programs) create a shared foundation across the organization. • Succession maps identify who is ready or could be ready for key roles in 12–24 months, creating a proactive development plan (SHRM, 2022). As companies grow, the complexity of people management increases exponentially. Systems, tools, and strategy all matter but none of them work without effective leadership behind them (McKinsey & Company, 2018). Investing in leadership development isn’t a “nice to have” for big companies, it’s a risk management strategy for every business serious about sustainable growth.
