Sun Peaks Resort

Director of Employee Experience & HR (Winter Contract)

Okanagan Elevator

Established business in Kelowna and expanded market reach, exceeding sales targets and tripling revenue through in-depth market analysis, business development and scaling processes and talent.

Developed and executed HR strategy in a challenging hiring market for the skills required, achieving zero turnover through retention initiatives.

Co-founder & Owner / VP People & Sales

BSharp Coaching & Consulting

- Executive and career coaching
- Business and board consultant
- Organization design and development
- Strategic development, process creation and continuous improvement

Consultant & Executive Coach

Numeris

Hired to transform from reactive research focus to a proactive data company; strategic workforce exercise to review company talent end-to-end, prioritize future needs and address skills/training gaps. 
•	Led and managed a multi-level team across Human Resource Business Partners, Generalists, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, DEIB, Wellness and Recognition. Elevated the function to get out of reactive supervisor level thinking, into proactive strategic management.

Director of People & Culture

FreeAgent CRM

Recruited by Co-Founders to lead HR operations, focusing on talent acquisition and retention for CRM platform during a market downturn. CRM niche focused in the medical field. 
•	Launched and executed an employer brand campaign, increasing job applications by 300%, attracting top talent from Apple, Slack, and EA Games to an unknown B2B SaaS CRM start-up. 
•	Revamped employee relations and talent strategy for a remote and on-site workforce across India, Mexico, the US, and Canada. Restructured the sales organization and solutions consultants.

Head Of Human Resources 

Interior Health Authority

In the Organization & Leadership Development function:
Succession planning framework for a health authority serving 800K people in a forest fire-prone region. 

•	Assigned to complete a case study for recruitment for a prior Director, reviewing the health authority mandate, available data, high-level root causes, issues and make key recommendations to resolve. 
•	Uncovered talent reporting and succession data and insights that were previously unknown to the management team responsible for recruitment and L&OD at the time.
•	Proposed several tactics and plans to approach executive succession planning, and succession planning across Interior Health; including hands on support with a request process available to the entire organization, a full executive team review, and partnering with the VP and board. 

Contract role converted to permanent; left for a headhunted contract opportunity and promotion.

Consultant - Executive Succession Planning & Leadership Development

WestJet

During my tenure at WestJet, I was entrusted with leading the comprehensive People & Culture strategy leading up to the airline’s acquisition by Onex. This included developing and executing a global strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate goals, and optimizing workforce strategies. I spearheaded the creation of a P&C "war room" to facilitate complex planning, which later evolved into a COVID command center. 

In addition supporting the governance and all People & Culture board documents, I was deeply involved in shaping WestJet’s long-term people strategy, from improving organizational culture to enhancing employee engagement and leadership development. My proactive approach and ability to pivot under pressure helped the company maintain strong leadership during uncertain times.

People & Culture - Executive Strategy

Continuously promoted through over a decade long career in Aviation; successful in working across multiple verticals from HR, Operations, Commercial and Finance. Known for my approach to leadership and talent management, and mentorship program experience – recruited to help teams shift performance and strategy.

•	Promoted to oversee and support a 150-person team, developing a five-year people strategy to drive the airline's expansion. This included building a talent strategy to identify the critical skills needed for the future of the airline, while investing in improved technology and advanced network capabilities.
•	Creation and management of a $$MM department budget, and close collaboration with all business unit leaders across the company to ensure HR needs were met through budget and operations. 
•	Developed P&C metrics and a five-year scorecard and strategy with Power BI to help optimize and measure successful delivery.

Executive Advisor to the People and Culture team

•	Promoted to direct three teams across Canada (logistics, customs, dangerous goods). Created technical talent strategy for areas of expertise outside of my wheelhouse by building trust and relationships with the team, active listening and root cause problem solving. Identified talent needs, created a candidate pipeline, and put in place a five-year succession plan that went on to sustain the airline to present-day (on their third planned move of five, years after I left).
•	Reshaped team structure for scalability, accelerated recruitment process and hired new customs specialist to support the recovery of $1M in duties.

Manager - Global Logistics

•	Leveraged ADKAR and Prosci methodology, combining change management and project management approaches to drive the adoption of new initiatives. My approach was commended and used as a template for the organization roll-out. 
•	Led change management initiatives, including WestJet’s shift to a global airline, Office 365 implementations, and the transition from on-premises drives to Microsoft Teams, improving operational efficiency and collaboration.

Change Management Lead

•	Developed a cross-functional talent pipeline, guiding seven team members to 2-3 level promotions over two years by equipping them with new skills and career interests.
•	Implemented an AI audit vendor procurement that reduced the audit cycle from three months to three days and upgraded a custom industry platform to align with a new commission model.

Manager - Travel Agency Payment Services

•	Recruited, mentored, and developed team members, driving professional growth and elevating team performance from last place to 4th through data-driven strategies.
•	Developed a custom mentorship program for new leaders and large volumes of peak period coverage.
•	As a new leader in the department, identified a pattern in reporting of time theft and fraud. Collaborated with HR to address, leading investigations that resulted in the termination of 50 employees and then trained existing leaders in their system on fraud detection.

Leader - Contact Centre

•	Talent strategy for mid-to-executive level in multiple teams and over 50 locations: design and launch of innovative company-wide talent programs, both formal and self-serve, including planning and facilitation of leadership learning and conferences with 200 network leaders. 
•	Creation and facilitation of coveted mentorship programs, and other tactical development plans to address talent gaps in multiple difficult to hire regions – leading to 85% promotion rate. 
•	Successful in gaining executive sponsorship and funding for enterprise-wide cloud implementations related to global talent and recognition.

HR Operations Manager (Various roles and promotions in the same team)

- Workforce planning 
- High volume recruiting
- Scheduling relief duties
- Crew Chief & shift leadership
- Project based assignments, process optimization and change management

Various roles

BSharp Big Arts

An idea made into a colourful reality and social experiment to remind adults in a variety of corporate settings of the power of play in creativity and innovation. Large scale interactive art company partnering with TD Bank, GoPro and Travel Alberta and more. We wrapped up operations with the onset of Covid-19.

Co-founder & Owner

Kim Standeven Coaching

Business and Support Service Manager

Hilton

I cut my teeth in hospitality as a server and room service attendant. This was a fun role that gave me insight to hospitality and tourism and led to a 13 year career at WestJet Airlines in Calgary.

Server & Room Service Attendant

Executive Leader | HR Strategist | Community Builder | Creator of #Hirethishuman

With over 15 years of senior leadership experience across aviation, healthcare, research, tech, and startup environments, I specialize in aligning strategy, culture, and operations to drive scalable growth. From founding and scaling businesses, to leading remote work transitions and building talent pipelines with award-worthy culture programs, I bring a unique blend of strategic foresight and hands-on execution that elevates both business performance and employee experience. I’ve led enterprise-wide change in complex environments — from airlines navigating global expansion to tech startups scaling in volatile markets.

As a trusted advisor to C-suite teams and Boards, who also connects authentically with my teams and frontline employees, I’ve built high-impact organizations and functions from the ground up (E.g. Operations, Sales, People & Culture and Logistics), designed leadership succession models, and turned undervalued employer brands into talent magnets. I’ve led teams across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, India and more, always focused on fostering belonging with inclusive, high-performing cultures whether on-site or remote. My approach is both analytical and human — using data and insights to inform action, and empathy to build trust and resilience through change.

I’m currently open to executive, strategic and business partnering opportunities where I can solve real world problems and contribute to long-term value creation. Whether it's scaling a growing business, supporting founders through transformation, or bringing calm clarity to complex organizational challenges, I thrive at the intersection of people and performance. Let’s connect!

Laurel Burns

Exec Leader & Strategist | 15+ Years of Driving Org Growth & Transformation | Entrepreneur & Founder | Ex-Airlines/Research/Health Care/B2B SaaS | Creator of #Hirethishuman

West Kelowna 👇📚

One of my favourite times of year is here. A Friends of the Library sale! 

Today from 10 to 4pm at the West Kelowna Library.  

Check out your local Library and see how you can support them and related non-profits. Fun fact: at some libraries you can rent audio books, specialty tools like Cricuts and more!

Cheers to Tourism Kelowna for sharing this gem. 👏

I missed the Kelowna one and am excited to still have a chance to support this important cause in 2025.

The best part about working at Sun Peaks Resort? It's not just the people, the snow, golf, terrain park and perks. It is being part of a team who is excited to innovate! 

We were the first to bring the Snow Secure product to Canada. What a cool view of this behind the scenes magic as we removed the tarps and uncovered a mountain of the good stuff. 

Want to join us? We have lots of open roles posted, from Culinary to Avalanche Forecasting - the opportunities are endless! Reach out if you want to connect. Links in the comments below. 👇

Over the past month, our operations and grooming teams have uncovered our stored snow from last spring and spread it across the lower portion of OSV in the Nancy Greene International Race Centre.
 
We’re so pleased to see a snow retention rate of ~80-85% over the warm summer months. @snowsecure has developed an incredible product and we are thrilled to be their first partner resort in Canada.
 
This video showcases the much-anticipated reveal day on October 9. We’ll be dropping Part 2 in the days to come, showcasing the grooming team working their magic as they spread over 10,000 cubic metres of snow towards the Elevation lift base.
 
This weekend we start to welcome alpine race teams from across Canada, and even internationally, as they conduct their early season training in Sun Peaks!
 
For more on this project, click below: 
https://lnkd.in/gh77Qmga

Interesting watching this Canadian company grow and strategize. 

The Canadian Tire Corporation stepped up their game in Kelowna with a brand new super centre, built in the old Costco Wholesale location.

Curious to see how the roll out of the Hudson Bay line goes. From a consumer perspective, their adaptation and acquisition of Party City and Mark's over the years has been well executed (significantly elevating and diversifying the Mark's brand). 

I have long finished my MBA but always have a learning mindset. This would have been a strong case study for strategic M&A on Canadian soil in the last decade!

Kudos to the team who designed the Kelowna project for putting a piece of local tourism pride right in the entrance to boot. Simply inspired!

How you speak to children changes their world. Take this one further, and ask them their favourite way to play. 

Ask them what they are doing when they are lost in time and help them find more of what they are drawn to, in curiosity. 

It is completely possible to love what you do every day, and to solve problems along the way.

Okanagan community. 👇

This one is worth checking out. One of my favourite spots for a cozy patio and Bavarian cuisine. 

Gasthaus on the lake in the District of Peachland. 

They are open year round and have amazing spatzel, and near the holidays they have prime rib special with all the fixins (including yorkshire pudding). 

The 🎄 market is opening November 19 and has an eclectic collection of glass painted ornaments. 

Link below. 🍗

Erik Boemanns

Mirability, LLC

Providing fractional CTO/CIO/CISO to companies looking to level up their scalability, security, and resiliency and be ready for the next round of opportunities.

Founder & Chief Technologist

Atlanta ToolBank

The Atlanta ToolBank serves community-based organizations by providing tools, equipment, and expertise to empower their most ambitious goals.

Board Member

Improving

Leading all technical consultant resources (team of more than 100), including hiring, retention, salary, promotions, as well as mentoring and training on technology and leadership topics.  Internal CSO overseeing the SOC II Type 2 compliance audit, directly supporting sales portfolios, providing technology solutions to startup, medium, and global enterprise businesses, including cloud transformation, modern application design, virtual desktop, secure computing, integration, and data warehousing.  Provided transitional CTO as a Service to customers, leading all technical and information security operations.  Provided cutting edge software solutions (distributed cloud, containerization, automation) and data science operationalization and risk management.

Vice President, Technology, Security / vCTO vCISO 

Innovative Architects

Leading product and process re-imagining using best-of-breed cloud technologies, Microsoft stack, enterprise integration, data warehousing and analytics for medium and large organizations.

Architect, design, and develop enterprise-grade software solutions, including both sophisticated business UI's, system integration, business process automation and business intelligence solutions.

Vice President, Enterprise Architecture

Woodside & Boemanns, P.C.

Providing intellectual property, technology, and business legal counsel to Georgian individuals and small businesses.

Of Counsel

Provider of software development, website design and development, and website hosting.

Managing Member

Deloitte at CDC

- On-site contract position providing .NET and SQL application architecture and development.

- Led the design, development, and implementation of two Internet-facing ASP.Net applications enabling grantee programs to manage progress reports. 

- Supported Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) and Certification and Accreditation (C&A) process.

- Used XML-based Model Driven Development (MDD) to create a code-generation framework to support the evolving requirements of the 5-year programs.

Contract Consultant

ista North America

- Responsible for development of ista North America’s first internal audit and risk management group.

- Managed team of two analysts focused on audits of company financial and operation performance against contract obligations and quality of performance.

- Managed all commercial liability insurance processing requirements.

- Responsible for ensuring compliance initiatives are undertaken by relevant business units, including FACTA “Red Flag”, SAS 70 audits, PCI DSS compliance, and others.

Director, Business Assurance

e:so, a division of ista

- Interim Corporate Counsel from Aug. 2009 - Nov. 2009

- Led legal team during transition between corporate counsels.  Group included one paralegal, one temporary attorney, and one legal assistant.

- Responsible for all corporate and regulatory matters, including corporate governance, employment, litigation, outside counsel, contracts, government affairs, media relations, and dispute resolution.

- Researched areas of utility law at state and municipal levels that impacted ista’s sub-metering service.

- Began implementation of process-improvement projects to reduce time spent on routine activities and department stability plans to ensure legal team met all of ista’s needs.

- Legal liaison between e:so, a division of ista North America, and ista’s legal department.

- Responsible for client and vendor contract drafting, negotiation, administration, and management.

- Established vendor management processes for all key vendors and managed procurement for services – accomplishments include reducing SAS 70 audit fees by half compared to prior year.

- Developed comprehensive master service agreement to cover all e:so services for energy retail clients.

Director, Legal and Business Affairs

- Developed detailed service level agreement for the energy retail billing services, including drafting all contract provisions, plus architected OLAP software to support contract provision.

- Client facing interaction through sales and contracting efforts

- Helped kick off internal KPI and sales process efforts

- Developed marketing materials including trade journal articles and advertisements

- Redrafted client service contract

- Helped with knowledge management and communication initiatives.

Product Manager

On-site contract position for ista designing and developing BizTalk 2006 solutions, including development of Orchestrations, Maps, Schemas, Compensation logic, and business logic in CSLA framework.  Also developed ASP.NET administrative interface using Castle, IBatis, and CSLA.

Contract Developer

Lead by lifting. Let's change the world…

Leading IT risk to IT reward. 

As a fractional IT compliance executive, I help companies looking to reach their next level of maturity. Either via my ComplianceXO Expertise as a Service platform or through custom assessments and implementation plans, I help figure out where your IT systems are today, what your business risk is, and where you need to go to achieve your goals. And then I stick around to help make sure it gets done.

I do this as a licensed Georgia Attorney and 30 years of real world IT experience.

As the Vice President of Technology, Security at Improving, I oversaw a team of more than 100 consultants, providing cutting-edge software solutions, cloud transformation, data warehousing, and information security services to clients across various industries, including healthcare, finance, insurance, and government.

I leverage my legal background and deep understanding of compliance requirements, such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2, and SSAE 16, to ensure that our projects meet the highest standards of quality, security, and governance. I also have experience in providing transitional CTO as a Service, leading technical and security operations for customers, and offering strategic and tactical guidance on technology and leadership topics. My mission is to make the technology impossible happen, while empowering and enabling my team to grow and excel in their careers.

Leadership: 
• Proven track record in strategic thinking and tactical effectiveness.
• Experience leading enterprise teams from 5 to 150 members.
• Emphasis on human-centric growth, leading teams from career beginnings to career excellence.
• Diverse industry experience including energy, healthcare, finance, insurance, banking, government, logistics, and law.

Compliance: 
• Detailed understanding of HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2, and SSAE 16 requirements.
• Proficient in developing and maintaining governance controls over IT projects.
• Ensuring compliance requirements stay aligned business needs and technical capabilities.
• Active licensed Georgia attorney (2007) with focus in privacy and technology law.

Technology: 
• Proficient in "hands on" delivery of solutions involving cloud transformation, containerization, cloud cost management, mobile, and data.
• Knowledgeable in emerging technologies like multi-cloud, blockchain, IoT, AI/ML.
• Adept at ensuring projects meet their goals on-time and within budget.
• Vendor and architecture agnostic, having worked with every major platform (Open source, Microsoft, Oracle, .net, Java, and more).

taplio

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Laurel Burns

Erik Boemanns

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