News

Canada's Passion Capitalists

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Leaders of organizations today agree that the right culture is critical to achieving success.Its importance is taught in business schools, pondered regularly in business periodicals, and has spawned an industry of organizational consultants, including Knightsbridge.

However, for all the talk about its importance, examples of truly great cultures such as WestJet Airlines Ltd. and Four Seasons Hotels Inc. are still too few and far between in Canada. As a professional services firm our culture is critical to delivering against our brand promise. One of the things that keep me awake at night as its chief executive is wondering whether we have the culture we need to take our company to the next level, and I’m amazed how many CEOs I speak with say the same thing.

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Advice for Federal IT Workers Facing Layoffs

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

As federal departments slowly announce layoffs resulting from Ottawa’s recently released budget, federal IT workers are among those wondering if their positions will be in the 12,000 jobs the government plans to eliminate to erase its deficit.

But a human resources expert says they should be in good shape to find jobs in the private sector - if they are prepared.

“In an environment that has the strictest security requirements, the most complex network infrastructure, the broadest range of user clients you could imagine, they’ve got great skills for impressing employers", says Kelly McDougald, Managing Director for career solutions at Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions.

Making the Shift From Public to Private

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

For the thousands of civil servants who face receiving a pink slip in Ottawa’s budget-driven downsizing, this week’s Statistics Canada numbers showing an accelerated pace of hiring couldn’t come at a better time.

With not only federal but also provincial and municipal governments facing cuts, many career public-sector workers may have to move into corporate and industry jobs that have a different culture and expectations than government work.

Career experts advise that even government employees who don’t expect the axe would be wise to reconsider how their skills could sell in the private sector.

Executive Pay Under Scrutiny

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The global trend to adopt "say on pay" - giving shareholders the right to vote on executive compensation in publicly traded companies - continues to grow as Canada moves to develop its own rules on the practice.

There has been a lot of focus placed on executive pay in recent months and now that the U.K. and the U.S. have implemented their own rules, Canadian regulators are working to develop similar rules here, a move applauded by many shareholder activists who say it's long overdue.

Knightsbridge CFO Shares Insights with Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) showcases the industry insights from Victoria Davies, CFO, Corporate Secretary at Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions.

"Be a great leader in everything you do. Be accountable. If a project isn’t going well, step up! Figure out the issues and develop a plan and communicate. Be Humble. Apologize if you are wrong, but have a plan in place to fix it. Put yourself in others shoes. Don’t take credit for other’s work."

Valuable Insights in Knightsbridge Study

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Increasingly, many senior executives feel HR is too focused on compliance. This is supported by some recent surveys, including a survey conducted by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) and Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions, last year.

While that survey, The Role and Future of HR: The CEO’s Perspective, was quite positive overall, it noted there is room for improvement in some areas.

Downsizing With Less Stress

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Several turbulent economic years have forced the hands of many organizations, sometimes resulting in substantial cost-cutting measures including layoffs. HR expertise during downsizing is critical to ensure the right decisions are made, carried out ethically and the business is well positioned to move into its next stage of development.

Knightsbridge Requalifies for 2011 Canada’s Best Managed Companies

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Share in the pride and excitement that companies experience when they are honoured by one of Canada's most prestigious business awards. Announcing Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies along with the Requalified, Gold Standard and Platinum Club winners!

Toronto's IT Job Market is Second Hottest in North America

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Toronto's information technology sector is in the middle of a hiring boom that makes it the second best place to look for an IT job in North America, topping even high tech hubs like San Francisco, Boston and New York, according to a study released today.

But Toronto's IT hiring market is so hot it's putting competitive heat on local companies to hire talent from further afield and pay them higher and higher salaries, a local IT recruiting manager says. ...

Other areas of technology seeing strong hiring in Toronto are online digital, social media, software and virtualization, says Tim Hewat, a partner at Toronto-based Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions who leads the firm's technology executive search practice.

Knightsbridge Celebrates 10th Anniversary with House Warming for New Offices

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Celebration was the order of the evening recently as staff, clients and friends of Knightsbridge gathered in the firm’s stunning new offices to celebrate its 10th anniversary and to house-warm the new digs.

“Knightsbridge is Canada’s fastest growing human capital solutions organization, and it is so gratifying to be part of the Alberta and Prairies region where we have significantly grown,” said Glenn Tibbles, managing director of its Alberta and Prairies operation.

“We were thrilled by the effusive comments made by our guests about our new and larger premises, as well as our expanded professional team of consultants in the Calgary office.

Helping Employees to Take the Lead

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

At the turn of the 21st century, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) was in the midst of a shift in its corporate strategy. The organization—a crown corporation created in 1944 to help connect Canadian entrepreneurs with financing and business advice—had begun decentralizing its business model and increasing the number of branches it operated in communities across Canada. The goal was to enable a closer relationship between the representatives of BDC and the clients whose needs they served.

Firms Look to Avoid Talent Crunch

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

With Alberta and Saskatchewan forecast to lead Canadian economic performance across the country in 2012, there are whispers of the b-word - boom - entering back into conversations about recruitment for the year ahead.

It is putting employees back into the driver's seat and employers in both provinces are all too familiar with the headaches and challenges that trend can entail when it comes to supplying - and keeping - the labour needed to fuel the billions of dollars of projects on the books.

Older Women Lead Pack in Job Gains

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A curious pattern has emerged through Canada’s recession and rocky recovery: Employment levels have surged among older women.

A look behind Canada’s net employment gains shows how unevenly they have been distributed in the labour force. Virtually all the increases through and since the recession have been among workers aged 55 or older, particularly women.

Want Committed Employees? Then Offer to Pay For Their Families Tuition

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Parents with grown kids often marvel at how fast the child-rearing years go by: One minute you’re watching your toddlers run around the playground, the next you’re sending them off to college – and writing hefty cheques for tuition.

For Dalhousie University’s associate director of international admissions, Terry Gallivan, taking the sting out of that latter proposition was a unique employee perk: a tuition waiver for his children.

Staffing Careers A Second Course for Many Professionals

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Barrie Carlyle didn't start out thinking about a staffing career. In fact, the director of operations for Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions in Toronto was a lawyer before transitioning to a staffing role.

"Like a lot of people who do recruiting, I got snapped up from a different career path," he says. "I saw an executive search recruiter about moving to a different area in law, and they asked if I was interested in doing legal recruiting. And I was."

Exit Plans Need a Top Team at the Helm

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

“All of your management team will bring different talents, but they won’t necessarily be able to run the firm going forward,” says Mathe Grenier, principal and western region lead leadership solutions for Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions in Vancouver.

Strong Team Can Ease Exit Strategy

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Not every business owner has a natural successor in the family. When an exit plan is put in place, the odds are the company will be sold off to an external party or the management team will get a piece of the action.

Whether the decision is to find investors outside or inside the company, having a top management team at the helm is an essential part of the exit picture.

“When those companies hit that point in their life cycle where the owner wants to cash out, if they don’t have a family member to take over, the question then is, do they have the management in place to carry on?” says Bryan A. Tannenbaum, partner with Deloitte in Toronto.“And does that group have the qualifications and talent to sustain and grow the business once you’ve left?”

Succession Planning Often Haphazard

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

When it comes to succession planning, there appears to be little agreement among corporate board members about their role when it comes to managing the human resources of an organization.

A new report finds that while there is almost unanimous agreement among board directors about their mandate to ensure a qualified person could move into the CEO role, only half (55 per cent) have actually identified a candidate.

Canadian Corporate Boards Lack a Clear Focus

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Canada's corporate directors have a surprisingly wide difference of opinion about what they are responsible for overseeing in the areas of succession and executive compensation at their companies.

A sweeping new survey of hundreds of Canadian board members shows directors don't always agree about which "human capital" matters they should be directly supervising and which are best left to management.

Stampede the Ultimate Career Mixer

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Anyone who has lived in Calgary for any length of time knows that the Calgary Stampede is about way more than just cowboys, beer tents, the rodeo and midway rides. It is also a prime networking season where anyone and everyone has the chance to rub shoulders.

For job hunters or people looking to land that promotion, it's a casual environment and a one-of-a-kind opportunity to make connections in some unusual situations. But they can -- and do -- pay off when the dust settles.

"You could be standing in a pancake lineup next to a CEO and there's a great opportunity to meet him or her," says Glenn Tibbles, managing director of the Calgary office of Knightsbridge Executive Search...

Knightsbridge CEO David Shaw selected as finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs improve the quality of life for people across the globe, Ernst & Young said today as the firm announced the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2010 Awards.

“This year’s outstanding Ontario finalists share an unwavering determination to realize their dreams and change lives,” says Colleen McMorrow, National and Ontario Director of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. “As world markets become increasingly connected — and the global economy begins to rebound from the recent downturn — the success of entrepreneurs in Ontario can quickly spread to communities in other parts of the world.”

Leadership Lessons from the Soccer Pitch

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

After France's players refused to practice to protest star player Nicolas Anelka's expulsion, coach Raymond Domenech berated the team in the locker room, rather than open a dialogue. That's a mistake: If you make decisions that don't sit well with others, you need to acknowledge your part in creating the issue, says Liane Davey, principal for Knightsbridge Leadership Solutions in Toronto.

After Hitting Bottom in 2009...

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Questions:

How are HR managers and departments responding to the apparent economic recovery? How have you and your organization responded?
We saw lots of innovations by HR managers to avaoid layoffs during the downturn, but how are they innovating in the recovery?
What lasting effects did the recession have on HR managers and departments?

Lessons in Leadership Spill from BP

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

As thousands of barrels of oil continue to spill daily into the Gulf of Mexico, BP PLC's chief executive officer Tony Hayward is facing his own gusher of grief, falling under increasing fire over his handling of the crisis - from his lack of visibility to statements he has made that have belittled the situation.

This week, U.S. President Barack Obama said Mr. Hayward "wouldn't be working for me after any of those statements." Last week, the New York Daily News called Mr. Hayward "the most hated - and most clueless - man in America" for a variety of failures, from minimizing the seriousness of the situation to defying growing calls to resign. Mr. Hayward's treatment of the tragedy teaches some harsh and valuable lessons in crisis leadership, the experts say...

2010 Prestige Awards Recipients

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Knightsbridge is proud to announce two items of good news: sponsorship of the HRAC's annual “Knightsbridge Rising Star Award” which was awarded to Jillian Walker, and Knightsbridge Calgary's Stephanie Paquet winning the “HRAC Volunteer Award of Excellence” this year. The HRAC Awards were created to:

acknowledge and recognize business and industry peers for their contributions to the HR community in Calgary and abroad.
show appreciation for HR professionals who have contributed to helping others' in HR with their careers.
think about what differentiates “good” from “great” HR professionals, and nominate peers who go above and beyond.

Congratulations to Stephanie and Jillian! For more information and to see the winners, click the link below.

Emotional Intelligence Trumps Technical Know-how

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

A strong technical bent is clearly important for anyone seeking work at Softchoice Corp., an IT services business based in Toronto. Even more important, however, is that the candidate be a people person, if not a dog person (Softchoice allows employees to take their dogs to work). Softchoice helps its clients plan for, acquire, manage and maintain the sophisticated technology they need to operate their businesses. If problems arise, Softchoice employees are on hand to troubleshoot. “Our people have to be pretty technically competent to deal with customers, to deal with the vendors and to manage the business,” chief executive officer David MacDonald said in an interview...

One Way to Prove Your Firm's Got the Goods

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

While private companies have more freedom than publicly traded ones to dance like no one is watching - to borrow a phrase from Mark Twain - Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions was set up from the outset to withstand the scrutiny of a strong board of directors.

"From the time that we started this business [in 2001], one of the most fundamental decisions we made was that even though we were going to be a private company, we were going to govern ourselves as though we were a public company," David Shaw, a former Pepsi executive and founder and chief executive officer of Knightsbridge, said in an interview at his airy 30th-floor offices in uptown Toronto...

Knightsbridge Awarded Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies Distinction

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In the late 1990s, David Shaw, then CEO of PepsiCo Canada, felt his employer was not very well served by the human resources community."If I wanted to find an executive, I had to go talk to an executive search firm; if I wanted to develop my people, I had to go to a different firm" says Mr. Shaw, Knightsbridge's founder and CEO.

Those observations would lead to the creation of Knightsbridge, a company with a pioneering holistic business model that supplies customers with everything from talent recruitment to coaching, career management and transition, as well as organizational and leadership development...

Knightsbridge & Les Affaires - Urgence Leadership

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Since 2008 Knightsbridge has proudly partnered with Les Affaires on the 'Urgence Leadership' program in our shared mission to help develop the leaders of tomorrow...

Job Hunters with 'Soft Skills' Lead the Pack

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Derek Sankey, Canwest News Service -- Employees who can self-manage and communicate well are in demand as companies seek creative solutions to challenges. Some of the most highly valued skills in today's economy aren't necessarily taught at colleges or universities. The hard technical skills are a basic requirement in any given field. But it's the softer intangible skills that really set a job seeker apart from the crowd in the marketplace, according to an informal survey of educators and recruiters. "Regardless of what level in an organization a person is, everybody has to have good relationship-building interpersonal skills," says Nancy Laughton, managing director of the Western Region for Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions Ltd., in Vancouver. "So much of how work is done today is based on that human connection and being able to articulate their ideas clearly."

Recession Revises Succession Plans - Firms Tweak Plans to Groom Next Generation

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Glenn Tibbles of Knightsbridge Human Capital in Calgary says many workers are postponing retirement for financial reasons. Workers in the shadow of the baby boom generation have been waiting patiently in the wings to take their place as the future business leaders of corporate Canada, but those dreams are being put on hold as boomers remain in the workforce for longer than expected, according to headhunters and succession planners...

Knightsbridge CFO Victoria Davies Wins CMA Creative Leadership Award

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

CMA Ontario awarded Knightsbridge CFO Victoria Davies with an inaugural 2009 Creative Leadership Award. Sponsored by Canadian Business, the Awards recognized business achievement in four categories: Imagination, Innovation, Intuition, and Big Ideas. According to CMA Ontario "Victoria Davies knew a bold move was required to achieve Knightsbridge's corporate vision of $100 million in revenues by the end 2010. Victoria's Big Idea of a significant global acquisition proved to be that daring move, allowing Knightsbridge to be a global player, leverage new technology and well on its way to achieving its $100 million target"

Developing Leadership Brand Crucial for Women

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0400

"Whether you like it or not, you are a brand," says Tara Cree, a leadership development consultant with Knightsbridge "Everything about you, everything you do - or choose not to do - communicates the value and character of your brand."

Women in Capital Markets Career Coaching Award

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Women in Capital Markets (WCM) announced today that BMO Nesbitt Burns has become the exclusive sponsor for its inaugural Career Coaching Award Program. This innovative new program will provide career coaching and development services to qualified senior women working in the capital markets in Canada.

"The reality we face in the capital markets industry is that we have difficulty retaining experienced women. In fact, the number of women in the executive ranks is declining," said Maureen Stapleton, President, WCM. "Work/life balance issues as well as the potential lack of promotional opportunities may play a role. However, one-on-one support from a trained and experienced professional coach has been proven to help women plan their careers and equip them to compete for senior roles. "That's why we created the WCM Career Coaching Award Program with BMO Nesbitt Burns and our coaching partner, Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions to offer experienced women the opportunity to develop executive skills and enhance their likelihood for promotion," added Stapleton