ELEVATE: Women in the Workforce - Support in a Post-COVID Economy May 11, 2021

ELEVATE: Women in the Workforce - Support in a Post-COVID Economy

It has been well documented that women's participation in the labour force in Canada has fallen to a record low level during the pandemic. Balancing work and family obligations, changes in childcare and responsibilities for home schooling have impacted women's ability to return to work.  In North Vancouver, many women are employed in sectors such as retail, restaurants, tourism and hospitality that shut down in 2020.
 
Join us for this panel discussion with local women leaders, as we focus in on the impact the pandemic is having on women in the workforce, and discuss ways to support women in a post COVID-19 recovery.

Panelists: 
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Julia Smith, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University 
Yalda Ahmadvand, Director, DEA Professional Language & Training College
Polina Kouzmina, Head of HR, COWI North America
Andrea Zappavigna, Partner, Ally Workplace Law





Keynote Speaker:  Dr. Julia Smith, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
 
Dr. Julia Smith is a Research Associate in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Her research interests center on gender-based policy analysis of health crises, commercial and political determinants of health and community-based research. Dr. Smith is currently a Principal Investigator on the Gender and COVID-19 Research Project, which is conducting gender-based analysis of the response to COVID-19 in nine countries, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. She regularly works with municipal, provincial and federal government departments, as well as global institutions, such as UN Women. Dr. Smith has a PhD from the University of Bradford, in the UK, where she also completed her Master of Arts as a Rotary World Peace Fellow, and has over 10 years' experience working with community development organizations in Canada, Europe and Africa.



Yalda Ahmadvand, Director, DEA Professional Language & Training College
 
Yalda Ahmadvand is the founder and owner of DEA Canadian College in North Vancouver, BC. She holds Master's degree in Linguistics from the University of Leicester, England. Yalda was on the BCTEAL (Teachers of English as an Additional Language) board of directors for 5 years, and she currently serves as a Professional Development Chair on the board of TESL Canada. She runs DEA Canadian College, which is a Career Training and Language College and is certified by Ministry of Advanced Education.



Polina Kouzmina, Head of HR, COWI North America

Polina Kouzmina is the Head of HR for COWI in North America, a global civil engineering consulting firm. With a focus on strategic partnering with business leaders, change management and leadership development, Polina spent the majority of her career working in high-growth, technically-focused organizations. Polina holds a B.Comm in Human Resources and Organizational Behavior from UBC, professional HR designations in Canada and USA, PROSCI certification and is graduating from the Certified Organizational Coach program at UBC this May. Her active involvement in the engineering community includes acting as co-chair for the ACEC-BC HR Committee.

 



Andrea Zappavigna, Partner, Ally Workplace Law
 
Andrea Zappavigna is a partner at Ally Workplace Law and has practiced labour and employment law exclusively for over 15 years. She enjoys resolving workplace legal issues because it so closely linked to business productivity and overall worker satisfaction.  Andrea believes 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' and actively works with employers to set up and adjust their workplaces for success. She represents employers at every stage of the employment relationship. Andrea has extensive experience as counsel at labour arbitrations, the BC Labour Relations Board, BC Human Rights Tribunal, and at all levels of court in British Columbia. Andrea holds a B.A. from Simon Fraser University and an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia

Our Moderator: 

 

Marni Johnson, Senior Vice President, HR and Corporate Affairs, BlueShore Financial 

With over 30 years' experience in financial services, Marni provides overall leadership and strategic direction in the areas of human resources and corporate affairs.  She is responsible for ensuring a highly competent, engaged and productive workforce, and for creating corporate and internal communication strategies to maximize employee commitment and achieve corporate goals. She also oversees BlueShore's processes and framework for strategic planning and community impact. Under Marni's leadership, BlueShore Financial has been named a Kincentric Best Employer in Canada for 10 consecutive years.