Meaningful Exchange of Ideas and Best Practices Amid Beautiful Mountain Views in Western Canada.
The mountains were indeed calling, and HR Leaders across Canada enthusiastically answered that call, descending upon the “Castle in the Rockies,” more commonly known as the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, located in picturesque Banff, Alberta.
The stunning mountain scapes were the perfect backdrop for this year’s West Coast HR Management Institute Canada program that brought together CHROs and VPs of HR from varying industries across the country. Attendees engaged with one another, sharing ideas for tackling the plethora of challenges they face in this ever-evolving modern world of work, navigating through economic uncertainty, societal and political adversity, and rapidly advancing technologies. Discussions centered on Developing, Engaging, and Leading a Diverse, Resilient, and Productive Workforce with highlights including the following:
Leadership Development
It became evident throughout the Institute that leadership development has emerged as a cornerstone for HR leaders. According to live survey results on-site, asking attending HR executives what keeps them up at night, developing leaders was the number one concern for attending HR executives. Statistics from Gartner shared during Sunday’s panel discussion reinforced this, ranking leader and manager development as the number one priority for HR Leaders in 2025.
Panelists on Tuesday’s closing panel presentation also elaborated on the importance of leadership development when considering performance, sharing that 75% - 85% of how your leadership impacts performance comes through trust, clarity, and momentum (according to statistics from the International Institute for Management Development).
Organizational Culture
Ranking third in the “What is Keeping You Up at Night” on-site survey, was organizational culture. Also, a continuing theme through the program, attendees heard from presenting peers on culture’s importance in driving sustainable business outcomes, ensuring positive candidate experiences, and successful M&A transactions. Culture also led in conversations surrounding employee wellness and engagement.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Another highlight for attending HR leaders were discussions on the evolving landscape of diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canada, specifically over the past four years. Participants engaged in conversations surrounding generational diversity and preparing for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who are rapidly becoming a substantial portion of the workforce population.
Total Rewards Strategy
Attendees took in various presentations and think tanks diving into the topic of total rewards strategy and the importance of meeting the diverse needs of a modern workforce by offering a wide range of benefits that fit the people and culture of the organization. Discussions described the importance of hyper-personalizing benefits to build, retain, and engage, a more productive workforce, optimizing benefit programs with data and analytics, and ensuring an inclusive and more people- centric approach to total rewards.
Employee Resilience
Resiliency and change management remained headline conversations for attendees, sharing how work environments continue to shift, influenced by changing economic, political, and social factors. Executives had meaningful discussions about developing a growth mindset, finding areas of opportunities within limitations, and practicing adaptability.
Workforce Productivity
According to senior economics officials, Canada is falling behind almost every G7 country in terms of how efficiently the workforce is used. Canadian Executives across the country and in most industries are concerned about workforce productivity and the looming productivity crisis in Canada.
Thought-provoking and somewhat controversial sentiments around workforce productivity were presented, explaining how a lack of competition and mismatched job skills are impacting the economy, and providing suggestions for how HR Executives can navigate through these challenges towards a more sustainable and successful future.
After taking in full days of learning, sharing, and networking, attendees were treated to some fun filled and incredibly delicious dinner and evening functions. Sunday evening kicked off with an “Escape the Table” game, where leaders found themselves working closely with table mates to quickly solve various skill testing questions and find hidden clues to unlock the final safe and claim victory for their teams. On Monday evening, the executives enjoyed a selection of classic Canadian dishes, upbeat live music, and opportunities to taste an array of local wines and spirits.
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to host such a terrific group of speakers, attending HR executives, and service providers, at his past year’s Institute. We thank each of you for your engagement and participation and look forward to seeing you next time!
Should you have interest in getting involved in next year’s program, please contact Amy Hallman at ahallman@ipmievents.com.
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