Bio

I thrive when working with disruption. In 2003, I started researching how to provide people in their 50s and 60s with new experiences what would break them out of routine career patterns and challenge the “successful, but not satisfied” mindset that seemed pervasive in my corporate career. The spark of an idea for Challenge Factory was born and, in 2012, as the oldest baby boomers were turning 65, I launched my own business. Challenge Factory was the first company in Canada to offer career services specifically designed for older workers. Our purpose was to enhance work for employees of all ages by re-engaging those who had been left to languish. My unique background in older worker career development and workplace engagement led to my appointment as an Associate Fellow at the National Institute on Ageing (Toronto Metropolitan University). Challenge Factory has grown into a robust and respected research agency and consultancy focused on the Future of Work. I’m passionate about not wasting potential and believe that we need new models, tools, examples, and heroes to help us shed outdated career and work-related thinking. I love making sense of complex concepts and use my MBA in Strategic Management and Public Administration (York University) to bridge corporate and policy considerations when shaping the Future of Work. My ability to bridge real-world practice and public policy resulted in my selection as one of five members of Team Canada at the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy. My work has been recognized in Canada, Singapore, and Scandinavia, and I am the co-host of two podcasts and the author of five books, including The Talent Revolution: Longevity and the Future of Work (University of Toronto Press) which I wrote with Fern Lebo, and the Retain and Gain series of career management playbooks (CERIC). I’m often asked to provide media commentary and can be counted on to present a different and informed view of daily events. I sit on the Boards of Directors of CERIC and the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR-A) and I’m a member of the Association of Professional Futurists. I’m also an active community leader within my synagogue. Being connected in meaningful ways to different communities matters a great deal to me and I seek out opportunities for meaningful volunteerism that helps people and communities thrive.