We Are IH: Change management professional supports others’ growth

Originally from Port Moody, B.C., Chris spent his high school years in Chattanooga, Tennessee before relocating to the Lower Mainland to attend university at the University of British Columbia. He became interested in leadership development after working in an administrative position at a law firm and seeing the impact of leadership – both good and bad – on the office.

He decided to go back to university to get his MBA, which led to a job working as a project manager for a firm that did leadership and organization development consulting. “I quickly came to realize that the most successful projects shared a number of commonalities,” says Chris, “As I learned more about change management in the role, I realized these commonalities could be attributed to the strong change management. I decided to pursue my change management certification because of this.”

This experience led Chris to his current role at IH, as a Leadership & Organization Development consultant. His role consists of three key elements: leadership development, organization development, and change management consultation. He regularly facilitates leadership development programs, and designs and implements interventions to enhance team effectiveness and build leadership capabilities, such as design and facilitation support for various leadership conferences. He also offers consultation to support change initiatives around the organization – advising the project team on best practices in change management.

Outside of work, you can find Chris exploring the orchards, vineyards and forests of Kelowna with his wife Jessica, four-year-old son Ryan, and two-year-old daughter Rose. He loves getting out hiking, trying out new restaurants, and vising museums and galleries. Though he admits it’s difficult to watch non-Disney films with young kids at home, he’s a bit of a film buff, counting Star Wars, Schindler’s List, Rear Window, and the Exorcist among his favourites. He looks forward to taking his family to the Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta to see all of the dinosaur fossils later this year.

When asked what advice he would offer to anyone who’s interested in pursuing a career in change management, Chris suggests that they practice resilience and curiosity. “No project ever goes exactly as anticipated, so you need to be resilient in the face of setbacks," he says. "One of my favourite sayings is, ‘The greatest tool a change agent has is their own disposition.’ If you lose your enthusiasm for the change, it’s going to be difficult to persuade others to embrace it.”

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