Build A Better Board...
Board recruitment has favoured CEOs, lawyers, and accountants.
They’re comfortable with financials but not always with “difficult” people topics.
Boards need to be able to support executives as they work to:
- Attract, develop & retain talent
- Transform and merge cultures
- Develop compensation & accountability systems
- Address diversity, succession, and strategic HR
- Evaluate leader/director performance
Is it time for an people-centric professional to join your board?
Would you benefit from HR and governance experience balanced with operations success?
Paul Gibson
ICD.D
Board Chair, ADVISOR & RECRUITER
Certified board chair and director with governance and advisory experience on the boards of private, family, small-cap, scale-up and NFP enterprises.
Professional board and ownership advisor with global expertise in operations and human capital challenges such as mergers, talent acquisition, organizational change, leadership succession, executive and board recruitment, and board operations.
Expert in designing attractive and economical leadership compensation systems, advising on current challenges in acquiring and retaining people in turbulent markets, and managing mergers and transformations.
Demonstrated ability to ask for, understand, and act upon people-related data, a rare skill that has been expressly valued by past and current boards.
Executive coach and mediator, skilled in building rapport and cooperation between executives and directors, and capable of fitting into diverse cultures, industries and business scales.
More than 30 years of expertise in the needs of entrepreneurial leaders has created “owner-whisperer” capabilities and supports the unique issues that often vex high-growth entrepreneurs and families in business.
Chair
A Board Chair, Vice-Chair & Committee Chair, specializing in Human Resources, Compensation, Governance, Nominating and Search Committees.
Advisor
A provider of guidance to advisory, family and supervisory boards on governance practices, director education,
and board operations support.
Recruiter
A leader of a specialized recruitment practice delivering confidential and open searches for c-suite executives and board directors.
Paul's Board Roles
Pure Business
For-Profit Enterprise Boards
- MTE Consultants - Engineering *
- Daisy Intelligence - AI Software
- Proceco - Equipment Manufacturing
- Maple Reinders - Construction
Complex Scopes
Education & Medical Boards
- Hamilton Health Sciences *
- University Of Guelph - Education
- Westpark Health Care - Rehab
- Mohawk Medbuy - Supply Chain
One-Of-A-Kind
Highly-Focused Boards
- AlphaPlus - Literacy Tech
- WaterTAP Ontario - Water Tech
- OpenWorm Foundation - Research
- HOA - Alternative Financing
The Greater Good
ESG Impact Boards
- Jane Goodall Institute - NGO
- Open Media - Digital Rights
- Salvation Army - Social Services
- Art Gallery Burlington - Arts
Paul's Chair Roles
Board
AlphaPlus & WaterTAP
Led successful leadership transition, board renewal and government funding push in a shifting political landscape. Supported Executive Director in government relations, and growth plans.
HR & Comp
Daisy, Proceco & WaterTAP
Implemented complex director and executive compensation as well as redesigned equity programs for staff. Advised owner and executives on HR practices for attraction & retention.
Governance
Daisy & AlphaPlus
Developed practical CEO / ED evaluation and sustainable evergreen board candidate process. Implemented governance procedures to carry firm through to Series A raise and board dissolution.
Special / Search
Guelph, Westpark, Mohawk, OpenWorm, Goodall, OpenMedia
Led CEO and executive search programs as well as full board renewals and over $100 million in property development projects.
board competencies
- CEO Appraisal & Succession
- Organizational Design
- M&A Integration
- Compensation Systems
- ESG, DEI & Sustainability
industry sectors
- Construction / Engineering
- Enterprise Technology
- Manufacturing
- Financial Services
- Sales & Service (B2B / B2C)
client scopes
- Family / Private Enterprises
- Small to Mid-Cap $20-500m
- Entrepreneurial Scale Up
- High Growth Enterprises
- Firms in Transition
accredidation
- Certified Director (ICD.D)
- Chairing Boards (ICD)
- Comp & HR Chair (ICD)
- Not-For-Profit Director (ICD)
- Health Governance (OHA)
Family Business Advisor
An advisor to family-run businesses from $10 million to $2 billion and from a few family members to dozens. Support for family councils to address education and resolve issues, and for advisory boards to bring professional governance, disciplined practices for succession, performance appraisal, and fair compensation to family-run businesses.
Technology Advisor
Executive Leadership History
Services
Sapien Capital
Founder & Managing Director
Sapien was founded to help entrepreneurs, executives, families, and boards to address the people-related challenges of their growing firms.
We help them sleep better at night knowing they have a handle on unique private company needs such as recruitment of talent, professionalization of their HR function, design of their organization, or almost anything on the human side of rapid growth.
We support human capital projects, executive-level coaching, and fractional leadership of the HR team. We lead and operate advisory or supervisory boards, guide generational leadership transition, and help leaders lead
Construction
Mattamy Commercial
President
Commercial development, construction, leasing, and finance.
Mattamy Homes
Chief Human Resource Officer
International land development and homebuilding operations.
Manufacturing
Palliser Furniture
EVP Human Resources
International HR and complex family entanglements.
Noma Industries
Corporate Director Human Resources
HR operations for consumer packaged goods manufacturer.
Financial
Fidelity Investment Canada
VP Human Resources
Led HR and the launch of stand-alone fintech subsidiaries.
Canada Life
Director of Leadership
Accountable for leadership development of high potentials in 5 countries.
