WINNER: Best Service Provider of the Year

LeedHR

Charles Fortier

Co-founder

The expression “leading from the front” is a great way to introduce Charles Fortier. With more than two decades of leadership experience in the human capital industry, he has witnessed first-hand how emotional intelligence can boost influence and drive results. The senior roles he held in both corporate and startup environments enabled him to apply and utilize, in real life, the EQ skills he teaches today. As co-founder of LeedHR, Charles’ responsibilities encompass the development and delivery of client programs, including a diverse range of offerings such as keynote speaking engagements, training and workshops, webinars, and one-on-one coaching.

Co-founder

Charles Fortier

facebook.com/barwonwater

@ruytongirlsschool

Angela Payne

Co-founder

Angela Payne

@TDSLaw

Angela Payne, an experienced professional in the human capital sector, has dedicated her over-20-year career to her deep interest in people. Her remarkable ability to create strong and lasting connections is recognized – it is a superpower that has helped her build and expand successful teams and established her as a strategic mentor to many leaders.

Talent is invaluable, and attracting top talent comes at a significant cost for organizations year after year. But what happens when that talent encounters uninspiring leaders? Disengagement and unproductivity follow suit. At LeedHR, we believe the difference between thriving teams and underperforming ones comes down to leadership rooted in emotional intelligence and strong human skills. As a Toronto-based leadership development firm, we specialize in helping organizations strengthen this foundation by assessing, training, and coaching leaders at all levels. We’ve seen first-hand how developing leaders’ human skills, such as self-awareness and empathy, transforms workplaces. These skills enable leaders to connect authentically, navigate challenges with clarity, and inspire their teams to perform at their best. When leaders demonstrate emotional intelligence in action, organizations see gains in engagement and collaboration. Our mission is clear: to equip leaders with the human skills they need to thrive in today’s complex business environment. Through psychometric assessments, interactive workshops, and personalized coaching, we provide practical tools leaders can apply immediately in their day to day. The result is a leadership culture that fuels high performance and prepares organizations to succeed in a constantly evolving business landscape.

Linda Ross

People and Children Manager

Linda has over 27 years’ experience in leading People and Culture teams, incorporating OD, WHS, HR, Payroll and Systems. This experience spans hospitality, theme parks, airline, manufacturing and, for the last five years, local government industries. Linda is passionate about achieving sustainable business outcomes with people at the forefront of everything. In the last three years, in addition to the People and Culture department, Linda has led the Children Services portfolio encompassing 44 children services – 18 long day care, five pre-schools, 15 before- and after-school care and six vacation-care services. The timing of her appointment has seen her lead the portfolio (as well as People and Culture) through the unprecedented times of COVID. In the last financial year, 3,100 children aged 0–12 years attended the services, and Linda loves the difference that this portfolio makes to the community including young people. In Linda’s spare time she contributes to finding a cure for cancer, by volunteering and most recently cycling with Tour De Cure and raising much-needed funds for researchers.

People and Children Manager

Linda Ross

Amita King

Organisational Development Manager

Amita leads Penrith City Council’s Organisational Development (OD) Team and brought with her extensive private sector OD experience upon joining Council three years ago. She has worked across a number of industries including Telecommunications and Retail, leading change management, internal communications, learning and development, leadership, talent and much more. Her passion lies in leading organisations to continually evolve and enhance strategic performance and organisational culture through the investment in contemporary people-centric frameworks and programs that grow and unleash the potential of their people.

Organisational Development Manager

Amita King

As an independent, forward-thinking girls’ school we are committed to preparing girls for a lifetime of learning, leadership and engagement in our global community. We believe in girls. At Ruyton Girls’ School we foster the individuality of each girl in a caring and safe environment, nurturing her intellectual, physical, social and emotional qualities that are essential to flourish. Powerful learning is central to the Ruyton culture, building on our strong academic reputation. We focus on advancing the learning of every girl through the engagement of intellectual curiosity, building their knowledge and skills about how to learn, and supporting them to achieve their personal best and be exemplary citizens. We believe in real-world learning beyond the classroom, collaborating with the wider community to promote growth, discovery and sustainability. We empower our girls to lead lives of purpose with courage, character and compassion. Through the development of values and action-focused learning they are inspired to pursue equity and justice for self and others. By embracing diversity and raising their voices, our girls effect positive change and make a difference.