Dr. Deirdre Pickerell has close to 25 years’ experience as a career development specialist, educator, manager, and human resource professional. She has made significant differences within the field of career development – locally, nationally, and internationally – through innovative program design, leading-edge education for career practitioners, inspiring facilitation and career coaching, and selfless leadership and mentoring throughout the sector. She led Team Canada, and was a catalyst speaker on the role of emerging technologies, at the 7th International Symposium on Career Development and Public Policy.

In recognition of her work, Deirdre has been honoured to receive the 2014 Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Development and Career Counselling and the 2006 Human Resources Association Award of Excellence. In 2009, Deirdre was part of the Life Strategies team honoured with the BC Career Development’s Association Award of Excellence, Team Category.

With a background in both career development and human resources management, Deirdre is working to create a stronger bridge between the career management and HR sectors. She is passionate about fully integrating career management principles within an organization’s HR strategy. Effective recruitment, retention, and talent management are all linked to the same core principle – the importance of a good career fit . . . getting the right people into the right jobs at the right time.

Her day to day work includes teaching, program development, facilitating seminars and workshops, and consulting to some of the largest corporations and governments, mid-size organizations, and community-based agencies across diverse industries and sectors including community living, public health, career and employment services, high-tech, transportation, manufacturing, nuclear power, construction, and forestry. Regardless of the specific project, Deirdre can be counted on to “push the envelope” – seeing needs, championing change, measuring outcomes, evaluating progress, and tirelessly working to ensure that her clients’ and colleagues expectations are constantly exceeded.

Deirdre inspires through her leadership but also through her respect – as one student said, “You’ve never made me feel silly for asking questions and you’ve responded as though you have discerned wisdom in our comments that we weren’t even aware of…”