Team
Stephanie La
Stephanie La (she/her) is a Toronto-based professional with a specialized background in Retail Operations and Management.
Our Team
The people within organizations drive a mission. Get to know what motivates us, and how we intend to add value to your organization and the public more broadly.
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Team
Chad Martin Lawrence
Dr Chad Lawrence (he/him) has nearly 20 years of experience across diverse sectors, including academia, where he balanced scholarship and teaching with his role as an Academic Affairs Specialist at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, and corporate environments such as executive search.
Team
Erica Ing
Erica has worked in both a boutique and international executive search firm, and has gained considerable experience providing operational, client service, and delivery support within a variety of sectors, including real estate, public sector and academia, and leadership coaching and assessment.
Team
Melissa Sumnauth
Melissa brings an abundance mindset to her work, fueled by over 17 years of cross-industry experience focusing on human dynamics, culture, learning and development, recruitment, organizational growth, and resilience coaching.
Team
Sarah Khan
Sarah Khan embraces her Indo-Guyanese identity with pride. She brings extensive experience and knowledge in project coordination and management to BES Executive Search, leveraging a proven track record of contributing to the success of multiple projects.
Team
Laurie Toulouse
Laurie Toulouse is Anishinaabe kwe, a member of Serpent River First Nation. She grew up on the lands of the Kwikwetlem First Nation and Coast Salish Peoples and currently calls T’karonto, Dish with One Spoon treaty territory her home.
Team
Helen Mekonen
Helen brings 16 years of experience in executive search recruitment and has built a proven track record of identifying, attracting, assessing, and hiring top diversity talent.
Team
Urmilla Mahabirsingh
Urmilla brings 20+ years’ experience leading recruitment, talent acquisition, and career coaching services in the not-for-profit, private, and public sectors.
Team
Olivia Shallow
Olivia has spent several years in consulting, specifically working with a number of people and companies across the public and private sectors for more than 15 years.
Team
Jason Murray
Jason is an executive search and EDIA leader with experience on 500+ executive searches and extensive work advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility with organizations across sectors.
Thought Leadership Videos
Watch recent thought leadership videos on inclusive leadership, workplace culture, and transformation.
Watch on Youtube
Why How you Show Up is Just As Important As What You Say
In this instalment of “Be the BES Leader,” Helen Mekonen explores why how you show up in such moments can matter just as much as what you say.
Watch Why How you Show Up is Just As Important As What You Say
Watch on Youtube
The Invisible Line Between Senior Leader and Executive
As you move into executive roles, how you communicate matters just as much as what you’ve accomplished... and arguably, even more. In this instalment of Be the BES Leader, Jason Murray explores what executive-level communication "sounds like" and what hiring committees listen for, including how you frame challenges and how you navigate complexity.
Watch The Invisible Line Between Senior Leader and Executive
Watch on Youtube
You Can Mandate Presence, But Not Connection
Melissa Sumnauth explores why the true test of hybrid or in-person work lies in how leaders foster connection today - and how the choices they make will shape workplace culture and the ability to retain talent.
Watch You Can Mandate Presence, But Not Connection
Watch on Youtube
Why Clarity, Not Just Authenticity Builds Trust in Hiring
Helen Mekonen explains why clarity, coupled with authenticity and consistency, matters, because authenticity and consistency, matters, because your story is being interpreted long before you walk into the interview.
Watch Why Clarity, Not Just Authenticity Builds Trust in Hiring
Watch on Youtube
Why Confidence Stops Working at the Executive Level
In this instalment of "Be the BES Leader," Jason Murray examines why confidence may help you get noticed over the course of your career, but sound judgment is what helps you become an executive.
Watch Why Confidence Stops Working at the Executive Level
Watch on YouTube
Why High Performers Stall Below Executive Level
In this short, Jason Murray explores why strong leaders get held at that threshold and what hiring committees are actually looking for beyond performance, including signals of trust, judgment, and peer-level presence.
Watch Why High Performers Stall Below Executive Level
Indigenous Knowledge/Jason Murray
National Indigenous History Month as a Mirror rather than a Museum
This reflection piece argues that National Indigenous History Month should be an opportunity not only to deepen our understanding of history, but also to examine how it shapes our everyday choices.
Learn more
Sustainability/Stephanie La
Green AI: The Role of AI in Sustainability
Green AI emphasizes the importance of balancing innovation with environmental responsibility, addressing the significant environmental and ethical challenges posed by AI development, such as high carbon emissions, energy consumption, and data privacy concerns. While AI offers transformative benefits, including climate change prediction, pollution monitoring, and public health insights, its rapid advancement often prioritizes speed over sustainability. By adopting Green AI practices—such as energy-efficient algorithms, renewable energy sources, and sustainable development goals—organizations can reduce their environmental impact, align with sustainability objectives, and foster long-term growth while contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future.
Learn more