Gelder, Gingras & Associates

06/02/2022

Each year, GGA is invited to participate to the annual Salut! dinner in support of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Ottawa (CAFO) . Proceeds from Salut! at Home supports the needs of children, youth, and families involved with the foundation.
This year, the CAFO organized a virtual dinner event as a gesture of appreciation for everyone who donated to the foundation. This was also an opportunity for our brilliant colleagues and supportive +1s to get together in person to watch the event, enjoy a nice meal with exceptional local wine, and disconnect from our usual business activities!
Thank you to the CAFO for organizing this wonderful event, as well as to their partners , , , and for the delicious food and wine.

05/05/2022

Does your organization need help developing its new strategic plan? Do you need qualified experts to evaluate the effectiveness of your innovative programs? Is your organization planning a multi-stakeholder engagement conference? Do you want to implement a new strategy, or strategically realign your organizational structure? Gelder, Gingras & Associates is here to help you with your management challenges and needs, whether you operate in the public, private, or non-profit sector. Visit our website to learn more about our areas of expertise and contact us for more information!
https://www.gelder-gingras.ca/services/

03/16/2022

We are so pleased to announce that our team is growing once more!
Welcome to Kara Arthurs, our new Executive Assistant.

Kara is an administrative professional with previous experience in hospitality, educational assessment and as a freelancer for small companies with administrative support needs. Her interest in traveling the world brought her to Fanshawe College where she attained her diploma in Travel and Tourism, as well as spending several years working for an educational assessment service, specifically working with international documents. Kara spends most of her time managing her true boss, her dog Frankie.

03/16/2022

We are so pleased to announce that our team is growing once more! Welcome to Kara Arthurs, our new Executive Assistant.

Kara is an administrative professional with previous experience in hospitality, educational assessment and as a freelancer for small companies with administrative support needs. Her interest in traveling the world brought her to Fanshawe College where she attained her diploma in Travel and Tourism, as well as spending several years working for an educational assessment service, specifically working with international documents. Kara spends most of her time managing her true boss, her dog Frankie.

Nous avons le plaisir de vous annoncer que notre équipe s'agrandit une fois de plus ! Bienvenue à Kara Arthurs, notre nouvelle adjointe exécutive.

Kara est une professionnelle de l'administration avec une expérience antérieure dans l'hôtellerie, en évaluation de l’éducation et en tant que pigiste pour de petites entreprises ayant des besoins de soutien administratif. Son intérêt pour les voyages l'a amenée à fréquenter le Fanshawe College, où elle a obtenu un diplôme en voyage et en tourisme. Elle a également passé plusieurs années à travailler pour un service d'évaluation de l'éducation, en particulier dans le domaine des documents internationaux. Kara passe la plupart de son temps à s'occuper de sa véritable patronne, sa chienne Frankie.

03/08/2022

Lettre de la présidente de GGA, Eva Maxwell

Bonne journée internationale de la femme 2022 !

Dans l'esprit de la célébration des femmes fortes et des réalisations féminines, je voulais profiter de cet espace pour partager avec vous des nouvelles qui se font attendre depuis longtemps et qui touchent chaque membre de notre organisation.

Nous avons été assez silencieux sur les médias sociaux cette année, suite à une année d'obstacles immenses et impossibles : la perte de notre cher collègue et pilier de notre famille GGA, la continuation de la pandémie, des pertes personnelles, et la liste est longue. Cependant, malgré notre silence, plutôt que de nous effondrer et de vaciller, nous avons tenu bon et nous nous sommes reconstruits, petit à petit, pour façonner une entreprise qui correspond à nos valeurs et représente le travail que nous nous efforçons d'accomplir en tant que consultants.

La plus grande nouvelle est que j'ai commencé à travailler dans mon nouveau rôle de présidente de GGA en septembre 2022. Avec ce changement, mon objectif était de renforcer notre identité et de poursuivre la croissance de notre entreprise, en s'appuyant sur les nombreuses années d'expérience et de services de qualité auxquels tous nos consultants se sont consacrés depuis que nos fondateurs ont initialement créé la firme en 1992.

En effet, l'une des premières choses que nous avons faites dans la nouvelle équipe a été de nous asseoir et de revisiter les valeurs de notre entreprise, pour voir ce qui a été et ce qui a changé. Lorsque nous nous sommes assis ensemble, nous avons découvert ce qui nous anime : la collaboration, l'engagement envers la diversité, l'empathie, l'esprit entrepreneurial, l'excellence professionnelle et la curiosité. D’ailleurs, pour garder le lien avec les origines de GGA, nous avons appris que les enseignements et les idées de nos prédécesseurs étaient à la fois les piliers de notre culture organisationnelle et l'inspiration pour l'avenir.

Ces valeurs et moteurs clés nous ont ancrés en 2021. Au cours de nos nombreux contrôles et exercices de planification, nous avons fait le bilan de l'année écoulée et nous avons constaté qu'elle nous donnait en fait une raison de nous pousser plus loin que jamais, de tirer, de pivoter et de nous étirer de nouvelles façons. L'année qui nous a secoués au plus profond de nous-mêmes a également ouvert la voie à la réflexion critique, à la planification et à des projets vraiment passionnants. Nous avons réalisé qu'en même temps que nous entreprenions des efforts considérables pour nous stabiliser, nous adapter et nous développer tout en affrontant un deuil extrême, nous travaillions sur des recherches passionnantes (qui seront bientôt publiées), nous aidions des organisations à mettre en place de nouveaux programmes et nous établissions de nouveaux partenariats avec des organisations caritatives et des experts du monde universitaire qui déplacent des montagnes dans leur travail.

Nous nous sommes adaptés à chaque étape du processus : en réponse à l'évolution du monde des affaires, nous sommes passés à un modèle entièrement virtuel. Bien que nous ayons perdu des membres de notre équipe et que d'autres soient partis, nous avons pris l'espace nécessaire pour poursuivre des projets qui correspondent à notre expertise et à nos passions. Nous avons également agrandi notre équipe avec l'arrivée d'une adjointe exécutive dévouée et très engagée, et nous avons poursuivi notre engagement en faveur de l'excellence professionnelle par une formation et un apprentissage continu. En fait, c'est grâce à tous ces changements, obstacles et opportunités que nous avons découvert qui nous sommes. Cette année, nous sommes une firme passionnée et ambitieuse de femmes entrepreneures. Nous avons eu un aperçu de ce que la vie peut nous réserver, et nous connaissons maintenant notre force et notre capacité à nous relever face à l'adversité.

Je ne pourrais être plus heureuse et fière de notre équipe de base, ni plus enthousiaste à l'idée de continuer à grandir et à construire, grâce à nos réseaux de sous-traitants, à notre base d'employés en expansion, à nos collaborateurs et partenaires, à nos prestataires de services, ainsi qu'à nos chers amis et à notre famille. C'est avec excitation que j'attends de voir quelles opportunités nous saisirons et ce que nous apprendrons. J'ai hâte de voir comment les prochaines pièces du casse-tête s'emboîtent. En attendant, je me sens honorée de guider notre équipe dans cette nouvelle ère de GGA.

Sincèrement,
Eva Maxwell

Lien menant à la lettre: https://www.gelder-gingras.ca/fr/lettre-de-la-presidente-de-gga-eva-maxwell/
Lien menant à l'article pour la journée internationale de la femme 2022: https://www.gelder-gingras.ca/a-little-bit-further-down-the-road-to-gender-equality/

03/08/2022

Letter from GGA’s President, Eva Maxwell

Happy International Women’s Day 2022!

In the spirit of celebrating strong women and female achievement, I wanted to take this space to share with you some news that are long overdue and that affect every member of our organization.

We have been fairly silent on social media this past year, following a year of immense and impossible hurdles: the loss of our dear colleague and pillar of our GGA family, the continuation of COVID, personal losses, and the list goes on. Despite our silence, however, rather than crumble and falter, we have been holding fast and rebuilding – sometimes stone by stone – to shape a company that fits our values and represents the work we strive for as consultants.
The biggest piece of news is that I started working in my new role as President of GGA back in September 2022. With this change, my aim was to strengthen our identity and continue to grow our company, building on the many years of experience and quality services that our consultants have been dedicated to since our founders initially started the firm in 1992.

Indeed, one of the first things we did in the new team set up was to sit down and revisit our company values, to see what has been and what has changed. When we sat down together, we discovered what drives us: collaboration, commitment to diversity, empathy, entrepreneurship, professional excellence, and curiosity. And to keep the link with GGA’s origins, we learned that the teachings and ideas of our predecessors were both the pillars of our organizational culture and the inspiration for the future.

These key values and drivers anchored us in 2021. During our many check ins and planning exercises, we looked back and saw that the past year actually gave us a reason to push ourselves further than ever before and to pull, pivot, and stretch in new ways. The year that shook us to our cores also paved the way for critical thinking, planning, and really exciting projects. We realized that while we undertook the momentous efforts to stabilize, adapt, and grow while navigating extreme grief, we also worked on exciting research (to be published soon), helped organizations usher in new programs, and forged new partnerships with charitable organizations and experts from academia that move mountains in their work.

We adapted at every step of the way: in response to the changing fabric of the business world, we moved to a fully virtual model. Although we have lost members of our team and others have moved on, we took the space to pursue projects that fit with our expertise and passions. We also grew our team with the addition of a dedicated and highly engaged executive assistant and persisted in our dedication to professional excellence through continued training and learning. In fact, because of all of the changes, obstacles, and opportunities, we found out who we are. This year, we are a passionate and ambitious firm of women entrepreneurs. We have had a taste of what life is able to throw at us, and now we know our strength and our ability to rise in the face of adversity.

I couldn’t be happier and prouder of our core team, nor more excited to continue growing and building – through our network of subcontractors, our expanding employee base, our collaborators and partners, our service providers, and our dear friends and family. It is with excitement that I wait to see which opportunities we seize and what we learn. I am looking forward to seeing how the next pieces of the puzzle fit together. And in the meantime, I feel honoured to guide our team into this new era of GGA.

Sincerely,
Eva Maxwell

Link to the letter: https://www.gelder-gingras.ca/letter-from-ggas-president-eva-maxwell/
Link to IWD 2022 blog post: https://www.gelder-gingras.ca/a-little-bit-further-down-the-road-to-gender-equality/

12/23/2021

The GGA team wishes all of its clients, partners, and colleagues happy holidays! 🎄

L’équipe GGA souhaite à tous ses clients, partenaires et collègues de joyeuses fêtes! 🎄

10/27/2021

Yesterday, our consultant Eva had the opportunity to host the Converge Networking event, organized by the Canadian Association of Management Consultants, which consisted of three different presentations. The first session featured Thomas Mularski, Certified Information Privacy Professional at Cognizant. He shared what you need to know about the privacy laws in Canada and the role privacy plays in an organization. Attendees learned about the role management consulting plays within cyber security, technology, and privacy. The second session featured Rahi S. Tajzadeh, CEO at KnowQuest Inc. and The Big Leaf Inc. Rahi shared his experience as a management consultant and presented a new model of mentoring. Lastly, the third session featured Suanne McGrath Kelly, Business Technology Strategist at Plan in Motion Inc, who presented the emerging area of business technology consulting. Lots of insights came out of these sessions, as they really made us think about the countless, important, and emerging fields in the consulting industry. We are excited to continue these interesting discussions on eye- opening and relevant topics at other CMC events!
We will follow up with the YouTube link once it is published.

07/12/2021

We are happy to announce that GGA will be one of the event partners of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CMC-Canada) 's Converge networking event on July 27th from 5:00-7:00 PM EDT, and that our consultant Eva Maxwell will be co-hosting the event! CONVERGE networking event brings together CMC members, business and industry leaders, students, and consulting professionals for an evening of networking and learning. This event will give you the opportunity to:
- Meet business leaders innovating solutions for today’s issues
- Network with a community of experienced consultants and recruit from recognized academic partners
- Connect and converse with seasoned Certified Management Consultants
- Learn what an experienced Consultant can do for you
Click the following link to register – it is free and open to anyone! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/converge-a-unique-networking-opportunity-tickets-161953157253

CONVERGE networking event brings together CMC members, business and industry leaders, students and consulting professionals

05/25/2021

Happy Tuesday! Today, we want to share with you 5 certifications that you can pursue to grow your consulting career. Certifications, or professional designations, are useful to specialize in a specific area of consulting expertise, gain credibility, and get more growth opportunities.📚

05/19/2021

Last week, the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CMC-Canada) hosted a “Women in Consulting” panel with highly qualified guest speakers from different types and sizes of consulting practices: Lyn McDonnell, Dominique Dennery, Sonya Gulati, and Eva Maxwell. The guest speakers shared important tips and advice detailing the nuances of how women approach consulting and leadership differently with unique ways of seeing, listening, and relating to clients, team members, and networks beyond the firm. Several other interesting topics were also discussed, such as how to get into the profession, how to defeat impostor syndrome, how to establish a presence and authority, and how others can be allies. With this knowledge, participants expressed great interest in learning more about this topic.

This Thursday, a follow-on from "Women in Consulting" Panel will explore how the industry has involved in this area, what we have yet to achieve, and how we can achieve it together... in practical terms!

Register now to catch this dialogue and meet current and prospective partners, clients, employers, and colleagues from across the country. This is a FREE and INFORMAL social networking event and is open to anyone that has an interest in modern business leadership, trends, ideas, or the consulting profession.

Link to register: https://lu.ma/cmcthirdthursday
Link to last week’s panel (recording): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmLJYiThyEc

05/14/2021

C’est avec une immense tristesse que nous vous annonçons le décès soudain de notre ami et collègue Xénos Khan, vice-président et associé chez GGA depuis 2013. Xénos était apprécié de tous ses collègues, clients et partenaires, il était doué d’une intelligence remarquable et d’une grande générosité. Il nous manquera à toutes et à tous.

Nous tenons à offrir nos plus sincères condoléances à tous les membres de la famille de Xénos, ainsi qu’à tous ses amis et collègues.

Vous retrouverez ici un vibrant témoignage composée par sa collègue de longue date, Eva Maxwell.
https://www.gelder-gingras.ca/our-dear-friend-xenos-khan/

It is with immense sadness that we share the news of the sudden death of our friend and colleague, Xenos Khan, Vice-President and Associate with GGA since 2013. Xenos was held in great esteem by all of his colleagues, clients and partners; he was both remarkably intelligent and exceptionally generous. We will all miss him greatly.

We offer our most sincere condolences to all of the members of his family, as well as to all of his friends and colleagues.

By following this link, you will find a heartfelt tribute written by his long time colleague, Eva Maxwell.
https://www.gelder-gingras.ca/our-dear-friend-xenos-khan/