Roger Oxenham

Founder, Business Leader: Talent Stewardship

Roger Oxenham is Founder and President of OXENHAM Consultants Inc. He has more than 20 years of executive search experience and more than 35 years of management, entrepreneurship and operational experience in diverse industry sectors. His areas of focus continue to embrace leadership positions in all sectors, with concentration in the finance, not-for-profit, infrastructure, media and manufacturing sectors.

Prior to launching OCI in Toronto in 1999, Roger led senior executive searches at a leading boutique Canadian firm in the retail, not-for-profit, communications and finance sectors. Previous to joining the executive search and talent management business, Roger led the business development and operations of a leading media and events firm focused on delivering targeted consumer trade shows.

Roger has experience with a wide range of clients, from small high growth, entrepreneurial firms to large global organizations, the public and private sector. These clients are in the construction, white goods, FMCG, energy, manufacturing, legal, professional services, media, technology, entertainment, expositions and the not-for-profit/developmental services sectors. Roger has conducted senior-level recruitment engagements for a variety of leadership positions, including CEO, CAO, COO, CFO, Business and Corporate Development, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Engineering, Operations, and Continuous Improvement.

A certified practitioner in Senior Management assessment (ASSESS® and MANAGEMENTPRO®) Roger has evaluated senior leaders and developed competencies for teams across different functions in Canada and across the globe.

Today, Roger is active in the four core businesses of Executive Search (OCI Asset), Talent Development (OCI Ascent), Talent Identification (OCI Match), and Employer Branding (OCI Edge) under the OCI Talent Stewardship™ suite.

Pursuit of excellence drives every talent project with the goal of leaving an indelible mark in the minds of client’s while solidifying OCI as a strategic, sustainable resource and partner to its valued clients.

Roger believes that: 

Innovative thinking is at the centre of business excellence.

Pallavi Sodhi

Executive Vice President, Business Leader, Talent Stewardship

Pallavi is Executive VP and Partner at Oxenham Consultants Inc. She is a marketer with over 20 years of experience in brand and business building across diverse sectors of consumer packaged goods, technology, professional services, not-for-profit, B2B and consumer durables in international markets of Europe, Asia, MENA and North America.

Prior to joining OCI, Pallavi led and managed accounts at global marketing communication agencies: Ogilvy & Mather (India, Russia, U.K. and Austria), JWT (Canada) and DDB (Canada), where she partnered with multinationals like Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, Epson, Hershey’s, Rothman’s, Seagram’s, Stimorol, Glaxo Smithkline, IBM…..to develop their brands through marketing campaigns and strengthen their businesses in various global markets. To this end, her campaigns for Epson, The Royal Ontario Museum, Neutrogena, RoC have achieved not just numerous creative accolades like the Cannes Lions, Marketing, Strategy Awards and Media Innovation Awards, but also helped exceed business results.

Pallavi consults across all four pillars of OCI Talent Stewardship suite, with special focus on Executive Search (OCI Asset) and Employer Branding (OCI Edge). She conducts senior-level recruitment assignments for companies in diverse roles at OCI Asset. And at OCI Edge, Pallavi helps clients stay competitively ahead by enhancing their brand equity, building sound Employer Value Propositions for them, with the end goal to become employers of choice.

Pallavi’s personal driver is gearing young talent into the corporate world. She fulfills this drive by teaching Marketing at York University. Her passion to bridge the academic and corporate world for young marketers, led her to curate the successful experiential Live Client Learning Marketing program at YorkU, which is a platform that promotes a healthy partnership between students, academia and the corporate marketing industry. Students compete and present their go-to-market strategies for real-life business challenges for companies. The program attracts clients from diverse sectors and is a breeding ground for marketing leaders.

Pallavi is also a Judge, Keynote Speaker at various international seminars and contests, be it The Pepsi Europe Marketing Talent Contest, World Marketing Summit, and Canada’s Next Top Ad Executive Contest. Pallavi finds these forums a perfect stage for spotting the leaders of tomorrow.

Pallavi believes that:

A company’s most valuable appreciating asset is its Employer Brand. 

Shivani Gupta

Consultant, Diversity & Inclusion

Shivani is an international accessibility consultant with over 13 years’ experience promoting inclusion of people with disabilities. A proven leader in her field, Shivani has been instrumental in raising the bar of organizational efficiency through diversity and inclusion initiatives.

With a Master’s in Inclusive Environments: Design and Management from UK, as well as Diplomas in Architecture Technology and Hotel Management, Shivani is an entrepreneur and catalyst for social change. Based in New Delhi, India, Shivani travels globally on various client engagements to unlock opportunities for people with disabilities by facilitating accessibility in the built environment. She has successfully improved accessibility of corporations, educational institutions, hotels, retail and commercial environments and contributed to policies for the disabled in India, Europe and the Middle East. Shivani has worked on numerous projects for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Disability Alliance, Disabled Peoples’ International, Indian Spinal Injury Centre, ITC WelcomGroup, Deutsche Bank, Indian School of Business, AVIVA, National University of Ireland …

As a Consultant with the International Disability Alliance, she worked on their Capacity Building Training Programs across South Asia. She has developed and co-authored training manuals, e.g. “Access in London,” and “Planning a Barrier Free Environment” for the Government of India, which is widely used by architects, designers, engineers and people with disabilities. More recently, as a Consultant with the United Nations, Geneva, she developed the Accessibility guide for participants attending the Human Right Council sessions.

Her own autobiography “No Looking Back” is an inspiration for many people. For her achievements in the disability sector, and her personal courage, Shivani has received national and international acclaim. She has been honoured with the Helen Keller Award (2008), the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award (2008), the National Role Model Award in India, and the International Woman of the Year Award (1996).

At OCI, Shivani is our key global advisor on Diversity and Inclusion, with a special focus on the disabilities sector, providing end-to-end recruitment and environmental solutions to access the ability within Persons with disabilities.

Shivani believes that:

There is nothing more disabling for persons with disabilities than society’s failure to accept and include them as part of the mainstream. Her motto is ‘Access = Ability’ 

Bruce Cruickshank 

Performance Assessment & Sales Training

With a degree in Business Administration and more than 36 years in sales, sales management and general management, Bruce now owns and operates a successful consultancy helping to drive change through psychometric evaluations and strategic training practices.

Bruce has been responsible for developing sales departments operating primarily as order takers into high performing sales teams at leading organizations in the corporate printing, graphic design, manufacturing, and distribution sectors. 

Owning and operating EK Communications Ltd. for the last 27 years has given Bruce the opportunity to personally work with salespeople, sales managers, senior sales executives, senior executives and business owners to find their greatness within.

It is this experience coupled with his knowledge of “The Performance Equation” that allows Bruce to provide a completely unique performance management system.  One that is deeply ingrained with delivering exceptional results for clients and their people. 

At OCI Bruce provides insights into performance behaviours through psychometric evaluations and providing executive coaching and training for excellence in sales and sales management.

Bruce believes:

Every person has greatness within and can perform at an exceptional level once they understand how to self-manage their own performance.  

Pia Loorits

Business Consulting, Cultural Diversity

Pia is an international business consultant, trainer and coach who speaks 7 languages and is at the forefront of developing alliances between Canada and international markets. Based in Montreal travelling to markets like China, France, Netherlands and Japan, Pia works with organizations to help them manage cultural diversity in their workplace.

With an MBA in Marketing and International Business and BA in Economics, Pia has worked in senior executive roles and as trainer and coach for over 20 years in the corporate investment sector. She has led training initiatives in China, US, UK, Switzerland, Belgium, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Assisting organizations in global expansion initiatives, be it in manufacturing, R&D, import-export permits, market-ready-analysis or M&A, Pia leads cross-cultural team management training aimed at strengthening work behaviour and work co-ordination by promoting the understanding and appreciation of each other’s culture to maximize synergies within a team. To this end, she has led the cultural diversity programs at BMO (Bank of Montreal), IATA (International Air Transport Association), Nortel Networks, the City of Montreal, Beijing Modern Management Technology Exchange Center (BMMTEC), Banexi Capital Partenaires (member of BNP Paribas Group), 3-SOFT, Groupe Conseil CFC, and Shanghai Small Sized Enterprise Trade Development Service Centre.

At OCI, Pia consults in the field of cultural diversity and leads the talent acquisition and development initiatives, with a focus on Quebec, China and Eastern Europe. Committed to cultural diversity, Pia provides organizations with diversity training as one of the strategies that helps build an environment of inclusion, which is key to attracting and retaining top talent, building employee engagement, and fostering creativity and innovation.

Pia believes that:  

Respect for diversity is the fundamental principle of a harmonious workplace.

Gargi Sharma

Employer Branding Design & Integrated Communications

Gargi is an accomplished brand designer with over 25 years of experience in providing successful branding and integrated communications’ solutions for organizations across diverse sectors, be it FMCG, Engineering, IT, Consulting, Retail, Financial Services, and the Social/Not-for-profit. Formerly the General Manager at Tata Consultancy Services, in India, Gargi led the Design Services and set the brand standards across businesses spread across multiple geographies and verticals.

Gargi has founded, partnered and led multiple design consultancy firms. She is a business entrepreneur who has driven business growth and sustained profitability at each business that she founded. As such, she is both a brand design strategist and a business leader, with a holistic understanding of how brands, people and process work together to meet business objectives. 

Currently Gargi is based in India, where she leads a dynamic team of design and communications professionals under her independent flagship of Changing Sky, a strategic branding and integrated communications firm. Providing creative communication solutions across various media domains, be it through extensive corporate identity programs, brand positioning, rebranding or just simple visual identities, Gargi is a strategic partner to her clients, especially owing to her cross-domain experience in Research and Design. Her work in Brand Identity Design, Packaging, and Promotions across Print and Digital Media has received numerous accolades.

Gargi’s interest and passion is multi-faceted. She is an associate of LEAD: an international network of professionals working for the environmental cause. She also teaches at India’s pre-eminent design and engineering schools and is a visiting faculty to her alma-mater National Institute of Design. As a subject-matter expert in new technologies, she has been invited as a resource lead on Capacity Enhancement through eLearning for Sustainable Development to the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies in Japan, hosted by UNEP.

At OCI, the design savvy team of Changing Sky, under the leadership of Gargi offer their subject-matter expertise on branding and design, that resonate well with the target audience of our clients and make them into employers of choice.  

Gargi believes that:

If you design your brand with your audience in mind, the brand will be remembered forever. 

Richard Brown

Talent Engagement & HR Consulting

Rick Brown is a change management consultant and coach, with over 30 years of human capital management experience. Formerly an HR leader at a leading Canadian Tier 1 Bank, Rick has an extensive understanding of the challenges and benefits of developing an integrated people management strategy. He has developed and implemented numerous strategic initiatives in the areas of organizational design, talent assessment & succession management, leadership development at the individual and managerial levels, as well as team and employee engagement. 

As V.P. Human Resources at CIBC Rick was a senior leadership team member in the Card Products and Technology Infrastructure Divisions. He led the development and delivery of HR strategies designed to develop managerial and leadership capability and engage employees at all levels .

Rick has a degree in Arts, Economics, Commerce and Psychology. With numerous accreditations in industrial relations, dispute resolution and psychometric assessment, Rick is passionate about helping organizations leverage the energy and capabilities of their people.

At OCI, Rick consults in the talent development arena. Helping organizations create an integrated framework for a holistic approach to Talent Management, Rick develops change initiatives that have achieved transformational results by building performance cultures based on accountability and leadership at every level.  

Richard believes:

Linking strategy, people and performance equals success.

Roger Davies

Business Communications & Training

Roger HB Davies is the Founder and CEO of McLuhan & Davies (MDC) and Think on Your Feet International. After a successful career as a business journalist, editor, and publisher, and winning numerous national and international awards, Roger Davies co-founded MDC with Dr Keith Spicer and Eric McLuhan, some of the best pioneering minds in media and communication.

Roger was instrumental in creating successful communications workshops like Think on Your Feet® which is the flagship of McLuhan & Davies. Today, MDC delivers its workshops in more than 30 countries. Their Think on Your Feet® workshop has already been translated into nine languages. Constantly re-inventing and adapting to the changing business world, Roger and his team at MDC develop new tools and successful workshops like Writing Dynamics™, The Skilled Presenter™ and Grammar on the Rocks.™

Roger HB Davies and his team at MDC prxovide their subject matter expertise to OCI to advise on effective ways of business communication as well as conduct communication-skills training to help professionals in their long-term success.

Roger believes that:
“Matching your message to your audience is key to improving your communication game.”

Sanjay Joshi

Subject Matter Expert, Digital Transformation

Sanjay is a seasoned technology leader, who wears multiple hats of a management consultant, entrepreneur, corporate trainer and teacher. He has been working in the fields of Information Technology, manufacturing, health care, retail, supply chain, manufacturing, and agriculture, for over two decades.

Holding a Master’s in Economics and a Post Graduate in Business Management, Sanjay is a Mechanical Engineer by profession and a technical guru and teacher at heart. He has worked at leading technology consulting companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Infodat Inc. and Al-Hind Enterprises before venturing into the entrepreneurial space. He founded xPointers Consulting out of India, Boston Byte LLC out of Boston, USA in 2016, and Ellora Systems LLC, where he is the Chief Technology Officer.

Sanjay has been instrumental in providing digital transformation strategies to numerous organizations globally. With specialities in industry analysis, business process mapping and system analysis, a champion of emerging technologies and their applicability in today’s rapidly changing world, Sanjay currently is on the advisory panel of multiple companies in diverse industries, providing technology and management counsel and support.

At the core, Sanjay believes in making technology useful and easy to improve our lives. To this end, he is a member of ISPI (The International Society for Performance Improvement: a non-profit association for performance improvement professionals dedicated to improving individual, organizational, and societal functioning, productivity, and accomplishment in the workplace.)

With technology emerging as a transformative force and revolutionizing the way businesses communicate both internally and externally, Sanjay enables OCI and our clients to integrate strategy, process and change management solutions to transform business effectiveness with technology as his ally.  Along with his team in Boston and India, Sanjay consults on all Digital Transformation initiatives at OCI.

Sanjay believes that: 

Digital transformation is a lot more about people and a lot less about technology. The real magic happens when digital transformation changes the way people think…