Meet our Canadian Leadership team 

Travis is a strategic executive leader dedicated to evolving the landscape of human capital across North America. As President of Canada and Chief Commercial Officer of the Americas at Hays, he leads the market facing strategy and client centric operations for one of the world’s most respected specialist recruitment organizations.

A recognized leader in the human capital sector, Travis holds key governance roles that influence the Canadian employment landscape: Treasurer & Executive Board Member: Association of Canadian Search, Employment, & Staffing Services (ACSESS).

Widely regarded as the preeminent voice on Canadian employment trends, Travis is a 2023 Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) "40 Under 40" Award Recipient, recognizing him as a premier talent shaping the global industry. He is also a recognized LinkedIn Top Voice, an invitation-only honor reserved for the top 0.001% of professionals on the platform, making him one of the most influential digital voices in Canada.

His insights are frequently sought by global media, cited over 1,000 times in print and online media, with more than 100 live television appearances on networks including Bloomberg, BNN Bloomberg, CBC, CTV, and FOX. Beyond television, he is a frequent guest on leading radio programs and industry podcasts, where he analyzes the intersection of talent and business strategy.

A 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Fanshawe College, Travis is a dedicated speaker at leading academic institutions, focused on mentoring the next generation of talent. Within Hays, he serves as an Executive Sponsor for the Women Empowered in Leadership (WE Lead) Employee Resource Group and Green Labs, championing initiatives in gender diversity and environmental sustainability.

His commitment to purpose extends to his personal life; Travis is a liver transplant donor, a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and a long-standing supporter of Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

Connect with Travis

Jackie Burns is an SVP, Enterprise Solutions, Americas, responsible for supporting the Enterprise Solutions leadership team across the Americas Region. In her current role, Jackie works closely with cross-functional groups to coordinate strategic initiatives that enhance operating processes, elevate employee experience, and drive organizational effectiveness. She is a member of the Canadian Management Board and the senior leadership team for Enterprise Solutions, Americas.

Jackie holds her CPHR designation and is a graduate of the Hays International Leadership & Management Program. Her career with Hays began in Scotland in April 2000, and she emigrated to Canada in August 2004 to launch the Vancouver office, specializing in recruitment for Senior Accounting & Finance professionals. She was promoted to VP, Western Canada in January 2010, overseeing multiple specialisms across permanent and contract recruitment.

In March 2016, Jackie was appointed Director, People & Culture (Americas Region), where she played a key role in integrating a newly acquired U.S. business and collaborated with operations teams across Canada and LATAM. She has been instrumental in advancing hiring practices, learning & development, and internal employee experience programs. Jackie is also a Change Methodology mentor across the region and continues to champion the development of others.

Outside of work, Jackie enjoys traveling, hiking or snowboarding in the mountains, yoga, live music, and exploring the latest BC craft breweries with her husband.

Connect with Jackie

Louisa is Senior Vice President of Human Resources Recruitment at Hays across Canada and runs our Ottawa and Halifax offices. She has built large-scale recruitment teams across the globe for Hays (UK, Japan, and Canada) and has spent three years working in our People and Culture team as Head of DE&I for the Americas region.

As such, her unique skillset gives her not only market-leading recruitment expertise, but also first-hand experience of working in the space she is now recruiting in. She personally handles all executive-level HR recruitment and leads a team that recruits across all levels of Human Resources positions.

Louisa began her career with Hays in the UK in 2002 and moved to Japan in 2008 to help lead an acquisition. She then moved to Canada in 2013, where she currently lives in rural Nova Scotia with her wife and two children.

Additionally, Louisa is fluent in Spanish and Japanese and was certified as a coach in 2016. In 2024, she earned her Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP) designation. As an expert in recruitment and hiring trends, Louisa has also been featured in a variety of publications, including CBC’s On the Money, Huffington Post Canada, Fortune Magazine, and the Canadian HR Reporter.

Connect with Louisa. 

Gillian is the Vice President of Contract and Delivery at Hays, overseeing Contract and Temporary staffing operations across Canada across both Technology and Non-Technical specialisms. In this national mandate, she leads the full contract recruitment strategy, performance agenda, and delivery execution for the Canadian business. She also heads the national Delivery Centre, directing a team of more than 180 recruitment consultants who support Contract, Permanent Search, and Enterprise clients from coast-to-coast. 

Gillian joined Hays in 2014 as an Account Manager on the Contract desk. As the needs of Hays’ largest accounts grew, she stepped into Delivery leadership, building the operational engine that now supports Enterprise and Strategic Accounts nationwide. Under her guidance, Hays’ Delivery functions have become an integral part of the company’s service model, operating both nearshore and offshore to deliver consistent, scalable, high-quality recruitment outcomes across multiple industries. Today, she leads both the Delivery Centre and the national Contract Sales function, championing a customer-centric approach where every interaction enhances the client and candidate experience. 

Renowned for her ability to execute large-scale, high-volume recruitment programs, Gillian has led national initiatives across Technology, Mining & Natural Resources, Financial Services, and Professional Services. Her strengths include building strong leadership teams, driving operational excellence, and creating frameworks that balance speed, quality, and customer experience. 

Beyond her operational remit, Gillian is deeply committed to shaping culture and fostering inclusion at Hays. A proud mother of two young children, she is passionate about advocating for working parents and women in leadership. She is an active ally within the Women Empowered in Leadership program and serves as Senior Sponsor for the South Asian Employee Resource Group across the Americas. 

With more than a decade at Hays and a proven record of driving national impact, Gillian leads with purpose, authenticity, and a strong commitment to her teams, clients, and the future of Canada’s recruitment industry. 

Connect with Gillian

Julien Clément is a Vice President at Hays, with 15 years of experience across France and Canada. Based in Montreal for the past 11 years, he oversees the province’s operations and leads a multi-specialism team.

Julien’s impact over the past year has been defined by strong commercial results and strategic transformation. He has also distinguished himself as a mentor and culture builder. His ability to connect regional execution with national strategy has positioned him as a trusted internal leader and a key driver of organizational cohesion.

His influence at Hays extends far beyond regional performance. Julien was part of the founding team that opened the Montreal office in 2015, laying the foundation for the company’s success in Quebec. Building on this experience, he opened the Quebec City office in 2025, replicating and expanding a proven growth model. Nationally, he played a central role in redefining Hays’ permanent recruitment strategy, helping design and roll out a new structure centered on three verticals: Property & Facility, Construction, and Engineering, enhancing specialization, scalability, and alignment across Canada.

Beyond Hays, Julien is active in the Quebec business community, representing the firm at industry, economic, and sector-specific events in both Montreal and Quebec City. His longstanding engagement in the Construction, Engineering, and Property & Facility sectors has strengthened relationships with influential stakeholders and enhanced Hays’ visibility in these markets.

Connect with Julien

Kelly Benson is Vice President, Central Canada at Hays, where she oversees multi-specialism teams and the day-to-day operation of the business across the region. 

With nearly three decades in recruitment, she is known for developing high-performing, values-driven teams and strong client partnerships across the Prairies. Kelly began her career in Technology recruitment and now draws on that foundation to build capability across Hays’ core specialisms. Her approach blends a practical understanding of local markets with an innovative problem-solving mindset and a commitment to data-informed recruitment. She also supports clients as they navigate technology advancements and the human skills that bring them to life, helping them balance the growing influence of AI with the capabilities their organizations need to stay competitive. Based in Calgary, she supports clients and teams across the region. 

Her work to deepen capability within specialisms helps Hays remain agile and aligned with the workforce trends shaping today’s market. Kelly leads with clarity and accountability, creating a collaborative, client-first culture where teams are supported to deliver their best. 

Connect with Kelly. 

Alexandra Szabo serves as Lead Counsel for Hays Canada. In her role, she oversees the full national legal function, including contracting, claims, compliance, and governance. As a sole practitioner supporting a high-volume business, she manages all Canadian inbound and outbound commercial agreements. She regularly engages directly with clients’ legal teams, fostering collaborative discussions to ensure each party protects the elements most critical to their deal. Alexandra also leads Canadian involvement in multi-country global contracts, guiding complex agreements originating from or extending into the Canadian market. 

Her leadership extends well beyond legal. Alexandra founded and leads the company’s internal governance committee, driving major improvements across the business, including a revamped promotion and performance management process that has strengthened succession planning and significantly reduced employment-related litigation risk. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Hays Americas’ Women Empowered in Leadership (W.E. Lead) employee resource group, representing nearly 500 women across the region, and acts as the Integrity Champion for the Americas, promoting global ethics and governance standards. 

Alexandra’s commercial acumen is rooted in her early career as a Hays Canada “Rookie of the Year” Account Manager in Toronto, where she built long-standing client relationships that continue to endure. 

Connect with Alexandra

Andrea MacMillan is the Head of People & Culture for Hays Canada, bringing more than 15 years of experience in delivering tangible and impactful outcomes that strengthen the capabilities of the organizations for which she has worked.  She began her career as an IT technical recruiter before growing into a versatile HR generalist within the communications, marketing, and technology sectors and found herself returning to the staffing world when she joined Hays in 2025. 

Andrea holds her Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation and is known as a proven relationship builder with deep expertise in all facets of HR. She is recognized for her ability to drive engagement, foster strong partnerships across the business, and approaches challenges with flexible, creative problemsolving that balances employee needs with the overall strategic objectives of the business. Andrea serves on the Americas People & Culture Leadership Team, contributing to regional strategy and crosscountry collaboration. 

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and travelling whenever she can. 

Connect with Andrea.