Transforming Workplaces for the Better

Join APEX for this engaging learning event featuring Silvia Gonzalez-Zamora, a Partner at KPMG, People and Change Practice and a passionate pioneer in supportive diversity programs where people have been at the heart of everything she does. In this session, Silvia will draw upon her extensive storytelling experience to share employee engagement best practices and actionable insights can transform workplaces for the better.

Silvia believes that when you bring diverse hearts, minds and voices to the table and give them a chance to thrive, their insights and perspectives can do anything, “We can change mindsets, we can change policies, we can change practices and it might be better for just a few in the beginning. But as more and more people get treated fairly and with respect, that’s when you start changing the world.” This session will be an inspiring and informative learning opportunity for leaders to create, build, and cultivate strong and inclusive teams. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from a seasoned leader and champion of respect in the workplace and the employee experience.

This event is offered in partnership with APEX’s Signature Sponsor

Event Details

Date & Time: April 17 2024, 13:00 to 14:15 EDT

Audience: All Public Service executives across Canada and internationally are invited to attend APEX’s learning events

Cost: Free

Language: This event will be in English. Simultaneous interpretation will be available via Wordly, an AI-based interpreting service.

Platform: Participants are welcome to attend our virtual event via webinar. A meeting link will be sent once you are registered.

Session Resources

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consulting Services

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PowerPoint Presentation

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Silvia Gonzalez-Zamora

Global Social Sustainability Leader, Partner and Change, KPMG Canada

Silvia is a Partner at KPMG, People and Change Practice. She is a seasoned professional with 20+ years of experience in consulting focusing on talent management, workforce planning, HR process redesign, human capital, organizational behaviour, and people analytics.

Silvia currently works as the Global Social Sustainability Practice Leader at KPMG, leading projects and initiatives related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Risk Conduct, Respect in the Workplace, Employee Experience, Mental Health and Wellness, Human Rights, Ethical Supply Chain, Psychological Safety, and other social services to support public and private sector organizations in Canada to attract, retain and develop a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Silvia has a Master’s in Industrial and Labour Relations, from Cornell University, she is a Fulbright Scholar, and has been selected as part of the Top 10 Most Successful Mexicans in Canada, a recognition from Latinos Magazine, sponsored by Scotiabank. She is the winner of the Award 2022 Latinas to Watch For, from ALPFA the Association of Latin Professionals for America. And she has been recognized as the #5 leader in the Top 50 Women Leaders in Toronto 2023, a recognition from Women We Admire.

Oriana Vaccarino, Ph.D.

Senior Manager, People and Change Advisory, Strategy and Program Lead, Global Social Sustainability

Oriana is a Social Psychologist and a Senior Manager in the People and Change Advisory Practice. She has over 12 years of experience focused on embedding equity, belonging, and human-centered design across processes and decisions. Her experience includes a focus on talent, psychological safety, leadership, mental health and wellbeing, stakeholder engagement, culture shifting, and impact measurement.

Oriana’s experience spans the development of training on respectful workplace strategies, to building of belonging strategies and actions across sectors. As a social psychologist and through her consulting work, she is trained in various stakeholder engagement approaches, to mobilize groups, build consensus, and help people unpack and understand their own and others’ perspectives. She has used these approaches to engage diverse communities in the co-creation and evolution of KPMG’s methodology and related tools, with the aim of incorporating representative community voices and today’s realities, into the work she leads.

Oriana has worked with clients in multiple languages, including English, French, and Spanish. Prior to joining KPMG, Oriana completed her Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology and her M.Sc. in Mental Health.

Over the course of her time in professional services, Oriana has worked with many organizations across various sectors and globally. Both her research and consulting work focuses on incorporating community voices into decision-making processes (e.g., policies, practices, strategies, programs), people with lived experience whose lives are impacted by these very decision-making processes such as newcomers and those experiencing mental health issues.

Transforming Workplaces for the Better