CEO Year-End Message 2024

The association continues to grow with another record-setting year, including over 3,200 chartered members. Thank you to all our members for the incredible work you do every day. 

This past year, I challenged my team to push initiatives that bring value back to our members. With the support and guidance of our Board of Directors, the operational team strategically invested our resources and finances towards several priorities aligning with our strategic plan. 

In 2024, with support from our government relations firm, CPHR Alberta operations and Board continued to engage in various events and meetings to increase our visibility within the Alberta government. This has included UCP Caucus presentations, department meetings, MLA invites and attendance at CPHR Alberta events, Board and operations presence at government events and contributing data to current government projects like our Gender-Based Violence in the Workplace report. Every connection has allowed us to open doors for conversations and engagement of the profession and the association which we are already building on for 2025. 

We continue to makes strides with our application for self-regulation, and I encourage any members interested in supporting the association to review our Advocacy Toolkit. 

Our stakeholder work has not stopped there. We continue to work closely with provincial post-secondary institutions to increase awareness and ensure our student members are career ready upon graduation. We are proud to support and empower the future generation of our profession through scholarships, mentorship opportunities, network building and career appropriate professional development. 

With our members at the heart of what we do, professional development (PD) is a key focus for our team. In 2024, we refined our PD offerings per chapter to tailor to the individual needs of each market. This included in-person HR Afterhours events mixing PD and networking for engaging sessions in each chapter. The year was marked by innovation, collaboration and growth as we successfully hosted  DisruptHR bring together members and non-members within the HR community.   

A highlight for our team, was the delivery of our Annual Hybrid Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Calgary in October. The positive feedback we received from members was overwhelming, and it was amazing to see the support and passion exhibited by members throughout the two-day event. With over 320 in-person attendees and an additional 120 individuals from across our jurisdiction joining us virtually, Reimagine was an inspirational event that we will continue to expand on in 2025 in Edmonton. 

Showcasing our members and their incredible work is imperative to advancing our profession. In January, we launched a Member Growth Campaign alongside CPHR Canada, promoting the designation and the impact CPHRs have on organizational success. Featuring CPHR Alberta members, our provincial campaign ran digitally through online platforms and throughout our jurisdiction, including airports, business towers, movie theatres, and transit. 

I want to thank our members for your incredible work in protecting the public and maintaining a high standard of practice for the profession. Your work does not go unseen and prepare us for a successful self-regulated profession in the near future! Thank you to my incredible team at CPHR Alberta for all their great work and the many volunteers who supported us again this year! 

Lastly, I would also like to thank our Board Chair, Geordie MacPherson and all of our Board of Directors for their support and guidance this past year. The work our Board has done engaging with stakeholders, attending government events and being visible and active within the business community is greatly appreciated and is setting us in the right direction for 2025. 

I wish everyone a very joyous holiday season and a happy new year. 

Ioana Giurca,
CEO, CPHR Alberta