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Extractive industries Our Experts
Graham Wilson
Managing Partner
Graham Wilson is one of the founding partners of Cadre and is based in our Toronto office. Graham’s career has focused on the full-service recruitment of technical professionals for both contract and permanent positions in the Transportation, Defense, Nuclear, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Packaged Goods, Industrial Manufacturing and Civil Aviation, Distribution and Electronics industries.
Graham’s career in the recruitment industry began in 1994. During this time, in addition to founding Cadre, Graham progressed through his career as a member of a national firm as a Technical Recruiter, Account Manager and Engineering Recruitment Manager. Graham has built strong client relationships by providing superior customer service in the successful provision of recruitment services in fluctuating labour markets and has maintained many clients since his first year in the recruitment business.
Graham holds a Bachelor of Arts from York University with a focus in Geography. He is actively involved in the Canadian Staffing Association (ACSESS) Health and Safety Program and is a leader of Work Place Safety. Graham’s entrepreneurial drive and business acumen have allowed him to provide strong value-added services that go beyond the recruitment process.
Bruno Rizzuto
Managing Partner
Bruno Rizzuto is one of the founding partners of Cadre, bringing fifteen years of experience in the recruitment industry to the management team with a concentration in executive-level management, engineering, and operational disciplines. Throughout his career, he has been involved in the transportation, mining, oil & gas and power industries. Having led searches at the Executive level and placed candidates in General Manager, Maintenance Manager, Operations Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Director positions; Bruno maintains close relationships with an extensive global network of talent.
Bruno was instrumental in the initial building years at Cadre which saw the company grow from a one-office firm to a national firm within the first two years of its incorporation. Having concentrated on strategic growth with key clients throughout Canada and the United States, within the first two years of moving to Calgary, Bruno’s efforts ensured the oil and gas industry represented over 50% of Cadre’s annual revenue. Bruno is currently recruiting for various global companies within the transportation, mining and technical/manufacturing disciplines.
Having worked as an Internal ISO Auditor for The Employment Solution (TES) during the initial stages of his career, Bruno directs a high level of attention toward the managing process. His experience developing recruitment practices that enable successful search execution is directly related to his educational background. He holds a Masters of Public Administration from Brock University in which the curriculum concentrated on organizational structures, governmental processes, ethical business conduct and quality management.
Sandie Cossa
Practice Lead, Western Canada
Sandie Cossa is Cadre’s Practice Leader in Western Canada and oversees our oil and gas practice out of our Fort McMurray office. Prior to joining Cadre, she worked as a Recruiter for Petro-Canada (now Suncor) where she played an integral role in managing large-scale recruitment activities. Educated at both the University of Waterloo and Lambton College, she attained both a Bachelor of Science degree and an Industrial Hygiene Technology Diploma.
Sandie’s background includes more than 13 years of experience in other facets of business that have provided her with a broader understanding of organizations and the requirements of line managers and supervisors. Her ability to quickly establish rapport, to actively listen and understand client issues and to follow through on commitments have been definite assets towards her career, earning her an ‘Exceptional Contributor Award’ for accelerating the hiring of priority roles with a facility reaching full complement in eight years. Sandie was the sole Recruiter based in Fort McMurray hiring for the Operations and Maintenance roles on the Fort Hills Project. She was involved in developing the recruitment strategy, resume screening, pre-screening of candidates, behavioral-based interviews, reference checks and offer extensions. The positions filled included Senior Engineers, Operational Leads, Power Engineers, Skilled Trades, Heavy Equipment Operators and Administrative Staff. Sandie remains a key member of the Cadre team and was most recently dedicated to leading the Recruitment Process Outsourcing for the Imperial Oil account.
John Folinsbee
Mining Industry Advisor
John Folinsbee has thirty years of experience working in the
mineral-processing segment of the mining industry. He has held
senior-level roles in both the management and technical aspects of mineral processing plants and mineral testing facilities and he is well-versed in managing the feasibility and assessment responsibilities associated with large-scale projects. John spent eighteen years with Placer Dome, a major multi-national gold mining corporation, which was taken over by Barrick Gold Corporation in 2006. During his career with Placer Dome, John held the position of Mill Manager at several of Placer Dome’s key gold-producing operations in Northern Ontario, most notably the Dome Mine in Timmins and the Campbell Mine in Red Lake, Ontario.
From 2006 until early 2012, John held the position of Vice-President of Operations for G and T Metallurgical Services based in Kamloops, British Columbia, during a very substantial growth period for their business. The employee base increased from twenty-three to more than eighty during his tenure. John was responsible for managing over 300 test programs during the five years at G and T Metallurgical. The programs were conducted for both large multinational mining companies as well as companies operating in the junior mining sectors that represented projects around the globe. John was recognized by his colleagues in the Canadian Mineral Processing Industry and was awarded the “Mineral Processor of the Year Award” at the annual meeting in Ottawa in
January 2012.
Since February 2012, John has been operating his own consulting firm known as Heads Ore Tails Metallurgical Consulting Inc. and continues to provide services to Cadre through its Industry Advisory Board.
Dave North
Oil & Gas Industry Advisor
Dave North has more than thirty years of experience in the oil and gas industry specializing in pipelines and offshore oil and gas projects. Dave established his strong leadership and development skills having worked in high-level management positions, including board of director experience, and currently acts as a mentor and lead for large teams to help achieve successful project results. In addition, Dave is an expert at recruiting and selecting personnel to contribute to company results. He is a motivated team player and driven by the challenge of successfully selecting and developing teams capable of achieving business and personal success.
Dave has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia in Mechanical Engineering. Dave is also a registered Project Management Professional and is an instructor for PMP courses within WorleyParsons, University of Calgary Continuing Education and SAIT (Risk Management). Dave was the recognized subject matter expert within WorleyParsons Calgary in the fields of Risk Management, Work Sharing and R3 (Ready, Response and Recovery, emergency planning and response).
Dave has worked on Cadre’s advisory board for approximately one year. He continues to contribute to Cadre as he believes the company aligns with his personal values of trust, honesty and integrity. Dave appreciates that his involvement allows him an opportunity to meet and build the careers of many like-minded oil and gas professionals. He is also motivated by Cadre’s expertise and enjoys the opportunity to continue to learn and develop new skills in various areas of business including mining and utilities. Dave values Cadre’s business philosophy and describes it as “being experts at what we do; not being the answer for everyone, but aggressively identifying and targeting the niches where we can add value”.
Yvan Michon
Senior Advisor, Quebec
Yvan Michon has more than thirty years of experience in various managerial and executive-level roles within the recruitment industry. His reputation and long-lasting relationships formed throughout a variety of industries in Quebec, Canada and internationally has been instrumental in successfully establishing Cadre’s latest operations.
After beginning his career as a Process and System Analyst, Yvan entered the recruitment business by joining ST Amour and Associates in 1979. In this role, he was responsible for establishing the first engineering and information technology division in the company’s history. The division grew from a single-desk operation to the most recognized technical search practice in the province, generating the highest profitability of all the practices within the organization. After achieving growth and financial stability within the division, Yvan chose to establish his own Human Resources consulting practice where he continued to recruit for technical, information technology and engineering professionals worldwide. The practice grew to include two offices and seven international partnerships. As President of the organization, Yvan saw Consultec Human Resources grow over a period of fifteen years to be recognized as a national supplier of technical professionals prior to participating in a merger with TES Canada allowing him to take on the next challenge in his career.
Continuing on with TES Canada as the Vice President of Professional Technical & Staffing Alternatives, Yvan was responsible for transforming the organization from a contract staffing company to a more diversified organization offering permanent, contingency and search business to clients in Canada and the US. Yvan oversaw the executive search operations in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Burlington Mississauga, Raleigh and Dallas, developing new product offerings including TES Scientific Resources. In 2003, he joined Spherion Professional as the Vice President of Corporate Development where he maintained national responsibility for the information technology, finance, administration, engineering and sales sectors. Yvan was instrumental in introducing a new division and concept to Spherion creating the Mergis group which provided new technologies to the organization capable of providing international clients with real-time interviewing capabilities as well as creating a full-service professional delivery program throughout nine provinces across Canada. The concept was later introduced to the US parent company and adopted throughout the country.
In a recent position, Yvan served as the Director of Major Initiatives for Diagnos Inc. where he utilized his expertise and networks in areas of manufacturing, technology and software engineering to assist in the establishment and growth of its International operations in Asia and Europe. As the former President of the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services (ACSESS), Yvan brings a wealth of knowledge to the table both within and outside of the recruitment industry.
Marie-Luisa Sinclair
Mining Industry Advisor
Maria-Luisa Sinclair holds a Master’s Degree of Arts from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. Maria-Luisa has over 20 years of experience in the mining industry and is an experienced human resource professional with broad exposure to organizational development and human resource management in Canada and abroad.
Ms. Sinclair has held executive roles with several mining companies, the most recent being with Primero Mining (2013 – 2016) as Vice President of Human Resources and before with Baja Mining (2008 to 2013), Skye Resources (2006 – 2008), and Pan American Silver (2005 – 2006). Before, she held a series of increasingly senior human resources positions with Placer Dome Inc.
For five years, Maria-Luisa was a faculty member of the McRae Institute of International Management at Capilano University, where she taught International Human Resources and Business Management to post-graduate students.
Ward Sutherland
Indigenous Advisor
Ward Sutherland has over 30+ years of extensive experience in senior management and government relations roles primarily within the hospitality and technology sectors. Mr. Sutherland served as a two-term Calgary City Councillor from 2013 to 2021, where he served on the Board of Directors for Calgary Economic Development, Calgary Police Commission, Silvera For Seniors, the Calgary Stampede and Chaired the City’s Business Advisory Committee.
Mr. Sutherland is a proud member of the Metis Nation of Alberta and while elected, advocated for Indigenous recognition, education and engagement with Council, Treaty 7 and Metis nations. Calgary’s White Goose Flying report was the first Call to Action document (Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation) to be passed and implemented by a City Council in Canada. In addition, Mr. Sutherland served on the Board of Directors for the Muskrat Metis Society, received a Metis Recognition Award and currently serves as Senior Special Advisor to the President of Metis Nation, Region 3.
Recently, Mr. Sutherland was appointed to the Otipemisiwak Metis Self-Government Transition Committee. With his strong background in community and public service, Mr. Sutherland received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee & the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Patrice Longchamps
Senior Recruitment Consultant
Patrice Longchamps has over 20 years of experience as a leading technical recruitment professional. Having spent the majority of his career in the staffing and search industry, he is recognized as a subject matter expert as it relates to identifying and qualifying engineers, metallurgists, technical experts and other operations personnel within the manufacturing and heavy industrial sectors.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Patrice started his career as an Employment Counselor before he began working as an Executive Search Consultant and Recruitment Manager for sizable staffing organizations such as Manpower, The Merges Group, Hays and Design Group. As a result, he has successfully placed over 500 individuals in technical roles and to this day, maintains a robust network of talent that has enabled him to execute client’s needs efficiently.
For the past three years, Patrice has been responsible for leading the execution of Cadre’s key accounts in Quebec. During this time, he has successfully placed Heavy Equipment Operators, various Trades Professionals, Plant Engineers, Production Managers, Electrical Supervisors, Production Superintendents and beyond.
Patrice’s passion for surpassing clients’ expectations is evident in the long-term relationships he has maintained throughout his career. As a full-cycle recruitment expert, he understands the need to continue to grow his network by utilizing the technologies and connections available to him.
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