About us

About CareerFind

CareerFind Inc. brings together The Career Foundation, a leading Canadian not-for-profit employment organization, and the Angus Knight Group, an international human services provider to help people find jobs and transform lives in communities across Canada.

For over thirty-four years, The Career Foundation has successfully designed and delivered programs and services that help the most vulnerable people secure meaningful employment across Canada. With a 30-year history of managing human services across Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe, the Angus Knight Group has been designing, scaling, and delivering employment and social systems, on behalf of governments across the globe, that help millions of people achieve their potential.

Our combined experience ideally positions us to manage large-scale employment and training solutions that are compassionate, effective, and good value for public funds in delivering positive outcomes. We do this through the support of a strong local delivery partner network and together, we tackle social and employment barriers that job seekers face within their local communities. We provide job seekers with a variety of services that are tailored to their individual needs with the aim of moving them to fulfilling and long-term employment.

This joint initiative brings together the strengths of the local non-profit sector and private sector with global experience to deliver shared and purpose-driven prosperity across communities.

We understand local communities across Canada

We place customers at the forefront of everything we do

We place people at the forefront of everything we do

We say what we do, and keep our promises

We respect and value all people

We achieve together with our local partners

We are innovative and responsive to emerging needs

Our vision

To help people reach their potential and be the leading provider of impactful human and workforce development services in local communities across Ontario.

Our mission

Empowering the people and communities we work with every day in Ontario, by building capacity across our network of local delivery partners and working closely with employers and skills training providers to ensure that all individuals secure good jobs for the long term.

Meet the Board

Director

Duncan Angus

Duncan entered the hospitality industry in 1985, serving in a number of managerial capacities and later focusing on recruitment services to the industry.

In 1991, Peter Knight and Duncan founded Angus Knight as a training services company, which successfully expanded operations throughout Australia, delivering training programs in every State. In 1998, Duncan led Angus Knight in a successful bid for the Federal Government’s Employment Services Contract and most recently growth success in the UK CAEHRS tenders and the acquisition of large and successful training companies, Learning Sphere, and VFA.

Duncan’s vision has always been to assist people and organizations in developing their full potential using the concept of ‘lifelong learning’.

Director

Evelyn Akselrod

Evelyn Akselrod, VP of Strategic Development, Community & Corporate Relations, has been in the employment and workforce development sector since 2001. With nearly 20 years of experience in non-profit management and strategy consulting, Evelyn specializes in people and project management, organizational development, and public-private partnerships. With an MBA in Leadership and Human Resources along with Change Management and Project Management Professional Certifications, Evelyn is committed to using her experience to implement business strategies to advance The Career Foundation’s growth and development. She lends her expertise to designing innovative workforce development solutions that ensure the economic security and inclusion of people from diverse and equity-seeking groups.

Director

Kristin Morrison

Having spent over two decades with The Career Foundation, Kristin Morrison, has performed strategic and operational leadership roles and has been instrumental in developing systems and standards that the agency is known for. She has a Master’s degree in Psychology and is passionate about cultivating a culture and values that ensure a quality experience for all.

Throughout her career, Kristin has enjoyed working with extraordinary teams to create and implement innovative programming that has had a positive impact on individuals, industries, and the economy. She has worked with many government and community stakeholders to create new divisions and partnerships—growing the organization and extending its reach to new regions and priority neighbourhoods.

Independent Director

Nic Fairbank

Nicolas (Nic) Fairbank joined Angus Knight Group in July 2022. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of Programmed Skilled Workforce, Australia’s largest staffing business. Responsible for Programmed’s Staffing and Training businesses, he led more than 25,000 people across Australia and New Zealand.

Nic has a history of developing strong business relationships and effective market engagement strategies. He has led multiple acquisitions and successful systems, process and cultural integrations.

Nic has contributed to the design and led the implementation of technology that has driven operating improvements. He has championed the evolution of employment models and approaches to skills building in Australia through industry collaboration and innovative apprentice and trainee programs.

He is a passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion, and gender equality, significantly improving Indigenous community engagement and female representation in leadership roles, as well as participation in traditionally male-dominated fields of employment.

Independent Director

Joseph Carrozzi

Joseph Carrozzi, AM, BComm/LLB Barrister, MAICD, is an experienced board chair and business leader. He was the Managing Partner for the Sydney Practice of PwC until March 2021, an office with over 3,500 professionals. He has practised in the areas of taxation, infrastructure/precincts, and public policy.

Joseph has a long-standing commitment to serving not-for-profit boards for organizations that are focused on making an impact in the community. He was awarded an Order of Australia for his ‘significant service to business, and to the community through multicultural and not-for-profit organizations.’ His current boards include:

Chair of the Centenary Institute for Medical Research
Chair of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Deputy Chair of the NSW Institute of Sport
Board member of Western Sydney University
Board member of Football Australia

In addition, Joseph is the Chair of HealthCo (ASX:HCW), a listed healthcare and wellness Real Estate Investment Trust. He is also an advisor to a number of businesses and entrepreneurs in the infrastructure and services sectors.

Leadership Team

Chief Development Officer

Aaron Henricksen

Aaron has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles in the skills and employability sectors. He has led organisations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in the UK and Australia. He most recently served as Managing Director of Jobs 22 a venture formed by Australia’s Angus Knight Group and British charity, Catch22 as a delivery partner for the UK Department of Work and Pensions’ Restart Scheme. This was part of the UK Government’s Plan for Jobs to get one million people in England and Wales into employment following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business Development Director

Abu Shahriyer

Abu is a senior leader with extensive knowledge of social care, criminal justice, workforce development and employment services. He has successfully led major international bidding opportunities and has 15+ years’ experience in mobilizing large-scale government contracts and managing complex projects. Prior to working in the employment services sector Abu designed and implemented impact evaluation projects for disadvantaged communities and within high risk industries. Abu is responsible for all business development activity at Careerfind, ensuring that the organisation continues to shape and respond to provincial and federal priorities in supporting unemployed people into sustainable employment.

Director, Operations

Paul Clemens

Paul offers extensive senior-level experience in delivering high-performing government employability and skills contracts. He possesses a positive and inclusive management style, empowering and inspiring colleagues to develop and achieve success.

Paul is a strategic thinker with the ability to develop and implement innovative solutions to improve performance and quality. He has strong networking and interpersonal skills with the ability to exercise diplomacy and build partnerships and consensus within teams and stakeholders.

Currently, Paul is working with CareerFind on the Service System Manager – Transformation Program in Ontario. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing effective and deliverable Service Delivery Models ensuring that the best people, processes, and technology options are utilized to better serve the communities of Ontario.

Paul is also the founder/executive member of the Jobs22 leadership team, where he is responsible for tendering, implementing, and executing the DWP Restart program for a successful new joint venture. He has been instrumental in helping Jobs22 achieve top-quartile performance.

Paul has also held executive roles with MAXIMUS, Pluss, and APM over a period of 15 years.

Strategic Lead – Ontario

Dianna Atkinson

Dianna is a strong leader that inspires, coaches, motivates, and mentors others. She has a demonstrated history of working in the professional training and coaching industry, and is skilled in negotiations, business planning, program, project and new business opportunities.

Dianna has a degree in Business Administration. With over 15 years of experience, she liaises with community contacts and seeks opportunities to be promoted. Dianna is enthusiastic and applies every energy to identify opportunities and generate ideas.

She has the innate ability to communicate effectively and create a collaborative approach by developing strategies and action plans to align initiatives. Dianna is regularly involved in contacting and developing relationships, and is frequently called upon to help implement new programs and training initiatives.

Currently, Dianna is working with CareerFind on the Employment Transformation – Service System Manager initiative in Ontario. She is responsible for developing effective relationships with employment service providers in Northern Ontario. She develops key employer partnerships with an emphasis on future requirements of the labour market. Finally, she consults with communities and stakeholders to identify regional and local economic development projects.

Partnership Executive – Toronto

Mary Harari

Mary Harari joined The Career Foundation in 1997 and has been an instrumental driver of the organization’s ongoing development by implementing and evaluating programs while ensuring internal organizational effectiveness. Previously working in the private sector, she owned a consulting company that provided business and HR services to Canadian corporations, after having run another successful business in Mexico City where she was born.

Mary is a member of the Board of Trade, the City of Toronto’s Youth Employment Partnership, and the Mexican-Canadian Professionals Association. She holds a degree in Business Administration, specializing in Human Resources.

Aims and approach

What we do

CareerFind works in collaboration with local communities to design employment solutions that work for people and employers across Canada. We create an ecosystem of specialist and community partners and stakeholders that break down barriers to employment and build the social wellbeing of communities which we serve.

We work to strengthen the capacity of our local partners to provide best in class employment and training services to job seekers to match the needs of local employers.

Job Seekers

We are committed to ensuring that all job seekers receive timely and individually tailored support, skills training, employment connections, and in-work support to help find a fulfilling job for the long-term.

Employers

We collaborate with local employers as true partners in addressing their talent shortage and skills mismatch. We stay on the pulse of emerging labour markets shifts, evolving workplace practices and broader economic factors.

Governments

We consult and partner with governments on implementing large-scale employment, training, and workforce development solutions that consistently provide best value for money and deliver transformative outcomes for people and communities.

Partner with us

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