BC Total Rewards Network upcoming events

September: Monthly Member-Only Total Rewards Cafe (4 Sep 2026)

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Gather. Discuss. Connect.

Back by popular demand! The Total Rewards Cafe returns this September. This exclusive, member-only virtual roundtable is your chance to step away from formal presentations, share insights, and discuss the most pressing issues shaping our profession in an intimate, interactive setting.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Next Session Details

When: Friday, September 4th | 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (PT)
Where: Virtual (Teams meeting link will be emailed a few days before the event)
Exclusivity: Strictly open to current BCTRN members.

Please Note: The Cafe is no longer an automated event series. You must register for each monthly roundtable individually. Sign up below to secure your spot for the September session!

What to Expect

Purely Interactive: No lectures. This is a casual, small-group roundtable focused on open dialogue, peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, and real-time problem-solving.
Hot Topics: We keep the agenda flexible. Discussions will focus on the most relevant, current, and challenging Total Rewards topics of the month, as determined by the participants.
Intimate Networking: Build stronger, more meaningful connections with fellow TR leaders and practitioners across British Columbia.

For now, sessions remain virtual, but we are looking into future in-person options if a member is able to host us at a central Vancouver location.

Interested in Facilitating?

We invite our members to take a leadership role by volunteering to facilitate a future session! It’s a great opportunity to lead a discussion on a topic you are passionate about.

To express your interest, please contact us at events@bctrn.ca.

Pay Transparency in Practice: Lessons Learned and What's Next (17 Sep 2026)

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Pay transparency is reshaping how organizations attract, reward, and retain talent. While legislation has established the foundation, organizations across sectors are interpreting and implementing pay transparency in different ways based on their workforce, culture, and business context.

Join a panel featuring leaders from BCAA, BC Hydro, and the BC Government's Pay Transparency Unit for a discussion that explores both the practical realities of implementation and the evolving future of pay transparency in British Columbia.

Drawing on perspectives from the private, broader public, and provincial government sectors, panelists will share lessons learned, discuss common challenges, and explore topics such as salary range disclosure, internal equity, compensation governance, leadership readiness, employee communication, and building trust. The conversation will also examine emerging trends and what's next as organizations continue to mature their pay transparency practices.

Whether your organization is just beginning its pay transparency journey or refining an established approach, you'll leave with practical insights, diverse perspectives, and ideas you can apply within your own organization.

WHEN: September 17th from 12:00pm to 1pm PST

WHERE: Virtual MS Teams Meeting

COST: Complimentary to members and non-members

Speakers

Kristina Ponce (she/her): Director, Pay Transparency Unit, Gender Equity Office, Ministry of Finance

Kristina (she/her) has been with the BC Public Service since 2006, working in policy, program, and legislation development and implementation across several areas. She joined the Ministry of Finance as the Director of Operations for Pay Transparency in 2025, overseeing operations under the Pay Transparency Act, and the upcoming review of the Act. Kristina lives on Lekwungen peoples’ territory (Victoria) with her family.

David Graves, Manager, Compensation, BC Hydro

Dave Graves is Manager, Compensation and Payroll at BC Hydro. Since the introduction of British Columbia's Pay Transparency Act, he has led the preparation of BC Hydro's annual pay transparency reports, helping the organization navigate reporting requirements while demonstrating its commitment to gender equity and transparency.

Anushri Sarkar (she/her): Senior Manager, Total Rewards and Systems

Anushri Sarkar is Senior Manager, Total Rewards & Systems at BCAA. She leads compensation, benefits, payroll, pension, and HR systems programs, with a focus on pay transparency, job evaluation, and governance. She is passionate about creating fair, transparent, and practical people practices that support organizational success.

BC Total Rewards Connect 2026: Insights. Belonging. Community. (7 Oct 2026)

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

BC Total Rewards Network Presents

BC Total Rewards Connect 2026

Insights. Belonging. Community.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM Elements Hotel, Burnaby, BC

Buy Your Tickets Now!

About the Event

In 2025, we brought BC's Total Rewards community together for the first time, and the response told us everything we needed to know: this community has been waiting for a space like this. A sold-out room, energized conversations, and a waitlist that told us we had to go bigger.

This October, we're back, and we're building on everything that made last year special. Join BC's Total Rewards and HR community for a full day of insights, connection, and conversation on the issues shaping our profession today, from AI's growing role in Total Rewards to the realities of pay transparency and the future of retirement benefits.

Between expert-led sessions, a moderated panel discussion, and plenty of networking over breakfast and lunch, BC Total Rewards Connect 2026 is designed to help you walk away with practical insights and genuine connections within BC's Total Rewards community.

BCTRN Members: you must log-in to your BCTRN account to access membership pricing. Not a member yet? Membership is open to all BC Total Rewards professionals — visit bctrn.ca to join.

Pricing

Ticket Type	Member Rate	Non-Member Rate	5-Ticket Corporate Bundle (Members Only)
Early Bird (Jun 20 – Jul 31)	$85	$120	$400
Regular (Aug 1 – Sep 20)	$115	$145	$525
At-Door (Members Only, subject to availability)	$120	N/A	N/A

Schedule at a Glance

8:00 – 8:45 AM

Registration & Networking Breakfast

8:45 – 9:00 AM

Welcome & Opening RemarksSoumya Balakrishnan, President, BCTRN

9:00 – 9:45 AM

Keynote PanelDetails will be shared soon

9:45 – 10:15 AM

Navigating Compensation Decisions in the Current Economic Environment Kenneth Yung, Laulima Consulting

Compensation decisions are becoming harder as organizations balance constrained budgets, changing labour markets, talent pressures, internal equity and increasing expectations for transparency.

This session will explore how organizations can move beyond broad market responses and make more deliberate choices about where to invest compensation dollars, where targeted action is needed, and what should drive those decisions. Using the Canadian and BC environment as context, we will consider both employee and executive compensation and the trade offs Total Rewards professionals are increasingly being asked to navigate.

Join Us to Explore:

What current economic and labour market conditions mean for compensation decisions

Where to invest and how to prioritize compensation dollars across market competitiveness, critical talent, internal equity, compression and retention

How increasing transparency and scrutiny are changing expectations for defensible compensation decisions

A practical approach to balancing market data, internal equity, business priorities and affordability

10:15 – 10:30 AM

AM Networking Break

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Fireside ChatDetails will be shared soon

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

The Changing World of Total Rewards Vincent Chow, Partner & Co-Founder, LoganHR (Moderator)
Alisha Scichilone, Chief People Officer, Wesgroup Properties
Kevin Chiu, Sr. Manager Total Rewards, KPMG
Raquel de Munain, VP People & Culture, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation

A panel discussion featuring three senior leaders in the Total Rewards and HR in different industries

Join Us to Explore:As our world evolves, so do our rewards programs. We are delighted to invite three senior leaders in Total Rewards and HR from three diverse sectors, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, KPMG and Wesgroup Properties, to share their experiences, lessons learned, and perspectives on navigating the changes ahead in the total rewards landscape. We will cover a wide range of topics, including optimizing total reward budgets, refining organizational offerings, navigating transparency challenges, and developing competitive advantages to stay ahead of the competition. Audiences are encouraged to ask questions and share their thoughts, fostering an interactive and engaging dialogue.

12:00 – 1:30 PM

Networking Lunch

1:30 – 2:30 PM

From Savings to Income for Life: Turning Retirement Readiness into Real EngagementPhilippe Rickli, Normandin Beaudry & Breanna Yee, Arc’teryxHelping employees retire well isn't just about how much they save. It's about turning those savings into income they can count on for life. This session unpacks the building blocks of retirement income, from government pensions and to smart decumulation strategies, then shows how thoughtful, personalized communication brings it all to life for members to develop the right savings habits. Drawing on Arc'teryx's real-world experience customizing the employee experience, Philippe Rickli and Breanna Yee explore how the right message, delivered the right way, drives stronger participation and better outcomes

2:30 – 3:00 PM

AI in Total Rewards: From Chatbot to System

Soumya Sharma

A working session on building an AI system that is NOT a document reader dressed up as innovation. Join to know how to build agents that actually talk to each other with embedded governance systems.

Join Us to Explore:Two analysts evaluate the same job and land on two different grades. Your pay philosophy lives in a 2022 PDF, your architecture in someone's spreadsheet, and your glossary in one person's head. AI cannot fix that.

But once you set the standard and govern who can change it, AI will enforce it every single time.

In this session we will build a working Compensation and Benefits agents live: source of truth, edit rights, version control, then job matching logic on top. We will finish by showing what happens when comp, benefits and hiring stop operating in separate rooms.

If your current AI is a chatbot with some documents uploaded, come see what the next step looks like.

3:00 – 3:30 PM

Featured SessionPresented by White & Gale — Details will be shared soon

3:30 – 3:45 PM

Closing Remarks

3:45 PM onwards

Post-Event NetworkingOptional, informal

Save Your Seat

Spaces filled quickly in 2025, and we're expecting the same this year. Register early to lock in early bird pricing and guarantee your place in the room.

Out-of-Town Accommodations & Discounted Rates: Traveling from out of town? You can book your stay at the special rate directly online via this link.

Event Sponsors

A special thanks to our event sponsors for helping make BC Total Rewards Connect 2026 happen.

Event Speakers & Presenters

Meet our expert speakers and presenters joining us for BC Total Rewards Connect 2026.

Kenneth Yung

Laulima Consulting

View Bio

Kenneth founded Laulima in 2024. Prior to founding Laulima, Kenneth led the Canadian human capital practice of a large global consulting firm, where he spent nearly twenty years. He is the lead advisor for a wide array of organizations, ranging from large multi-nationals to small to medium enterprises, and including both publicly-traded and privately-held companies. He also advises a number of PE-sponsored firms.

Kenneth has extensive experience working collaboratively with Boards of Directors and senior management on a wide range of people issues. His focus is on aligning compensation and total rewards with business and talent strategies. He specializes in incentive plan design, performance measure selection and target-setting. He helps clients make informed decisions based on facts; however, he is not afraid to provide advice that deviates from market practice where it makes sense to do so.

Kenneth is a strong advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion. He has served as a member and co-chair of an ethnic and racial diversity council/Business Resource Group.

Kenneth has a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a concentration in Finance from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Philippe Rickli

Normandin Beaudry

View Bio

Philippe Rickli joined Normandin Beaudry in 2011 and is a Principal in the Pension and Savings teams. His ability to find solutions to his clients' pension and savings issues, combined with his leadership skills, have led him to work on various types of mandates. He has mastered a wide range of consulting services for federal, private, public, and parapublic organizations.

Philippe works with his clients on all aspects of a savings plan: investments, administration and governance, design and communication. He takes an active role in client relationships, managing ongoing projects, which include investment monitoring, reviewing fund lineups and investment policies.

Philippe is also responsible for decumulation initiatives at Normandin Beaudry, effectively implementing these solutions for his clients. Philippe also co-manages the firm's annuity purchasing team (group and individual) – a risk management strategy for pension plans, and a decumulation strategy for individuals.

Breanna Yee

Arc’teryx

View Bio

Breanna Yee is a People & Culture professional with extensive experience in global benefits administration, employee programs, and HR operations. Known for her collaborative approach and strong analytical skills, she partners closely with business teams to enhance employee experience and streamline HR processes. With a background in retail (previously lululemon and now Arc’teryx), Breanna brings a solutions‑focused mindset and a passion for supporting employee wellbeing across the organization.

Soumya Sharma

BC Total Rewards Network

View Bio

Soumya Sharma brings a builder’s mindset, a creator’s energy, and a challenger’s curiosity from the world of TR to the BC Total Rewards Network. His career in Human Resources has spanned Org Design, Total Rewards, Setting up Comp and job architecture framework from scratch, M&A work in Total Rewards, Workforce Planning, people analytics, and people strategy across multiple industries and business stages.

He is drawn to work that moves beyond inherited ways of doing things and asks a simple but important question: is there a better, clearer, and more human way to solve this? For Soumya, Total Rewards is not just a technical discipline. It is a powerful lever for trust, fairness, retention, leadership credibility, and employee experience.

WorldatWork Course: Creating Impact Through Total Rewards (4 Nov 2026)

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 16:30:00 GMT

We're excited to share a major milestone for the BC Total Rewards community. BCTRN has partnered with WorldatWork to bring their first-ever in-person training course to British Columbia.

Join us for Creating Impact Through Total Rewards - an essential two-day professional development opportunity designed to elevate your strategic impact. Plus, this foundational course counts towards earning your Certified Compensation Professional (CCP®) and Global Remuneration Professional (GRP®) designations!

Dates: November 4 – November 5, 2026

Time: 8:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: BCIT Downtown Campus; 555 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1Y7

Why Attend?

Advance Your Career: Earn credits toward your CCP® designation

In-Person Learning: Connect face-to-face, network, and learn alongside fellow BC Total Rewards professionals

Exclusive Discounts: Dual WorldatWork and BCTRN members receive significant discounts on the course. Learn more on how to apply special member pricing on this page (note: you have to be logged in as an active BCTRN member to see this page).

To learn more and register, visit the WorldatWork course page. If you would prefer to pay in Canadian Dollars or purchase through a Canadian vendor, please reach out to contact@bctrn.ca for assistance.

Staying Ahead of Health Inflation: A Playbook for Managing Cost and Affordability (19 Nov 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Health care costs continue to rise faster than general inflation, putting pressure on leaders to manage benefits without compromising affordability.

Join Aon experts Roey Nevile, Mahjbeen Poptani and Kevin Smith for a practical discussion on what’s driving today’s health cost trends and the levers plan sponsors can use to bend the curve. We’ll cover key cost drivers, risk‑mitigation tools and strategies to sustain your Total Rewards programs while minimizing employee disruption—across plan design, networks, vendor strategy, care management and more.

Through real client stories and case studies, we’ll show how leading organizations are balancing plan sustainability, employee affordability and business performance in a volatile environment.

WHEN: November 19th from 12:00pm to 1pm PST

WHERE: Virtual MS Teams Meeting

COST: Complimentary to members and non-members

Speakers

Roey Neville

Roey is a Vice President with Aon’s Human Capital practice in Vancouver with over 20 years of experience in human resources and benefits consulting. She

works with organizations to create sustainable total rewards programs that meet the needs of diverse employee populations and specializes in plan

optimization and change management.

Roey earned B.A. in international relations from University of British Columbia and a P.D. in human resource management from British Columbia Institute of

Technology. She has attained both the Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) and Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designations.

Roey chaired the BC CPHR Total Rewards Roundtable from 2014 - 2024.

Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith is a Vice President specializing in group benefits, with a strong technical understanding of benefit plan design and the financial mechanics that

underpin them. He serves as the regional leader for Client Delivery for Western Canada within Canada’s Health Solutions practice, where he supports and

coaches a team of consultants in delivering high-quality, tailored solutions to clients. Kevin’s work covers benefits valuations, plan re-design, cost

containments, as well as ongoing consulting for organizations that often operate in, or maintain close ties to, the public sector and multi-employer environments.

A key focus of Kevin’s practice is process improvement and efficiency. While recognizing that not every solution can be one-size-fits-all, Kevin consistently

finds ways to increase efficiency, enhance accuracy, and make data more accessible for decision makers and HR leaders. He is known for bridging the gap

between highly technical analysis and practical, easy-to-use tools that help organizations make better-informed benefits decisions.

Mahjbeen Poptani, MSC, FIA, FCIA

Mahjbeen Poptani is an Assistant Vice President and actuary with extensive experience advising mid- and large-sized employers on complex benefit programs.

She specializes in forecasting, fund valuations, and post-employment benefit valuations, working closely with decision makers to shape benefit philosophy,

manage financial risk, and support long-term cost sustainability. Her background spans multi-employer benefit plans as well as public- and private-sector

arrangements, giving her a broad perspective on plan design and funding strategy. Mahjbeen is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and of the

Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the UK, and is known for translating technical analysis into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders.