top of page
COLIN NEWHOUSE
President

Colin Newhouse was born in England and educated there and in France. He completed the first part of his Bachelor degree in Education at the University of Reading. Then he moved to France where he completed his degree, a License ès-lettres in Education and Communication from the Université de Paris V. In Paris, he started his career in adult training and development.In 1975, he moved to Montreal and became the Managing Director of a consulting company specializing in language and communications training and development, a position he held for 3 years, before moving to a similar position in CP Rail.

 

In 1979 he joined Canadair. After setting up all language and communication training in the organization, he moved into management development and became the Head of Training & Development for the company. Among his accomplishments at Canadair were several culture-change programs to integrate new divisions into the Bombardier family of companies. He intervened as an Executive Coach to Managers setting up new units and divisions in Canada and the United States. He then moved on to hold several generalist positions in Human Resources in Bombardier/Canadair. In 1990 he joined Spar Aerospace to head up all Recruiting and Training & Development and then moved to Hewitt-Caterpillar in 1992 to hold a similar position.

 

Since 1993 he has owned and managed his own Human Performance consulting company, Colin Newhouse & Associates. He specializes in human performance issues and designs and delivers programmes to clients in Canada, the United States and in Europe. He designed and delivers the '360° Leader' programme for McGill's Executive Institute.

SYLVIE PLANTE
Senior Associate

Career manager with an international profile and holder of a master's degree in industrial relations, Sylvie has more than 35 years of experience in Human Resources and Talent Management as well as in the implementation of ERP systems mainly in very high technology companies and engineering.

Sylvie is passionate about people and their personal and professional development.

Curious by nature, eager to learn and constantly evolving, Sylvie has a vast experience and solid expertise, which coupled with strong skills, make her an incomparable resource. She is recognized for her results orientation and her respect for the highest standards.

Because of her entrepreneurial nature and her determination, Sylvie has distinguished herself in all of the senior management positions she has occupied. Sylvie was regularly asked by her colleagues and employees for her feedback and her coaching skills.

Sylvie works with Colin Newhouse and Associates as a coach for all levels of management. She is accredited in all diagnostic technologies from Human Synergistics.®

Like Colin Newhouse, Sylvie is highly active in the NGO Humanity and Inclusion.

BARRY DOWNING
Senior Associate 

A senior operations executive with significant P&L experience in Canadian, European and Australasian operations, creating significant realized value for shareholders, while positioning the companies for long term success.

 

Barry has extensive experience working in entrepreneurial and large corporate businesses, both public & private equity-owned, and has held a number of board of director positions in private companies and public institutions. His senior executive experience has included strategic leadership roles including Managing Partner  (Private Equity fund), CEO (multinational engineering company based in Italy), Managing Director, General Manager, and VP Operations with a demonstrated global track record of successful turnarounds in various industries.

Barry served as VP Operations Australasia, VP Operations Canada and VP Operations Europe for an international management consulting firm for many years. While assuming a very successful turnaround role at Concert Industries in Quebec (after being acquired by Brookfield Asset Management) he was named to multiple Board positions by the Quebec government including a Cegep and Emploi Quebec Outaouais. Barry is also known as an expert coach in Leadership, Continuous Improvement and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. A retired naval officer with degrees in Administration and Strategic Studies from Collège Militaire Royal.

 

Barry is fluent in English and French and has a basic working knowledge of Italian.

Barry works with Colin Newhouse and Associates as a coach for all levels of management. He is accredited in all diagnostic technologies from Human Synergistics.

NICOLE ST-PIERRE
Senior Associate

Nicole St-Pierre is a consultant and seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in large Canadian and global organizations. She began her career as a pension consultant and subsequently held specialised positions in benefits and compensation with Domtar, ABB and CAE.  Since 2003, she has held various senior and executive roles for Aimia and Paysafe, developing and implementing Human Resources strategies aligned with corporate objectives, and with an objective to build and nurture an engaging and performing organizational culture.

 

Throughout her career, she has successfully led all aspects of HR management, primarily in a context of transformation and growth. Her work in recent years has focused on compensation, employee engagement, organizational development, change management and mergers and acquisitions. In 2016, she launched her consulting business, Ottima Solutions and Consulting, the mission of which being to assist transforming organizations by providing tailored solutions in Compensation, Organizational Development and Mergers and Acquisitions.

 

Nicole is a Certified Human Resource Professional.  She holds an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, with a specialization in Actuarial Science from University of Montreal and became an Associate of the Society of Actuaries in 1991.  She was also a participant in McGill University’s Advanced Leadership Program.    She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience by being a guest lecturer for various Montreal universities. Nicole is also a member of the Board of Little Brothers, whose mission is to bring kindness, dignity and respect to more than 1,200 elderly people in Quebec.

Photo_-_Chantal_Dubé.jpg
CHANTAL DUBÉ
Senior Associate

Chantal has over 25 years of experience as a human resources manager.  She has developed her expertise in companies such as IKEA Canada, Groupe Cascades and Les Pros de la Photo. She is known for her ability to listen, her excellent communication skills and her ability to build lasting relationships of trust through a collaborative approach. 

 

Over the past few years, Chantal has developed expertise in organizational development, change management, downsizing, acquisitions and mergers. She has also led various projects: implementation of HR software, focus groups, evaluation of pay equity maintenance, implementation of a telecommuting policy and team building activities.

 

Her training in criminology and her experience as a psychosocial counsellor have been a springboard for coaching individuals and their development.  She holds an MBA - research profile from UQAM and is a member of the Ordre des Conseillers en ressources humaines agréés (CRHA). She is a Certified Corporate Coach (CCC), affiliated with the WorldWide Association of Business Coaches (WABC).  She is accredited in all Human Synergistics® diagnostic technologies.

Her mission is to help her clients develop their full potential with confidence and efficiency for a progressive and sustainable transformation. She believes that each individual has all the resources and tools necessary to develop their full potential.

Annie.jpeg.JPG
ANNIE VANDERPERREN
Associate, Client Service 

Annie studied administration and languages ​​and, being of Belgian origin, she is multilingual. During her career in Belgium she has worked for multinationals such as Xerox and Esso.

When she arrived in Quebec, she specialized in human resources, an area she particularly loves and in which she has worked extensively. Her career has covered the areas of recruiting, executive reassignment, organizational development and industrial psychology.

She spent 16 years at the head office of Cascades Tissue Group as a Human Resources Coordinator, which allowed her to broaden her experience and knowledge in the HR field. She has specialized in employee well-being, for example by creating, among other achievements, a health club and implementing ergonomics in the workplace. Skill-based management at Cascades also gave her the opportunity to exploit her talents in organizing events. One of her last projects at Cascades was managing the expansion of the head office, a large-scale project involving the coordinating the work of many trades and the addition of nearly a hundred ergonomic workstations in order to create a quality working environment.

 

At Colin Newhouse and Associates, Annie is in charge of customer service, project coordination as well as administrative support. She is certified in all diagnostic technologies from Human Synergistics.®

bottom of page