Virtual Event
Women in Forestry – 2021
March 9, 2021 at 11:00am EST

Tolko’s resident change maker and gender equity champion Tanya Wick unpacks what it means to be an effective ally in this accessible, engaging talk for forestry leaders and employees at every level.

Everyone has an opportunity—and a responsibility—to support change on our own teams, which will ultimately benefit forestry organizations and the communities we serve.

Ensuring inclusion in the forest products sector requires that we all understand and actively participate in the process, recognize our biases, and use our privilege as a way to effect change.

In this 30-minute keynote, Wick shares how it takes each and every one of us to create that change together.

About the speaker

Tanya Wick is a transformative executive leader who is not content with quick fixes. Beyond her talent for building accountable work cultures and teams, she develops strong foundations in processes and programs to align workforce plans with business requirements. She ensures that organizations and their people are well-equipped and strongly positioned for results and sustainable growth.

As the first female executive in Tolko Industries’ 65-year history, Tanya, who has seen her role expand from vice-president, human resources to vice-president, people and services, partners with executive leadership and the board of directors to shape and execute the organization’s strategic direction. Most energized when progressing deliverables, Tanya creates clear targets and executes with firm expectations to achieve results.

Often described as someone who “ups everyone’s game,” the benefits Tanya has generated for Tolko have been substantial. Managing procurement spend, she introduced a procurement strategy that drove up corporate profitability and cash flow. She also increased employee engagement, implemented a corporate-wide succession program and transitioned HR into a strategic business partner.

In addition to her corporate leadership responsibilities, Tanya is blazing trails in the forest industry, developing a youth initiative and a women’s strategy to promote participation of these key groups. As one of three industry representatives on the National Gender Equity in Forestry Steering Committee, Tanya is a valuable contributor to developing the national action plan. She also shares her expertise and insights on numerous boards and councils.

She is forward-thinking and innovative, bringing on board new technologies and fresh initiatives to boost productivity. Tanya introduced the company’s first cloud-based HRIS system, piloted a rapid mobile learning app, and spearheaded the creation of a multi-lingual website – the first of its kind in the industry.

Along with revitalizing departments and teams, Tanya is immensely proud of the people she has developed over the years. She coaches and mentors for success with clear expectations and reasonable timelines. As a testament to her leadership, her team and staff have been recognized with multiple awards.

Tanya lives in Vernon, B.C. with her husband and loves to spend time hiking in the beautiful Okanagan.