Team

Director of Finance and Performance Aaron Law oversees all accounting and finance functions at Habanero, including monthly and quarterly reviews, bank account management, cash management, and forecasts. He is also responsible for establishing and maintaining accounting policies, processes, and procedures. Aaron conducts financial analysis and prepares plans and forecasts. As part of Habanero’s leadership team, he uses his financial acumen to identify strategic growth and success opportunities.

Aaron previously served as Habanero’s Controller. Prior to joining Habanero, he held financial positions at Cardiome Pharma Corp. and Intrawest ULC. Aaron developed his auditing and accounting skills at PwC and Smythe Ratcliffe Chartered Accountants early in his career. As a chartered accountant and certified internal auditor, Aaron sits on the board of directors and chairs the finance committee of the Kerrisdale Community Centre. He enjoys all kinds of sports, including golf, volleyball and skiing.

Senior Consultant Barbara Richards works closely with our clients throughout the journey of creating great workplace experiences. She uses her roots in the social sciences, deep appreciation for experience design principles and years of strategic IT consulting to co-create experiences that help employees and organizations live up to their potential.

Prior to joining Habanero, Barbara held user experience roles in international research and development organizations in the Philippines, Indonesia and Italy. She spent five years at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN in Rome, Italy, where she co-led the initiation of many user experience practices to improve FAO’s ability to provide information to people in support of its goal to reduce food insecurity around the world. This front row seat into the inner workings of international development programs and projects influenced her perspective on the value of design thinking concepts.

Barbara holds a bachelor of sociology from the University of British Columbia and a master of archival studies from the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at UBC. When not working, she is often having conversations about The Avengers, Star Wars or Lego (she has two young boys), visiting the local yoga studio or discovering trails in the North Shore mountains.

Vice President Ben Skelton provides guidance and oversight to Habanero’s leadership team, ensuring Habanero’s continued success and innovation within all areas of the business. He does this through a balanced scorecard approach to management, which provides a continuous and equal focus on our company, team and clients. Ben is also a passionate advocate of Habanero’s brand. He works to ensure that clients are proud to be associated with Habanero and that each of the solutions we create exceeds expectations.

Ben opened Habanero’s Toronto office in 2013 and continues to manage a number of Toronto-based accounts while directing the growth of Habanero’s business in Ontario.

A recognized user experience leader, Ben is a founding member of the Vancouver User Experience Group (VanUE) and creator of Habanero’s User Experience Done Right! seminar series. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Simon Fraser University. Ben is an ardent traveller and plane geek whose favourite place is 38,000 feet somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.

Junior Product Support Specialist Brandon Martel helps provide ongoing support to the modern and classic GO Intranet products. Brandon has a passion for problem solving, helping others and optimization. He strongly values efficiency, not just in his own life but in the world around him and believes you can only be as efficient as your tools allow you to be. His natural inclination in these areas come from a place of understanding that life is already difficult enough and making it easier for others is a feeling he chases.

Before joining Habanero, Brandon worked as a learning strategist and data analyst at MaKami college, providing strategic support along the students' learning journey, as well as detailed insight to best direct decision making within the company. With a background in psychology, much of his career has been service-focused and, as a result, he loves working with people. He continues his journey as a lifelong learner with a data science program through IBM.

Coming from a small town in northern Ontario, he loves the outdoors and spends a lot of his free time biking, swimming, camping and snowboarding. His love for data and analytical thinking shine through in his love for puzzles, board games and card games.

Director of Products and Services Brian Edwards leads, creates and maintains the business plans and roadmaps of Habanero’s technology solutions and services. This includes developing an investment strategy for new offerings and developing partnerships that augment or complement our offerings. He also guides our strategy for bringing our services to market.

Brian has been with Habanero since 2000 and previously led Habanero’s collaboration practice. Prior to working for Habanero, he ran the corporate intranet for a Fortune 500 bank in the United States. Passionate about the impact technology can make within organizations, Brian has been recognized as a thought leader in collaboration solutions and business strategy and is a highly credited public speaker.

Junior Quality Assurance Specialist Caitlin Rush supports the GO Intranet product team to identify and report defects and deployment problems, tracking them through to successful resolution. This involves ensuring there are no major defects in each solution release, setting up and configuring test environments and triaging tasks. Caitlin thrives in detail-oriented work and is passionate about making a difference.

Caitlin is completing her honours bachelor of computer science (mobile computing) at Sheridan College with an expected graduation in December 2022. Before joining Habanero for her summer co-op work term, Caitlin worked in closed captioning and social media management. Outside of work, Caitlin enjoys gaming, movies and TV shows, crafting and spending time with her dog.

Interaction Designer Carmen Bronsch designs intuitive and engaging experiences founded in ethnographic research and human-centred design principles. She enjoys delighting users with intentional, creative and empathetic design solutions.

Prior to Habanero, Carmen was the UX design lead for Blackline Safety, where she was involved in holistic UX for their products. Carmen is a graduate of Mount Royal University, where she received her bachelor of communications with a major in information design and discovered a passion for making the complex simple and designing engaging experiences of diverse users. When Carmen isn’t designing, you can find her eating local food (specifically pizza), petting dogs, exploring the farmers’ market or planning her next travel adventure.

Infrastructure Architect Carmen Craciun is one of North America’s leading experts in SharePoint infrastructure. She works with Habanero clients to design enterprise IT architectures and infrastructure requirements. Carmen’s deep knowledge and technical ability ensure the high quality of Habanero solutions.

Carmen has numerous Microsoft certifications and is a Microsoft Certified Engineer. She holds a master of science degree in pharmacy from the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Romania. Carmen often shares her SharePoint expertise at conferences and workshops across North America.

Senior Advisor, Workplace Experiences, Caterina Sanders works on our culture and transformation, corporate strategy and digital workplace engagements. She is an expert facilitator, experience designer and communicator – and she is a 20-year veteran of Habanero.

Caterina is a founding member of the Vancouver User Experience Group (VanUE) and currently sits on the CSA Caregiver Friendly Workplaces Technical Committee. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia. Caterina is also an honest and inspiring presenter who is regularly asked to speak about employee engagement, high-performing cultures and design thinking. Travel is a longstanding passion for her and her family, and in 2015, they all took a year’s leave to travel the world.

ServiceNow Technical Consultant Chris Lucier enjoys learning about clients’ needs and creating effective, delightful solutions to enable great employee experiences. He brings a passion for automation, efficiency and data analytics to both his professional and personal life.

Prior to joining Habanero, Chris was part of a team that leveraged ServiceNow to build an automated framework that provided triage and remediation solutions for high-frequency enterprise incidents. He also has a wealth of experience developing tools and scripts to automate repetitive tasks such as data entry. When he’s not improving processes for others, Chris is automating at home, trying new recipes in his kitchen or looking for his next weekend road trip destination.

Digital Workplace Advisor Chris Radcliffe brings years of senior-level consulting and client experience management to his role at Habanero. He has extensive experience in employee portals, enterprise social, information architecture design and governance. Chris manages some of Habanero’s key client relationships and provides mentorship and support to other Habanero account managers. He has been with Habanero since 2000.

A thought leader for Habanero, Chris often speaks on how social computing trends are impacting strategies for organizational communication, innovation and knowledge management. He has an active interest in helping organizations use technology to improve their workplaces and is always looking for opportunities to grow Habanero’s core competencies. Chris holds Yammer Power User and Administrator certifications to support the development of Habanero customers’ community manager and social consulting services. He holds a bachelor of commerce degree from Queen’s University.

Quality Assurance Specialist Chris Sweeney operates a spilt role between support and quality assurance. His main duty is to provide sustainment support for GO Intranet and conduct regression testing when needed. He has a knack for customer service and connecting with new customers and manages the forum and articles on GO’s community site.

Chris hails from Derry, a small city in the north of Ireland. Before moving to Canada and beginning work at Habanero, Chris lived in Manchester, England, and worked for Hitachi Consulting as a service desk analyst. He has worked with internationally known clients such as the Financial Times and the National Health Service and supported sites in the UK, Poland, Nigeria and Greece as a first-line desktop support technician at Fujitsu UK. He holds a bachelor of science in computer science from Manchester Metropolitan University. Chris spends most of his free time following or playing football. He also enjoys mountain biking and tennis.

Product Manager Christina Ferancik drives the direction and implementation of Habanero’s GO Intranet. Through collaborating and understanding client needs, she builds out clear vision, strategy and a product roadmap to tackle tough business problems.

Christina brings 14 years of experience working in technology, communications and change management. Prior to joining Habanero, she worked in public and private sector organizations, including Google Ireland, BC Hydro and the BC Government Caucus. Throughout her career, she has leveraged technology to improve business processes and help companies build better workplaces for their employees. Christina holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of British Columbia. Outside of work, she is an avid traveller and enjoys swimming, skiing and the arts.

Front-End Architect Christopher Parsons is responsible for the architecture behind the visual design, interactivity, accessibility and authoring of Habanero solutions. His work also includes writing and reviewing project requirements, demoing and training clients and advocating for best practices around front-end development.

Chris graduated with a bachelor of science with a major in computing science from Simon Fraser University and completed an eight-month co-op term with Habanero in 2011. He is a Microsoft Certified Software Developer, a Certified ScrumMaster and a certified Sitecore Professional Developer. Outside of work, Chris enjoys reading about baseball analytics, listening to podcasts about wrestling and pop music, and catching up on the latest news in technology and gadgets.

Product Support Specialist Christopher Scollard supports exceptional client experiences with Habanero’s GO Intranet. Christopher has a passion for working with people and bringing them together with technology. As a natural problem solver, he supports people with technology that simplifies their lives, so they have more time to do what they enjoy most.

Originally from Ireland, Christopher holds a bachelor of arts and a master of arts from University College Dublin. Before joining Habanero, he worked as a support technician and project support lead for Valentia Technologies in the global health technology industry. His work with Valentia took him all over Ireland and on multiple trips to New Zealand to support product expansion. Outside of work, Christopher’s primary passion is following or playing rugby. He also enjoys watching or playing nearly all sports and reading history and science fiction.

Front-End Developer Craig Smith uses a combination of user research, audits, analytics and prototyping to deliver solid user experiences. His work sits at the intersection of design, development and research, and he uses his practitioner experience to support project outcomes and ensure clients get the most out of their technology investments. With a background in software quality assurance, Craig has a solid understanding both of customer needs and of the importance of end-user advocacy.

Prior to coming to Habanero, Craig was a test lead at SMART Technologies where he worked on education software for use with SMART Boards. He has both a bachelor of commerce and a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Calgary.

Interaction Designer Danielle Kovacic designs engaging user experiences through websites, intranets and other applications. Danielle is passionate about bringing creative and unique ideas to her designs.

Prior to Habanero, Danielle worked as a designer and project manager at Mediashaker and continues to work as a freelance designer, creating websites, brand identities and other digital assets. She graduated from Grant MacEwan University with a major in design and digital media. When Danielle isn’t working, you can find her reading, binge watching TV shows or organizing something in her apartment.

Technical Architect David Webb works on the analysis, design and development of business intelligence, SharePoint and custom development solutions. With more than 20 years of IT experience, David has deep expertise in Microsoft solutions such as .NET, ASP.NET, and SQL Server.

Prior to working at Habanero, David was a senior developer at WorkSafeBC in Richmond and Great-West Life Assurance Company in Winnipeg. In both positions, he worked on a wide variety of platforms from mainframes to PCs. David holds a honours bachelor of computer science degree from the University of Manitoba. When not working, he volunteers as the race director for the annual Lees Trail Triathlon and sits on the boards of Vancouver Front Runners and the English Bay Triathlon Club.

AvePoint Lead, Western Canada, Davis helps organizations accelerate successful digital transformation. By leveraging the AvePoint suite of products, Davis strives to make migrating, managing and backing up Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams more seamless, secure and predictable. With a strong background in business technology sales, Davis prides himself on being a trusted advisor to clients while assisting them in making critical technology investments.

Before joining Habanero, Davis developed his expertise in collaboration technology as area manager, Central US and Western Canada, at Nureva Inc. Davis’ time at Nureva allowed him to work with some of the most well-known organizations in the world, including The Gap, Farmers Insurance and Anheuser-Busch InBev. In 2014, Davis earned his bachelor of commerce with a focus on marketing from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Outside of the office you can find Davis recording or performing with his band, chasing wild game, volunteering in his community or out questing for his new favourite hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

Senior Solution Developer Elena Rosu uses her technical expertise on a variety of employee, customer and member portal projects. Her role involves creating new solutions as a member of project teams as well as working directly with clients in sustainment engagements. Elena is also a technical lead on several projects. She is well versed in Sitecore, SharePoint 2016, SharePoint 2013, SharePoint Online and ASP.NET.

Elena holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Iasi, Romania. Elena is also a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer and a Certified ScrumMaster. In her spare time, Elena enjoys doing yoga, walking and reading biographies about painters.

Finance Manager Elizabeth Torry leads all aspects of accounting, payroll, receivables, payables, government returns, staff group benefits and other related responsibilities. A valued veteran of Habanero, Elizabeth has been with the company since 1999 and has skillfully supported the company through years of steady growth and expansion.

Prior to immigrating to Canada in 1996, Elizabeth worked at CIBC in Trinidad for 15 years. There, she held several positions, including senior accountant, manager of foreign exchange and teller supervisor. Outside of Habanero, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her two daughters and is actively involved in church community activities as one of the directors and group coordinator for the Richmond Catholic Alpha.

Interaction Designer Hanah designs engaging and joyful user experiences grounded in empathetic research. She has a positive and curious mindset and is passionate about helping others through her design work.

Hanah is a graduate of the School of Interactive Arts and Technology program with a concentration in design from Simon Fraser University. Hanah completed three co-op work terms at Habanero prior to joining the team full-time. Outside of work, she enjoys discovering new foodie places, watching the latest films out in the theatre and keeping up with pop culture news.

Project Manager Heather Doyle brings strong project management and business analysis skills to her work at Habanero. Specializing in SharePoint and custom web development projects, she combines big-picture strategic thinking skills with a keen attention to detail. Heather has a lengthy history of managing complex and large-scale projects while respecting budgets, timelines and scopes.

Prior to working at Habanero, Heather worked as a consultant for ten years, including four years at KPMG Consulting and PwC. Heather has a bachelor of science in food science, technology and biology, from Oxford Brookes University and a masters of business administration in information technology from the University of British Columbia. Outside of work, Heather can be found cycling, keeping up on the reading for her book club and volunteering on the PAC at her children’s school.

Front-End Developer Jake Kim is passionate about organizing and arranging layouts for developing intuitive user experiences. He especially focuses on using best practices and implementing appropriate software design patterns to ensure development is consistent and easy to maintain.

Prior to joining Habanero, Jake as a lead full-stack developer where he used JavaScript and .NET among other technologies. He studied management information systems at Konkuk University, and computer systems technology at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, graduating with the option award. Outside of work, Jake enjoys drawing, playing and watching soccer, improving his technology knowledge and doing activities with his daughter.

Director, Employee Experience, James Sloane applies a design-thinking, user-centred approach to every complex situation and opportunity he finds. He is passionate about helping people thrive where they spend most of their time: at work. James believes meaningful workplace experiences happen when we design the conditions for each of us to feel safe being ourselves, continuously grow and do purposeful work.

Prior to his role as Director of Employee Experience, James was a senior experience consultant, working with clients and Habanero teams to design employee portals, collaboration solutions and cultural transformations. He especially loves strategy work and making sense of the fuzzy front-end of complex problems. James holds a masters of environmental design from the University of Calgary and a bachelor of design from the University of Alberta. Outside of work, James values his time with family and friends, coaching youth soccer and anything creative.

Office Manager Jarrod McKenna will greet you with a smile on his face and a smile in his voice. He is an enthusiastic representative of Habanero and provides exceptional customer service to clients and Habanero employees. Responsible for managing the day-to-day administration of the office, Jarrod also provides executive support regarding scheduling and coordination, arranges company travel and passionately handles crucial details that make events successful and the office feel comfortable, efficient and fun.

Prior to joining Habanero, Jarrod spent several years providing administrative assistance to clients with addictions and criminal justice issues. With an eclectic background, he has honed his skills working in various roles and sectors and from living in a foreign culture for several years.

Outside of work, Jarrod’s passion is fuelled by a love of photography and walking, which often go hand-in-hand. He also loves to entertain and can be found cooking a brand-new creation – often something hot and spicy – each time he hosts a dinner party.

Front-End Developer Jasjit Marwah is responsible for building pixel-perfect, functional front-ends for web applications. He combines the best practices of layout templating with the power of modern JavaScript to bring designs to life.

Jasjit graduated from the National Institute of Technology Trichy with a bachelor of technology with a specialization in computer science and engineering. Prior to joining Habanero, Jasjit built front-end applications for drug discovery and bioinformatics. Outside of work, Jasjit enjoys woodworking, playing acoustic guitar and catching up on the latest news in technology and global politics.

Digital Workplace Consultant John Yoon uses an empathetic and evidence-based approach to help clients find the best solutions for their workplace needs. Leveraging his knowledge of Microsoft 365 and his background in communications, he helps design effective content and corporate communications strategies.

John holds a PhD in English from the University of Waterloo and an honours bachelor of arts degree from the University of Alberta. He has previously worked on gamification and narrative and has completed a user experience project for TD Canada Trust. In his spare time, John loves to cook and spend time with his wife.

Digital Workplace Consultant Jonathan Plumbley helps organizations empower their people through digital workplace strategy and tools. With a background in Microsoft SharePoint and the Power Platform, as well as a passion for automagical design, Jonathan seeks to bridge the gap between the human experience and technology. He is a certified business analysis and change management practitioner.

Prior to joining Habanero, Jonathan worked with a non-profit national organization that operates research and training programs in industrial and social innovation fields. As an operations analyst, he created solutions to automate complex business processes and scale delivery. He also provided training and support to operational teams, worked with business units to define requirements for key systems and managed hundreds of contract employees.

On the weekends, Jonathan can be found jogging along the beach while listening to podcasts on the latest awesome new technology!

Solution Developer Kelsey Alexander loves to learn and incorporate cutting-edge technologies into user-friendly solutions. Kelsey contributes to all phases of the software development lifecycle by applying her front-end development experience in HTML, CSS, JavaScript and SharePoint frameworks.

Prior to Habanero, Kelsey built applications in JavaScript and SharePoint to provide business solutions for TransAlta. Kelsey holds a master of science degree in geophysics and seismology from the University of Calgary, which is where she developed an interest in code. Kelsey completed a software developer certificate program at the South Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in 2016. Outside of work, Kelsey enjoys reading, gaming, movies, TV shows, going to the gym and eating good food.

Director of Operations Kiran Aujla is focused on operational excellence in how the company operates and delivers value to both clients and Habanero. She is responsible for overseeing Habanero’s delivery and resource management functions to ensure team members are performing at the highest levels within a culture of continuous improvement. Kiran’s responsibilities include establishing and reporting on measures of success for all projects while seeing through the day-to-day activities, at both a strategic and operational level, to ensure Habanero will live up to its long-term vision.

Kiran has a diverse background of business and technical experience gained through delivering and consulting on projects within the IT and utilities industries with a focus on data warehousing, intranets, websites and project management. Prior to joining Habanero in 2006, Kiran acquired close to 10 years of industry experience working with BC Hydro, Westech and Accenture Business Services for Utilities in roles that included business analyst, system developer, project manager and information delivery lead. When not working, Kiran enjoys a variety of activities including running, hiking and yoga. She is an avid reader with a passion for learning and cherishes quality time spent with family and friends.

Creative Director Kurtis Beard crafts engaging solutions based on his user experience and information architecture expertise. He helps clients understand the unique needs of their end users and balances a variety of design approaches when creating portals and applications. Kurtis is comfortable conducting usability tests, creating wireframes and mockups, and leading heuristic analyses. He’s passionate about ensuring our solutions foster collaboration, communication and engagement through user-centred design methodologies.

Before coming to Habanero, Kurtis was a freelance visual designer with experience in branding, logo design and graphic design. He is a graduate of the School of Interaction Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University. Kurtis is also a member of the Vancouver User Experience Group and enjoys keeping up to date with the latest trends in user experience and interaction design. Outside of work, Kurtis likes to expand his interest in cinema, travel and all kinds of new music.

Chief Architect Larry Lau is known for providing great application architectures and frameworks and promoting architecture best practices and patterns within Habanero’s development team. Experienced in rich-client, web-client and mobile development using a wide variety of Microsoft technologies, Larry articulates the architecture vision, addresses architectural challenges and keeps developers up-to-date on technologies and development trends. He also automates development tasks to save project teams time, provides reference architecture implementation for various types of applications and tackles challenging technical tasks. Larry leads Habanero’s Architecture and Windows Smart Client Centres of Excellence.

Prior to Habanero, Larry held roles as a software engineer at Meridian Systems, system analyst at Telus Mobility, programmer/analyst at Concerta Consulting, and senior software developer at Interlogic Engineering. He has a bachelor of science in computer science from Simon Fraser University. When not at work, Larry enjoys snowboarding on the local mountains and flying radio-controlled helicopters.

Experience Designer Laura Nugent applies a human-centered and design thinking approach to her work to create exception employee experiences. She is skilled at conducting ethnographic research and synthesizing insights to uncover immediate and latent user needs. Laura brings curiosity and empathy to her work, which enables her to explore, understand and translate human behaviours into actionable insights to drive co-creative change, innovation and creative thinking.

Prior to joining Habanero, Laura worked as a design researcher for Ireland’s leading utility, The Electricity Supply Board. She was heavily involved in new product development, customer experience, technology adoption, service design, new market exploration and innovation culture within the company. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and sociology and a master’s degree in design innovation from Maynooth University in her home country of Ireland. When not working, she enjoys taking road trips and exploring new places! She also values spending quality time with friends and catching up with family back in Ireland.

Project Manager Lori Sokoluk works with Habanero project teams and clients to deliver solutions that exceed each stakeholder’s expectations. She motivates team members by making sure they have the tools and information necessary to excel. Using her communication and delivery skills, Lori expertly manages risk to ensure the success of every engagement. Lori uses various approaches such Agile, waterfall and hybrid iterative methods to craft a plan that best suits each project.

Before coming to Habanero, Lori worked as a project manager for Morgan Stanley and Central 1 Credit Union. She brings an extensive understanding of software development processes gained through her experience with requirements analysis, development, quality assurance and client engagement that enable her to contribute to project teams beyond a traditional project management role. Outside of work, Lori is a professional painter and fine art educator.

Practice Lead, Culture and Transformation, Mallory O’Connor helps enterprise organizations create great workplace experiences. She works with our clients to shape and deliver compelling changes to organizational culture and the digital landscape. Building on a twenty-year career of human-centred research and design, she coaches clients and collaborates with teams to solve the right problems with an iterative mindset.

Mallory is an experienced leader both inside Habanero and in the community. She is a thought leader, senior advisor to clients, performance coach and mentor to colleagues and accountable for Habanero’s culture and transformation offering. Mallory hosts conferences, delivers presentations and workshops and shares insights in webinars on the intersection of employee experience, culture and technology. She extends her passion for community and public art as the co-chair of the Vancouver Mural Festival. She was the co-founder and judge of the Vancouver User Experience Awards and the Vancouver User Experience Group (VanUE).

Front-End Solution Architect Mark Bice is responsible for the front-end architecture and development of Habanero solutions, which includes creating interfaces, establishing look and feel and ensuring usability. Mark has both a design and programming background and experience in all stages of application development, from planning to testing. As a result, Mark provides a valuable bridge between the design and development components of Habanero projects.

Before Habanero, Mark was a software engineer at ResponseTek, where he worked on customer experience management web applications that allowed clients to collect and analyze valuable data and spot consumer trends. Mark has a computing science degree with a business administration minor from Simon Fraser University.

Information Technology Manager Marty van den Bosch is responsible for managing, maintaining and evolving our internal and public facing technologies. A multi-tasker known for his exceptional priority management skills, Marty handles Habanero’s internal IT process, planning, management and direction among a myriad of other accountabilities. With a focus on internal systems and IT direction, Marty strives to keep our company on the leading edge of Microsoft technologies.

Marty is also the Vancouver office’s resident Level 3 Occupational First Aid attendant. Outside of work, he spends most of his time gardening, working on his side business adventures and enjoying time with his wife and son. He also enjoys multi-day hikes in local mountains and, when possible, exploring future retirement locations along the Caribbean coastline.

Infrastructure Architect Matt Chapple brings over 17 years’ experience designing, implementing, scaling, growing, maintaining, migrating and automating. Matt’s expertise in systems, services and networking is coupled with a deep-rooted background in the Microsoft technology stack, including Azure, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Exchange, PowerShell and SQL Server. With a passion for automation, Desired State Configuration, runbooks, templates and workflow, Matt is a well-rounded resource with a keen sense for solution design, application development, security, compliance and records management.

Prior to joining Habanero, Matt worked in Calgary for 10 years as a senior-level consultant for Ideaca, DevFacto and Long View Systems, leading teams and projects in operations, managed services and project delivery. He most recently worked as a SharePoint architect and Azure infrastructure specialist at AltaLink. Outside of work, Matt has a passion for camping, fishing, and spending time outdoors with his children.

Senior Solution Developer Michael Armstrong is responsible for developing elegant and user-friendly solutions. He leverages his expertise in front-end and back-end development to craft intranets, websites and business applications that drive toward outcomes and satisfy all stakeholders. Michael primarily focuses on the SharePoint and Sitecore platforms and his skills include a variety of technologies and languages. He is adept at solving complex problems and enjoys applying his development experience in both technical and non-technical ways.

Before coming to Habanero, Michael worked as an application developer at Lucidia Ltd. He graduated as a computer programmer analyst from Sault College and received a SSMARt Innovation Award for Student/Graduate of the Year from the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre. Outside of work, Michael enjoys hockey, snowboarding, travel, fishing, golfing and experimenting with new technology.

Digital Workplace Consultant Mike Dumka has been helping organizations transform their intranet and collaboration experiences since 2008. Mike is passionate about helping design frictionless solutions that are easy for end users to fall in love with. His thought leadership helps organizations stay on top of the evolving Microsoft 365 landscape. His technical understanding of Microsoft 365 complements his experience driving adoption and helping people change their information management practices.

Prior to joining Habanero, Mike worked for Blueshift Innovations and Great-West Life. He is a Human Factors International Certified Usability Analyst. Outside of work, Mike is an absolute hockey fanatic who loves coaching his kids and is thankful every day for the Jets returning to Winnipeg!

Solution Architect Mike Jensen is responsible for architecting business solutions and leading development teams. Mike has extensive experience in a wide range of Microsoft and Java technologies and has particular expertise in application integration and business process management. Known for his problem solving and leadership abilities, Mike applies his technical skills across a wide range of business domains.

Prior to joining Habanero, Mike gained development and analysis experience as senior systems developer with Accenture Business Services and as an independent consultant working for clients including Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans. He holds a bachelor of science with a major in applied mathematics from Simon Fraser University. When he is not researching new technologies, you can find Mike on the golf course, baseball field or basketball court.

Senior ECM Consultant Natalie Veldhoen helps to uncover the current state and plan the future direction of information, records and knowledge management solutions for Habanero clients. She helps organizations understand the value a well-designed and implemented ECM solution can bring to their business and guides design requirements. Natalie also ensures Habanero solutions bring value in terms of process improvement, adherence to corporate document control requirements and user adoption.

Natalie has experience designing and implementing information and knowledge management systems across a number of industries. She started her career as a math and science teacher, where she honed her facilitation and coaching skills, then found her place in library and information system design, leading projects with K-12 education, health care and a Calgary-based energy company. Natalie has bachelor’s degrees in astrophysics and education and a master’s of science degree in instructional media design. When not at work she can be found working in her vegetable garden, completing home improvement projects or travelling.

Junior Digital Workplace Consultant Nicole Panning combines her knowledge of Microsoft 365 with her empathetic nature to create exceptional digital workplace experiences for clients. Passionate about technology and helping people thrive, Nicole brings a creative mindset to support client discovery and planning sessions to determine how clients can use Microsoft 365 technologies most effectively. Nicole also supports internal projects around our digital processes, systems and products, including GO Intranet.

Nicole is currently pursuing an advanced diploma in the internet communications technology program at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. She brings proven customer service experience gained from working as a receptionist in an animal hospital for over 5 years. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, backcountry camping and canoeing, and of course talking about her dog.

Director of Content Marketing Pilar Galiana brings her passion for content strategy to life every day through the creation of compelling content, campaigns and events that deliver Habanero’s message to the world of helping people and organizations thrive. A strong team leader, Pilar also heads the content team that plans and creates clear, findable and usable content for employee portals and websites.

Prior to joining Habanero, Pilar lead the development and content teams for the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts website. She also worked as a digital marketing consultant and project manager on projects for the Ontario Ministry of Health, Kaplan University, Exchange Solutions and Seaport Hotel Boston. She has a bachelor of arts degree in international relations from the University of Toronto and a post-graduate degree in corporate communications from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. In addition to working with Habanero, Pilar coaches entrepreneurs to use content marketing to grow their businesses online. When she isn’t working, she is likely enjoying food, thinking about food, reading about food or exploring Toronto’s food scene.

Quality Assurance Specialist Rachna supports Content Engagement Analytics (CEA), a product that provides actionable insights to employee communications professionals in organizations that use Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online. She brings great attention to detail, a dedication to quality and empathy for the end-user experience to all her work.

Prior to joining Habanero, Rachna worked as a lead analyst for Wipro. She has 15 years’ experience in quality assurance and holds a bachelor of technology in computer engineering and a master of business administration in business analytics. Outside of work, Rachna loves listening to music, travelling and spending time with her husband and son.

Technical Specialist Ruben Chan brings his exceptional .NET development skills to Habanero. His dedication, proven work ethic and ability to think outside the box ensure that clients receive both optimal service and results. In addition to his technical abilities, Ruben is known for his people skills, allowing him to foster strong professional relationships with both clients and colleagues.

Ruben graduated with a bachelor of computing degree from the University of Tasmania in 2003 and holds certifications in Sitecore, Coveo and K2 development. Ruben moved to Canada from Australia in 2010. He enjoys snowboarding and canoeing in his free time.

Digital Workplace Consultant Ryan Bender helps organizations define and deliver the digital workplace environments their employees need to be collaborative and productive at work. Specializing in the Microsoft 365 technology space, Ryan leads teams toward the successful application and adoption of technologies like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Online to meet their ECM, collaboration and intranet needs.

Joining Habanero in 2010, Ryan spent his first 8 years as a senior front-end developer before transitioning into his current role. He has worked with a wide range of server and client-side technologies, giving him a deep understanding of how developer and IT processes and technologies work. After graduating from the Applied Multimedia Training Centre in 1997, Ryan started his career as a graphic designer then spent 12 years working as a web application and multimedia developer on various platforms, including SharePoint, Sitecore, .NET, J2EE, WebSphere and Coldfusion. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys photography, astronomy, camping, fishing and carpentry.

Sandra Braun is part of the content team at Habanero, collaborating with project teams and clients to plan and create clear, findable and usable content for employee portals and websites.

Before coming to Habanero, Sandra worked as a content strategist and writer on internet and intranet projects for Deloitte Canada, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and CBC/Radio-Canada. As a freelance writer and editor, she has produced branding, marketing and communications products for major retailers, custom publishers and non-profit organizations. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from Carleton University, a certificate in business analysis from UBC Sauder and user experience (UX) certification from the Nielsen Norman Group. Outside of work, she likes to make food, clothes and art.

Quality Assurance Specialist Sanjana Singh takes a practical and analytical outlook to working with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and GO Intranet. She identifies and documents functional defects in the requirements and reports bugs to the software development team, tracking them through each solution release.

Sanjana started her career working as a business development executive with the Government of India, where she provided content management solutions to health and education sectors, municipal corporations, the ministry of defense and the Indian armed forces. After coming to Canada, she worked as a business development associate with an organization that provides virtual mental health services nationally. Most recently, she has worked as a quality assurance analyst, testing frontend UI. Sanjana holds a bachelor of engineering in IT and a post-graduate diploma in strategic relationship marketing management. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, camping and sketching.

Senior Digital Workplace Consultant Scott deVeber brings a deep understanding of the Microsoft 365 and SharePoint ECM space to his consulting work at Habanero. With over 15 years of experience in IT consulting, Scott guides clients through the development of technology roadmapping, governance and change management programs that help organizations effectively manage the fast-changing world of the digital workspace. A seasoned communicator, problem solver and group facilitator, Scott is skilled at effectively articulating the overall vision of a project to all levels of stakeholders, from frontline workers to senior management.

Before working at Habanero, Scott was with Dapasoft and Navantis where he worked with clients including Sickkids and eHealth Ontario. Scott has his PMP designation and holds a degree from the University of Waterloo in applied studies co-op. Active in the Microsoft 365 and SharePoint user communities in his native Toronto, Scott also volunteers his time with Scouts Canada and participates in the leadership teams of charities and school councils. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family in the great outdoors as well as skiing and cycling.

Project Manager Simona McKee is passionate about working with clients and her team to support smooth project delivery. Her ability to see the bigger picture, solve complex problems and manage teams ensures project success. Simona’s focus on relationship management is at the forefront of her approach to project delivery.

Simona honed her project management skills working in a range of industries, including aviation and aerospace, defence, and information technology. With a background in customer service, she understands how to approach challenging situations and deliver on commitments. In her spare time, Simona enjoys reading, cooking, going to shows, spending time with family and friends and traveling.

Quality Assurance Specialist Stephen Brown helps Habanero ensure the release of quality solutions. He has over a decade of experience testing both desktop and cloud-hosted solutions, combined with four years in the IT industry doing everything from network administration to project management.

After completing the software systems development course at British Columbia Institute of Technology, Stephen started his career at Top Producer Systems in the role of quality assurance tester and subsequently as a test lead. Outside of work, Stephen enjoys time with his wife and daughter, renovating his home, travelling, gardening and exploring BC’s hiking trails.

Systems Administrator Terry Chow maintains and evolves all aspects of Habanero’s internal information technology systems to provide a seamless experience for the Habanero team. This ranges from endpoint support to maintaining network, system and application security and compliance (and everything in between). He enjoys leveraging and exploring new technologies to help others thrive. As the first point of contact for the Habanero team for day-to-day IT needs, Terry values building relationships and loves working with people as much as technology.

Prior to joining Habanero, Terry worked as the systems administrator at New Legacy Industrial in Los Angeles for three years and as an IT solution consultant at The Answer Company for five years. Terry holds a bachelor of arts in interaction art and design from Simon Fraser University. In his spare time, he enjoys hanging out with his dog, playing basketball and catching up on the latest tech news.

Project Manager Toni Albert uses her creative, analytical problem-solving skills when working with clients and her team to support and ensure smooth project delivery. Her eye for detail, ability to ask necessary questions and risk management skills secure project success. Toni’s optimistic energy is always evident, and she enjoys working in a multi-faceted role with Habanero.

Toni developed her project management skills working in diverse industries. For six years, she developed and ran a digital art department for a Vancouver fine art firm, managing all projects within the department, then worked as a project assistant and first aid attendant during the construction of the 2010 Olympic Sliding Centre in Whistler. Prior to Habanero, Toni worked with national HR firm Knightsbridge in its leadership solutions practice. Outside of Habanero, she is an artist who creates both commission and private paintings. You can also find Toni biking, rock climbing and mountaineering.

Project Manager Ty Addison supports the continuous evolution of Habanero’s delivery and product development functions. Ty aids in the delivery of successful projects by aligning team members with project objectives and usig his project and account management skills. He is passionate about budgeting, scheduling and coordinating small- to medium-sized projects.

Prior to joining Habanero, Ty spent six years specializing in the development of online training initiatives and the implementation of various learning management systems. Ty received his business administration diploma from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and is currently working towards his PMP certification. Outside of work, Ty enjoys spending time with his family, playing hockey and video games, and exploring Calgary’s music scene.

Employee Portals Practice Lead Will Hardy is a SharePoint platform expert and senior consultant for many of Habanero’s employee portal engagements. He works with stakeholders to connect organizational objectives to maximize the capabilities of each platform. Based on his experience working with a wide range of clients and technical solutions, Will is able to recommend ways to realize goals and achieve outcomes. Will has the ability to translate strategic requirements and ideas into a clearly articulated, tactical vision for the end-state solution. He is a regular presenter on the organizational benefits of on-premises and cloud-based SharePoint technology.

Since coming to Habanero, Will has contributed to some of Habanero’s key projects and helped shape the company’s SharePoint domain expertise. Previously, he worked for Burntsand as a business analyst and information architect concentrating on employee and customer portals. Will has a bachelor of commerce degree with a specialization in entrepreneurship and small business management from the University of Victoria. Outside of work, he can be found racing his sailboat in coastal BC waters or mountain biking on the North Shore mountains.