Education Session Schedule

Hailing from Great Britain, Jess has worked in the UK, France and Canada and has held senior positions in organizational performance and effectiveness, HR, talent management, learning and development, employee engagement and change management.

With a background in organizational performance, learning and development and HR and with education in both business and the many facets of people, Jess has a unique combination of skills and experience that lends itself to the development of people and organizations.

Jess has a degree in European Business and French from The Nottingham Trent University in the UK and a management diploma from the Institut de Management Européen des Affaires in France. She is certified in Change Management from PROSCI and has a Certificate in the Foundations of Neuroscience and Brain Based Coaching from the Neuroleadership Institute in the US. Jess is accredited in a number of business and psychometric assessments that support organisational and individual development including DiSC, MBTI, Thomas Kilman Conflict Assessment, Work Personality Index and others.

While working in industry, Jess developed strategy to drive performance, engagement, and learning, supported culture change initiatives, developed trainers and facilitators, personally delivered training to over 300 managers and senior leaders, provided 1:1 coaching support at all levels of leadership from CEO to the front line, and spoke at numerous conferences on topics related to people development and effective workplaces.

Jess started Ethree Consulting, an organizational effectiveness consulting firm, in 2013. As Principal, she specializes in helping organisations develop strategy, lead change, increase engagement levels, drive performance of the workforce, improve leadership and professional skills and build teams. She has worked with, or delivered solutions for, organizations in the financial services, hospitality, fast moving consumer goods, oil & gas, mining, government, healthcare, and not-for-profit sectors. She continues to leverage her experience as a senior leader, her skills in facilitation and feedback, and her passion for people helping her clients solve complex problems and advance their organizations.

Known for her ability to combine creativity and expertise into a practical solution for clients, ethree works with many organizations to build strong and effective workforces. Jess was awarded the 2022 NLOWE Award for business mentoring and her podcast ‘Unlocking Your People’ ranked 7th of all management podcasts in Canada when launched in 2018 and has been rebooted for 2025. Working with Jess and ethree is “a phenomenal experience” according to her clients.

Mark Prosser, Regional Technical Specialist, Commercial Underwriting at Definity, has over 22 years of progressive experience in the Property & Casualty insurance industry, specializing in commercial lines underwriting and team management. Known for his strategic insight and collaborative leadership style, he has consistently driven underwriting excellence, operational efficiency, and client-focused solutions.

Throughout his career, Mark has built and led high-performing underwriting teams, developed risk assessment frameworks, and fostered strong broker relationships. His deep industry knowledge and commitment to professional development have made him a trusted mentor and a key contributor to organizational growth.

Mark continues to champion innovation and integrity in underwriting practices, while supporting the development of others within the industry.

Jamie Lee is a seasoned expert in Fraud and Financial Crime Risk & Investigation, with 16 years of experience in the Financial Services industry across Canadian and European markets. Jamie’s career spans Claims, Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance, with a strong emphasis on deploying analytical solutions to strengthen fraud detection and prevention capabilities. Jamie is currently the Head of Fraud and Financial Crime for Aviva, leading a team of investigators and analysts to detect and prevent fraud and financial crime delivering significant benefits to the organization.

Helen Parkhurst is a builder of better learning—where tech meets people and progress follows. As a professional development manager with a background in program design, learner support, and platform rollouts, she doesn’t just manage change—she drives it. Helen brings a startup mindset to every challenge, leading with clarity, curiosity, and a relentless focus on making learning actually work.

Pierre Bourdeau, Director Marketing at CAA Insurance Company, is a seasoned leader with 20 years of insurance marketing experience. He is certified in Pragmatic Marketing Framework and prides himself on being an established leader with a focus on building strong teams.

Pierre is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, specializing in marketing and product management. His expertise includes strategic planning, product lifecycle management, team leadership, developing new marketing channels, optimizing distribution, negotiating contracts, and improving customer service efficiency. Pierre has driven significant growth and innovation in roles at CAA Club Group, President's Choice Bank, and Hudson Bay Company. As a Director at CAA Insurance Marketing, he successfully led marketing teams, driving innovation and strategic growth in direct-to-consumer insurance offerings. His experience includes implementing industry best practices, enhancing broker communications, and developing comprehensive product roadmaps.

Andrea Balfour brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise to her role as Intact Insurance’s DSVP in Atlantic Canada. She’s worked in the insurance industry in various roles for more than 17 years. As an industry leader, she understands the operational landscape extensively on a national level, having worked with and led teams in different provinces. As a manager, she prioritizes the well-being of employees, recognition and fosters an environment where people can flourish as themselves and contribute meaningfully to organizational goals and successes.

As the Education and Training Coordinator with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Nova Scotia Division, Glenn Rodgers works to develop, adapt, and deliver workshops dealing with mental health issues. With ten plus years in the mental health field, Glenn is very passionate about the work he does. Glenn shares his lived experience story with people in the hopes of helping to normalize mental illness in our province.

As an educator himself, Glenn recognizes the impact and power that education can have not only for the individual but also the collective community. Glenn feels we all play a part in the education about mental health and mental illness. Glenn believes that mental health affects us all at some point in our lives and knowing how to deal with it appropriately is key to reaching our full potential.

When not working Glenn can be found spending time with family and friends, woodworking, reading, and watching soccer.