HPCI Consultants

Jennifer Irish

Ms. Irish is a team member and trainer of Human Potential Consultants inc. (HPCI). She was appointed as the Director of the Information Integrity Lab of the University of Ottawa in September 2023. She serves concurrently an Associate at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership, co-directing its Executive Security and Intelligence Leadership Certificate. She brings to these positions executive experience in foreign affairs, humanitarian issues, and national and international security – including in global threats and trends analysis, built over a 35+ year career in the Government of Canada.
Ms. Irish served 3 times at Canada’s Privy Council Office, including as the Director of Operations of the International Assessment Secretariat, which provides strategic global intelligence assessments for highest level government clients, as well as intelligence coordination and professionalization services to Canada’s intelligence analysts. This experience built upon 3 years as Director General at the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre which assesses threats to Canada and Canadian interests related to violent extremism and terrorism.
Previously, she served more than 20 years in Canada’s foreign service which included postings abroad to Canadian Embassies and High Commissions in Israel and Cyprus, Cuba, Mexico and at Canada’s Permanent Missions to the UN in both New York and Geneva. At headquarters, she served in leadership positions in Global Affairs Canada’s International Security, and
International Environment Bureaux. She also has experience in Asia Pacific relations and in a wide range of negotiations teams, including for the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Ms. Irish also has executive-level experience at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada – primarily on refugee affairs, humanitarian crises, and in coordinating and leading strategic policy and governance as the Departmental Corporate Secretary.
Throughout her career in foreign affairs and national security and intelligence she has worked extensively with academia and stakeholders.

Daniel Martimbeault

Daniel Martimbeault trained facilitators in techniques and skills to deal effectively with employees.
He coordinated and facilitated ongoing training and personal development classes for staff members.
He established an excellent working environment favoring a climate of openness to new ideas and a rare talent in reaching out to an international instructor cadre from around the globe.

Daniel Managed 250 employees and trainees, supported 141 units and 33,000 employees, and directed the logistical placement of an over $75,000,000 project. He has managed complex logistics at the executive level in Canada and overseas.

Marie Careau

Marie Careau is a team member of HPCI and a trainer and facilitator after a 20-year career with the Federal Government. After beginning her career as an investigator with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Marie was an investigator and team leader with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from 2003 to 2018, then Director of Intelligence Assessment at the Privy Council Office and finally Director of Training and Professional Development for Intelligence Analysts at National Defence.
Marie is very dynamic and uses an individualized relational approach to adapt her training. She is bilingual and has given training and participated in conferences in Canada, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia. She delivers training sessions on: interviewing skills for investigations, verbal briefings, intelligence analysis, team management, leadership development, production management and optimizing operational efficiency.

Julie Amira Byrnes

Julie Byrnes is an experienced dynamic trainer and facilitator of HPCI with more than 10 years of experience in managing projects/teams. She has facilitated sessions on mission/vision, the shift in organizational cultures, partnerships, team building, advocacy strategies at the national and international levels, internal and external strategic communications, etc. She has worked with executives, administrative/technical and operational personnel, natural teams and “ad hoc” project teams, citizens, media, members of parliament and politicians.

Julie is trilingual (French, English and Spanish), has lived and worked abroad and has delivered training in Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Spain and all over Canada.

Tony White

Tony White is a facilitator and trainer with HPCI and is a Certified Sales Trainer, Certified Personality Dimensions™ Facilitator, Adler Trained Coach (ATC) and Certified Training Practitioner (CTP). He has worked with over 10,000 people (public and private sectors) in skills such as team leadership, presentation, customer service, negotiation and change management. “Energizing, engaging and practical” are the words used to describe his sessions. He is also the author of “Make it Happen – A Practical Handbook for Team Leaders, Project Managers and Facilitators to Build, Facilitate and Repair High-Performance Teams” which has sold thousands of copies.

Tony has supported organizations in Canada, the US, Europe, Russia, the Far East and Middle East to become more productive by enhancing the skills of their leaders, teams and contributors.

Daniel Laurence

Daniel Laurence is a bilingual trainer and facilitator of HPCI since 2007. He has delivered numerous training sessions to a variety of participants from managers, investigators to auditors on topics such as interviewing skills, verbal briefing, mind mapping, detecting deception and cognitive interviewing. He knows how to adapt to the needs of clients.

He recently retired from a career as a police officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) serving in different detachments in Canada and the Arctic. He represented Canada as a member of the famous RCMP Musical Ride, travelling extensively across Canada, the US and Europe. He also has his private pilot’s licence since 1999.

Kim Pilkington

Ms. Kim Pilkington is a facilitator and trainer of HPCI and has more than 20 years of experience in leadership, management, consulting, facilitating and training in both the public and non-profit sectors. She has held progressively senior roles in organizations leading change initiatives.

She also has expertise in strategic planning, implementation, organizational development/transformation, corporate social sustainability, executive recruitment, fundraising, and stakeholder relationship management.

Kevin Byrnes

Kevin Byrnes is a trainer and coach of HPCI since 2003. He has been delivering workshops to a wide variety of investigative and auditing bodies on topics such as interviewing skills, detecting deception, reading people, eliciting non-contaminated memory and getting a full honest account.

He is the author of the book titled: “Truth-Focused Interviewing for Investigators”.

He recently retired from a 35-year career as a police officer.

Ryan Thompson

As a trainer, facilitator and consultant for HPCI, Ryan Thompson specializes in the topics of communication, interest-based negotiation and difficult conversations pioneered at the Harvard Negotiation Project. Ryan has worked with public and private sector clients in North America, Europe and Asia. Before entering the field of training, Ryan spent several years as an environmental consultant which gave him experience in conflict management, negotiation, project management, risk management, research and design, and public-stakeholder involvement.

Sal Polletta

Sal is a member of HPCI and has more than 25 years of consulting, facilitation and training experience in public, private and non-profit environments to more than 125 different organizations in various sectors in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Sal also has a wealth of management experience in production and service environments. He is a lean six sigma black belt and is trained as a lead auditor of the ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and ISO/TS-16949 international quality management standard.

Laurie Rose

Laurie Rose is a team member of HPCI who is currently working from Tunisia, Africa. She is a dynamic and engaging bilingual facilitator, trainer and coach. She is passionate about helping people to be fully engaged in their professional lives. She has spent the last 20 years offering training and consulting services to the public, private, and non-profit sectors in Canada and internationally.

Laurie is certified to use several psychometric tools including EQ, LEAN, PROSCI and MBTI.

Michel Bérard

Michel is a HPCI trainer and facilitator with a wealth of national and international experience. He has worked 40 years in training/education, more specifically in professional development, communication, change, leadership and management. His innate capacities as a communicator and as a motivator make him a catalyst for the acquisition of knowledge applicable as much as in the workplace than as in the everyday lives of participants.