Halifax, NS, June 21, 2022 – SeasonedPros.ca, the alternative to traditional recruitment firms, is pleased to announce that two corporate heavyweights have joined the firm’s board, signaling their enthusiasm for the SeasonedPros.ca business model.
Recruitment veteran Mark Surrette and industrialist Ed Barrett have both joined the firm as investors. Barrett will join the board and Surrette will be a Special Advisor to the board and management team.
Surrette, former President and Board Chair of Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette, brings 37 years of professional recruitment experience to the SeasonedPros.ca team.
Barrett is Co-CEO Barrett Corp., a private investment and management company with operations in Canada and the US. He is also Chair of the New Brunswick Business Council and Chair of Lambert Inc., a wholesale distribution business throughout Canada/US. Mr. Barrett is co-founder and former Chair of Xplornet Communications, the leading broadband provider in rural Canada. Xplornet was sold in 2020.
“We are thrilled to have this calibre of experience joining our team,” said Chuck Hartlen, CEO of SeasonedPros.ca. “Mark and Ed bring deep experience in recruitment, technology and corporate governance. They arrive at SeasonedPros.ca at a time of tectonic shifts in the job market when experienced talent is in demand like never before. We look forward to their guidance and expertise as we tackle a market full of new and exciting opportunities.”
Surrette was instrumental in recruiting, developing and optimizing professional and executive talent, making KBRS a recruitment leader across Canada.
“I see a tremendous opportunity for the SeasonedPros.ca model,” said Surrette. “The game is changing in the job market and in the recruitment space at the moment. It’s not just about searching for long-term, full-time employees anymore. Employers are increasingly looking to fill project-based and part-time roles as they adjust to the new workforce reality. They want deep experience so workers can come in quickly and hit the ground running while maintaining the ability to flex their workforce.”
Barrett served on the Board of NB Power from 2006 to 2020, the last 10 as Chair. He currently serves as Chair of Wajax Industries, a TSX listed public company in the heavy equipment, mining, power generation and industrial supplies business in Canada. He also serves on the Boards of Nav Canada, which operates Canada’s air traffic control system and Medavie Inc. which operates Blue Cross insurance.
“Talent of all ages are seeking flexible work arrangements, remote working opportunities, project-based work and part-time assignments,” said Barrett. “SeasonedPros is perfectly positioned at the intersection of these dynamic conditions to leverage these market opportunities.”
Surrette holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA. He steered KBRS through its evolution from 1981 to his retirement in 2018. He is an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Professional Services, a member of the Atlantic Business CEO Hall of Fame, a past Chair of YPO and for the last 22+ years has served in the role of Honorary Consul General for Japan at Halifax.
Barrett was a founding member and subsequent Chair of the New Brunswick Business Council was inducted into the NB Business Hall of Fame in 2010 and was elected Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2016. In 2021 he was appointed as a Member of the Order of New Brunswick.
SeasonedPros.ca specializes in curating manager to executive-level talent with more than 20 years of experience. With a national database of seasoned professionals, it guarantees clients two-to-four qualified professionals within ten business days or less.
Their alternative to the traditional recruitment model allows them to fill key roles in an organization significantly faster and provides experienced talent for part-time, project, interim and occasionally full-time roles.