'HR is cool – but HR is not for the faint of heart'

Despite starting her career in marketing and communications, Karen Smith is now CHRO and vice-president at one of the world’s largest nuclear facilities, Bruce Power.

And she is championing a more inclusive, technology-forward and strategically integrated HR function — rooted deeply in the values of community, safety and purpose.

"I always say I ended up in HR a little bit by chance, she says — and stayed by choice.

Family tradition in energy sector

A local to the Bruce County region in Ontario and daughter of a long-time energy sector worker at the same location, Smith’s early ambitions involved marketing, a path she pursued after graduating from Wilfrid Laurier University, joining BlackBerry shortly thereafter.

But the real turning point came when Bruce Power offered her a contract opportunity in IT in 2007.

"Bruce Power… hired a whole bunch of new grads to come in and [support] an IT project, it was a total revamp of one of our main systems… and I then went into my first Bruce Power job, which was investor and media relations."

From there, Smith took on increasingly strategic roles, supporting senior executives in corporate affairs and corporate services.

Then, after her maternity leave, her path unexpectedly shifted.

"My job changed when I was gone…. And they said, ‘Would you join HR? And I was like, ‘Oh, I don't know if I want to join HR’ — but I did,” Smith says, adding she hasn't looked back.

"I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it. And I do love the work that I do… I wish I could have told my younger self that ‘HR is cool,’ because HR is cool — but HR is not for the faint of heart."

Strategic HR leadership at Bruce Power

Smith steadily climbed through HR leadership roles over the past decade, going from diversity lead to manager of talent management and leadership development to director of HR and HR business partner — taking her current role in March 2023. Along the way, she earned an executive MBA through the Schulich-Kellogg program.

But her entry into the HR field might never have happened without a key influence of the head of HR.

"Cathy Sprague joined, and she was the reason I stayed in HR. Her leadership was the reason. She really looked to make sure that we… were actually adding value to the business, and we really started shifting what we were doing."

That value-driven perspective continues to guide Smith today. As CHRO, she oversees a diverse HR portfolio serving over 4,200 permanent employees and thousands of tradespeople and contractors.

For Smith, HR is far more than just support — it’s strategic.

"The business doesn’t know what they don’t know… So the biggest thing for us is to say, like, ‘No, they didn’t ask for this piece. But how can we use our employee data… to help drive some of those decisions?’"

‘Robust’ workplace planning

Smith says she has drawn on her marketing background to elevate Bruce Power’s brand in the talent market and ensure recruitment aligns with the company’s strategic and cultural goals.

"I love doing executive recruitment… to me, you’re the first person the candidate meets, you’re the person who gets to help decide who’s joining,” she says.

Bruce Power hires about 300 employees a year, focusing on “robust” workforce planning and a strong student pipeline, says Smith.

"We get a lot of applicants, and so… we don’t see some of the challenges that [other] organizations do. We probably see a bigger challenge of ‘How do you make sure you're picking the right people? How are you hiring for the future?’” she says.

“We always want to make sure that the pools are healthy. And we also want to make sure that the schools that we draw from, that they're building that [supply].”

The student program is one of the company’s most essential tools for building future talent, says Smith.

"We have 75 students that will join us probably in the May timeframe, from engineering, data analytics, and we really focus on jobs that people can do in the future."

Commitment to Indigenous communities, local schools

One of Smith’s proudest contributions is the expansion of Bruce Power’s Indigenous Employment Program, which now includes scholarships, paid development roles and outreach to local high schools.

Being located within the Saugeen Ojibway Nation territory is something the company deeply respects, she says, and Bruce Power values building strong relationships with the Indigenous communities,  along with encouraging interest from students, she says.

"Our biggest thing is investing in education and training programs," says Smith, and ensuring the company is seen as an employer of choice, so it's about "how we can use that as part of our continuous commitment to reconciliation and continuing to foster the important work that’s done?"

This community-focused approach extends to curriculum development, apprenticeships, lectures and co-op partnerships with post-secondary institutions.

"We have individuals across our company that will work with some of the schools on their curriculum review… and we will feed as much as possible especially from a co-op perspective, how their students are doing and what we’re seeing,” says Smith.

Embracing DEI to drive results

Smith says DEI is still a big focus at Bruce Power, with the priority being inclusion.

“So, how do we make sure that people are feeling like they can bring their true selves to work every day?"

Diversity is about difference, she says, adding she is aware of the polarizing rhetoric that can accompany the DEI conversation.

"We don’t want it to be a combative focus. We want it to be ‘How can we embrace difference and diversity, and really make sure that we are driving inclusion, and creating the best possible atmosphere and environment for our workers?’”

For Smith, it’s also about creating diverse teams to fuel innovation and results.

"It's really focusing on ‘Diversity drives better business results,’ so how do we continuously do that? And then how do we look for that as we drive forward?”

Focusing on trades at Bruce Power

Bruce Power’s 24-7 plant operations add complexity to any HR strategy, particularly with a heavily unionized environment.

"We’re 90% unionized,” says Smith. “That’s obviously very important… you need to make sure that you’re working closely with the unions."

And with such a large trades population in the workforce, it’s important to make sure they feel recognized and supported, she says, while also prioritizing workplace safety amid shared goals.

‘Huge proponent’ of HR

In the end, Smith will readily admit she is “a huge proponent about the importance of HR” and bringing people into HR from across the business.

And she is keen to drive HR more with the strategic view.

“One of the things we're working on right now is a bit of a transformation in that space, because most times, the business doesn't know what they don't know,” Smith says.

The biggest thing is emphasizing data-driven decisions, she says. For instance, they leverage employee data to inform strategic workforce planning, recruitment efforts and talent management, to ensure "the business thrives."

And that includes a focus on technology in HR, says Smith.

“HR is not always a leader in that space… but how do we become a leader? How do we leverage AI ethically? How do we make sure that we can drive decisions with data?”

Not that the people side of her profession is forgotten, she says: “I’m working for a company that really values people. And if they didn’t value people, then they probably wouldn’t value HR.”