Brian Martin, CHRE, ACC, is a certified leadership coach with over 20 years of experience transforming LEADERS, TEAMS, & ORGANIZATIONS while leading human resources and store operations functions in the retail sector. Throughout his career he has had organization wide accountability for talent acquisition, operational & leadership training, leadership development, talent management processes, executive coaching & development planning, total rewards, communications, customer service, store operations, health & safety, and HR policy & compliance.
His roster of companies includes Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company (the world’s oldest department store), Dylex (at the time, Canada’s largest specialty apparel business), and Woodward’s Ltd. (an upscale regional department store based in Western Canada). He was the youngest Vice President appointed at Dylex, overseeing Human Resources for the Fairweather and Braemar brands in addition to overseeing 63 stores across 4 Canadian regions.. He received a President’s Award for outstanding achievement from the Hudson’s Bay Company. (one of only 7 given annually).
Brian spent ten years with the TJX Companies (Fortune 125). Following success as the Vice President of Development & Talent Acquisition in Canada for Winners and HomeSense, he was the first Canadian invited to join corporate headquarters in the U.S. where he assumed the role of Vice President Director Leadership & Executive Development for the corporation’s largest division; Marshalls & TJ Maxx. He was subsequently promoted to Vice President Director Global Talent Development where he oversaw executive and leadership development for all domestic and international divisions. He championed TJX’s ground breaking international university program which leveraged a blended learning approach that included self- study, intense coaching, mentoring, national assignments, shared group experiences, eLearning, and virtual classroom.
As Vice President Organizational Development with Indigo Books & Music, he was responsible for all core HR programs to help drive employee engagement. During his tenure, Indigo was awarded Randstad’s 6th place as Canada’s Most Attractive Employment Brand, (the highest placing ever for a retail organization).
Brian currently chairs Dolly Parton’s Imagination for the Fraser Valley. He is the chair of the federal Liberal riding association for Chilliwack-Hope. Previously he was proud to be on the Board of Directors for Toronto Children’s Chorus (seven choirs, including a well known internationally performance choir that travelled nationally and to many countries. He was also a weekly volunteer for Casey House AIDS hospice, representing H.B.C. on the retail committee for Fashion Cares and the annual art auction, Art for Heart. He has a diploma in retail management from the University of British Columbia, holds the ACC accreditation from the International Coaching Federation, and the CHRE designation from the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario. He is an affiliate of the Workplace Bullying Institute founded by Dr.’s Gary and Ruth Namie in Washington State, U.S.A.
He lends his passion, humour and honest candor to organizations struggling to optimize team effectiveness & productivity, leadership, customer & employee engagement, as well as all aspects of human resource leadership including talent management, strategic planning, performance management, total rewards, compliance & regulatory frameworks, performance management, leadership effectiveness, communication & change management, acquisitions, mergers, and operational expertise. He is certified in a wide range of assessment tools and leadership models in addition to Made to Measure’s proprietary programs.
