'We really want to elevate the human in HR'

Jodi Kovitz’s career has always been driven by purpose. Before stepping into her leadership role at the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), she cultivated an entrepreneurial spirit that aligned her personal passions with impactful work.

“My career has been extremely fulfilling. I am extremely motivated by impact. I always have been very purpose-driven, and I have found meaningful ways to align passions with my goals.”

Kovitz’s journey began at the Ivy Business School at Western University, where she launched the Canada Trust Investment Challenge, blending financial education with charitable fundraising.

“That was my first experience doing a social impact project,” she says, adding the initiative raised money for the MS Society.

Kovitz went on to join Workbrain, an early player in employee relationship management software. This was a pivotal moment in her career, as it introduced her to the world of HR technology. Working with David Ossip, the future CEO of Dayforce, was particularly impactful.

“It was an incredible place for me to learn and start my career. What I learned from him was [the importance of] having really big, ambitious goals and making them happen... and surround yourself with very capable, inspiring people to make it happen,” she says.

Kovitz then transitioned to Scotiabank, which marked a deeper dive into leadership development.

“I always want to do better, be better, grow myself and my skills and so that was an amazing opportunity. For a couple of years, I was very fortunate to work on the competency development for the C-suite and really learn how to develop leaders.”

Legal career before HR leadership

Kovitz’s professional journey took a dramatic turn when she decided to attend law school at the Osgoode Law School at York University in Toronto. Although she hadn’t initially planned to practise law, she fell in love with the profession, eventually building a family law practice.

“Each of my different roles have afforded me the privilege of wonderful mentors and teachers,” she says, citing her leader at the time, who “had a very high standard of performance and client service.”

But, after six years of practicing family law, Kovitz realized that she liked the business side of law but it could be “taxing emotionally and… I didn’t see myself doing that for the rest of my career,” she says.

“I decided that I didn’t love who I was becoming when I was practicing as a lawyer... I was sort of losing my soul and working so hard.”

Kovitz also knew she loved connecting people with each other, and creating meaningful relationships, and she was keen to leverage her business skills. That led her to take a role in strategic business development at another law firm for five years.

“I learned so much about innovation and transformation, so much that's applicable even to my role at the HRPA, because the business of law was really changing at that time, and thinking about being very client-focused, and being innovative in pricing and changing the model, and having to develop new lines of business and ways to package the offering — it was really, really interesting.”

By 2017, Kovitz was ready to “spread her wings,” and ended up taking on a range of leadership roles over the next five years, including CEO of Peerscale, founder and CEO of #movethedial and chief growth officer at Vetster.

Leading HRPA through transformation

Jodi joined HRPA in early 2023, excited about the opportunity to lead the Toronto-based organization — which has more than 23,000 members — through a period of transformation.

“I was so excited about a mission-meets-moment opportunity,” she says, referencing the seismic shifts in the HR profession during and after the pandemic, along with the challenges of new technology and five generations in the workforce.

“This was a really important opportunity to enable and equip the HR leaders of the future to be ready to lead and… have the kind of impact they can have,” she says.

“This could be the right moment in time for a transformative leader to think really big around what the HRPA could be and become, while still fulfilling our mandate as a regulator and an educator and a designator, [and] also really being an association that can be a thought leader and convener of not just the people and culture and HR community, but the business community to enable that kind of posterity in the country.”

One of Kovitz’s primary initiatives at HRPA is the development and implementation of "Vision 2027," a strategic plan designed to position the organization as a thought leader in the HR space. This plan focuses on four strategic pillars: relevance and impact; value and growth; innovation and health; and people and culture.

“We needed to fundamentally evolve, even just the way we describe our vision and mission. We really wanted to focus on the human and elevate the human in HR, as much as the machines are really entering how we work,” she says, and enable HR to be in a strong position to help employers prosper.

Leading dual mandate of HRPA

Leading HRPA, with its dual role as both a membership organization and a regulator, presents unique challenges. Kovitz is deeply committed to maintaining the integrity of the profession while also driving the organization’s growth — with help from her team of more than 60 along with hundreds of volunteers.

“It’s a really important dual mandate. It’s very important that we regulate the profession to ensure that we are acting in integrity, which is one of our values, and holding HR professionals to a high ethical standard,” she says.

“We are regulated by an act, a provincial piece of legislation, and we will, of course, continue to serve our mandate pursuant to the act — but we really want to inspire folks to get involved, to join us, to be part of a movement very much drawing on the kind of energy that I've seen be very powerful to make meaningful change.”

Reflecting on HR’s evolution

Kovitz sees HR as being more strategic than ever, with increasing demands placed on people leaders, such as fast-evolving technology.

“It's happening so fast that it's dramatically, I think, changed the kind of leadership that people and culture leaders have to bring to the table, and the skills that every HR practitioner needs to have in order to adapt in an agile way as that continues to evolve.”

That, of course, involves the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.

“CHROs and CPOs must have a seat at that table to partner with their C-suites and their CEO to define their AI strategies and governance,” she says.

Overall, the role of HR leaders is more strategic and more challenging, with high expectations, says Kovitz.

“That means actually that the HRPA and other organizations like ours have a greater responsibility to ensure that our members are well-equipped and empowered and supported because the importance of their roles has only expanded.”