Canadian HR Strategy

10/CANADIAN HR STRATEGY belief, it's hard for other people to be excited about why they're here," she said. "Being in charge of something just for the sake of being in charge is not, to me... the point at all." But, for CFOs or COOs gunning for that top spot, there are no magic beans to be had. Treurnicht advises aligning goals personally and internally before launching any career trajectory. "It's interesting how you keep drawing back on the threads of small and large things you learned along the way, probably in conscious ways, but also in subconscious ways. My approach to all this stuff is very pragmatic. Any career is built on many small steps. Focusing on doing a really great job on whatever role you're in and choosing great organizations to work with, where you're likely to be exposed to other great people that would be good role models is a foundation. I think taking on many different roles and stretching yourself, whether it's in your workplace or outside in volunteer activi- ties, all these lessons are hugely helpful once you get to more senior roles." In 1979, David Patchell Evans founded GoodLife, where one in every 34 Canadians holds a membership. In 2005, he was named most Before Mars, Ilse Treurnicht was president and CEO of Primaxis, an advanced technologies venture capital startup. She's also held senior management positions at various emerging technology companies and served as chair of the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance. When Treurnicht swapped her lab coat for executive garb, she "learned business on the fly, by jumping in at the deep end," she said. Her specific scientific and research know-how made her the ideal candidate — the scientific oeuvre provided the functional skill, but she also had the hands-on experience of building a business from the foundation of science. "Mars became a place that pulled on a lot of those interests and experiences — probably in a way that just a senior execu- tive with a generic business background would find this a sort of weird place to be." She was involved on the ground floor when Primaxis and Mars were fledgling startups. "The overwhelming business challenge at both — though, at different scales — was building a startup. (That) involved work- ing in very fluid, sort of uncertain environments, where you had to not only define the strategy but build the team from the base up and assemble resources and build the trust and legitimacy," she said. "When I look at my interest and skill set, it's probably in the building CEO stage of executive leadership, rather than necessarily just operating a company that is mature." And Treurnicht believes passion will form the bedrock for any worthy chief executive. "That, to me, is fundamental. If you don't have that authentic ILSE TREURNICHT CEO of Mars Discovery District DAVID PATCHELL EVANS Founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness "ANY CAREER IS BUILT ON MANY SMALL STEPS... AND STRETCHING YOURSELF."

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