Meet Our Team

Wendy Luther, MBA, CITP

President & CEO

Joining the Halifax Partnership as President & CEO in June 2019, Wendy leads the organization toward achieving the Halifax Economic Growth Plan’s ambitious goals of growing our population to 550,000 and GDP to $30 billion by 2031. She is a champion for Halifax, bringing public-private sector leadership experience in representing Halifax and Nova Scotia nationally and internationally. Wendy is passionate about building deep, collaborative relationships with the business community, our investors, and other stakeholders to support what the Partnership does best – playing a leading role in positioning Halifax as a city of the future, where businesses and people thrive.

What excites Wendy most about Halifax is that it is a magnet for young people and a catalyst for vibrant businesses.

Ruth Cunningham

Senior Vice President, Programs & Operations

Ruth has overall operational and implementation responsibility for the Partnership’s business plan, short and long-projects, and initiatives. As a thought leader within the organization, she fosters a culture that encourages excellence in client service, innovation, high performance and deep collaboration with businesses and communities. Ruth brings over 25 years of broad public and private sector experience in corporate governance, project management, and marketing and communications to her role.

What excites Ruth most about Halifax is the possibilities - it takes great people to make great things happen, and we have the vision and fearless tenacity to get it done!

Tanya Walters

Corporate Liaison

As Corporate Liaison, Tanya's role is two-fold: Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and Corporate Secretary to a 19 member Board of Directors. Tanya has been with Halifax Partnership since 2005 and has over 13 years of governance and senior administrative experience.

What excites Tanya most about Halifax is the cool city vibe coupled with Maritimes hospitality - including a variety of beaches a mere 30 minutes away from the downtown core.

Karen Reinhardt, CPA, CA

Director, Corporate Services

With over 30 years experience as a Chartered Professional Accountant in public, for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, Karen is the Director of Corporate Services with Halifax Partnership. She oversees the financial and risk management, human resource strategy and implementation, and information technology processes.

What excites Karen most about Halifax is the energy - it transfers to optimism and action, which benefits-all ages, cultures and abilities.

Angela Cochrane

Accounting Coordinator

As the Accounting Coordinator, Angela works closely with the Director of Corporate Services to manage accounting and finances. She has a comprehensive background in customer service and has worked in various accounting departments over the past 20 years.

What excites Angela most about Halifax is the growing economy and diverse, ever-changing population. She believes it’s a beautiful city that is perfect for both professional and personal living.

June Pettipas

Client Services Coordinator

With over 25 years experience in customer service and administrative roles, June supports the Halifax Partnership as a Client Service Coordinator. She manages the reception desk, assists clients and her Partnership team members. After being away for 27 years, she is delighted to be back in her hometown and excited to see the growth in new sectors and employment.

What excites June most about Halifax is exploring the nature and history of the islands in our Harbour.

Nancy Phillips

Vice President, Investment & International Partnerships

Nancy brings considerable experience to the Partnership’s strategic business attraction, trade development and international markets work. She has worked with companies from every sector of the economy and she shares her insights about Halifax with companies around the globe. She leads the organization's business development team with a focus on Selling Halifax as a global business location and on helping local companies grow. Nancy also provides strategic management to Halifax's international relationships including the World Energy Cities Partnership an organization comprised of 19 of the world's leading energy capitals.

What excites Nancy most about Halifax is that it's a great time to be selling and promoting Halifax, it feels like the city has unlimited potential.

Jason Guidry

Director, Trade & International Partnerships

Jason works one-on-one with businesses to help connect them to the resources and partners they need to succeed and prosper. He uses his public and private sector experience in business retention and expansion, investment attraction, and sector development to make Halifax a welcoming place for businesses, and assists with their integration into the Halifax business community. Jason’s Acadian roots give him the ability to serve businesses in both French and English.

What excites Jason most about Halifax is that it offers him and his family the opportunity to live a rural lifestyle at the very edge of suburbia, and yet be so close to everything the city has to offer.

Minder Singh

Senior Account Executive, Commercialization, SmartBusiness Program

With over 20 years of international business and consultancy experience, Minder works to connect the local business community with partners and resources that can help them overcome obstacles and seize opportunities for business success in Halifax. He specializes in research and development commercialization. Minder is fluent in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Malay/Bahasa, and Tamil.

What excites Minder most about Halifax is its bright future.

Hector Fraser

Account Executive, SmartBusiness Program

Hector is a trusted business advisor who brings more than 10 years experience in public and private sector account management and sales to his role. He proactively and strategically promotes Halifax’s low business costs, highly educated workforce, and thriving industry sectors to national and international companies that could benefit from having a Halifax location.

What excites Hector most about Halifax is the increased optimism and collaboration and how companies from all over the world are seeing Halifax as a location to do business.

Al Tek

Business Attraction, Account Executive

Al is a seasoned business professional bringing 12+ years of business growth, innovation, and technology transformation experience working with Halifax-based businesses. He attracts national and international businesses to Halifax with its’ value proposition of Talent, Location, Cost – Innovation (TLC+I) and collaborates with the public/private sector, education institutes, and sector organizations, to maximize business connectivity, relationships, and growth. Al speaks English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Teochew.

What excites Al most about Halifax is its future in the blue and green economy.

Amy Stewart

Director, Investor Relations & Service

With significant expertise in marketing, business development and strategic relations across public and private sectors, Amy oversees key business and investor relationships for the Halifax Partnership. Formerly, head of sales for The National Film Board of Canada, Amy has extensive capability navigating relationships across public and private spaces. She is skilled in facilitating conversations among and between diverse audiences to achieve shared desired outcomes.

What excites Amy most about Halifax is witnessing unprecedented collaborative energies among Halifax leaders as we forge ahead toward our shared vision of the vibrant, confident global city Halifax is becoming.

Carolann Wright

Director, Capacity Building & Strategic Initiatives African Nova Scotian Communities

Carolann is a trained facilitator and mediator with over 30 years’ experience in the economic development sectors in Halifax, Toronto, South Africa and now Ghana. She works with the African Nova Scotian Community in the areas of strategic, community and business planning and labour market development.

What excites Carolann most about Halifax is that it is the home of the oldest population in Canada of Africans in the diaspora.

Terry Dixon

Terry is the Coordinator of the African Nova Scotian Connector Program. He connects African Nova Scotian graduates in Halifax to a wide network of business leaders in order to increase their representation in the workforce.

With a depth of experience in community development and leadership, Terry has worked as the Director of the Community YMCA and, most recently, as a Job Developer for YMCA and Nova Scotia Works. Additionally, he is an avid community volunteer, acting as the founding member of the North End Business Association and serving as a past board member of Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Black Business Initiative.

What excites Terry the most about Halifax is the city’s continued growth in the diversification of its population.

Odane Finnegan

Odane is a passionate community builder, a focus that began when he was a fundraiser for local and national non-profits. On route to raising over $2 million for various causes he saw the ability of communities to come together and accomplish more than any individual initially thought possible. He has since worked in a range of roles including sales, public relations, and currently works with the African Nova Scotian Community to help them define and implement the first community led economic action plan in the history of the city.

What excites him most about Halifax is the potential for focused and sustained growth, specifically among those groups that have been historically marginalized.

Alison Gillan, APR

Vice President, Marketing, PR & Communications

Alison is a senior marketing, communications and public relations strategist who has spent more than 25 years working with companies in Halifax and across Atlantic Canada. She specializes in stakeholder engagement that deepens the Partnership’s relationships with partners, investors and business leaders. She leads the marketing and communications team as they promote Halifax and the Partnership's successful programs locally and around the world.

What excites Alison most about Halifax is that she's meeting new people with great new ideas everywhere across this city.

Krista Juurlink

Director, Marketing Communications & Strategic Initiatives

Krista is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic marketing and communications activities and initiatives, including corporate communications, stakeholder relations, media relations, events and special projects. Her specialized training and experience in economic development, investment attraction marketing and international development influences the strategies and programs she delivers. She is the winner of an International Association of Business Communicators Gold Quill Award of Excellence for her Partnership communications work.

What excites Krista most about Halifax is the energy on the streets and how we’re welcoming more young people and newcomers every day who see Halifax as a place of opportunity where they can live their best life.

Mike Brannen

Communications Advisor

Mike is an excellent communicator, writer, and public speaker. He brings experience in communications planning and writing, event management, media relations, marketing, and social media from his work with the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, Valley Harvest Marathon, and the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, where he managed various fundraising events. Mike has built strong relationships with sponsors and funders and has been a keen volunteer on special events around the city.

What excites Mike most about Halifax is the future. He can’t wait to see what this city will become in 5, 10, or 20 years from today.

Ian Munro

Chief Economist

As Chief Economist, Ian manages the Partnership’s research strategy to provide timely economic intelligence and analysis on the Halifax economy. He leads our team of economic researchers and policy analysts and draws from more than 25 years as a professional economist in both the public and private sectors.

What excites Ian most about Halifax is that the prevailing mood is now one of optimism.

Paul Jacob

Economist & Policy Analyst

For nearly a decade, Paul has worked as an Economist and Policy Analyst with the Partnership, cultivating an in-depth knowledge of Halifax and its business climate. He works to ensure a rigorous standard of factual accuracy and acts as an advisor and analyst on special projects with our teams. He specializes in breaking down complex data and subjects and communicating them in a way that is easy to understand.

What excites Paul most about Halifax is seeing the tide of educated newcomers and young people find professional jobs in Halifax.

Jigme Choerab

Economist & Business Attraction Researcher

Jigme’s role as Economist & Business Attraction Researcher supports both the economic research and the outward facing business attraction teams with information gathering, economic analysis, and data reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the City University of New York, and a Master’s in Applied Economics from SMU.

What excites Jigme most about Halifax is the plethora of opportunities that the city provides to newcomers. He has never felt more at home anywhere else on earth.

Robyn Webb

Director, Labour Market Development & Executive Director, National Connector Program

Robyn leads the Partnership's talent attraction and retention initiatives and teams, including the award-winning Connector Program and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. With a strong business acumen and considerable sales and recruitment experience, Robyn has advanced communication skills that allow her to actively engage all levels of decision makers and build productive relationships with a diverse client base. As the Executive Director of the National Connector Program Robyn partners with and supports Canadian communities and industry associations interested in launching the Connector Program.

What excites Robyn most about Halifax is the vibrancy created by the 35,000 students attending our universities and colleges.

Sandra MacDonald-Clahane

Account Executive, Altantic Immigration Pilot

Sandra brings over 30 years’ experience in domestic and international business development, relationship building and project management to her role as the Account Executive for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. With a background in Human Resources she is passionate about continuous learning and embracing new challenges.

What excites Sandra most about Halifax is its welcoming and inclusive attitude towards newcomers and international graduates through innovative programs.

Nathan Laird

Program Manager, Connector Program

Nathan manages the day to day operations of the Partnership's award-winning Connector Program. Now in its 10th year, the program helps recent grads and newcomers to the city build their professional networks by connecting them to business leaders across many sectors. With almost 15 years working with Fortune 500 firms in business development and management roles, matched with his experience managing a recruiting company and being involved in hundreds of interviews, Nathan is able to provide real world tips to the program's Connectees to improve their job search efforts.

What excites Nathan most about Halifax is the city's unmistakable energy and working to help to secure Halifax's long term future.

Nishka Rajesh

Program Coordinator, Connector Program

Being a young graduate and immigrant, Nishka is passionate about helping others like her. As a Coordinator for the Connector Program, Nishka matches young grads, international students and immigrants to professionals who already have an established career in Halifax. Nishka has lived in three different countries and speaks five languages - English, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Japanese.

What excites Nishka most about Halifax is the growth in diversity!

Schuyler H Smith

Program Coordinator, Connector Program

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As a Coordinator for the Connector Program, Schuyler works to empower recent grads, international students and new Canadians in Halifax. He helps folks put down roots by connecting them directly with local business owners and operators, managers, civil servants and community leaders in their field. With a background in inclusive leadership, communications and community engagement, Sky has worked with high-profile clients to develop and execute innovative community-minded communications strategies.

What excites Sky most about Halifax is the potential it has to grow into one of the most progressive, inclusive and sought-after destinations in Canada and North America.

Celia Deer

Program Coordinator, Connector Program

As a Program Coordinator for the Partnership's Connector Program, Celia connects recent and local graduates, immigrants, and newcomers (Connectees) with businesses and community leaders (Connectors) in their industry of interest. She brings with her 19 years of customer service experience with the Bank of Nova Scotia, enhancing her capacity to connect with people and form meaningful relationships. Her personal mantra is “to be the best part of somebody’s day”, as she is passionate about helping and being of service to others.

What excites Celia most about Halifax is the melting pot of cultures and the potential it has to grow from the diverse experiences these cultures have to offer.

Alida Campbell

National Connector Program Manager

With a background in Community Development and International Higher Education, Alida has a decade of experience helping communities and individuals develop their resiliency. As the National Connector Program Manager, she supports connector communities across Canada, and Internationally, ensuring they benefit from the program. Her focus is always on helping people access tools and supports so they can thrive wherever they choose to call home. A proud Rotarian and Youth Exchange Alumni, Alida knows the power of a network, and how beneficial it can be throughout one’s life.

What excites Alida most about Halifax is its robust culture. Whatever you want to eat, see, visit, learn about, or explore, Halifax will have just what you are looking for.