Principal, Christine Forsyth & Associates. Providing leadership, mediation, facilitation and coaching services to a wide range of clients in North America and Europe. Some recent examples:
-Mediated successful resolution of conflicts involving individuals, business organizations and professional associations engaged in creative design, film, television and music composition, copyright and intellectual property, dance, art museums and galleries
-Provided training in consensus-building and alternative dispute resolution techniques and process to individuals and teams in cultural, national retail businesses and co-housing projects
-Provided framework and process for executive team in Federal agency to resolve differences and produce strategic plan to improve productivity, communications and problem-solving
-Facilitated negotiations among health professional associations, consumer representatives, regulatory body, bargaining groups. Resulted in consensus on new practice qualifications
-Led representatives of 85 local volunteer groups within provincial organization through trust-building and information-sharing process. Restored productivity and good working relations
-Facilitated international executive working group in major corporation's Paris headquarters to resolve differences and develop harmonized approach to information management systems meetings
-Managed national private industry self-regulatory initiative, including Government, media, consumer and professional groups and industry leaders. Resulted in consensus on process, guidelines, public reporting, and national awareness campaigns in English and French
- Designed national public policy dialogue on behalf of large public institution, including local workshops, teleconferencing and internet participation, culminating in national forum
Chair, OnDisC Alliance. Chaired national alliance of intellectual property creators, producers, distributors and consumers to develop a fair payment process for internet-distributed cultural content that reflects interests of parties, including major cultural and educational institutions. Outcomes included model policy that attracted major additional public and private funding to expand project goals.
Member, Teaching Team and Coach to students in Small Claims Court Mediation, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, LL.B. program: Theory and Practice of Mediation.
Instructor, Conflict Resolution Analysis and Design, University of Toronto. Professional development course on principles and practice of designing conflict resolution systems for organizations, focussing on systems theory, organizational development and dispute resolution resources and alternatives.
Tribunal and Council Chair, adjudicator, mediator in the administrative justice system in Ontario. Mediator, Financial Services Commission of Ontario Led team of professionals and public representatives to establish and operationalize a new professional regulatory agency: developed strategic and business plans; engaged legal, financial and communications advisory team; obtained bank financing; hired senior staff; leased premises; developed regulations; created by-laws; developed and conducted province-wide communications with stakeholders, including professional, consumer, multicultural and aboriginal groups to hear and respond to interests and concerns; created and delivered province-wide registration and election processes in English and French; established consultations on public complaints and dispute resolution process; developed core competency statements and entry to practice requirements (including eligible programs and grandparenting provisions);
Vice President, Sun Life Financial Inc. Led government, industry, and stakeholder relations, issues and reputation management initiatives. Member of corporate strategic planning team, Chair of task force on tax reform. Coordinated corporate response to financial services re-regulation and NAFTA developments.
Government Policy Adviser and Co-Secretary General, Ontario-Quebec Permanent Commission for Education, Trade and Cultural Affairs. Represented the Government of Ontario in federal-provincial and interprovincial negotiations on minority rights provisions in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as in other trade, exchange and fiscal agreements. Participated in multi-party interprovincial and federal-provincial negotiations to develop consensus on public policy issues.
Director of Information Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. Bilingual communications and research. Prepared 'single texts' on interprovincial education policy for ministerial discussion and consensus.
