Valerie Phelps is the Founding Partner and Chair Emerita of Phelps Group Inc., recognized as one of Canada's leading boutique executive search and talent management firms. Holding the professional designations of Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Professional Coach (CPC), Valerie brings more than 40 years of pioneering human capital advisory experience to the Canadian corporate landscape. She is widely recognized as a trailblazer in equitable executive search and leadership development, having established the firm in 1986 with a commitment to diverse, inclusive, and client-focused talent solutions. Throughout her multi-decade career, Valerie has operated as a critical strategic consultant to senior leadership teams, public councils, university boards, and institutional committees navigating periods of rapid growth, organizational downsizing, corporate restructuring, or mergers and acquisitions. Under her foundational vision, the Phelps Group has grown from its early roots in Thunder Bay into a prominent national force centered in Toronto, specializing in transforming public and private institutions through the identification, development, and compassionate transition of executive leaders.