THE TEAM
Todd Humber | President and Editor-in-Chief
Todd is an award-winning journalist who has spent his career covering issues of importance to business leaders, HR professionals, employment lawyers, occupational health and safety professionals and more.
He spent more than two decades with Thomson Reuters as publisher and editor-in-chief of Canadian HR Reporter and its family of publications including Canadian Occupational Safety, Canadian Employment Law Today, Canadian Labour Reporter, Canadian Payroll Reporter, Canadian Safety Reporter and others.
He spent three years with Annex Business Media, Canada's largest B2B publisher, as a member of the senior management team with responsibility for 11 national and international media brands including Talent Canada and OHS Canada and publications covering forestry, construction, aquaculture, golf and landscaping and manufacturing.
He also served stints in mainstream media, including editorial roles at daily newspapers across Ontario including The Woodstock Sentinel-Review, Oshawa News, Cobourg Daily Star and Port Hope Evening Guide.
He studied history and political science at the University of Windsor and has a journalism diploma from Durham College. He lives north of Toronto with his partner Kathy and his two dogs: Athena, a lovable Bernese Mountain Dog; and Scout, a very "doodly" Labradoodle.
Phone: 289-264-4883 | Email: todd.humber@northwallmedia.com
Brian Knowler | Workplace Mental Health Specialist
Brian is a veteran police officer, retired lawyer, speaker, trainer, and author. In 2004 he was the lead investigator in a motor vehicle crash involving the death of a close friend, causing his life to spiral into depression, alcohol, and thoughts of suicide. He was finally diagnosed with, and began therapy for, job-related PTSD in 2012.
Brian has spoken to first responder and public safety personnel around the world on issues related to leadership, trauma, mental health, resiliency,and workplace safety. He is the creator the CAPITAL L Leadership training program, which received the 2019 Corporate Livewire Award for Excellence in Mental Health Support.
Brian has overseen dozens of critical incidents, taking a toll on him and the teams he has led. The creation of the CAPITAL-L Leadership material was in part due to the impact of these critical incidents on Brian and both his home and work families.
Brian has published two books about his experiences with trauma and leadership: ‘On the Other Side of Broken – One Cop’s Battle With the Demons of PTSD’, 2016, and ‘Career Suicide is Overrated’, 2021.
Brian is a graduate of the Queen’s University Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate program, a certified Mental Health First Aid facilitator, a certified leadership coach, a critical incident stress responder, and a member of the International Institute for Mental Health Leadership.
Dave Dame | Leadership and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Specialist
Dave is a seasoned technology executive who is passionate about designing and developing hardware and software for users of all abilities. He has extensive experience in design thinking, product management, and agile delivery. Dave is a champion for accessibility and builds high-performing teams fostering cognitive diversity and inclusion.
Dave is a leadership coach, enterprise agile product leader and trainer with over 20 years of experience, which he leverages to drive large-scale transformation in complex organizations. Focusing on building high performing teams, he has trained over 600 professionals in product management, leadership and agile delivery practices. Dave has worked with technology companies such as OpenText, PTC, and MCAP; in many cases improving delivery times by over 150%.
Dave also spends a significant portion of his time coaching well-seasoned executives, and is
very proud that he has played a role in the development of nearly 20 SVP-level and C-level executives.
Tara Beaton | Disability Management Specialist
Tara is an expert in disability management, vocational rehabilitation, and workplace learning and development. After starting a career in education 25 years ago, she soon shifted to supporting workers whose injuries required them to pursue new occupations. Since then, Tara has worked extensively with workers, employers, compensation boards, insurance companies, nonprofits, healthcare providers, and legal representatives.
Tara has developed and delivered courses for numerous Canadian universities, colleges, professional associations, and major global organizations, providing guidance on evidence-based best practice in such areas as Return To Work and accommodation, accessible recruiting and career development, workplace psychological safety, and policy analysis. She has trained thousands of senior leaders, management, Return To Work Specialists and other professionals, as well as practitioners in human resources, occupational health and safety, career development, and training.
A passionate advocate, Tara has seen the toll that disability can take on workers, their families, and employers. She is passionate about helping employers and professionals learn how they can reap the many benefits of disability management at their workplaces.
Tara knows that training is an investment, so she creates learning content that’s current, focused, and goal-oriented, and delivers it in a way that not only engages learners, but leaves them knowing what practical actions to take next and get results.
Tara holds a graduate degree in Adult Education and is a member of both the Canadian Society of Professionals in Disability Management, and the Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada where she sits on the Board of Directors. She maintains the Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP), Return To Work Disability Manager (RTWDM), and Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Professional (CVRP) designations.
About North Wall Media
Why North Wall Media?
The inspiration for the name "North Wall Media" came from a print hanging in my office in Toronto.
From the Detroit Institute of Arts, "Detroit Industry, North Wall" was painted as a fresco at the famous art museum from 1932 to 1933 by Diego M. Rivera, a Mexican artist.
The panels depict workers on the job at the Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant in Michigan.
From Wikipedia: "The north wall puts the worker at center and depicts the manufacturing process of Ford's famous 1932 V8 engine. The mural also visually composes the relationship between man and the machine as the main theme of the mural. In an age of mechanical reproduction, the boundary between man and the machine was a commonly explored theme.
"While machine was imitating the abilities of man, and man being forced to operate in a machine-like manner sparked concerns regarding ethical rights for the working class majority. Other qualities that Rivera incorporated into the north wall that commented on mechanical reproduction were: blasting furnaces that are making iron ore, foundries that are making molds for parts, conveyor belts carrying the cast parts, machining operations and finally inspections.
"Rivera depicted the entire manufacturing process on the large north side mural. He also depicts the chemical industry on the right and left side of the northern wall. The imagery consists of a juxtaposition of scientists that are producing poison gas for warfare and scientists that are producing vaccines for medical purposes. "
Contact Information
We're based in the Greater Toronto Area. But we serve clients across Canada and the United States. We can craft custom strategies for organizations of any size.
Mailing Address
North Wall Media
1593-50 Barrie St.
Bradford, ON
L3Z 2B8
Phone: 289-264-4883
Email: todd.humber@northwallmedia.com
Our Work: Editorial and Writing
Our Work: Emcee, Conference Chair and Moderator
