MaryAnn Kempe - MBA in Human Resources Management (MBA-HR)

The MBA program at Royal Roads promised a strong commitment to leadership, a reputation for leading-edge learning platforms and the opportunity to study the human resources profession at a strategic level. Without exception, the most amazing lifelong learning experiences came through other learners resulting from the on-campus residencies. These experiences offered a unique experience in self-awareness and leadership growth.

My organizational consulting project (OCP), which presented an integrated approach to workplace health and wellness, offered a framework for aligning business needs and workplace health issues. Detailed recommendations were made from a comprehensive review of sick leave statistics, internal processes, secondary literature review and external benchmarking. Final recommendations included new wellness measures aligned to organizational goals, new leadership training, new disability management processes and a flexible, principled approach to create workplace health.

My RRU MBA enabled me to bring a more strategic business focus to the delivery of human resource services to my organization. After finishing my degree, my final project was published, which gave me exposure to senior management teams in the industry. My promotion has given me a significant, yet challenging, new role and a chance to apply my RRU education in so-called “centre of expertise” and “business partner” situations. I also published an article in HR Matters magazine, have been elected President of the Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba (HRMAM) and member of the Canadian Council (CCHRA) of Human Resources Board of Directors.

RRU has been a truly amazing personal journey. I have found the professors amazingly responsive and on the leading edge of business administration and new technology. The thesis/OCP was a fantastic opportunity to leverage the learning and the curriculum focused on the real world.

MaryAnn Kempe, MBA in Human Resources Management, Winner of the Chancellor’s award for highest academic performance for the MBA-HR stream. Vice President, Human Resources, Manitoba Public Insurance