Paul Fairlie

As a consultant, researcher, coach, and expert in work psychology, Paul helps organizations to identify, develop, and motivate talent, partly by addressing what is human in the workplace.

After 25+ years in organizational research and consulting, Paul has repeatedly returned to the notion that thriving organizations start with what human beings, not employees or customers, are ultimately striving for in their lives. This means going back to fundamental human needs to inform products and services, create meaningful workplaces, and develop agile and resilient employees.

Paul is a behavioural scientist with a PhD in psychology and foundations in organizational behaviour, personality theories, psychometrics, advanced analytics, and positive psychology. He has taught human resource management and organizational behaviour in universities and has published research on topics including meaningful work, employee engagement, positive mindsets, corporate social responsibility, and age differences in the workplace.

Paul is the Founder and CEO of Heliosophy (heliosophy.ca). He has held previous positions with People Tech Consulting, Right Management Consultants, and Environics. He is a former Director of Research at Shepell-fgi (now Morneau Shepell) where he oversaw data science and employee health research on thousands of organizations and millions of employees.

Paul has written for HR publications and has been quoted in leading news media. He has been a speaker for the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), the Conference Board of Canada, and is a regular presenter at academic conferences. He is also a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and is certified as an assessor and career transition consultant. Paul also moderates groups on LinkedIn (Meaningful Work, Evidence-Based Consulting).

Finally, Paul is a human being. He owns thirteen guitars and writes music. He’s a proud product of government-assisted housing. In his younger years he worked as a bouncer, ditch digger, dock worker, door-to-door salesperson, and role play actor. He was also hit by lightning as a child, an event that he believes was formative in inspiring a life of curiosity and reflection.