BRITTANY FORSYTH has unique expertise in hyper growth, talent and driving culture evolutions that she acquired as the Chief Talent Officer of Shopify (2010-2021). She played a critical role as the HR and talent leader for the company as it grew from a 20 employee startup when she started, to an international team of over 10,000 employees of a world leading public tech company. She excels in her role as adviser to founders, Board member and is an active angel investor in high growth companies on their journey towards impact.

During her time at Shopify, she built and scaled the Talent and Culture organisation from the ground up to eight (8) divisions including over 500 employees: Talent Acquisition, Strategic Leadership, Talent Operations, Diversity & Belonging, Development & Growth, Culture, Environment as a product, and People Analytics. She was integral to Shopify’s IPO in 2015. As an outspoken leader in the space, Brittany’s vision and her focus on development, growth and innovation are key elements which have helped firmly cement Shopify as one of Canada’s top employers.

In March of 2021, Brittany launched Backbone Angels, as the founding partner, along with 9 other brilliant minds. An angel collective aimed at providing more opportunities to women and non-binary founders. Since launch, Brittany has invested in over ten (10) companies.

Brittany has been an active and trusted advisor and mentor to countless founders. She has partnered with Bessemer Ventures as an Operating Advisor and continues to advise leaders across sectors. In her role as advisor, Brittany has helped CEOs, Executive leaders and Talent professionals to design environments and talent teams that drive growth and scalability through a strategic culture and a data-informed approach.