London Inc. Summer 2021 - 28

So, You Want My Job
NON-PROFIT EXECUTIVE
Karen Gallant, the new CEO of Junior Achievement
South Western Ontario, chats about working to
make a difference, the digital transformation and
her short-lived accountant aspirations
KAREN GALLANT IS the new CEO of Junior Achievement South
Western Ontario, replacing Bev Robinson, who retired after running
the London organization for nearly 15 years. Prior to taking the role in
May, Gallant was a vice-president with Junior Achievement Canada.
She lives in Waterloo, where she grew up and attended Wilfrid
Laurier University, earning a degree in human resources. She is now
responsible for JA operations throughout Southwestern Ontario and
will divide her time between the London and JA Waterloo Region
offices.
She and husband, Mike Gallant, have two children; a second grandchild
is expected in September. She enjoys hiking and gardening and
is counting down the days until travel is viable again.
Congratulations on your new job. You've been
with Junior Achievement in various roles for
more than five years. How will this job be
different? Thank you. Yes, I've been with JA for a
while now in a few different roles. I think the biggest
difference is in the complexity of the organization. JA's
program delivery model has changed due to the pandemic
- in addition to the model with volunteers in a
classroom, now the programs can be delivered virtually
with a volunteer joining the class through a video-conferencing
platform or with a teacher facilitating the
program. Students can also work through the program
on their own through the JA Campus. This means JA's
programs are now available to youth in areas where we
previously couldn't deliver programs, which is fantastic,
but it also adds complexity to our business.
How and why did you first get involved with
JA? I was part of the leadership team at Communitech
and was considering my next career move. I had
decided that I'd like to be the executive director or
CEO of a charity or non-profit, so I began to research
potential organizations that aligned with my background,
interests and values. JA was at the top of
that list. The mission of JA - to inspire and prepare
youth to be successful - was inspiring and something
I believe in strongly. I've been fortunate to always
28 | londonincmagazine.ca | SUMMER 2021
work for organizations that made a difference to their
communities, and JA certainly does that. The mission
also resonated on a personal level, since I had teenagers
at the time. Anyway, I shared my aspirations with some
of my network and told them I was interested in JA.
Through them, I learned that the CEO of JA Waterloo
Region was leaving for a new role and so I applied. I was
fortunate to be chosen to replace her and that was the
beginning of my JA career.
What's your vision for the South Western
Ontario branch? I'd like every student within
the region to benefit from at least one JA program
during their academic career, and preferably multiple
programs. With the new digital programs and variety
of delivery methods, I think this achievable.
Is there any truth to the perception that high
school kids today might be more interested in
creating an app than a physical product? Would
that even matter? We definitely see more students
being interested in creating apps or other digital
products. I think it's a result of our changing business
environment and what they see - so many businesses
are successful in the tech space. I'm not sure the type
of product they make matters; there are obviously
differences, but both have potential to be exciting
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