Heather Haslam

Heather Haslam is a people-centered marketing leader and spokesperson for ADP's growth opportunities in Canada. Through the Happiness@Work Index, she supports HR leaders and people managers with timely insights into workplace happiness and employee sentiment. As Canadian employers respond to evolving workforce expectations, technology and skills development, she helps them navigate change while keeping people at the center of their decisions. Her work is grounded in helping organizations create workplaces that are better prepared for what's next.

Leading with Heart and Perspective

Haslam's leadership philosophy was shaped not by one defining career moment, but by a series of experiences that gradually broadened her perspective and opened new opportunities.

Early in her career, she was highly analytical and often focused on what could go wrong. Over time, she learned that growth rarely comes from staying comfortable. By becoming more willing to say yes, asking questions instead of assuming answers and embracing uncertainty, she expanded her perspective and discovered opportunities she may otherwise have missed.

Her career began in a B2B call center, where she discovered how much she enjoyed helping people solve problems. She quickly moved to the Escalation Desk, developing her ability to listen, understand challenges and find a path forward. The experience reinforced a lesson that would stay with her throughout her career: keep the customer at the center of every decision.

She carried that mindset through sales, integration and marketing leadership roles at Sprint Canada and Bell Canada before joining ADP Canada in product marketing.

For Haslam, marketing has never been tied to a specific product. It is tied to people.

"At its core, every business challenge is a human challenge," she believes. Whether supporting HR leaders, helping managers navigate change or enabling employees to do their best work, she sees marketing as a way to connect solutions with the people who need them most.

“ Technology may enable the workplace, but people define its success. “

That perspective now shapes how she approaches HR technology marketing. She connects strong business outcomes with strong employee experiences and believes empowering HR leaders ultimately helps organizations thrive. As HR takes on a more strategic role within businesses, marketing HR technology is about far more than software. It is about helping employers create workplaces where people can succeed.

The right tools can strengthen human connection by giving leaders more time for meaningful conversations and informed decision-making. Turning workplace challenges into opportunities for growth gives her work a deeper sense of purpose, while leading with heart continues to shape both her leadership and her marketing approach.

Creating Demand Through Customer Understanding

Haslam sees effective demand generation in HR and payroll technology as starting with trust, not simply lead generation.

The decisions organizations make in this space affect employee pay, compliance, workplace experience and operational risk. Buyers need confidence in a provider before they are willing to begin a sales conversation.

In her view, marketing establishes credibility by helping buyers first. Educational content, practical resources and meaningful insights provide guidance as organizations navigate payroll, compliance and workforce management decisions. Peer advocacy, analyst validation and customer success stories add further trust, particularly when measurable business outcomes can be demonstrated.

For Haslam, the goal is to equip buyers with the information they need to make informed decisions rather than simply promote products.

That buyer-focused approach becomes even more important across broader buying groups. HR, finance, IT, payroll, procurement and executive leaders all bring different priorities to the decision-making process. Her team tailors messaging to meet those needs, using data and insights to identify buying signals and engage organizations at the right time.

She also believes successful marketing requires balancing long-term brand building with short-term demand generation. Rather than focusing solely on lead volume, her team prioritizes engagement quality and genuine buyer interest. Meeting buyers where they are matters, and marketing should adapt to how people prefer to engage rather than forcing them into a predetermined process.

“ The right tools can strengthen human connection by giving leaders more time for meaningful conversations and better decision-making. “

Although procurement procedures and committees influence purchasing decisions, people ultimately make those decisions. Understanding their priorities and pressures helps marketers build trust and create meaningful opportunities.

Turning Trust Into Team Performance

Haslam brings the same people-centered philosophy to leadership.

For her, effective leadership begins with understanding people as individuals. She takes the time to learn about team members' motivations, career aspirations, strengths and development goals, then aligns those strengths with work where they can have the greatest impact.

She encourages openness by acknowledging her own mistakes, admitting when she does not have all the answers and inviting different perspectives. She wants employees to feel comfortable challenging assumptions, proposing ideas and experimenting, even when outcomes are not perfect.

As someone who naturally brings energy and enthusiasm to discussions, Haslam has learned the importance of making space for others. She consciously reminds herself to listen and create opportunities for team members to share their ideas and perspectives.

That lesson has become one of the most important in her leadership journey. As her responsibilities grew, she realized leadership is less about having all the answers and more about creating an environment where others can contribute theirs.

Haslam sees psychological safety and accountability as closely connected. She establishes clear expectations around goals and outcomes, then gives employees the autonomy to determine how they will achieve them. When something does not work, the team reflects, learns and adapts.

For Haslam, psychological safety is not about lowering expectations. It is about creating an environment where people feel confident enough to reach for a higher standard.

Building Credibility Through Experience

An experience early in her career taught Haslam how easily self-doubt can stand in the way of contribution.

She once attended a meeting with senior executives as the most junior person in the room. Focused on proving she belonged there, she assumed her role was simply to take notes. In doing so, she became so concerned with how she was being perceived that she stopped actively listening and missed valuable insights being shared around the table.

The lesson stayed with her.

She realized she did not need to prove she belonged in the room. Instead, she needed to recognize the value she already brought, remain present and contribute thoughtfully.

That perspective also shaped how she thinks about supporting women in leadership. For Haslam, advancing women in marketing leadership depends as much on culture as structure. Colleagues can help by recognizing expertise, amplifying overlooked contributions and creating opportunities for others to lead in their areas of strength.

Putting Marketing to Work

As the world of work continues to evolve, Haslam expects HR's influence on business success to continue growing. She feels fortunate to work for an organization focused on helping employers, people leaders and HR professionals navigate change and prepare for the future.

Her people-centered perspective also shapes the advice she gives marketers. She encourages them to spend time in sales because marketing ultimately exists to support growth. Sales experience builds empathy and provides insight into the realities faced by internal and external customers alike.

She also encourages marketers to leave the office and spend time with their target market. Her team regularly engages with clients and prospects through sales calls, implementations, conferences and conversations about workplace challenges.

For Haslam, those interactions provide a perspective that data alone cannot deliver. They are a reminder that behind every business decision, technology investment and workplace initiative are real people trying to do meaningful work.

That belief has remained consistent throughout her career. From helping customers in a call center to leading marketing for one of Canada's most recognized workplace technology organizations, she has stayed focused on the same principle: people come first.

As organizations navigate rapid change, evolving employee expectations and new technologies, Haslam remains optimistic about the future. She believes the organizations best positioned to succeed will be those that never lose sight of the human experience behind business performance.

"Technology can help us work smarter, but people are what move organizations forward," she says. "When we create environments where people feel valued, supported and empowered to contribute, great outcomes follow."

It is a perspective that continues to guide her leadership, her approach to marketing and her vision for the future of work. In a world often focused on systems, processes and performance metrics, Haslam's message remains refreshingly simple: the strongest organizations are built by investing in people, listening to them and helping them succeed.