Executive Search Team
Janel Canepa, Managing Partner and CEO
Janel is CEO of Canepa Associates Inc. an executive search & H.R. consulting firm established in 2007. She has 20 years of H.R. leadership and Talent Acquisition experience. She has been at the grassroots level of some of the industry’s fastest growing companies, building programs and high performing teams from scratch. She has been an individual contributor and has managed teams over 75 Talent professionals. Her prior roles range from Sr. HR Director, Director of Global Talent Acquisition, HR business partner, Staffing Manager and recruiter.
Janel was Ariba’s first head of Talent Acquisition, where she developed and implemented talent programs and strategies, which resulted in growing Ariba from 450 employees to 2,200 employees over a 14 month period. While at Ariba, Janel built in-house web-enabled staffing tools, employee referral tool, immigration status tool, contact database tool, contingent workforce tool, and a worldwide implementation of online talent relationship management
systems.
While at Cisco Systems, Janel led large scale employment and staffing strategies for several of Cisco’s business units during Cisco’s unparallel growth. She was initially supporting a client organization of 30 and upon her departure was responsible for a client group of over 7,000. She played a key role in leadership, delivery, programs, training and strategy. Janel built and created leading-edge programs and tools in support of her unique client base of
business functions.
Janel has won numerous awards and recognition such as: Best Practices in Recruitment award from the APQC, the Cisco Annual Leadership Award, and was recognized as a Top Talent Visionary by Dr. John Sullivan.
Janel has spoken at variety of Talent & H.R conferences and client organizations. Topics include: measurements,
programs, tools, sourcing passive candidates, employee referral programs, retention & recruitment of talent, college programs and strategic alignment between H.R. and business.
She has been featured and quoted in leading publications: Forbes Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Computer World and Information Week
Janel earned a B.S. in Organizational Communication from California State University, Chico.
Janel was Ariba’s first head of Talent Acquisition, where she developed and implemented talent programs and strategies, which resulted in growing Ariba from 450 employees to 2,200 employees over a 14 month period. While at Ariba, Janel built in-house web-enabled staffing tools, employee referral tool, immigration status tool, contact database tool, contingent workforce tool, and a worldwide implementation of online talent relationship management
systems.
While at Cisco Systems, Janel led large scale employment and staffing strategies for several of Cisco’s business units during Cisco’s unparallel growth. She was initially supporting a client organization of 30 and upon her departure was responsible for a client group of over 7,000. She played a key role in leadership, delivery, programs, training and strategy. Janel built and created leading-edge programs and tools in support of her unique client base of
business functions.
Janel has won numerous awards and recognition such as: Best Practices in Recruitment award from the APQC, the Cisco Annual Leadership Award, and was recognized as a Top Talent Visionary by Dr. John Sullivan.
Janel has spoken at variety of Talent & H.R conferences and client organizations. Topics include: measurements,
programs, tools, sourcing passive candidates, employee referral programs, retention & recruitment of talent, college programs and strategic alignment between H.R. and business.
She has been featured and quoted in leading publications: Forbes Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Computer World and Information Week
Janel earned a B.S. in Organizational Communication from California State University, Chico.
Kari Bertsch, Partner
Kari Bertsch has over 14 years of experience in the Human Resources field. She has held management positions at companies in the networking, software, and medical device industries. Her experience includes roles at IBM, Cisco Systems, Ariba Software and Stryker.
Areas of expertise include recruitment, employee relations, HR Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, executive coaching, and most recently sat on the executive staff at a division of a Medical Device company.
Kari believes that HR professionals should always position themselves a business partners first and are responsible for the vision and strategy of a company’s most valuable asset – their people. As a partner at Canepa Associates,
Kari is able to utilize her years of experience to partner with corporations and their leadership teams to create a talent offense, bring credibility and focus to their hiring practices, as well as introduce top level talent to ensure long-term success.
With her varied HR expertise, she is also able to offer HR consulting and coaching strategies to corporations in all stages of business.
Kari has also been recognized for her leadership in the community and has sat on the board of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, partnered at the ground level of the Myelin Repair Foundation, and is currently a MS Ambassador sponsored by Serono/Pfizer.
Areas of expertise include recruitment, employee relations, HR Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, executive coaching, and most recently sat on the executive staff at a division of a Medical Device company.
Kari believes that HR professionals should always position themselves a business partners first and are responsible for the vision and strategy of a company’s most valuable asset – their people. As a partner at Canepa Associates,
Kari is able to utilize her years of experience to partner with corporations and their leadership teams to create a talent offense, bring credibility and focus to their hiring practices, as well as introduce top level talent to ensure long-term success.
With her varied HR expertise, she is also able to offer HR consulting and coaching strategies to corporations in all stages of business.
Kari has also been recognized for her leadership in the community and has sat on the board of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, partnered at the ground level of the Myelin Repair Foundation, and is currently a MS Ambassador sponsored by Serono/Pfizer.
Randall Birkwood, Partner
Randall Birkwood is a former Director of HR and Recruiting at Intermec, Cisco Systems, T-Mobile USA, and Microsoft Corporation, and has over 23 years’ experience in innovative talent management strategies.
He has won recognition for his advanced approaches to talent management, executive recruitment, candidate assessments, and targeted sourcing. Accomplishments include:
• Successful HR and Talent Acquisition leadership positions at leading technology companies.
• Featured on the list of Visionaries in Employment by the Electronic Recruiting Exchange the leading organization for
staffing professionals.
• Been the subject of the cover story on the “War for Talent” in Internet World Magazine.
• Been an advisory speaker at General Electric and AT&T for VPs and Directors of HR.
• Been a noted speaker and panelist at a number of recruitment conferences in the US and UK (ERE, EMA, IQPC, and Kennedy).
• Former Chairman of the Advisory Board for Jobster. Former adviser for the Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI).
• Author of articles for Electronic Recruiting Exchange.
He has won recognition for his advanced approaches to talent management, executive recruitment, candidate assessments, and targeted sourcing. Accomplishments include:
• Successful HR and Talent Acquisition leadership positions at leading technology companies.
• Featured on the list of Visionaries in Employment by the Electronic Recruiting Exchange the leading organization for
staffing professionals.
• Been the subject of the cover story on the “War for Talent” in Internet World Magazine.
• Been an advisory speaker at General Electric and AT&T for VPs and Directors of HR.
• Been a noted speaker and panelist at a number of recruitment conferences in the US and UK (ERE, EMA, IQPC, and Kennedy).
• Former Chairman of the Advisory Board for Jobster. Former adviser for the Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI).
• Author of articles for Electronic Recruiting Exchange.