Guillermo Serrano
Guillermo moved to Canada in 2000 and has embraced a career that bridges academia and work experience in several industries. He holds an academic background with an emphasis in talent management:
- Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) – ADEN School of Business, Panama (Expected Dec. 2025)
- MBA in Human Resources – Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona (2022)
- Executive MBA in Global Studies – ADEN School of Business, Buenos Aires (2021)
- Certification in Neuroscience for Business – MIT Sloan Executive Education (2020)
- HR Specialization in Strategic Business Management – The George Washington University (2019)
- Certification in Adult Training Education – Mount Royal University, Calgary (2012)
- BBA – CESA Bogota (1993)
An avid gardener, he proudly cultivates grapes in what he jokingly calls Vancouver’s only winery. His passion for the arts made him an honoured guest at the Vancouver Fringe Festival, where he celebrated puppetry and marionette performances.
His research focuses on neuro-inclusion initiatives in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, and Vancouver, designing pathways for underrepresented groups to enter the workforce. His work aims to address the talent crisis in Canada’s hospitality and tourism industry by fostering inclusive employment strategies.
Expertise and Experience
At Telus Corporation, he was a Senior Learning Specialist designing digital literacy programs in Ontario and BC, earning the Top Client Support Facilitator award for contributions to the TELUS WISE program.
During their time as HR Business Partner at Canopy Growth Corporation, he managed 400+ employees in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, ensuring compliance with housing, legal, onboarding, training, food program and Health & Safety.
As an Organizational Developer & Corporate Trainer at ToursByLocals – he led the establishment of an office and call center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and managed the talent expansion across the UK, Malaysia, Vancouver and Argentina. Currently, as Project Manager – he designs and implements a network of tour guides in Colombia and Canada.
As the Co-founder of Better Together Media, Guillermo is the host and producer of Juntos en Soledad Podcast – A Spanish-language exploration of human emotions through art, culture, science and economics. The media company also assisted Airbnb’s entry into Vancouver’s market through a targeted marketing campaign. It developed a social media strategy for a major First Nations-owned hotel, winery and racetrack in British Columbia.
Since 2021, Guillermo has served as faculty at KPU Melville School of Business, where he teaches in the Entrepreneurship and Business department.
Guillermo’s career spans academia, startups, corporations and non-profits across the I.T., tourism & hospitality, and education sectors. His expertise lies in talent management, organizational development, entrepreneurship, tourism, & hospitality and neuro-inclusion.
Publications and Awards
- Keynote Speaker, CPHR BC & Yukon Conference (2024) – Presented on Inclusive Recruitment Strategies.
- Doctoral Research on Inclusive Recruitment Strategies – Focused on EDI principles to improve workforce accessibility.
- Co-author, International HR (Published by TopHat, 2022) – A textbook on global human resource management.
- Top Client Support Facilitator – TELUS WISE
- JuntosEnSoledad podcast top 10 in Apple Podcast Mexico
- Latin America Lead, NDGifts Movement – Advocates for neurodiversity inclusion in the workplace.
Certifications
- Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR)
- Certificate in Strategic Business Management – HR Specialization (The George Washington University)
- Certification in Neuroscience for Business (MIT Sloan Executive Education)
- MBTI Personality Assessment Certified
Courses taught at University Canada West (UCW)
- HRMT 625 – Management and Employee Relations
- HRMT 622 – Talent Management
- HRMT 621 – HRM in the Global Environment
- HSTM 101 – Hospitality and Tourism
- HRMT 624 – Recruitment and Retaining Talent
