why Spur?

Hilary believes that impactful engagement means including – and genuinely making space for – diverse experiences and perspectives. An expert facilitator, engagement practitioner and storyteller, she has a knack for designing thought-provoking campaigns and facilitating constructive community dialogue, especially when the stakes are high.

She is a multi-award-winning strategist with a decade of industry experience. She specializes in public sector projects and has worked with all levels of government on diverse and progressive initiatives across the health, education, infrastructure and transportation sectors.

Hilary is a perfectionist, extrovert and empath. This means her clients feel assured, engaged and understood.

Hilary lives on the stolen and unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She takes an intersectional and anti-colonial approach to facilitation and project design, recognizing the immense privilege of working on and learning from these lands.

Natalie believes in the power of stories. She loves how they inform us, persuade us and connect us. She is passionate about unearthing compelling narratives that inspire positive action. An expert in strategic communication, Natalie excels in multi-channel campaigns and complex initiatives that aim to engage diverse audiences.

Over her 12 years of experience, Natalie’s work has earned attention locally, provincially, nationally and internally. She specializes in work in the non-profit and social impact sectors and has also collaborated with all levels of government on education, health and transportation initiatives.

Natalie is an uninvited guest on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She aims to approach her work with cultural humility. She is committed to continually learning, unlearning and relearning what it means to approach her work in ways that advance decolonization and reconciliation.

Zaqir believes in the beauty of simple systems. He sees every outcome as the product of a creative system, and constantly strives to build better structures for more dynamic means. A renaissance-man of the agency world, Zaqir brings a multi-faceted approach that spans creative, development, business analysis, and leadership to connect with his clients and teams.

Over the last decade, Zaqir has worked with governments, charities, education, and retail organizations to develop campaigns, brands, and digital systems. His work has ranged from shaping service design engagements with provincial and federal governments to ad strategy for national brands. He’s built and led multiple marketing, creative, and business analysis teams, and gets a lot of his energy from helping folks grow in their work.

Zaqir lives on the traditional territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, and continuously seeks to better engage, learn, and un-learn through his work.

Zach is passionate about how humans and designs intersect and overlap. He thrives facilitating diverse groups, drawing out their collective wisdom and self-organization to make change. With a strategic mindset, he drives engagements forward while maintaining a philosophy rooted in empathy, curiosity, and possibility.

With over a decade in the design, strategy, and facilitation realm, Zach has championed transformative change across the public, private and non-profits sectors. His distinct approach underscores the importance of the end user, emphasizing collaboration, building relationships, and active listening to forge impactful outcomes.

Zach acknowledges the privilege of living and working on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Surrounded by waters, trees, and mountains all known by different names before his time, he continually strives for cultural humility in his work, learning and aligning towards true reconciliation and decolonization.

Dhaneva is a facilitator, intercultural educator and communication and engagement expert committed to building inclusive, equitable and just organizations. She works at the intersection of climate and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and is committed to leveraging the opportunity before us to meaningfully address some of our equity and reconciliation challenges. She has worked with and in all three levels of government and supported many national initiatives in transportation, climate, environmental stewardship, reconciliation and EDI.

Originally from Ontario, now living on the traditional and stolen lands of the K’ómoks Peoples on Vancouver Island, she believes that communities know what they need best, that no single sector holds the monopoly on solutions, and that our duty as professionals and as people is to prioritize (un)learning.

Henry believes in connecting people to services and organizations through caring, needs-centred engagement and communication. As an immigrant and member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, he brings perspectives from the private sector, unions, and not-for-profits, along with municipal and federal government experience from across New Zealand and Canada. 

Over his career, he has focused on municipal, national and community issues by centring the needs of people and the growth of communities in communication, whether that is through growing digital literacy and access to technology in under-serviced communities, giving space to Indigenous stories through award-winning podcasts or celebrating the work of the crews in BC’s film industry. Henry loves the intersection between urban infrastructure, clever design and the benefit and energy that brings to communities pitching in and growing together. Working on a Heritage Minute within a year of being in the country is a career highlight for Henry (even if he didn’t realize what it meant at the time).

Henry occupies the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Alison is a strategic communication professional who helps organizations leverage media to tell their stories. She is passionate about garnering news coverage for organizations or people who are making an impact, taking a unique approach, or solving previously unsolved problems. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Alison is a steady hand in crisis communication scenarios and a good person to have on your side when preparing for a potentially prickly interview.

She has more than a decade of experience in public relations and communication, working with clients of all sizes to land media coverage, sharpen spokespeople’s storytelling skills, and communicate the impact of their work around the world. Most recently, she led global public relations and communication efforts for identity verification tech unicorn Trulioo.

Alison lives on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She is originally from California and got her start in the industry working in public affairs and public relations in Los Angeles.

Jen is a trained journalist with a passion for storytelling. A strategic communications professional, she believes stories have the power to transform us; they challenge what we (think) we know, they form the foundation of connected communities, and they give diverse lived experiences and voices the opportunity to be heard authentically. She has an innate ability to maneuver local and international media landscapes, a skill that she has honed through her experience working with startups, fortune 500 companies and Government.

With nearly a decade of experience across PR and Communications, Jen specializes in crafting compelling stories and strategic communications that not only align with an organization’s overall business objectives, but resonate with their top targets where that be media or the public.

Jen lives on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Isabella is passionate about using data for social good. She is motivated by questions which aim to inspire positive change. With experience in both quantitative and qualitative research, Isabella has a deep curiosity for uncovering meaningful insights that make a difference.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Isabella has provided support on various stages of research, from analysis through to reporting. She has set up engagement tools and platforms, and has conducted data analysis and reporting for academic projects and market research. She has also applied her research and data analysis skills for behavioural insight work and advocacy campaigns for progressive political organizations.

Isabella lives and works on the stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples. Committed to unlearning, she affirms that communities know their needs best. For these reasons, she aims to approach her work from an intersectional lens that is rooted in empathy and compassion.