Kelly Cotton
Vice President Human Resources Colas Construction Inc.
Kelly is Vice President of Human Resources at Colas Canada, where she leads the people strategy for an organization of approximately 8,000 employees operating across road construction, infrastructure delivery, and materials manufacturing nationwide. With deep experience in the construction sector, Kelly partners closely with business leaders to support growth through talent acquisition and retention, an exemplary employee experience, and a culture that is inclusive, diverse, and family oriented. She brings strong expertise across HR strategy, labor relations, coaching, and workforce development, and holds an MBA in Human Resources from Royal Roads University.
Seminars
- How Colas designed and rolled out a mental health training programme for leaders in response to rising stress related leave, evolving workforce expectations, and the increasing complexity of people challenges on jobsites and in the business
- Inside the codesigned Headversity programme, combining microlearning, live webinars, and in person facilitation to build practical leadership skills such as empathy, listening, and early intervention, creating a shared foundation for mental health awareness across the organization
- Early impact and ROI indicators, including improved leader confidence, strong engagement and completion rates, and the potential to reduce unplanned leave, support retention, and strengthen leadership effectiveness as the programme scales beyond leaders to the wider workforce
This interactive Q&A explores the practical mindsets and behaviours leaders need to navigate stress, support wellbeing, stay grounded in their values, and bring out the best in themselves and their teams on every project.
