Executive Leadership

Styles serves as the top academic officer of CapU and provides leadership and academic vision. Additionally, she also works collaboratively to establish standards for the quality of instruction and the student experience, develops new programs and curriculum, extends and deepens partnerships for enhanced student enrolments and oversees academic, research and scholarly policy and strategic priorities.

Prior to joining CapU, Styles most recently taught in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo. She was also previously the dean of the Faculty of Health and Human Services at VIU and responsible for senior-level administration, educational leadership and management of multiple programs across three campuses. Previous to her teaching appointment at VIU, Styles held the position of vice president academic at Justice Institute of British Columbia, where she oversaw academic and education executive leadership, as well as applied research, academic planning and graduate studies.

Commitments to collaboration, mutuality in partnerships, student success, Indigenous education, community-engaged scholarship and research, and applied/experiential learning have been hallmarks in both her teaching and leadership roles.

Styles' committee work is substantive at the national, provincial and institutional levels including chairing the provincial Health Sciences Deans and Directors and serving as a member of the Indigenous Education Protocol Planning Committee (Colleges and Institutes Canada) and BC Association of Institutes and Universities.

Styles holds a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from the University of Calgary and a Master of Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Alberta.

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This executive leadership role oversees financial planning and reporting, corporate services, facilities and capital projects, policy, privacy and governance and information technology for the University, and contributes strategic thinking and analysis to the University's momentum and progress towards 2030.

As chief financial officer, Bains will serve as the corporate secretary to the Board of Governors and act to ensure the current and long-term effectiveness and sustainability of all financial functions of the University and its Foundation.

Bains stepped into this position from her previous role as director, financial services, which she held since 2017.

She brings over 25 years of professional and progressive leadership experience in the public sector and has been instrumental in leading large-scale projects, including creating finance functions for new organizations, mergers, systems implementation projects, change management initiatives and business process redesigns.

Bains has held several leadership positions in her career – most notably with the First Nations Health Authority as the chief financial officer, Community Living BC as the director of accounting and contract management and Provincial Health Services Authority as a decision support consultant.

As a Chartered Professional Accountant with a Master of Business Administration in Executive Management and Leadership, Bains has also served on the boards of the Surrey Foundation and the Fort Langley Canoe Club.

With a proven track record in creating work environments that support collaborative team-based approaches that build trust, enable creativity and encourage possibilities, Bains has successfully developed a solid financial framework for the institution to ensure accountability and stewardship of resources.

Over the last five years, she has transformed the finance department into a strategic partner that supports the organization in informed decision making and effective allocation of financial resources.

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Leading, advising and guiding key people decisions are central to this role. In this newly created position, Bharadwa oversees all human resources activities that support CapU's distinct employee experience and diverse culture.

Guided by the University's Envisioning 2030 plan, Bharadwa plays a key role in the University meeting its goal of instilling a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion throughout all university operations and outreach. It is a holistic approach the University is taking to talent strategies; recruitment; performance management; HR operations; labour relations; employee engagement, employee health and well-being.

Bharadwa's career to date has been distinguished by excellence in labour relations; talent acquisition and retention; learning and development; change management; and organizational effectiveness. Prior to joining CapU, Kartik Bharadwa served as director, human resources, operations and chief privacy officer for the BC Dental Association. His career history includes leadership and executive advisory positions at Gateway Casinos & Entertainment, The Compass Group and Sodexo.

He earned an MBA in Human Resource Management from Royal Roads University (RRU) and continues to support the success of MBA students through the RRU mentorship program. Additionally, he is an active member of the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources Management and serves on both their experience review and membership committees.

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In his role, Savjord promotes the implementation of the University's operational plan through sound administrative oversight and leadership of the planning, assessment and accreditation activities of the University. This contributes to CapU operating effectively as an institution, ensures CapU's compliance with policy and legislation, and coordinates both the business planning and institution-wide change initiatives to strengthen CapU's position as British Columbia's leading experiential University.

Savjord's career began as an educator and administrator specializing in outdoor recreation and adventure tourism. His experience in post-secondary extends to program creation and developing certificates, diplomas and degrees for colleges and universities throughout B.C.

Savjord's CapU employment connection dates back almost 20 years. He served as an instructor of outdoor recreation programs and adventure tourism program designer at Capilano College between 1998 and 2002. 

Savjord has served as an organizational and leadership consultant to numerous educational institutions and came to CapU from Cornerstone Developments and the Squamish Clean Technology Association, where he was the senior project manager.

Prior to this, he was the vice president, operations and development/recreation and athletics for Quest University Canada. As a founding faculty member, Savjord also contributed to the design of Quest's unique curriculum.

Active in community service, Savjord has served on numerous boards and committees including the Squamish Sustainability Corporation; Tourism Squamish; Squamish Official Community Plan Advisory Steering Committee; Coast Mountain Academy; Quest University Canada Foundation and the Squamish Nordic Ski Club.

Savjord did his post-secondary education at Capilano University (then Capilano College) and went on to complete a bachelor's degree in human kinetics and continued on with studies at the University of British Columbia.

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Kari Wharton joined Capilano University in June 2012 as manager, development & alumni relations. Most recently, she held the position of director, university relations & capital campaigns, leading the $5-million capital campaign in support of the University's Centre for Childhood Studies. She has been the lead on several key projects, including project manager for CapU's 50th anniversary program; project lead in the restructuring of the University's communications and marketing & digital experience service areas; and the University's first asset inventory and naming framework.

In her interim role, Wharton will provide strategic direction to raise the University's profile, secure support for its priorities and strengthen University relationships.

Wharton is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in government and post-secondary education. Her previous roles include director, North American operations, Golden Key International Honour Society (10 years); manager, undergraduate recruitment (domestic), UBC; and communications officer, youth and student programs, BC Yukon, HRDC (federal government). Prior to joining CapU, she also worked in corporate development for five years in the advancement portfolio of UBC.

As a volunteer for many years, her community service focused on the volunteer board of the North Shore Royal Canadian Army Cadets, 2573 6 Engineer Squadron, as well as several other North Shore grade school committees, fundraising events and UBC alumni activities.

Wharton is a graduate of UBC, with a bachelor's degree in arts, majoring in economics. She continued her lifelong learning through UBC's Sauder School of Business Executive Education program, taking courses focused on financial management, labour law and strategic planning.

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