Melissa Hardy-Giles

Recipient of the 2021 RBC Innovative Company of the Year award. Recognized from the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund for our Achievement and Growth for 2021. Recipient of the Indigenomics Top 10 Indigenous Business’s To Watch in Canada. Recipient of the 2019 Northern Ontario, Influential Women’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Recipient of the Confederation College President’s Award 2019. I was also very honoured to be a nominee for the Ontario Premier Award at the end of 2019!

Melissa is an experienced Indigenous business owner, with demonstrated successes of working in the Indigenous Recruitment industry, using technology across Canada to successfully match job seekers to employers. Winner of the 2019 Game Changer Award with the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce. ORIGIN was the first Indigenous Procurement Champion with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and our proud members since 2017. Skilled in Public Speaking, Motivational work, not to mention Strong leadership skills and a drive to support women to succeed. A Confederation College Alumni as an Executive Administrator and Human Resource Management professional graduate. A strong presence in both her home community, the city of Thunder Bay and a strong connection with her Indigenous Women’s Entrepreneurial colleagues across our Nation. B2B!

Melissa’s company, ORIGIN, is a passionate team of innovators, collaborators and connectors who are driven to engage and inspire our future workforce. At ORIGIN, we innovate the way people connect to career and culture. Our approach is to design, develop and deliver leading-edge technology solutions that improve access to employment and culture opportunities across diverse industries and sectors. A major focus of our work is with Indigenous people and communities, in a spirit of economic reconciliation, as well as to celebrate the rich Indigenous culture of this land. Great teachings open people’s eyes, minds, and hearts to new pathways. Our goal is to provide immersive & inspiring learning and development experiences using the power of technology.