SIMPSON ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Bethany completed her degree at the University of Guelph in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice and Public Policy. She joined the company overseeing technical support and customer service and transitioned to Simpson Associates focusing on executive search. Bethany is excited about her future with the company, and she hopes to acquire as much knowledge as she can about the world of corporate psychology and the process of executive search and psychological assessment using TAIS.
David Simpson has focused on building high-performance executive teams, for a wide range of companies, for40 years, the last three plus decades as a principal in Simpson Associates. Using high-performance psychology concepts, he has developed a "bullet-proof" methodology for "Getting It Done Right" every time. Amongst his client base, he is a recognized "go-to" expert when organizations cannot afford to get an executive appointment wrong.
Ms. Frederick recently completed her associate degree in general arts majoring in psychology, and minoring in sociology. She is tremendously curious and has an aptitude for all things psychology. Ms. Frederick assists in market research, client development and overall marketing in support of the activities throughout the Simpson Group of Companies.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Special Projects
Jeanne Gilbert has been with the Simpson Group (now Grandlark) for over 20 years and has held a variety of key positions throughout these last two decades. She received her TAIS Certification license over 15 years ago, and has recently transitioned to a consulting role.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance and Advisory Board
Marc Sagal's extensive background in psychology, philosophy, and sport has helped him develop a unique ability to help leaders and athletes achieve ‘meaningful success'. His work as a management consultant, executive coach and sport psychology consultant has been featured in numerous publications and media spots, including FOX Sports, Men's Health, CIO magazine, and American Airlines' Celebrated Living.
Marc has delivered assessment, training and performance coaching to a wide variety of organizations. McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, Manchester City Football Club, and U.S. Army Recruiting have all benefited from working with Marc and his company, Winning Mind. He consults regularly with Olympic and professional athletes from around the world. He has played a key role in the development and design of breakthrough training and assessment products and services, including AME ("Athlete's Mental Edge"), the world's first web-based, sport-psychological assessment and training program.
Marc has presented research data and professional papers at international congresses including the European Association of Personality Psychology and the American College of Sports Medicine. He has published widely in the area of performance psychology, including co-authorship of Assessment in Sport Psychology with Dr. Robert Nideffer, and chapter authorship in the Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology.
A Philosophy graduate from The Colorado College, Marc received his Master's degree in Sport Psychology from San Diego State University with highest honors. He received his "A" -level coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), was registered as a professional with the USSF, and competed both in Europe and the United States.
Marta Wnuczko holds a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Toronto. As a researcher, collaborator, and an educator, Marta has been consistently applying empirical knowledge to more effectively address real issues, not limited to academics. She is now looking forward to working with the team at Simpson Associates to leverage psychological assessments and the knowledge of human behaviour to facilitate executive searches. Having the experience of working with multidisciplinary teams and industry partners, she is excited to connect with clients across various sectors.
Job Titles:
- Group Controller
- Group Controller for Grandlark
Michelle Hu is the group Controller for Grandlark. She has complete responsibility and accountability for the financial side of the businesses, including Simpson Associates, Oceans Apartment Management & TAIS Performance Systems Inc. Additionally, Michelle is significantly involved in the due diligence processes qualifying potential acquisitions.
Job Titles:
- COO
- President
- President & COO / Joining
Michelle Marsden
President & COO
+1 604 786 2416
michelle@djsimpson.com
Please reach other members of the research group through Michelle.
in early 2018, Ms. Marsden started as the Director of Research directing a full-time, in-house research team which provides pivotal support services with all the search assignments that the firm conducts. This group is instrumental in helping to source first-class executives and leaders on a world-wide basis. Later, Ms. Marsden was appointed General Manager of Simpson Associates, working with board chairs and CEOs across a diverse client base in multiple industries.
Now as President & COO, Ms. Marsden has full P&L responsibility for the operations across the group - Grandlark, a boutique private equity group, Ocean Apart Management, the high performance psychological assessment group, TAIS Performance Systems Inc., the world-wide TAIS distribution network and Simpson Associates, the executive search division.
Michelle graduated from the Sauder School of Business at UBC in 2011 with a Bachelor of Commerce. Prior to joining Simpson Associates, she held assignments in aerospace, aviation, and consumer consumables.
As the newly appointed Senior Associate at Grandlark Investments, Ms. Emily Brown's mandate is to identify and develop acquisition opportunities across multiple business sectors in the BC region. In addition to sourcing prospects, Ms. Brown also has primary responsibility for the vetting process. Ms. Brown brings considerable corporate experience and task-specific skills to her new role, having worked for a number of years in Simpson Associates - an executive search and psychological appraisal group which is one of the operating businesses held under the Grandlark banner.
Ms. Brown graduated from Carleton University, in 2016, with an Honours undergraduate degree in business with an emphasis in banking, corporate finance and securities law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance and Advisory Board
Robert M. Nideffer, Ph.D. serves as Executive Vice Chair of TAIS Performance Systems Inc., an operating company under the Grandlark Investments banner. He is the author of The Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS) Inventory. In addition, he has published over 100 professional articles and has written twenty books, including: The Inner Athlete, How to Put Anxiety Behind You, Attention Control Training, The Ethics and Practice of Applied Sport Psychology, Psyched to Win, and Assessment in Sport Psychology (with Marc Sagal, below). For the past 40 years Dr. Nideffer has been providing through his company, Enhanced Performance Systems (EPS), team building, selection and screening, and performance enhancement services to Olympic Training Centers, elite military groups, and major corporations around the world. Prior to EPS, Dr. Nideffer held posts of Sports Psychologist (USA Track and Field team), Research Fellow (Australia Institute For Sport), Associate Professor (University of Rochester), and Professor (California School of Professional Psychology).
Dr. Nideffer holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and a Ph.D.in Clinical and Experimental Psychology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is considered to be one of the top psychologists in the world for his contributions to performance-based psychological research.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Governance and Advisory Board
Robin W. Pratt, Ph.D. taught the psychology of learning and performance at the Ph.D. level and merged that into educational research and management (applied human resource development) for the first half of his career. He gradually added performance and management consulting to his repertoire fueled by the many applications of the TAIS Inventory and Attention Control Training, where he partnered with their developer, Dr. Robert Nideffer. Today he is a leading practitioner and product developer in this arena. His clients cover the spectrum from business to sport.
Dr. Pratt has held both Assistant and Associate professorships at U.S. universities and currently is the President of Enhanced Performance Services, a consulting group focused on executive coaching, team building, selection and screening and performance management.
Dr. Pratt has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from William Jewell College and received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Illinois.
Job Titles:
- Technical and Customer Support
Sanja Sadic takes care of Customer and Technical Support at Simpson Associates and TAIS Performance Systems Inc. As the first line of contact for the company, she strives to elevate the client experience. With over a decade of property management and customer service experience, she is eager to transition into her new role, where she aims to understand the TAIS, and it's impact within organizations.
Job Titles:
- Associate Researcher
- Research Associate
Talya Jesperson is an Associate Researcher at Simpson Associates. She holds an MA in Sociology from the University of Victoria, a BA Hons. in Sociology, and a Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Victoria. Talya is interested in all things people, what inspires them, uncovering their potential to grow and excel in their role, and how people fit together to form a strong team. Talya has experience in various sectors, including academic research, corporate consulting, the food and restaurant industry, and publishing. She is eager to apply her diverse foundations of knowledge to executive search.