A personal pitch · For Danielle Gifford, PwC Canada

Danielle — you're building the AI & Advanced Analytics practice in Western Canada.

You need a right hand who's technically strong and commercially sharp — someone who can go deep with data scientists and engineers, and still be the trusted voice in a C-suite room. That's the seat I'm built for.

Relaunched a product to 11,000 accounts in 18 months — +20% revenue
Now lead the Canadian operations & managed-services business it became (clients $1M+/yr)
MSIT, Cybersecurity — AI governance, privacy & identity by design
Video Pitch

A few minutes from me, directly to you.

Prefer to read? The case starts right below.
What I actually do

Three things the role asks for — and where I've already done each

01

I direct technical teams end to end

I don't write code — I support the engineering teams that do, and I architect the process and priorities around them. When I took over an engineering team that hadn't shipped in six months — busy, but with pull requests stacking up as a stand-in for progress — I reset the scrum cadence, rewrote the roadmap, and fixed the operating model that was blocking the talent. The relaunched product scaled past 11,000 accounts in 18 months and lifted revenue 20%.

02

I build and operationalize AI responsibly

I drove the functional spec for our Model Context Protocol server, shipping this year — owning what we build and why, advising the executive team on data protection and identity, and making the access and risk calls before the architecture decisions. I stand up the operating backbone too: intake, prioritization, delivery cadence, measurement. The layer where AI value is actually realized.

03

I'm trusted in C-suite rooms and accountable for the number

I supported the acquisition of our technology and the asset-contribution agreement that followed. I met weekly with our investors to report momentum and co-developed the pitches behind the deal. After it closed, I supported the inter-company transfer-pricing agreement and the implementation strategy as the technology moved toward an IPO. Today I own C-suite relationships on accounts worth $1M+ a year and run a national line of business.

Responsible AI & Governance

Innovation that respects privacy, identity, and risk.

My M.S. in Information Technology with a major in Cybersecurity from Lawrence Technological University was built for exactly this moment — the years when enterprises move from AI experiments to AI in production, and the governance question stops being theoretical.

Privacy & identity by design

On our MCP server, I set the access boundaries and made the identity decisions before the architecture was locked — because retrofitting governance onto a shipped system is how enterprises end up exposed. Data lineage and identity come first, model selection second. It's the only order that scales.

Governance with skin in the game

When building for security meant slowing monetization, I chose security — and then defended that call weekly to investors who were waiting on a return. Responsible AI isn't a framework you cite in a deck; it's the decision you make when the safe choice costs you something. I've made it, under real pressure, more than once.

Operating models that hold up

I built the prioritization framework that weighs security, automation, and monetization on every release — so governance is a checkpoint in how we ship, not a fire drill after something breaks. Intake, prioritization, delivery cadence, measurement: the scaffolding that decides whether AI investment compounds or evaporates.

First 90 Days · Me to you, Danielle

Here's how I'd actually start.

You're growing the AI & Advanced Analytics practice in Western Canada. Two clocks running: delivery quality across concurrent engagements and pipeline that compounds. My job is to make sure neither slips while we scale.

This is a starting hypothesis, not a finished plan. Show me the good, the bad, and the ugly of where the practice is today, and the plan gets sharper.

Days 1–30

Understand the practice before changing it

  • Run a short listening tour with the leaders shaping PwC's AI ambition in Western Canada — Reynold Tetzlaff (Vice-Chair & Managing Partner, Alberta & Prairies Region), Jean McClellan (National Reinvention Markets Leader, Calgary), and the firm's AI practice leads — to understand where the regional vision is headed before I form a point of view.
  • Sit in on every active engagement. Read the SOWs, meet the delivery leads, talk to the clients who'll take my call.
  • Map the pipeline with you — what's qualified, what's stuck, where we're leaving value on the table in existing accounts.
  • 1:1s with every manager, consultant, and specialist. One question: what slows you down?
What you get from me · A one-page Practice Snapshot — engagements, risks, pipeline, team capacity, and the three biggest leverage points.
Days 31–60

Land the first wins — delivery and commercial

  • Take direct accountability for 2–3 engagements where I can move quality, scope, or client trust this quarter.
  • Co-lead one live proposal or RFP with you — show what 'technically strong, commercially sharp' looks like on the page.
  • Open measurable expansion conversations in at least two existing accounts.
  • Stand up a lightweight responsible-AI checkpoint every engagement runs through.
What you get from me · Visible delivery wins, one proposal submitted, two expansion conversations in motion, and a governance checkpoint in production.
Days 61–90

Lock the operating model, prove the leverage

  • Codify the practice operating model — intake, qualification, delivery cadence, measurement, talent plan.
  • Publish a point-of-view or go-to-market asset that strengthens our Western Canada AI positioning.
  • Sponsor 2–3 people on the team — real performance feedback and coaching.
  • 90-day retro with you: what worked, what to stop, where to lean in harder.
What you get from me · A documented operating model, one published POV, a clear talent plan, and a 90/180-day mandate we both sign off on.
How you'll know it's working at Day 90
  • · Engagements I touched have measurably better delivery health or expanded scope.
  • · At least one new opportunity in the pipeline came from work I led.
  • · The team feels supported — fewer blockers, sharper priorities, faster decisions.
  • · You're no longer the only senior in the room on the engagements I cover.
Ask the AI

Don't take my word for it. Interrogate it.

This chatbot is trained on my background — technical depth, commercial track record, leadership style, and how I'd think about Western Canada AI. Ask it anything you'd ask me in an interview.

  • · How would I run an AI governance program for a utilities client?
  • · How did I drive the spec for the MCP server shipping this year?
  • · How do I lead a data engineering team without writing code?
  • · What would my first 90 days at PwC look like?
Ask about Sierra
AI trained on her background & approach

Hi Danielle — ask me anything about Sierra's experience, leadership style, or why she's drawn to this role at PwC.

Education & Certifications

The receipts.

Education
  • Lawrence Technological University
    Master of Science in Information Technology — Major: Cybersecurity
    Recent graduate · directly relevant to responsible AI, data governance, and identity/privacy in production AI systems.
  • St. Clair College
    Bachelor of Business Administration — Accounting & Finance
    Enactus · SRC Student Representative · CICan student & alumni advisory board · Great Canadian Sales Competition
Licenses & Certifications
  • Scrum Master Certified (SMC)
    Scrum Alliance
  • Product Management Certificate
    Co.Lab
  • Mastering Successful Policies & Procedures
    Information Mapping
  • Web Development — HTML / CSS / Flexbox
    BrainStation
Full background on LinkedIn →Operator range backed by formal training in cybersecurity, agile, and product.
The ask

Give me 30 minutes.

One call. If by the end you don't see the fit, we both walk away with our time well spent. If you do — we get to work on Western Canada.

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