Hubert has developed a comprehensive strategy for building capability through knowledge. This has led to the implementation of a socio-technical approach which brings people and technology together in a new organisational configuration. In addition, he has led corporate-wide in-depth exercises in numerous firms to define the values and the vision of the firm with the purpose of renewing the development of the organizational culture. It was based on this work that Hubert was recently featured as one of five practitioners who have had the most impact on organizations according to Larry Prusak and Tom Davenport in their recent book entitled "What's the Big Idea? Creating and Capitalizing on the Best New Management Thinking."

A decade ago, as the Vice-President, Learning Organization and Leadership Development for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Hubert's role was to support the accelerated development of the capabilities required to achieve CIBC's business strategies. As part of this role, he developed the CIBC Leadership Centre from concept to reality and ran it for five years. Hubert and his team at the Centre created an integrated set of programs and tools aimed at changing the culture of the organization and at building the strategic focus, commitment and capabilities of the people at CIBC. The Center's approach was based on the principles of the learning organization and the practice of knowledge management for innovation. This work was originally featured in a Fortune article as a prime example of how to accelerate organizational learning. Hubert's work for the last twenty five years has focused on developing the full potential of organizations and their human assets to optimize performance.

Hubert holds an Honors BA in Political Science from York University and an MA in Political Science with specialization in international economic integration. He was appointed by the Prime Minister to the Board of The Canadian Centre for Management Development from 1995-1999. He has given presentations across North America, Europe and South-east Asia on organization learning, leadership development, and knowledge value creation. He has published a number of articles on these subjects and co-authored a book entitled "Leveraging Communities of Practice for Strategic Advantage", published by Butterworth-Heinemann in September 2002. In November 2002, Hubert gave a keynote address "Knowledge and Leadership in the 21st Century" to the World Congress of Accountants in Hong Kong. Hubert is a passionate and compelling presenter (in English, French and Spanish), and able to easily synthesize disparate perspectives into themes that will support dialogue.

Hubert is first and foremost an in-company practitioner. Part of his time is dedicated to his role as Executive Vice President of S.A. Armstrong Limited where he implements what he advises clients to adopt. S.A. Armstrong Limited is a 65-year-old Canadian global engineering firm which manufactures fluid engineered products. Armstrong has itself undergone a successful transition which preserves its core values while equipping itself for new requirements of business in the 21st century. It employs over six hundred people worldwide, operating five manufacturing plants on two continents. It was selected in a nation-wide competition sponsored by The Financial Post and Deloitte Touche as one of "50 Best Managed Companies" of 2002. In addition, Hubert is Co-Chairman of Konverge Digital Solutions Corp., a Toronto firm that develops fully integrated knowledge strategies based on optimizing business processes and custom technology solutions. Hubert is also the Principal of SAINTONGE / ALLIANCE.

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After three years of gaining International Banking and Treasury experience at The Bank of Nova Scotia in their Western Hemisphere International Regional office, Mr. Armstrong joined the World Corporation Group at Citibank. The World Corporation Group was responsible for global matrix relationship management of Citibank's multinational customers.

In 1979, Mr. Armstrong joined S.A. Armstrong Limited, a third generation family business engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of engineered fluid handling products such as pumps, valves and heat transfer equipment. S.A. Armstrong Limited manufactures products in four plants in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. They sell their products in North America, Europe, the Mid East, the Far East and South America through direct sales and distribution networks. Armstrong is known world wide for many pioneering and innovative products primarily focused at the building and general industrial markets. Canary Wharf in London is one of the many prestigious buildings around the world that uses Armstrong's capabilities and products.

In 1990, Mr. Armstrong became President of the 60 year old family business and since that time has managed the transformation of the company into a broad based entrepreneurial organization committed to becoming a market leader through innovation and relationship building. To set the foundation for this vision, Mr. Armstrong began a series of initiatives designed to develop the leadership qualities of all managers. He conceived and introduced the Armstrong Enterprise Capital Model to help facilitate a greater awareness of the importance of intangible assets. The model is used to illustrate how the interaction between the assets is responsible for value creation in the firm. His understanding of knowledge management principles was integral to the company becoming an early adopter of new technologies. As a result, the company is a Baan, i2, Livelink site with over 400 employees fully engaged over the internet. The company's customers also tie into the product development knowledge base. Today, the Armstrong group of companies is about as culturally aligned as any manufacturing company on the globe.

Through its strong commitment to learning and collaboration, the firm is well positioned to lead the industry because its people embrace and live the values of a true learning organization. In 2003, Henley Management College in the UK profiled S.A. Armstrong Limited as part of its KM Best Practice Series for the construction industry. In 2002, S.A. Armstrong Limited was included in a list of 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada in a program sponsored by Deloitte&Touche, CIBC, Queen's School of Business and The National Post.

The book "The Conductive Organization" defines conductivity as "the capability to effectively transmit knowledge throughout the organization, from the customer interface across all functions, business groups and project teams". It proposes a completely new approach to taking an organization to the next level of sustainable performance, and uses S. A. Armstrong Limited as a living example of the practice.

Web site www.armstrongpumps.com

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