Canadian HR Expert Series: Christine Song

We launched this series to celebrate Canadian HR leaders, the people doing some of the hardest work in business. HR is often misunderstood. It’s the force shaping company culture, leadership, and performance.

Meet Christine Song

Christine is one of the best known HR leaders in Canada, building and scaling people teams at large corporate entities and fast-moving startups over the last 20+ years.

Christine recently founded 5 to 9 Society, an invite-only talent matchmaking platform for high performing individuals and companies. The idea came after years of seeing how broken hiring processes can be. “There are lots of agencies out there, and of course everyone’s on LinkedIn. But nothing really exists that puts real thought into matching people with companies based on impact, values, and performance.” Christine said. “Great talent can work anywhere. The hard part is making sure they land somewhere that deserves them.”

How she got here

Christine didn’t plan to work in HR. Like many in the profession, she fell into it. Her early days were spent in large, publicly traded companies. It was a solid place to learn the traditional rules, but not the place she wanted to stay long-term. About ten years ago, she made the leap into startups and never looked back.

“There’s something about the ambiguity and the messiness that I really enjoyed.” she said. “I’m a builder. You don’t need to carry over a ten-year program you built at a big corporation. You need to adapt. You need to listen. You need to build around what the business is trying to do.”

Rethinking the seat at the table

When asked about the most pressing issue in HR today, Christine spoke about the evolution of the HR leader. “Too many HR leaders say they want a seat at the table, but then they only talk about HR.”

To be a true partner to the business, she says, you have to show up like one. That means knowing your numbers, understanding the customer, and being able to explain the value prop while giving a demo of the product. “I’ve seen a lot of HR leaders get offended when I say this, but it’s the truth. You can’t just stay in your comfort zone. That’s not how you lead.”

And it goes both ways. When business leaders write off HR as a side function, the whole company suffers. “If sales is missing quota or culture’s taking a nosedive, that’s not just HR’s problem. That’s a company problem.” Talent is every company’s biggest asset. Everybody is responsible for HR.

Best parts of the job

When Christine talks about the parts of HR she loves most, it always comes back to leadership. Coaching executives. Supporting new managers. Helping founders grow into the leaders their companies need.

“Great leadership changes everything. When the top of the org is strong and self-aware, everything underneath gets better. But it takes humility. You need to work with people who are willing to grow.”

She’s also quick to point out that great teams aren’t afraid to disagree. In fact, it’s a red flag when they don’t. 

“If everyone’s nodding along, that’s not unity - it’s fear. The best teams challenge each other behind closed doors, and then come out aligned. That’s where the trust is.”

What takes the biggest toll

The hardest part of HR, Christine says, is the emotional weight.

“We deal with everything no one else wants to deal with. Layoffs, performance issues, mental health, founder stress, culture collapse. It’s always on our plate.”

And there’s rarely someone checking in on HR. HR doesn’t have its own HR.“I think people forget that we carry all of it home. The founder who’s on the edge of burnout. The employee who is going through a divorce. The suicide risk. The layoffs. We’re expected to absorb it all and then show up the next day like nothing happened.”

A career lesson that stuck

Early in her career, Christine was given a piece of advice she’s never forgotten: only work for CEOs who genuinely value HR. If they don’t, she says, all you’ll be doing is cleaning up messes.

She’s seen the difference. In companies where HR is respected, culture is stronger, performance improves, and leaders grow. In companies where HR is treated like a back office function, everything becomes triage.

“If your CEO doesn’t see HR as a strategic partner, you won’t be building. You’ll be reacting.”

What most people miss about HR

Christine is clear about one thing: HR is not a catch-all. “If you’re bringing in a CPO to fix your people problems, you’re misunderstanding the job.”

She sees the Chief People Officer as a true partner to the CEO. It’s about strategy, performance, culture, and leadership development, just like the CEO’s job. “Of all the roles on the executive team, the CPO is the most similar to the CEO. You’re building the business with them.”

That kind of partnership, she says, only works when there’s deep mutual trust.

Building something better

5 to 9 Society isn’t just a company Christine is building. It’s a response to everything she’s seen go wrong in the world of talent. The platform is invite-only, intentionally exclusive, and relationship-first. It’s not about scaling rapidly, it’s about delivering quality.

“I want to bring together the people who change companies, and the companies that are truly worth working for. There’s no algorithm that can do that. It takes time, intention, and actual care.”

Honest disagreement makes stronger teams

Christine has seen firsthand how too much agreement at the executive table can backfire. “If no one is pushing back, something’s wrong. The healthiest leadership teams I’ve worked with disagreed often and respectfully. You need that tension. That’s how real strategy is made.”

Disagreement, in her world, is a sign of trust.

Support the people who support everyone else

One thing Christine wishes more companies did? Take care of their HR teams.

“They’re carrying everyone else’s problems. Employees, leaders, founders, and they’re doing it quietly. If you have someone in HR that you trust and rely on, show up for them too. They need support just as much as anyone else.”

It’s a small but powerful shift, and one that might help more HR professionals stay in the industry. According to Christine, too many are thinking of leaving.

Her experience with Collage

Christine has used many HR platforms in her career, but two of the companies she worked at ran on Collage and it stood out.

“It was just so easy. You didn’t have to train people. New hires could onboard themselves. Hiring managers actually used the ATS. That’s rare.”

She especially appreciated how everything from core HR to time off to recruiting was housed in one clean, intuitive system. “I’ve worked with larger systems and pulling a basic report took two hours of training with a CSM. Collage just worked. And being built in Canada? That matters. Collage is the best HR platform for Canadian SMBs.”

Looking Ahead

Christine isn’t sure whether she’ll ever take on another in-house HR role. She’s heard that same hesitation from a lot of her peers. But even as she moves into something new, her care for the work and the people doing it remains stronger than ever.

“HR is the part of the business that sees it all. And still shows up.”

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