About the Author

Meet Marty Parker

Marty Parker is founder and chief executive officer of Waterstone Human Capital. Founded in 2003, Waterstone is a leading cultural talent management firm that offers retained executive search specializing in recruiting for fit, culture change and transformation services, leadership development, succession planning, cultural and engagement measurement, and advisory consulting for entrepreneurial-minded, high growth organizations across North America.

In 2005, Marty founded Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, an annual program that recognizes best-in-class Canadian organizations for having a culture that has helped them enhance performance and sustain a competitive advantage. In 2014, the program expanded to include Canada’s Most Admired CEO.

Marty is considered a global leader and expert on human capital and corporate culture. He is a frequent commentator and keynote speaker on issues surrounding leadership and organizational culture. He is the author of Culture Connection: How Developing a Winning Culture Will Give Your Organization a Competitive Advantage (McGraw-Hill, 2012) and The Culturepreneur: How High Performance Leaders Craft Culture as Competitive Advantage (Page Two, 2021). He has provided expert commentary on the impact and importance of corporate culture and human capital for CNBC, the National Post, Canadian Business, and Profit, and he has appeared on Canada AM, BNN, and CP24. He also is the host of Building High Performance Cultures, a vlog and podcast where he interviews leaders who use culture to drive competitive advantage.

Marty is a very active member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), in the Great Lakes Ontario and Miami–Fort Lauderdale Gold chapters. He is a member of the Canada Region executive as mentorship chair, and is the former chapter chair, learning chair, network chair, membership chair, and current  forum chair for YPO Great Lakes Ontario.

Marty holds a bachelor of arts with honours, as well as a master of science degree from the University of Guelph. He and his wife, Tanya, live in Mississauga, Ontario, and Delray Beach, Florida, and they are the parents of five children.

A serial entrepreneur, Marty loves sports, coaching, fitness, food and wine, reading, and personal and professional development.