Heather Kahle
Ascent Systems Innovation Group
Principal Consultant/Owner
Canada
Heather’s passion is empowering organizations and audiences to embrace and operationalize systems thinking and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) methods.
She earned a master’s degree in Human Factors and System Safety from LUND University dedicating her thesis and subsequent career to bridging the gap between ‘work-as-imagined’ (procedures) and work-as-done. With over three decades at the Provincial Safety Regulator in British Columbia supporting serious and fatal investigations, Heather has been instrumental in advancing the application of HOP principles across diverse and complex domains. Her expertise and experience spans regulation development, the development of aligned procedures, learning from normal, injury and error prevention, prevention by design, fatigue risk management, stubborn risk management, and system-centric, integrated safety investigations. Heather's collaborative spirit shines through her work with cross-functional teams to co-devise and implement innovative strategies.
Proficient in understanding dynamic and complex work environments such as utilities, construction, healthcare, and forestry, Heather emphasizes the invaluable insights gained from those who actively perform the work. She champions the importance of operational learning and building safety capacity to create effective and lasting impacts.
