Executive Team

In honor of our beloved Founder, Leader, and CEO Terry Hay (1952-2018). Terry led the company with passion, vision, and inspiration. He created a culture that inspired each individual working in Scandinavian to believe and provide our core values every day – Service, Motivate, Respect, Connect. Through his leadership and values Terry Hay created what we know today as the Scandi family.

We all work together to honor him and continue his legacy.

Russell was born and raised in the janitorial industry, honing his skills alongside his father in every area of the business. Bringing more than 15 years’ experience and a commitment to Best Practices, Russell passionately leads the janitorial service industry with innovation and customer service excellence, serving as Scandinavian’s President & CEO.  With an unmatched work ethic, Russell has set his sights on rapidly growing the business across North America, while still ensuring client expectations are consistently met and exceeded. Customers always come first at Scandinavian, which led to the development of the 10-1-24 commitment, along with ensuring there is always a real person on the other end of the phone when you call.  These initiatives are firmly rooted in the success of Scandinavian, established by Terry Hay, and proudly reinforced by Russell daily.  An active member of the Young Presidents Organization, Russell engages with his local community to connect with fellow influential business leaders who encourage both professional and personal development.  Scandinavian is a family business built on accountability, service, and culture, and Russell is focused on innovative advances to consistently exceed client expectations.  When not at the helm, Russell spends his downtime with his beautiful family, getting outdoors, and is an avid music fan, enjoying concerts whenever possible.

Serving as Scandinavian’s Chief Operating Officer, Mamo brings a wealth of knowledge in service excellence, quality, and productivity. Through more than 27 years’ in management and leadership roles in both public and private sectors, Mamo offers a diverse expertise in Best Practices. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and an Executive MBA in Leadership, Mamo strives to bring innovative change processes to reduce redundant activities, while implementing new ways that add value to our core purposes. He is dedicated to coaching his team on how to deliver exceptional services that focus on quality, efficiency, speed, and safety for our clients and organization. Nothing makes Mamo happier than to see those around him succeed, embrace and drive change, all while ensuring client satisfaction.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Michael spent much of his childhood abroad, living in Saudi Arabia and travelling the world before calling Ontario home. With over 30 years’ in the industry, Michael has honed his expertise in a variety of roles, and currently serves as Scandinavian’s Executive Vice President of Canadian Operations. Joining Scandinavian in 2009 as the Operations Director, Michael quickly assumed a leadership role, moving into General Manager in 2011, and winning Manager of the Year in 2013. Bringing a naturally calm disposition and aptitude for financials, Michael has been a driving force of stability throughout substantial change. Embodying Scandinavian’s Core Values, Michael enjoys quality time with family and friends, and can often be found travelling to warm destinations or on a roller coaster.

With more than 15 years’ experience spanning all departments, Melanie currently serves as Scandinavian’s EVP of Human Resources and Corporate Services. Combining her undergraduate degree, executive leadership and extensive Human Resources training, Melanie is a strategic life-long learner committed to delivering creative solutions and organizational growth. Specializing in employee engagement, Melanie focuses on employee retention through open communication, ensuring each member of the Scandinavian team feels valued, and their professional goals encouraged. Committed to community service, Melanie spearheads Scandinavian’s non-profit partnerships across Canada, while also supporting client-driven charitable initiatives throughout the year. A charismatic leader by nature, Melanie lends her expertise and enthusiasm to events and HR related webinars. Melanie spends her downtime with her family, she loves to spend time outdoors and always enjoys a great family movie night.

Experienced in Account Management, Sales, and Procurement in both service and manufacturing industries, Candace brings an innovative approach to the role of Scandinavian’s EVP of Procurement & Risk Management. With a focus on aligning best practices of internal policies and procedures, Candace is dedicated to mitigating risks and delivering fair outcomes to both customer and company. Candace oversees all procurement of insurance and bonds, along with investigating all claim submissions. Combining seasoned instincts with persistence, Candace is passionate about risk management and values all party perspectives. Believing life is to be celebrated, Candace spends her downtime with family, often at a sporting event supporting her children, or in the kitchen baking.

After spending over a decade in oil and gas, Mak brings more than 15 years’ experience in both field and corporate settings. Combining an extensive professional background in large publicly-traded companies with his CPA designation and Master’s in Business Administration, Mak has the expertise and drive needed to advance corporate profitability and growth. Serving as Scandinavian’s Chief Financial Officer, Mak is the head of the Finance, Accounting, Payroll, and Estimating functions. Mak leads his teams by embodying the Core Values of Scandinavian through mutual respect, trust, and open communication. A family man at heart, he spends his downtime with his wife and three beautiful children and plays a variety of sports including basketball, hockey, and skiing.

A strategic executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in Retail, CPG, and Health Care industries. Mirek’s career is backed by extensive experience in Operations, Marketing & Sales, and Administration. This diverse background has provided real-world experience that has assisted in designing and implementing effective transformative solutions that result in a company’s growth and profits. Mirek’s key focus of the business intelligence and support team is to provide value and efficiency to Scandinavian. This division encompasses BI Reporting, Systems, Data Engineering, and Information Technology teams. In his personal life, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also leads and supports a competitive swimming organization, while being a competitive swimmer himself.

Joe brings 25 years of senior leadership in national accounts and Canadian operations to Scandinavian.  With his extensive background in executive management in both private and public sectors, he is skilled in sales growth, contract negotiations, change management, operations management, and pricing strategies.  By coaching his operational teams across Canada, Joe strives to provide customers with an exceptional customer experience.  Backed by his educational qualifications in Human Resources and Business Management from McMaster University, Joe values creating teams that work collaboratively and are process driven.  Outside of work, Joe is a single father of three and enjoys running, often signing up for regional marathons.  He also coaches other runners, as well as dabbles in coaching hockey and baseball teams.

With a diverse portfolio of Human Resources expertise, Lisa is not afraid to get her hands dirty to fully understand and contribute to an organization’s culture and overall operations. A graduate from MacEwan’s HR program and a Chartered Professional in Human Resources, Lisa is a true subject matter expert and lifelong learner in the field. Offering full scope HR through implementation of best practices, Lisa serves as Scandinavian Building Services’ Vice President of HR. With steady leadership and guidance, Lisa oversees all recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and daily operational needs. As an avid long-distance hiker and community minded-individual, Lisa can be found either at her local community league or in the great outdoors when not working.

With over 10 years of experience in health and safety management, Christina recognizes industry best practices in both industrial and commercial environments. She earned her Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Lethbridge and continued her education with a certificate in Occupational Health and Safety from the University of Alberta. She is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP), certified COR Auditor, and franchise owner. As Scandinavian’s Director of Health and Safety, Christina specializes in a collaborative approach to ensure health and safety legislative compliance across Canada. Through the continuous development of integrated health and safety systems, Christina has received awards and recognition for advancing the innovative use of technology. Outside of work, Christina can be found exploring with her family or cooking a delicious meal.

Bio Coming Soon

Mark brings over 40 years of experience to his role at Scandinavian. His experience includes oil and gas, freight/logistics, and warehousing. At Scandinavian, Mark uses his experience and knowledge to lead the procurement team as Scandinavian’s Director of National Procurement.  An expert in his field, Mark led his team to centralize Scandinavian’s procurement depart to create efficiencies and cost savings.     Upholding the core values of Scandinavian, he manages his teams with honesty, trust, and open communication. In his spare time, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife, sons, and his dog.  An avid fitness enthusiast, he regularly opts for taking his dog on walks to get steps in or heading to the gym.