Canadian HME Woman of the Year Award
Presented by VGM Canada
VGM Canada is proud to announce the creation of the first Canadian HME Woman of the Year Award. This annual award seeks to recognize one of the many women in the HME industry who has made increasingly significant contributions throughout her career to her company, community, and the home medical equipment or mobility industry.
The Canadian HME Woman of the Year nominations are open to all women, regardless of title or position, who work within the HME or mobility industry. Nominees can be suppliers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, manufacturers, and other professionals in the HME or mobility industry.
Congratulations to Cindy Wickens, the 2022 Canadian HME Woman of the Year!
Cindy Wickens
Founding Partner, XPerience Home Healthcare, Windsor, ON
Cindy Wickens is a Founding Partner for Xperience Home Healthcare in Windsor, ON. Cindy has worked in the home health care industry since 1986. She started at Doncaster Medical and later became an owner of Motion Specialties Windsor. Since 2017, she has been a founding partner of Xperience Home Health Care in Windsor and London, ON.
Cindy and her husband, Ken, have two children and have been foster parents with the Windsor Essex Children Aid Society since 2018. Most recently they have been foster parents to 5 and 7 year old sisters. When she is not at work or busy with foster children, you may find her at the Lakeshore Fire Department where she has been an active firefighter for 33 years and was recently appointed to Captain.
2022 Finalists
Finalists were selected from a deep pool of nominees by the Canadian HME Woman of the Year selection committee. The winner will be announced on October 20, 2022, during a ceremony before the keynote at the Canadian Seating & Mobility Conference 2022.
Michelle Harvey
Vice President of Sales & Products for HME Home Health in Richmond, BC
Michelle Harvey is the Vice President of Sales & Products for HME Home Health in Richmond, BC. With over 18 years in the mobility and accessibility industry and an Occupational Therapy background, Michelle brings technical experience and a wealth of knowledge to their HME team. As Vice President of Sales and Product, Michelle leads HMEs specialized consultant teams across six locations in British Columbia in all areas of accessibility, rehab, long-term care, pediatrics, and corporate programs. Michelle’s drive for continued education and product knowledge is demonstrated through the members of her team and the organization’s diverse product offerings. Michelle is also both a NRRTS Canadian Advisory Committee Member and serves as Regional Review Chair for NRRTS America.
Allison Seiderer
President and CEO for Living Well Home Medical Equipment in Peterborough, ON
Allison Seiderer is the President and CEO of Living Well Home Medical Equipment. Allison and her husband Ron purchased the business in 2008 and grew the company from a single 1200 sq ft location to 15,000 sq ft and three locations covering the Kawartha, Durham and Northumberland regions. Focused on being a one-stop shop the product line was expanded from basic mobility to an expansive retail and rehab line as well as commercial lifts and respiratory (CPAP). Allison was formally educated in Architecture specializing in “green” and accessible homes. In her earlier years, she was also a licensed stock broker for RBC Dominion Securities, registered in equities, derivatives, options, and insurance. She also holds a Personal Financial Planner designation. When RBC purchased Dominion Securities she moved into management for RBC Royal Bank and later National Bank, managing successively larger branches for 7 years. Allison is a Canadian Certified Aging in Place Specialist. She is passionate about making communities more accessible and has worked with the City of Peterborough on the Built Environment Accessibility Committee since 2010 to ensure all city-owned properties are fully accessible. This committee also works with the Building Department to make recommendations to developers on how to make their building plans more accessible and user-friendly to persons with disabilities.
Deeply committed to giving back to the community, Allison has volunteered time with Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Rotary, CNIB, Hospice Peterborough, Festival Of Trees Annual Hospital Fundraiser, St Josephs’ Care Foundation, Ontario Home Medical Equipment Providers Association, Peterborough Youth Basketball, and the Peterborough and the Kawartha’s Chamber of Commerce. She has collected medical equipment for donation overseas (Kandahar Afghanistan) and diverted truck loads of used equipment to be donated back into the local community.
Cindy Wickens
Founding Partner for XPerience Home Healthcare in Windsor, ON
Cindy Wickens is a Founding Partner for Xperience Home Healthcare in Windsor, ON. Cindy has worked in the home health care industry since 1986. She started at Doncaster Medical and later became an owner of Motion Specialties Windsor. Since 2017, she has been a founding partner of Xperience Home Health Care in Windsor and London, ON.
Cindy and her husband, Ken, have two children and have been foster parents with the Windsor Essex Children Aid Society since 2018. Most recently they have been foster parents to 5 and 7 year old sisters. When she is not at work or busy with foster children, you may find her at the Lakeshore Fire Department where she has been an active firefighter for 33 years and was recently appointed to Captain.
Selection Committee
Dominique Sedlezky, BSc. MBA
Dominique Sedlezky is the Senior Director of Operations & Funding at Sunrise Medical Canada Inc. where she previously held the position of Canadian Marketing Director. She brings 18 years of experience in the medical devices industry, having worked on new product launches, provincial government programs, national and global marketing campaigns and enjoyed an amazing experience with the Sunrise Brand Ambassadors at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil. In addition, she serves as a Board Member of the Canadian Seating and Mobility Conference (CSMC) and has been a member of her town's Accessibility Advisory Committee, as well as Independent Living Halton and Variety village. As a bilingual Canadian, Dominique has taught French classes at Seneca College and is a former Vice President of the not-for-profit group Francophonie en Fête in Toronto. A mom to two hockey players, she enjoys long distance running, triathlons, and hopes to one day run in the Boston Marathon.
Evan Kellett
Evan has been working in the seating and mobility world with Macdonald’s Home Health Care in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia for 15 years. Through his work as President of the BC Home Medical Equipment Providers Association, he remains well connected to the vendors, manufacturers, and therapists who serve the residents of BC. In his spare time, Evan coaches girls’ volleyball and loves camping with his family.
Richard Fendert
Richard Fendert is the Manager of Home Health Care for Lawtons Drug Stores in Atlantic, Canada. Richard has worked for Lawtons for 10 years. During this time, he has been dedicated to the Home Health Care and Rehab areas within Lawtons. Richard began his career with Lawtons as the Rehab Manager, which is the largest Rehab location in Dartmouth, NS. In 2018, Richard transitioned into his current role of Manager Home Health Care. In this role, Richard is responsible for their ongoing rehab operations and also ensuring that HHC stores are equipped with the products and services needed to help assist their customers. Richard has a passion for dealing with people. Throughout his career, he has always been in operational or front-line customer service roles. His retail, small business, and operational experience, combined with his front-line customer service experience, has enabled him to be a leader in service delivery from many business points of view.
Rick Synkowicz
Rick Synkowicz is currently CEO of Human Care Canada Inc. and has worked in the healthcare space for 15+ years. Human Care Canada provides walking aids, safe patient handling products, healthcare beds, medical equipment, and furniture, with the mission to improve freedom of movement and quality of care. Prior to joining Human Care, he worked in the medical device industry for both Motion and Invacare. He is a regular contributor to OHMEPA’s Manufacturer Council and is involved in many segments of the medical device area. Before working in healthcare, Rick worked in Consumer Goods for both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
