Montréal's Top Employers (2022)

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ONESPAN

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022 Magazine Anthony Meehan, PUBLISHER

Editorial Team:

Richard Yerema, MANAGING EDITOR

Kristina Leung, SENIOR EDITOR

Stephanie Leung, ASSISTANT EDITOR

Juliane Fung,

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

Chantel Watkins, JUNIOR EDITOR

Jing Wang,

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Advertising Team:

Kristen Chow,

MANAGING DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING

Ye Jin Suhe,

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Vishnusha Kirupananthan, JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Sponsored Profile Writers:

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Brian Bergman Abigail Cukier Lisa Day Mary Dickie Jane Doucet Chris Fournier Don Hauka Patricia Hluchy Bruce McDougall Kelsey Rolfe Nora Underwood Barbara Wickens

© 2022 Mediacorp Canada Inc. and Postmedia Inc. All rights reserved. MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS is a trade mark of Mediacorp Canada Inc. Editorial inquiries: ct100@mediacorp.ca

 Checking in on an employee meeting at Montréal-based e-security software firm OneSpan Canada, prior to the pandemic.

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rior to the pandemic’s arrival in March 2020, the Montréal area had the strongest employment market in all of Canada. Two years into the public health emergency, employers in the city are once again competing to attract and retain employees like never before. More job postings are today going unfilled at employers in the city than before the pandemic.

The reasons for Montréal’s tight labour market are various, but the response of the city’s best employers has been remarkably uniform. Forward-thinking employers are going out of their way to help employees better balance their family and personal commitments outside work. For many Montréal employers, this means formalizing work-from-home arrangements so they can continue after the pandemic. At other workplaces, flexibility and a results-oriented focus are the main objectives as employers develop new hybrid work models for after the pandemic.

Above all, this year’s Montréal’s Top Employers recognize that this is a time for possibilities and new thinking about workplaces — and what it means to be a progressive employer. Throughout the pages of this year’s announcement magazine and in our editors’ detailed reasons for selection, you’ll find a host of new ideas and initiatives to

create better workplaces that are not only better for the bottom line, but also help employees manage their commitments outside work.

Publishing detailed reasons for selection is a distinguishing feature of our annual competition. Not only does it help job-seekers become more informed on what the best employers are offering, but it also ‘raises the bar’ for employers and lets them discover best practices elsewhere.

Our editors’ reasons were released today and can be viewed at: www.canadastop100.com/montreal In selecting this year’s winners, employers in Montréal were evaluated by editors at Canada’s Top 100 Employers using the same criteria as our national competition: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office in Montréal; employers of any size may apply, private or public sector.

To have your organization considered for next year’s competition, please contact our editorial team at ct100@mediacorp.ca

– Tony Meehan

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

AIR CANADA

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 Employees at Air Canada taking part in a special event to prepare recipes for a special employee cookbook, prior to the pandemic.

The pandemic has given more power to Montréal’s workers In the age of remote work, employers must adapt to having less leverage than before

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ontréal has always been one of the country’s most attractive places to live, and employers have had a relatively easy time attracting talent to the city as a result. Now, travel restrictions and the availability of remote work are starting to change that reality — and Montréal’s top employers sat up and took notice.

The best companies have adapted in a variety of ways, most notably by offering a greater level of remote work themselves.

The Montréal’s Top Employers competition shows that in the struggle for

employees, the most successful companies found ways to maintain efficiency while transitioning to a remote or hybrid work model. Among the city’s top employers, there is a trend toward not just better compensation, but a better work-life balance overall. w Live in Montréal, work anywhere

“Prior to the pandemic, the Montréal region presented one of the more attractive job markets in the country,” Kristina Leung, senior editor for the Montréal’s Top Employers competition explains.

Now, however, remote work has made jobs outside Montréal more available to residents than ever before. Employers seem to be looking for ways to differentiate themselves to workers who consider applying for jobs outside the city — and that number of employees is going up.

Mark Olivier, senior director of corporate talent at Air Canada, says that his company has been forced to adapt quickly, not just to pandemic conditions, but changing perceptions among applicants. “It’s a different situation right now,” he says. “Job seekers are saying, ‘Oh I don’t have to live in Montréal.’ That’s made a big difference.”

Olivier believes that the future for Montréal employers is to lean into creative benefits that create real worker loyalty and to reinvest in the local community in terms of experience and education initiatives.

For older and larger companies, the issue has evolved over generations; complete solutions could very well end up rolling out over generations, too. w Remote work is the new normal

The pandemic has introduced the necessity of remote work, but most companies agree that as pandemic restrictions ease, remote working won’t

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S.DE WIT/PFIZER

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

 Employees at Kirkland-based Pfizer Canada organizing a grocery-receipt fundraiser for West Island Community Shares, a local charitable organization.

SHIFTING POWER

Cont.

necessarily leave with them.

Chantal Teasdale, human resources director at Fromageries Bel Canada, says her company knows that it needs to “adapt (its) hiring practices and offer a hybrid work model to potential candidates.” Still, they also need to be aware that some people are also looking to reconnect. According to Teasdale, “Offering this kind of culture could help prevent Montréal residents from looking for jobs outside Montréal.”

That’s the incentive for many companies, though it’s too early to see which of

them has the best path to success. Leung says that, “I think the impacts of the pandemic and government responses have varied somewhat and presented unique local challenges for all residents and businesses, and I suspect we’ll be debating what worked and what did not work for some time.” w Creative benefits are the answer to

hiring woes

The common thread that runs through the policies among 2022’s top employers is clear: a focus on benefits that go beyond compensation alone that also provides

what their workforce wants during uncertain times.

Teasdale says that “We launched several CSR initiatives and wellness programs in 2021 that could be done remotely to keep people engaged and interested in the company mission… We also offered a lot of development options such as e-learnings to keep people motivated and to enable them to learn new skills.”

It turns out that, facing real difficulties that can be eased with meaningful support from an employer. Montréal’s workers show loyalty to companies that show loyalty to them. That means that even as

their coworkers move physically away from Montréal and other densely populated work hubs, they stay on as a company’s best, most experienced employees.

In the past year, what helped companies retain talent in Montréal was a recognition that the most talented applicants and workers are often the ones most likely to leave for greener pastures. In Montréal, the best employers have realized that, to retain such employees, the solution is to place more emphasis on worker happiness in their workplace policies and practices.

– Graham Templeton

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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SODEXHO

2022 WINNERS  Inside the newly renovated Montréal office of Sodexo Canada, one of this year’s winners.

The following organizations have been chosen as Montréal’s Top Employers for 2022 (employee count refers to full-time staff):

A

BB CANADA, Saint-Laurent.

Engineering and technology services; 2,938 employees.

Facilitated ongoing communications over the past year, including a 24/7 support hotline to connect employees to resources such as HR, IT support, and mental health assistance.

AIR CANADA, Saint-Laurent. Air transportation; 17,383 employees. Honours exceptional performance through peer-nominated Excellence Awards and the Shine recognition platform for everyday appreciation.

B

AM STRATEGY, Montréal.

Advertising agency; 66 employees.

Encourages employees to put their health first with unlimited paid sick days and access to virtual health care.

BEACONSFIELD, CITY OF, Beaconsfield.

Municipal government; 87 employees.

Helps employees balance family commitments with a variety of flexible work arrangements and paid personal days that can be used as needed.

BLUE CROSS CANASSURANCE GROUP, Montréal. Health and medical insurance carriers; 521 employees. Helps employees plan confidently for the longer term with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

BEHAVIOUR INTERACTIVE INC., Montréal. Video game developer; 739 employees.

Transitioned its temporary home office reimbursement to a permanent “BeHappy” reimbursement that can be used towards fitness, wellness, transportation, and home office expenses, to a max of $1,000 per year.

BNP PARIBAS (CANADA), Montréal.

Banking; 926 employees. Is developing a new flexible work model, which includes permanent options for remote work, digital tools for collaborative work, and a pilot “No Meetings in the Afternoon” program for Fridays.

BELL CANADA, Verdun. Communications; 36,412 employees. Prioritizes the well-being of its employees with generous coverage for mental health practitioners, to a maximum of $3,000 per year.

BROADSIGN CANADA COMPANY, Montréal. Computer systems design services; 151 employees. Offers a range of helpful day-to-day financial benefits, including discounted home insurance, discounted auto insurance, and discounted auto lease rates.

BELL TEXTRON CANADA LTD., Mirabel. Aircraft manufacturing; 1,244 employees. Offers co-op placements and paid internships to help students and recent grads gain career-level experience.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BANK OF CANADA, Montréal. Secondary market financing; 2,498 employees. Extends its

health benefits plan to retirees, with 100 per cent premium coverage and no age limit.

C

AE INC., Saint-Laurent. Aviation and defence systems; 4,508 employees. Introduced a number of virtual wellness initiatives such as the “R U OK?” initiative to encourage employees to connect with their colleagues.

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY, Montréal. Railroad transportation; 17,875 employees. Supports numerous local community organizations across the country though the longstanding Stronger Communities Fund.

CAREBOOK TECHNOLOGIES INC., Montréal. Specialized computer software; 42 employees. Supports new families-to-be with generous subsidies for IVF treatments to a lifetime maximum of $15,000, if required.

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

Continued

CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES MONTRÉAL ULC, Senneville. Medical research and development; 2,354 employees. Supports employees with older kids though an academic scholarship program for children pursuing post-secondary education, to $1,000 per child.

CIUSSS WEST-CENTRAL MONTREAL, Montréal. Healthcare services; 6,171 employees. New parents returning from their parental leave may take advantage of an onsite child care centre along with phased-in work options letting returning parents ease back into full-time work.

COMPULSION GAMES ULC, Westmount.

Video game developers; 70 employees. Provided employees a $1,000 subsidy to help cover the costs of home office setups and reimbursed 100 per cent of home internet costs since the start of the pandemic.

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, Montréal.

Post-secondary education; 3,062 employees. Helps employees plan securely for the future with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan along with a health benefits plan that extends to retirees with no age limit.

CROESUS FINANSOFT, Laval. Financial management software and services; 187

employees. Encourages employees to support charitable causes important to them with matching donations to a maximum of $1,500 annually.

CSL GROUP INC., Montréal. Marine shipping and transportation; 637 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance services and extends health benefits to retirees with up to 100 per cent premium coverage and no age limit for most employee groups.

D

ANONE CANADA, Boucherville. Food manufacturing; 522 employees. Encouraged employees to stay connected

M.GIRARD/BI

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): 1. Montréal-based Behaviour Interactive provides staff with a special ‘BeHappy’ reimbursement of up to $1,000 per year for wellness and home office expenses.

2. At CSL Group, retired employees receive health coverage, with the company paying up to 100 per cent of premiums with no age limit for most employee groups.

3. Saint-Laurent-based CAE Inc. recently introduced a series of virtual wellness initiatives to encourage employees to connect with colleagues to talk about mental health.

T.CARRON/CAE

EIDOS

4. Throughout the pandemic, Eidos Interactive ensured that staff stayed in touch through interactive and in-person events, including cooking and meditation classes.

through a number of initiatives organized by a “Work@Home Stay Healthy” employee group.

DRW HOLDINGS, LLC., Montréal.

Financial trading; 256 employees. Provides generous maternity and parental leave top-up for new and adoptive parents for a full year along with the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

E

IDOS INTERACTIVE CORPORATION, Montréal.

Video game developer; 843 employees. Encouraged employees to keep in touch through a D.PAGE/CSL

2022 WINNERS

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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2022 WINNERS

Continued

variety of virtual and in-person events, including cooking classes, a weekly sports and yoga program, guided meditation and holiday celebrations.

F

AIRSTONE FINANCIAL INC., Montréal. Financial services; 1,357 employees. Offers generous new employee referral bonuses when employees successfully recruit new candidates, up to $5,000 depending on the position.

FEDNAV LIMITED, Montréal. Deep sea freight transportation; 207 employees.

Support employees over the longer term through a defined benefit pension plan and health benefits that extend to retirees with no age limit.

FRESCHE SOLUTIONS INC., Montréal.

Computer systems design services; 175 employees. Recently established a permanent work-from-home policy ensuring that employees can choose to return to the office or continue working remotely.

1. Mark Roberts, talent, OE and inclusion manager at Imperial Tobacco, having a development conversation with an employee.

2. A Fednav employee at the opening of the Great LakesSt. Lawrence Seaway, which launches the start of the busy shipping season.

3. Fresche Solutions employees enjoy career advancement and being part of a leader in IT modernization solutions.

FEDNAV

G

ENETEC INC., Saint-Laurent.

Custom computer programming services; 950 employees. Encourages employees to recruit their friends with new employee referral bonuses, to $3,000 depending on the position.

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): IMPERIAL

FROMAGERIES BEL CANADA INC., Montréal. Cheese product manufacturing; 192 employees. Supports ongoing employee education with tuition subsidies for job-related courses, to $5,000 annually.

GSOFT, Montréal. Computer software; 270 employees. Maintains an unlimited time-off policy and recently updated its flexible work policies to allow eligible employees to work from anywhere.

H I

UMANIA ASSURANCE INC., Saint-Hyacinthe. Insurance; 168 employees. Encourages employees to become owners through a share purchase plan and helps them plan securely with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

INSIGHT CANADA, INC., Montréal.

Technology consulting; 940 employees.

Encouraged employees to keep in touch through quarterly ice cream socials, a fun “Insight’s Got Talent” competition and

FRESCHE

MPERIAL TOBACCO CANADA LTD., Montréal. Cigarette manufacturing; 473 employees. Provided work-from-home kits with needed technology, including noise cancelling headsets, along with ergonomic guidelines and a $350 office furniture subsidy.

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

2022 WINNERS

Continued

Valentine’s Day cookie deliveries to employees’ homes.

IVANHOÉ CAMBRIDGE INC., Montréal.

Real estate investment and management; 898 employees. Supports maternity and parental leave top-up payments to 80 per cent of salary for up to 18 weeks along with the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

K L

AROCHELLE GROUPE CONSEIL INC., Montréal. Information technology consulting services; 115 employees. Encourages continuous learning amongst its employees with tuition subsidies for courses related to their current position.

LAURENTIAN PILOTAGE AUTHORITY, Montréal. Marine pilotage and support services; 56 employees. Helps employees save for the future with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

LAURENTIDE CONTROLS LTD., Kirkland. Process control equipment and services; 297 employees. Cultivates an ownership culture through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

L’ORÉAL CANADA INC., Montréal.

Cosmetics manufacturing; 1,440 employees. Supports new parents with maternity and parental leave top-up and makes the transition back to work a little easier with onsite child care.

LOWE’S CANADA, Boucherville. Retail; 13,572 employees. Announced a philanthropic investment of $1-million as part of its response to the pandemic along with an additional $800,000, which was allocated to local organizations through Lowe’s network of stores.

LUDIA INC., Montréal. Video game developer; 398 employees. Helps employees balance work and family commitments with up to 10 paid personal days annually.

LUNDBECK CANADA INC., Saint-Laurent. Pharmaceutical research; 156 employees. As part of the company’s health benefits plan, employees can access coverage for mental health support services to a maximum of $1,000 annually.

V.DIMAANO/LUDIA

EURIG CANADA INC., Montréal. Coffee distribution and brewing equipment; 1,352 employees. Established the Fueling the Frontline initiative to donate Keurig systems to more than 90 health organizations and 69 hospitals across Canada.

 Montréal-based video game developer Ludia Inc. helps employees balance work and family commitments with up to 10

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paid personal days off each year, in addition to regular vacation allowance.

APLES GROUP, Montréal.

Investment services; 190 employees. Helps employees prepare for the longer term with retirement planning assistance and matching RSP contributions.

MCGILL UNIVERSITY, Montréal.

Post-secondary education; 7,138 employees.

Maintains an internal health and wellbeing program which features tools, strategies, and resources to help employees adopt positive mental, physical, financial and nutritional health.

MCKESSON CANADA, Saint-Laurent.

Healthcare services and supplies; 3,688 employees. Honours the generosity of its employees with matching charitable donations, to $2,500 USD per employee.

MISTPLAY INC., Montréal. Video game developer; 55 employees. Encourages employees to become recruiters for the company through generous referral bonuses, ranging from $250 to $2,000 per successful hire.

MORGAN STANLEY SERVICES CANADA CORP., Montréal. Secondary market financing; 1,940 employees. Invests in long-term professional development with generous

tuition subsidies for outside courses, to a maximum of $10,000 per year.

N

AKISA INC., Montréal.

Computer systems design services; 162 employees. Offers an annual allowance for home office expenses along with a monthly home internet allowance to facilitate remote work.

NESTLÉ NESPRESSO CANADA, Montréal. Coffee supplies and equipment; 502 employees. Provides new hires with a brand new Nespresso machine and a monthly $100 credit to purchase Nespresso products of their choice.

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS CANADA, INC., Montréal. Software publishers; 436 employees. Offers maternity and parental leave top-up for parents-to-be as well as subsidies to help cover the costs of adoption if needed, to a maximum of $10,000.

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NESPAN CANADA INC., Montréal. Software publishers; 295 employees. Implemented company-wide “stand-down” days to encourage all employees to log off and decompress.

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FIZER CANADA ULC, Kirkland.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 894 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance and health benefits that extend to retirees, with 100 per cent premium coverage and no age limit.

PHARMASCIENCE INC., Montréal. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 1,464 employees. Invests in the education of future generations with academic scholarships for children of employees, to $2,500 per child.

POMERLEAU INC., Montréal. Construction services; 2105 employees. Donated over $600,000 to local organizations to address the impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns on vulnerable populations.

PSB BOISJOLI LLP, Mont-Royal. Accounting firms; 220 employees. Encourages employees to take time to recharge with three weeks of starting vacation allowance and additional paid time off during the summer and winter months.

PUBLIC SECTOR PENSION INVESTMENT BOARD / PSP INVESTMENTS, Montréal. Pension funds; 842 employees.

Benefits plan includes a significant allotment of flex dollars, so employees can tailor coverage to suit their personal needs.

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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2022 WINNERS

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PUBLIC SERVICES AND PROCUREMENT CANADA, QUEBEC REGION, Montréal. Federal government, government support services; 18,131 employees. Supports new mothers with maternity and parental leave top-up, to 93 per cent of salary for a full year.

R

ICHTER LLP, Montréal.

Accounting firms; 477 employees. Offers financial bonuses for some course completion, to a maximum of $4,500.

RIO TINTO, Montréal. Diversified mining and metals manufacturing; 10,974 employees. Provided $300 for home office

technology purchases at the outset of the pandemic as well as $500 for ergonomic furniture.

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OCIÉTÉ QUÉBÉCOISE D’INFORMATION JURIDIQUE / SOQUIJ, Montréal. Provincial government, legal services; 130 employees. Supports new moms with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 21 weeks.

SODEXO CANADA LTD., Montréal. Food service contractors; 5,462 employees.

Manages a variety of in-house training initiatives, including tailored programs for front-line employees, managers and high-potential individuals.

T U

ROUW NUTRITION CANADA, Saint-Hyacinthe. Animal food production; 1,225 employees.

Helps employees prepare for life after work with retirement planning assistance services and a defined contribution pension plan.

experience when setting vacation entitlements for experienced candidates.

BISOFT CANADIAN STUDIOS, Montréal. Software publishers; 5,701 employees. Employees can apply for “Missions,” temporary assignments to other Ubisoft studios worldwide for a designated period of time, with additional costs covered.

W

ULTRA ELECTRONICS TCS INC., Mont-Royal. Communication systems; 127 employees. Considers previous work

UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL, Montréal. Post-secondary education; 5,568 employees. Created a special Emergency Fund of over $1-million to help students in need, providing necessary financial aid to cover basic living needs such as housing or food.

B GAMES MONTRÉAL INC., Montréal. Video game developer; 329 employees. Offered reimbursements for the purchase of home office equipment.

– Richard Yerema & Kristina Leung

D.GRAVEL/PSP

q At PSP Investments, decision-making authority is delegated so that managers and their teams can move forward quickly with support as needed.

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LPA

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

 Since the pandemic, the Laurentian Pilotage Authority has moved to a full telecommuting model and has implemented flexible work scheduling.

Top employers go all out to retain top Montréal talent Higher salaries and creative benefits are becoming the minimum needed to attract top Montréal talent

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ith one of the most versatile labour markets in the country, Québec employers have always faced unique employment challenges but, two years into the pandemic, even its highly adaptable employers were forced to change and adapt. That rolling uncertainty in the market may be benefiting Montréal’s workers as much as its big employers. It’s a trend that can be seen by looking at some of the most popular and successful companies in the country.

Each year, the Canada’s Top 100 Employers competition releases its picks for the best employers for most regions of the county, analyzing a range of factors to

help applicants figure out which companies offer the best work environments.

Now, 2022’s Montréal ranking has arrived to highlight those employers that offer creative, competitive compensation and benefits packages even while dealing with the host of local and global difficulties the pandemic has brought.

The winners are chosen based on multiple criteria, including compensation and benefits, the work and social atmosphere, the quality of the physical workplace, training and upward mobility and community involvement — all of which were pushed forward by a healthy level of competition between public- and private-sector employers.

“I think the past year has continued to

present very difficult challenges for virtually all employers,” said Richard Yerema, managing editor at Canada’s Top 100 Employers. “We are now entering year three of this ‘new normal,’ compounding the difficulty of challenges like navigating new safety protocols and transitioning to remote or hybrid work.” w When the going gets tough, the tough

get creative

In a tough job market, employees can often suffer from depressed wages — but as the last year played out, the market saw several examples of how hard economic conditions can instead lead to increased competition among employers. Some fast-food restaurants, for instance, have

been forced to raise even low-end salaries in order to compete.

This trend is even more evident in higher-paying and more worker-focused industries like software development, where companies have to get creative to entice the province’s top talent. These sorts of companies have leaned into the remote work paradigm, benefiting from the fact that most of their employees can easily transition their work to the home.

Sarah Hanel, senior director of global corporate communications at OneSpan, a security-focused software developer, says that “like all Montréal-based employers, OneSpan has had to integrate greater levels of remote work.” She believes that as a globally-focused tech company, the

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2022

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

ATTRACTING TOP TALENT

Cont.

company is perfectly placed to navigate the remote work revolution. In Montréal, as in Canada at large, tech firms lead the way. w Remote work is changing Montréal’s

hiring advantage

As power shifts somewhat to the candidate in more hiring interactions, employers have had to get creative to retain top talent. Attractive benefits packages can often seem to carry more value than they actually cost to deliver, while less standard offerings like increased flexibility in time-off can entice new workers for little money down.

Many workers find Montréal to be an attractive region for its many lifestyle benefits, and that has always given the city’s employers ample access to talent. Now, remote work is allowing companies based outside of the city to compete for workers who live in it — and it’s having a big impact.

Michael Chan, head of people and operations at Compulsion Games says, “When it comes to recruitment, geography

is never the first factor that we look at. We focus on finding the right talent, and then evaluate whether remote work or relocation is possible.” As the shift to more remote work becomes the norm, new corporate mentalities are developing to accommodate that new normal.

Yerema says that, living in one of the country’s largest urban regions, “Montréalers benefit from a healthy mix of industry and opportunities, and most recently the metropolitan area has become home to a thriving high-tech sector.” That tech sector has helped Montréal adapt quickly to the pandemic, since many already had alternative working policies in place.

Yerema believes that “as with many large urban regions, Montréal’s job market has been well-suited to adapt to the changing nature of work.” w What makes the best the best?

It seems that 2022 was the year in which it became impossible to ignore that building and maintaining strong teams in Montréal comes down to being the best place to work.

Benjamin Fouchard, communications coordinator at the Laurentian Pilotage Authority, says that not only has his company gone to a full telecommuting model since COVID-19, but that it has also implemented flexible work scheduling and even reduced hours during the summer.

The best employers derive their decisions about policies and the work environment from an understanding of what their employees want. Not all types of workers require the same things; younger workers might value compensation alone, for instance, while older workers with children might prioritize extra flex time.

Put simply, there is no one set of benefits that today’s employees want; what they want is an employer that listens to their feedback and takes whatever steps are necessary to let work integrate easily with the rest of life.

“Necessity often leads to innovation,” Yerema says. “That includes everything from introducing greater work flexibility and new work from home policies, to enhancing support for physical and

mental health, to emphasizing more open communication with senior leadership.” w In the end, Québec’s fortunes are

Montréal’s fortunes

With a strong economy across Québec, this year’s Montréal’s Top Employers owe much to the rising economic fortunes that have resumed in the province even as the pandemic enters its third year.

There was no one formula for success in the Québec business world in the past year, but an emphasis on employee experience was a component of every strategy that found meaningful success. By making an effort to offer unique and above all well-targeted benefits for employees, this year’s Montréal winners were able to stand out from the crowd to retain the best talent on the market.

In a world where salary alone varies little across employers, it’s these non-monetary differentiators that will determine where the best talent goes, and where it stays for more than just a while.

– Graham Templeton

C.S.LANGLOIS/COMPULSION

q Employees at Compulsion Games ULC enjoy the common area at the company’s head office in Montréal.

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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ABB Canada creates a culture of engagement Ironman events all over the world while another is a comic book artist on the side. The series is an initiative that Ercolanese wants to continue post-pandemic, including with their international team.

“When I spoke to the triathlete, he had such a positive, healthy outlook on physical and mental well-being that it inspired me to start running,” says Ercolanese.

“It’s been an inspiration to work with such amazing people.”

 ABB Canada empowers employees to achieve their highest potential.

A

s the marketing specialist for the motion business at ABB Canada, Elan Ercolanese provides communication support for teams across Canada. So he was key in brainstorming ideas over the past year to keep employees engaged at the pioneering technology company. The challenge was in making communications fresh for everyone.

“We always need to maintain the rhythm and make sure business keeps on moving despite everything else grinding to a halt,” says Ercolanese. “So one of the first things we did was settle on a monthly town hall where we could talk with employees about

health and safety, as well as share business-related results.

“To keep it light and fun, at the beginning of every meeting we let everyone have their microphones on and joke around. That turned it from a typical business presentation into a real social break. We had a fantastic response.”

As the engagement group collaborated further, they decided on trying a more personal approach for employees to get to know each other better while working apart. So Ercolanese started an internal video interview series with employees called “Under the Casing,” a play on words related to the casing or outside shell wrapped around the internal parts of motors and drives, related

to the company’s products. Even though most Canadian employees in the office towers have been working remotely, ABB's offices have stayed open over the past year with stringent health and safety measures in place.

“I wanted to get to know our employees who don’t usually get to have the spotlight – both professionally about their job as well as about them personally,” says Ercolanese. “What are their hobbies? What’s going on in their life that people may not know about? It’s been a major success and people tune in every month to see the fantastic things our employees do.”

One featured employee is a triathlete who has participated in

It’s not only that we have access to support services, but there’s a connection to our leaders on the personal side.

— Sophie Langley Human Resources Business Partner

Sophie Langley, human resources business partner, motion business robotics and discrete automation, says keeping good communication channels open during this time has been critical, whether it’s a manager having casual chats with employees on a Friday afternoon or welcoming a new employee in person to make it a special day. Even though most Canadian employees in the office towers have been working remotely, ABB’s offices have stayed open over the past year

15

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

3,000 full-time staff in Canada

3

weeks, starting vacation allowance

100%

tuition subsidies

143

charities helped last year

 ABB empowers employees to design for the future.

with safety measures in place.

“There are many resources supporting employees through the pandemic from the family assistance program’s mental health web portal to virtual yoga sessions, but the most important one that keeps us connected is the feeling that our employer is

focused on our personal wellbeing,” says Langley. “It’s not only that we have access to support services, but there’s a connection to our leaders on the personal side.

“If I’m not feeling well, I can call my manager and know that I will be supported. It’s our culture

of caring that keeps us more engaged.”

That culture of caring extends into the community. More than 30 ABB Canada employees participated in vaccination hubs in Montréal in a cross-Canada collaboration between the government and the private sector to

accelerate nationwide vaccination.

“I’m very proud of ABB Canada’s participation,” says Langley. “Over a five-month period, ABB volunteers took part in various administrative tasks from greeting and registering visitors, to data entry. On busy days, up to 800 doses were administered.” 

— A better world begins with you FIND OUT MORE

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

16

As Air Canada takes off again, employees’ careers soar there. We made a difference in the Canadian population, not just in the Air Canada population. I was just gobsmacked at how well we work together.”

The company also put together what turned into a seminal program, in which a small group of employees whose jobs were not directly linked to essential operations during the darkest days of the pandemic were moved through other areas of the business in six-month rotations to lend a hand.

We have credibility because we’ve been there, done that, and have those stripes from the ranks.

 Mark Olivier, senior director, corporate talent at Air Canada.

onathan Lynch-Roche’s boss at Air Canada started as a flight attendant. So did his boss’s boss. “They moved from the operations to human resources to management,” says LynchRoche, a human resources specialist. “This is the biggest company I’ve ever worked for, and the opportunities for growth are huge.”

Mark Olivier, who has been with Air Canada for almost 34 years, also started as a flight attendant. “A large percentage of

our executives have come from the front ranks,” says Olivier, now senior director of corporate talent.

“We walk the walk, we talk the talk, as we always say. But we have credibility because we’ve been there, done that, and have those stripes from the ranks.”

Not that the company isn’t interested in bringing in talent from outside. It is, as Lynch-Roche can attest. But, Olivier explains, “working in a highly operational environment, you often miss a beat until you get a few years under your belt.” For him, “having been there and done that

I think made for a little bit more of an easier transition as I moved up through the ranks.”

Air Canada, like all the airlines, was hit hard during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and people had to be laid off or furloughed. But, Olivier says, the company deployed those employees any way it could – including to run vaccination clinics across Canada last spring.

“What does an airline have to do with vaccination clinics?” he adds. “But we did it and we hired back a lot of our laid-off and furloughed employees to work

— Mark Olivier Senior Director of Corporate Talent

Lynch-Roche is part of the socalled agility team and has moved through three different roles since the pandemic began – from redesigning the employee hiring process to helping the recruitment team. “It's one of the mitigation strategies for not letting people go,” he says. “We were deployed wherever we were needed, but we still got to retain our jobs.

I’ve been excited for each of the challenges, and I’m happy to do something to help the company

17

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

17,383

full-time staff in Canada (as of June 2021)

100%

retiree health premium

17

weeks, maternity leave top-up pay approx.

200

charities helped last year

 Jonathan Lynch-Roche, HR specialist at Air Canada.

that’s supported me so much.”

The initiative has proven to be such a success that it will likely be expanded into other departments.

And it benefits both the company and the employees. “It not only allows the person to live and breathe in other parts of the business where we need them most,”

Olivier says, “but when something else happens, these people have much more knowledge and the skill set to pivot quickly.”

Much of leadership’s focus of late has been on making sure employees working from home felt included and those who had to continue working in the airport,

on flights or at the office felt safe.

“We took a huge step toward wellness – financial, mental, physical workplace,” says Olivier.

“Everything we did in terms of procedures and protocols for people to follow were to create that sense of safety and inclusion at the same time.”

The mandate and the mission, Olivier says, are employeecentric: “Everything that we do, we do it with good communication, we give people choices and we make sure that employees feel connected so they don’t feel lost in the shuffle. And I think that’s worked really well for us.” 

WE’RE FLYING HIGH

TOUJOURS PLUS HAUT

We’re proud to be named one of Montreal’s Top Employers and recognized for our commitment to excellence in everything we do.

Nous sommes fiers de figurer parmi les meilleurs employeurs de Montréal et d’être reconnus pour notre engagement à viser l’excellence dans tout ce que nous faisons.

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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Bell Canada advances by keeping people connected communications industry in research and development investment, including a partnership with Université de Sherbrooke to develop 5G applications across the internet of things, innovative manufacturing and more.

 Tanya Nasehoglu at Bell Canada.

T

anya Nasehoglu became director, network provisioning and deployment, Québec, for Bell Canada on March 9, 2020. The next day, COVID-19 restrictions came into effect and many Bell team members, including Nasehoglu, began working from home.

Not only did Nasehoglu assume a new role at the start of a global health crisis, it was in an area of the company that she had not worked in since joining Bell after graduating from Polytechnique Montréal with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Nasehoglu oversees a team of hundreds of employees and is responsible for 14 facilities that deliver high-speed internet services for Bell customers throughout

Québec.

“COVID did not slow us down.

Our employees have shown great flexibility in adapting to different work environments and developing new ways to work,” she says. “It’s a crucial time to not only maintain, but improve our network.”

A communications leader since its founding in 1880 in Montréal, Bell is rolling out high-speed internet to several areas of Québec.

As part of Operation High Speed, in partnership with the Canadian and Québec governments, Bell will provide 100-per-cent fibre internet connections to more than 30,000 homes and businesses in nearly 100 Québec communities.

In an effort to help accelerate high-speed internet deployment in Québec, Bell put in place several resources to give

telecommunications providers easy access to support. This includes the Centre of Excellence, which shares best practices with service providers, works to improve project communications and provides a toll-free line for assistance.

“We work on innovative projects that impact people in every part of Québec,” says Karine Moses, senior vice president, content development and news, and vice chair, Québec. “There is incredible progress being made in how Canadians connect with each other and the world.”

Montréal was one of the first cities where Bell launched its 5G network and most regions of Québec now have 5G access following an aggressive expansion to municipalities across the province last year. Bell leads the Canadian

We work on innovative projects that impact people in every part of Québec. There is incredible progress being made in how Canadians connect with each other and the world.

— Karine Moses Senior Vice President, Content Development and News, and Vice Chair, Québec

Nasehoglu has witnessed firsthand how Bell aligns its business strategy and human resources policies to promote employee engagement and growth. She has also seen how the entire Bell team has adapted and found new ways to collaborate.

“We’ve been able to problem-solve and strategize virtually with teams from different business units and with team members in

19

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

50,000+ staff in Canada

2,900+

people leaders have participated in the Inclusive Leadership Development Program

37,000+ hours of self-directed learning content

22,000+

 Bell leads the Canadian communications industry in research and development investment.

the field working on essential services,” she says. “We’re reaching our goals, but we’re taking a new approach to get there.”

Particularly during COVID19, Bell has put an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration for its more than 50,000 team members. With a new recognition

program, Better Together, team members can connect through a best-in-class engagement platform that enables simple and timely recognition and collaboration for everyone.

“In addition to our ongoing investment in transformative technologies, we continue to invest in

our team members by building a more collaborative workplace that will foster creativity,” says Moses.

Nasehoglu describes the technological advances she’s seen during her 17 years with the company as nothing short of amazing. “It forces you to learn something new. You can never

free virtual health care consultations offered to team members and their families

get comfortable, you have to stay agile.”

In her new role, Nasehoglu says the technology might be different, but the dynamic hasn’t changed.

“Everyone is motivated to continue to improve,” she says. “We want to deliver the best products for the customer.” 

Give your career a boost.

Join a winning team.

Apply today at bell.ca/careers

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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A passion for giving back drives BNP Paribas staff Volunteering efforts are just one way BNPP supports employees’ overall well-being. The bank has traditionally relied on its benefits plan to boost physical and financial wellness but, during the pandemic, put a new focus on employees’ mental health.

 BNP Paribas Montréal office focuses on employees' well-being.

T

he first wave of lockdowns in Montréal coincided with an office consolidation at BNP Paribas (BNPP), as the bank moved from three locations to two. Left with more desks, chairs and monitors than the bank could use, a group of employees had an idea.

With support from management, they offered surplus office furniture to their colleagues for $10 each. They donated the proceeds to Fondation Papillon, a Montréal-based organization that supports children with disabilities.

“We’ve been able as employees to benefit and support the foundation,” says Charlotte Bonamy, business manager for Global Banking Americas, who

purchased two monitors and a chair. “It was done by the employees but it couldn’t have happened without support from management.”

The company also donated 70 monitors each to Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business and Université du Québec à Montréal’s Ècole des sciences de la gestion.

That example is representative of the strong spirit of giving back among both staff and management, says Sonja Volpe, CEO of BNP Paribas in Canada. Every year the bank supports organizations such as Acceuil Bonneau, Second Harvest and La Maison du Partage d’Youville, and does tree-planting and outdoor cleanup volunteer work. In 2021, BNPP launched a program to match

employees’ charitable donations up to a $500 annual maximum.

“To us it’s really important because our employees are engaging in areas they believe in strongly and want to support.

They bring their identity to these events,” Volpe says, adding that volunteering as a team provides an opportunity for colleagues to socialize.

The pandemic made it more difficult to volunteer last year, Volpe says, but BNPP's volunteering committee searched and found opportunities to support various causes.

In 2021, employee volunteering was on track to reach a cumulative 1,200 hours across the organization. “That was an area where we put a big focus this year to support the local community,” she says.

To us it’s really important because our employees are engaging in areas they believe in strongly and want to support. They bring their identity to these events.

— Sonja Volpe CEO, BNP Paribas in Canada

BNPP introduced telemedicine, an employee assistance program and mental-health training for managers, granted three extra days off and added funds to employees’ wellness accounts. The efforts were meant to recognize the diversity of employees’ needs.

It also ensured employee resource groups (ERGs) – a major component of BNPP's office social life – were available online. BNPP's ERGs are geared toward women in the workplace, LGBTQ+, Black, Asian, Latin and Indigenous staff, employees with families, and those who want to participate in group sports and

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

1,225

full-time staff in Canada

64%

of the executive team are women

38

years, average age of all employees

1,000+

 BNP Paribas employees come together and volunteer to plant trees after COVID-19.

leisure activities, among other groups.

“We know inclusivity improves emotional well-being, so a key priority for me was to make sure the virtual environment didn’t reduce or limit the opportunity for conversations,” Volpe says.

The groups helped support their

colleagues through a difficult year, Bonamy says.

Bonamy, one of the founding members of the employees with families ERG, was part of one of those efforts. During the early days of the pandemic, the group created a weekly entertainment hour: teenaged kids of employees

joined video calls with groups of younger children to read to them, teach them to code or tutor them, keeping them occupied while parents worked. One of Bonamy’s two boys participated and loved it.

The groups have also been a venue for management to hear

hours of employee volunteering during work hours last year

directly from employees, Bonamy adds.

“When employees voice their concerns and needs through the associations, management listens,” she says. “There’s a lot of respect and people are working all together in an open and diverse environment.” 

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

22

People’s ideas for big changes light up Broadsign Ongoing professional development is foundational for a company operating in the fast-paced tech space. Imamedjian has been mentored through regular oneon-ones with his supervisors and now mentors junior employees.

Every employee is expected to set personal learning goals quarterly or annually and can benefit from virtual training sessions.

 Strategy session at the Broadsign Employee Summit.

A

fter Mgo Imamedjian joined the Montréal office of Broadsign Canada Company in 2016, the software developer soon became interested in working more with internal teams and clients. “I was allowed to take on responsibilities that weren’t 100 per cent in my comfort zone, and I worked hard to achieve those goals,” he says.

Broadsign technology powers 425,000 signs and lights up 187,000 digital screens – in such places as airports, shopping malls, health clinics and transit systems – in more than 84 countries. In 2021, Imamedjian moved into the

newly created role of software architect, allowing him to remain on the technical side but also interact with other teams and clients.

“Everything I enjoy fit together in this new position,” he says.

Burr Smith, Broadsign’s St. Louis, Mo.-based chairman, president and CEO, works hard to ensure that Broadsign is a place where people want to learn and grow. “Everyone is a free agent, and our employees are making the decision every day to stay here,” he says. “You probably spend two-thirds of your life in and around your job, and we want our people to have valuable, productive, enjoyable careers.”

At Broadsign, values are the

core of the people strategy.

Imamedjian appreciates that employees are empowered to feel they can contribute ideas and make a positive impact. “If we feel strongly that something could be improved, we have the power to prove its value and there will be someone who’s listening,” he says.

For example, when Imamedjian was a software developer, he and his co-workers noticed certain components were missing from a product’s code. The team produced a proof-of-concept presentation and brought it to management, then were assigned to implement the improvements.

“Big changes often come from employee initiatives,” he says.

If we feel strongly that something could be improved, we have the power to prove its value and there will be someone who’s listening.

— Mgo Imamedjian Software Developer

When COVID-19 arrived, Broadsign employees were sent home quickly and set up to work there. “We were up and running remotely within 24 hours after deciding to do so,” says Smith.

Team meetings and activities moved to the virtual space, and a hybrid work model is being planned for the return to office.

Imamedjian lists a couple of benefits of remote work, including a more dedicated focus and fun virtual gaming sessions with co-workers on Fridays. Smith is

23

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

151

full-time staff in Canada

37

years, average age of all employees

5,500

job applications received last year

16%

growth in 2021  Broadsign's European sales team enjoying gathering in Berlin, Germany.

pleased with the employees’ ability to pivot, adapt and thrive throughout the pandemic. “Our Montréal team has done a phenomenal job, and we’re working with employees to continuously adapt to their ongoing needs,” he says.

Broadsign’s leaders are keen to

ensure that their people are continually engaged and fulfilled, regardless of where they’re working. “We have to remember that the success of our company is based on our people,” says Smith.

“We want to encourage the best people from everywhere and look for different points of view.”

To that end, Broadsign is strengthening its existing diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices. Its annual Diversity Week in October gives employees a safe space where they can connect by sharing stories and acknowledging other people’s life experiences.

“This isn’t a plaque that you put on a wall – you have to live it every single day,” says Smith.

“Broadsign’s values include treating all of our employees, customers and partners with dignity and respect. Not only is it good business, but it’s the right thing to do.” 

BE BRIGHT. BE BOLD. Our mission to light up the world begins with you.

BROADSIGN.COM/CAREERS

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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For BDC, diversity is also a business strategy retain these employees.”

Although Itela lives a 15-minute walk from BDC’s headquarters, she has been working at home because of the pandemic. So hasn’t yet met all of her colleagues in person, but they already feel like family. On her first day, she turned on her camera in a virtual meeting and saw smiling, welcoming faces. Virtual coffee dates and lunches have also helped them get to know each other.

BDC is very good at developing people, trusting them and seeing transferable skills.

 BDC employees work in open workspaces that encourage collaboration and interaction between teams.

oséphine Itela was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but left as a baby when her family relocated to Belgium, then Germany and France.

Although she came to Canada in 2008, she didn’t feel truly at home in her career until she joined Montréal-based Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).

“Based on the job description, I really felt like BDC was looking for me – an IT recruiter who was interested in diversity and inclusion,” says Itela, who was hired in

June 2021 as senior advisor, talent and acquisition, IT. “As a Black woman immigrant, these are very important values to me.”

BDC is a financial institution that helps create and develop strong Canadian businesses, with a focus on small and mediumsized enterprises. “Diversity is part of our business strategy,” says Chantal Rémy, senior vice president, Québec and Atlantic and advisory services. “Our commitment starts internally with a measurable action plan and extends to our client diversity strategy, which guides our

support for underserved Canadian entrepreneurs and includes programs such as the Indigenous Entrepreneur Loan and Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund.”

After three months at BDC, Itela’s role changed its focus from IT to diversity and inclusion.

“I’m excited to learn about other diverse communities and how we can connect with them,” she says.

“This isn’t something you can improvise – if we want to recruit more Indigenous employees, for example, we need to listen and learn what they need and want, then take action to attract and

— Chantal Rémy Senior Vice President, Québec and Atlantic and Advisory Services

Perhaps especially while they’re working apart, Itela appreciates her colleagues’ collaborative nature. “Everyone is hardworking, whether it’s a job fair or a diversity and inclusion event,” she says. “And everyone can contribute ideas – you are listened to no matter who you are.”

Both Itela and Rémy love working for, and interacting with, passionate entrepreneurs.

“They’re the key to prosperity in our communities and in our country,” says Rémy, who was recruited in 2012 as vice president, change strategies and learning.

25

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

2,500

full-time staff in Canada

40,296

job applications received last year

17

weeks maternity leave top-up pay

72,000

entrepreneur clients

 BDC employees help clients who are entrepreneurs, and key to Canada’s prosperity.

Since joining, she has seized many opportunities to get involved with internal committees and initiatives to better understand the organization, develop her internal network and contribute to the bank outside of her role.

Although Rémy has returned to the office two days a week, most of

BDC’s employees are still working remotely. To help maintain connections, when an employee does something special, Rémy likes to surprise them. “I don’t schedule a meeting, I just call to say they did a great job, then chat with them for 15 minutes about work, home or whatever is on their

Join the bank that invests in people’s talent.

mind,” she says.

Listening to employees is a priority at BDC, where they conduct regular employee “pulse check” surveys to understand how staff are doing and what they need. These insights inform new services and programs that are aligned with the needs of the

moment.

When Rémy joined BDC, her senior leaders saw potential in her, recognizing that there would be different opportunities for her in the future. “BDC is very good at developing people, trusting them and seeing transferable skills,” she says. 

No other bank is doing what we do.

We are devoted to Canadian entrepreneurs.

We’re also dedicated to our employees.

We’re hiring. bdc.ca/careers

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

26

CAE offers simulated flights, real opportunities of nine acquisitions – including L3Harris Technologies’ Military Training business and an agreement to acquire the AirCentre airline operations portfolio of Sabre Corp. – since the pandemic began. It also includes a $1 billion, five-year investment in developing aviation technologies that CAE says will place it at the forefront of emerging industries such as advanced air mobility and green light aircraft.

 CAE employees working on a simulator in Montréal.

I

t didn’t take long for JeanPascal Bélanger to realize he had what it took to succeed at CAE. Shortly after he joined the Montréal-based global company two years ago, a project Bélanger was working on to migrate training software to a new platform got bogged down. So he asked his manager for a chance to take it over.

Even though he was the least experienced person on the team, she said yes.

“She believed in me,” says Bélanger, a graduate of the

industrial relations program at Université de Montréal, who did a three-month internship at CAE before joining full time. “She was willing to take a risk. It went really well. I was able to shift the strategy and shift the project.”

For CAE, the world’s largest operator of flight simulators, it’s another example of empowerment, one of the company’s core values, says Hélène V. Gagnon, senior vice president of public affairs, global communications and corporate responsibility.

“We try to push the decision-making down to employees

at the lowest possible level,” she says. “We empower people.”

Another core value is innovation, says Gagnon, noting that CAE, founded in 1947, is consistently in the top 20 companies in Canada for research & development. Lately senior management has been investing heavily in data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

“It feels like things are moving really fast because we have the means to invest and to grow,” she says. “We’re able to reinvent ourselves constantly.”

That growth includes a string

If you’re willing to learn from people, if you’re willing to talk to people, if you’re willing to just be open, you’re going to have so many opportunities.

— Jean-Pascal Bélanger Change Management Specialist

“We’re in the growth mode, and that’s very exciting because people can feel it,” Gagnon says.

CAE is also pivoting to a flatter, more agile structure, emulating disruptive companies like Airbnb, Uber and Apple that can innovate quickly and efficiently. It’s a culture shift that Bélanger now finds himself in the middle of.

As part of the change manage-

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

4,500 full-time staff in Canada

1,750

internships over the last five years

100%

employer-paid health plan, with family coverage

6

 First delivery unit of CAE’s ventilator CAE Air1 in the company’s Montreal plant.

ment team, Bélanger’s role is to analyze the change, determine who will be affected and work with members of the communications, project management and IT teams to make sure everything goes smoothly.

“We make sure the people who are going to be living that change

are involved,” he says. “We do workshops with them to have their input on the future state.”

Bélanger is keeping an eye on the future, working on a master’s degree in sustainable development at Montréal business school HEC in addition to fulfilling his duties at CAE. He says his managers

give him plenty of leeway to pursue his studies. He hopes one day to be leading a transformational project like the one he’s working on now.

In a company like CAE, with more than 11,000 employees operating in 35 countries across three business units – civil avia-

employee resource groups supporting diversity, equity and inclusion

tion, defence and security, and health care – there’s no shortage of career avenues to explore.

“If you’re willing to learn from people, if you’re willing to talk to people, if you’re willing to just be open, you’re going to have so many opportunities,” says Bélanger. 

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

28

Charles River staff are inspired to make a difference well as taking courses toward her MBA. “The company is very supportive with advice and mentorship.

If you have questions about what you are studying, they are very helpful,” Normand says. “They are very encouraging to me when I have exams, if I need time to study. I appreciate knowing they’re behind me and that helps motivate and drives my passion to be a part of finding treatments that make a difference in patient’s lives.”

 Charles River employees were treated to an afternoon of #LifeatCRL summer fun at the Poutinefest.

M

aggie Gosselin says making a difference in people’s lives is what inspires her to go to work each day at Charles River Laboratories Montréal ULC. “It is amazing to help families through a tough time and provide treatment for a loved one,” says Gosselin, team leader in the toxicology department, who studies the safety of child development and fertility treatments. “What I like about my job is that we can save lives in our own way. We’re not doctors, but we’re at the beginning, working with scientists

in developing the therapies that make treatment possible.”

Gosselin says another reason she loves to go to work is the people, which has especially helped her throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. “Because I work in a lab, I cannot work remotely.

But knowing that I was going to share moments and laugh with the people around me was such a relief during this tough time.”

The company worked hard to provide employees with extra incentives during the pandemic, including on-site food trucks and ice cream and pizza days. For Christmas, employees were treated with games and raffles as well

as a gift box full of items created

by Québec artisans. “Every year, they try to find new ways to keep employees engaged and happy,” says Gosselin.

Geneviève Normand, general manager, Senneville, also appreciates the support the company provides toward employee learning and development. In addition to in-house and online training, leadership training and paid internships, employees are supported in education outside of the company. Normand, who started her career as an animal technician, has earned certificates in business management and leadership in change management, as

Working for a company that respects you personally and professionally is a real privilege.

— Geneviève Normand General Manager, Senneville

Charles River also encourages employees to help their communities, including through paid time off to volunteer. Gosselin won a photo contest during oncology awareness month, where she submitted a photo of her grandmother, who recently died of brain cancer. The prize was a $100 gift card, which Gosselin was able to contribute to a brain cancer charity.

Normand says that although Charles River is a large multinational company, it is easy to connect with employees across the organization, including through

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

2,354

full-time staff in Canada

39

years, average age of all employees

62%

of managers are women

100

 Charles River's team of scientists and technicians take pride in working on innovative studies.

activities such as Kindness Month honouring employee heroes, Halloween costume contests and celebrations for all wintertime holidays.

“It is a very people-oriented company so they make it easy for us to connect,” Normand says.

“We embrace the fact we are

a multinational company with several sites in Québec and are able to tap into and share our knowledge and skills with local teams and colleagues around the world.”

Normand says the company’s commitment to diversity is apparent in the fact that more

than 60 per cent of its employees and executives are women. The CEO regularly communicates with employees on diversity and inclusion topics and most recently, employees participated in training classes in subjects such as tackling bias.

“Ensuring representation is a

charities helped last year

continuous effort and when a company seriously invests in this, it becomes second nature,” Normand says. “My boss is a woman, my boss’s boss is a woman and this is across all levels.

“Working for a company that respects you personally and professionally is a real privilege.” 

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

30

Concordia sees inclusion as a call to action programming for all community members. An example of this includes the current offerings for staff and faculty on embedding EDI in our hiring practices and committees, to make sure that it plays a central role as Concordia continues to strive towards inclusive excellence,” she says.

“The fact that EDI is being formalized in a very intentional way is important because this sort of institutional backing holds a lot of weight.”

 Concordia University is home to the world-renowned Simone de Beauvoir Institute.

S

ince joining the Equity Office at Concordia University last fall, Bofta Weldetnsae has observed a sense of urgency and determination to put in the work pertaining to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and do right by every member of the university’s community.

As an equity advisor, Weldetnsae works with students on all EDI matters as well as advising faculty and staff on equity issues related to the student experience and supporting them in their own EDI issues.

“As somebody who’s lived in Montréal for several years, and

been active in community spaces and the equity world, I’m seeing a genuine commitment on the part of Concordia and in all corners to strive for a higher standard,” says Weldetnsae. “The work happening on campus to create a more equitable experience for students, faculty and staff is transformative. I’m really proud to be part of this team.”

Concordia created a President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism and launched an Equity Office and a Black Perspectives Office in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic and at a time of worldwide demands for immediate action to confront and dismantle forms of

institutional racism. The Equity Office is also informed by the work of other leaders such as the Office of Indigenous Directions, the Access Centre for Students with Disabilities, the Centre for Gender Advocacy and the Black Perspectives Office.

“I’ve been part of many conversations with different departments, meeting with professors and staff who recognize how important this work is,” says Weldetnsae. “Their focus and questions are mainly about how they can put EDI into practice in their classrooms or offices.

“The Equity Office is working on developing a suite of targeted

We really believe diversity is an important ingredient in allowing us to be more innovative.

— Graham Carr President

With a community of 60,000 students, faculty and staff from over 150 countries, Concordia has always been a university that prides itself on its extraordinary diversity and inclusivity, says president Graham Carr.

“The actions we’re trying to take are to give that even more visibility and prominence as part of who we are,” he says.

“We’re making it very clear in our recruitment that this commitment to equity, diversity, inclusivity and to accessibility is fundamental for us – including promoting

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3,062

full-time staff in Canada

11,034

job applications received last year

59

years, longest-serving employee

54%

 Faculty, staff and students work in state-of-the-art research labs at Concordia University.

equity and diversity within our ranks of employees.

“We really believe diversity is an important ingredient in allowing us to be more innovative,” says Carr. “If you have different perspectives around the table to talk through issues, you’ll end up making better decisions.

For us, our Equity Diversity Inclusion Action Plan isn’t just about ticking off boxes to say where we are representative. It’s about valuing that representation in a way that’s going to make us a better organization and a more innovative place to work.”

Going forward, Carr would like

to focus on nurturing and encouraging employees within the organization who represent diverse communities and identities to take on new responsibilities.

“There’s a proactivity piece to that, in terms of working with individuals coming from diverse backgrounds, who may not see

of managers are women

role models that look like them within the institution as it currently exists,” says Carr. “People need to be able to imagine they can aspire to be a manager or director of administration, or associate dean or university president. It’s about trying to foster that culture of visible inclusion.” 

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Innovation powers the CSL employee experience company someone starting their career would want to work for because you’re going to be involved in projects that have a major impact. You’re never going to do the same thing day after day.”

We’re focused on internal promotion and development to make sure we prepare our leaders of the future.

— Stephanie Aubourg Chief Human Resources Officer  A seafarer on board the CSL lake freighter MV Thunder Bay.

A

s a student studying finance and economics at the University of Toronto, John Castellarin never dreamed he’d end up on board a ship helping refit a huge cargo vessel in Thunder Bay at the head of the Great Lakes. But that’s just one of the many exceptional job experiences he’s had working at the CSL Group.

“It was very unique and not the kind of thing you’d expect to end up doing when you’ve studied finance,” says Castellarin, senior analyst, financial planning and analysis.

“CSL has opened up a whole new world and I’m grateful to

have the chance to experience it first-hand.”

The CSL Group is a marine transportation company headquartered in Montréal with deep roots in Canadian maritime history. Founded over 100 years ago, the company is a leading provider of marine dry bulk cargo and delivery services and operates a fleet of 47 vessels on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as in Australia, Europe and the United States.

Castellarin’s career voyage at CSL has taken him to many professional ports of call, starting as a financial analyst at head office, moving to the technical team where he organized services required on board ships and now

as a member of the commercial team preparing business cases and other materials. Along the way, he’s become one of the company’s go-to guys, being handed critical assignments and stepping in to fill gaps.

Advancing the careers of employees like Castellarin’s from within its ranks is a core strategy at CSL, says Stephanie Aubourg, chief human resources officer.

“We’re focused on internal promotion and development to prepare our leaders of the future – this is at the core of our decision-making and we ensure we have training plans for all critical and management positions,” says Aubourg.

“We’re exactly the type of

CSL maintains a collegial organizational culture rooted in safety both on shore and aboard its ships.

With offices and vessels all over the globe, communication is key.

The Channel 16 newspaper keeps vessel crews updated on what’s happening at CSL, while the CSL Dispatch e-newsletter keeps shore-side employees informed on company news and initiatives, including updates on COVID-19 health protocols and impacts.

Online social events like trivia night and the employee Yammer channel also connect CSL employees during the pandemic.

While the COVID-19 crisis has posed serious challenges, CSL has found ways to keep employees safe and maintain sustainable and reliable operations. Land-based employees were given the res-

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637

full-time staff in Canada

43

years, longest-serving employee

43%

of executive team are women

33

 Seafarer working on board the MV Thunder Bay, a lake freighter owned by CSL Group.

ources needed to set up home offices while ship crews were issued personal protective equipment and kept in protective COVID-19-free bubbles. Strict health protocols and enhanced overall wellness and mental health services also supported employees.

Although it hasn’t all been

CSLSHIPS.COM

smooth sailing, the company weathered the worst of the pandemic maelstrom by collectively finding innovative ways of working together to continue servicing customers with the same high standards they expect from CSL. “CSL is built on a culture of

innovation. Creative ideas are transforming how we work in the office and on board our ships,” says Aubourg.

Both Aubourg and Castellarin describe CSL as having a family vibe where employees and managers work closely together and feel comfortable in each others’

charities helped last year

company.

“It’s nice when you see the CEO in an elevator and have a casual conversation where you’re not sweating, feeling stressed or watching your words,” says Castellarin.

“I think that’s appreciated by all employees.” 

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Employees at DRW succeed through collaboration second since she started with the company, it means sitting in the open-concept office where people can ask questions, discuss problems and come up with solutions. And whether you are a new employee or a long-time one, your opinions are valued, she says. “Even when I first started, I felt that I was able to have a voice, that I was heard, and I had a direct impact on the direction of a project.”

Even when I first started, I felt that I was able to have a voice, that I was heard, and I had a direct impact on the direction of a project

 DRW colleagues having fun in the gaming room.

A

ctively listen. Ask lots of questions.

Work hard. That is the advice Raylene MacDonald, a lead software developer at DRW, would give to people starting their career at the financial technology company, or fintech, with an office in downtown Montréal.

“Try to listen as much as you can to fully absorb what is going on around you,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to not know something.”

MacDonald says that when she started at the company four years

ago, she was fresh out of McGill University after completing a theory-based computer science degree. DRW gave her the opportunity to apply the information learned, and connected her with mentors and a team that was understanding and wanted to see her succeed.

“Everyone understood what it was like to be in my situation,” she says. “My team helped me get exposure to all different kinds of work, thought processes and methodologies. DRW was a good place to start my career.”

A culture of collaboration

is key to DRW’s success, says Cameron Mackey, manager of new technology programs. “It’s impossible for one person to have all the knowledge and experience needed. We need people to work together to ensure we are on the cutting edge.”

The fintech industry is fast-moving and those who don’t stay on top quickly fall behind.

Recruiting people who have integrity, respect and the ability to collaborate means DRW will continue to succeed, Mackey says.

In MacDonald’s team, her

— Raylene MacDonald Lead Software Developer

Innovation requires people to think outside the box, Mackey says. “Challenging the status quo is to be expected at DRW. People are encouraged to speak up, to ask questions, to offer solutions to do things better, because out of that comes new ways of doing things.”

While some employees are still working from home full time, Mackey says eventually they will return to a hybrid model – in the office for a couple of days to

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256

full-time staff in Canada

9,500

job applications received last year

34

years, average age of all employees

50

weeks, maternity leave top-up pay

 DRW has collaborative work spaces throughout the office.

collaborate and at home a couple of days, where they can put their heads down and get to work.

“Before the pandemic, we were an office company,” MacDonald says. The Montréal office offers collaborative workspaces, a games room with ping pong and pool tables and a large café with unlimit-

ed snacks and a catered breakfast and lunch. The company offers lots of activities and celebrations, something MacDonald says she is keen to see return.

Mackey says the games room is always in high demand. “If you need a break, you can hop up, play a game and clear your mind

before sitting down to tackle that problem you need to deal with.”

The company encourages its employees to continue learning, providing an education platform with thousands of courses. It also offers subsidies so employees can take courses outside of work, and provides opportunities to attend

conferences.

“The company makes sure you have all the resources available to you to do the best you possibly can,” Mackey says. “You feel challenged. Mastery, autonomy and purpose are all things DRW does an exceptional job at providing to its employees.” 

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Eidos-Montréal plays its best game supporting people achieve the greatness in games,” Ledoux says.

Eidos-Montréal accomplishes this by ensuring staff have the best work environment and tools in the industry and by providing a culture that encourages empowerment, she says. That culture is reflected in policies such as work from home, where employees choose to work from home or at the studio, and it’s aligned with leaders’ values: “Employees are first.”

We put our belief in people and craft a culture of empowerment.

— Marie Chantal Ledoux Senior Director, Talent and Culture Canada  Employees at Eidos-Montréal are greeted in the reception area by a mural from the celebrated Tokyo-based artist, Kenji Niki, depicting the union between East and West.

B

ianca Lavric knows the team at the game studio EidosMontréal has her back.

A technical artist who has worked on such video games as “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” and “Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,” she began pitching her own ideas to the company a few years ago.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Lavric says. “I asked for and received feedback. Everyone was approachable and open to sharing their knowledge.”

Lavric started at EidosMontréal in quality assurance, where her job was to play the games and try to break them, ensuring bugs were fixed before the game goes to the public. Her ultimate goal, however, is to be a creative director and she says Eidos-Montréal is helping her get there by allowing her to work her way up.

In 2019, she became a junior technical artist after doing selfdirected learning and speaking to people in other departments. She also learned on the job, before graduating to technical artist in

April.

“I really love Eidos-Montréal,” Lavric says. “Everyone helps everyone out. You are able to go beyond your current job description if you are interested.”

That’s because employees are Eidos-Montréal’s No. 1 priority, says Marie Chantal Ledoux, senior director, talent & culture Canada. Everything EidosMontréal does aligns with its values of putting people first because when employees feel valued, together they achieve more.

“The employee experience has to be the greatest in order to

On March 13, 2020, when COVID-19 was reaching its first peak, the senior leadership team closed the office before they had a plan in place. Ledoux says it was most important to ensure the health and safety of employees and their families. “We made sure we took care of everybody.”

During the pandemic, EidosMontréal offered workshops about meditation, and people could participate in kickboxing and yoga. Employees were given the equipment they needed; items were sent to them including care packages and gift certificates; psychology support benefits were increased; and a platform was launched to provide babysitters to

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525

full-time staff in Canada

4

day work week

5

weeks max. vacation allowance, plus 1 wk. year-end holiday + 3 paid personal days

12

charities helped last year

 Employees testing a game in a playtest room at Eidos-Montréal.

parents.

There are also Thursday town halls where the head of studio shares news and employees can ask questions. Lavric is the French-to-English translator for that event, after proposing the idea herself.

More than 450 people attend

those virtual town halls, Ledoux says. At first they were about an hour and half but are now 45 minutes long.

Eidos-Montréal is looking into Zoom-free fixed time during the day and a four-day work week.

Staff will work regular hours, but those hours will be optimized,

ensuring Eidos-Montréal meets its business objectives, monitored with key performance indicators.

“We put our belief in people and craft a culture of empowerment,” Ledoux says.

Lavric says she knows EidosMontréal is looking out for her.

Regular wellness surveys check

in with employees, and she, like more than 90 per cent of her colleagues, says she feels EidosMontréal is doing a great job caring for them.

“It’s so nice to be thought of and that Eidos-Montréal cares about our well-being,” Lavric says. 

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Imperial Tobacco Canada re-imagines the workplace says Bénard. “It was a really positive experience and nice to connect with teammates across the country.”

In the spring week dedicated to mental health, the leadership team gave everyone a day off to re-energize after surveys revealed employees felt starved for “me time,” Bénard says. The gesture was so well received, the company implemented a summer schedule where employees worked only half days on Fridays.

We are driven by the voice of our people.

— Natacha Bénard Corporate Affairs Manager

 Imperial Tobacco Canada employees participate in cross-team collaboration at the head office in Montréal.

I

mperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. has learned that listening to employees is the recipe for success, particularly during turbulent times, says corporate affairs manager Natacha Bénard.

“We are driven by the voice of our people,” she says. “We use a variety of tools to help make this happen, such as formal employee surveys, pulse surveys and open discussion forums with company leaders. We want to hear what matters most to our people.”

Employee wellness remained

front and centre throughout the pandemic as the company introduced initiatives that prioritize well-being, community, diversity & inclusion (D&I), learning, and engagement. But in 2021, Bénard says, employee feedback prompted Imperial Tobacco Canada to focus specifically on mental health and social connectivity.

It devoted a week to each topic, with both planned activities and time for employees to disconnect and recharge.

As part of its programming for the social connectivity week,

Imperial Tobacco Canada organized a Wheel of Connection in which employees were randomly assigned a partner for some friendly conversation in the company’s virtual café. Bénard, who’d joined the company seven months earlier in Montréal, was paired with a colleague in the trade marketing department in Toronto.

This was an opportunity for her to get to know colleagues in another region of Canada and build her network. “I don’t think I would have met him otherwise,”

The company also established a dedicated learning hour each week so employees would have time to develop new and relevant skills, Bénard says. As part of its ongoing commitment to developing capabilities and careers, the company made a significant investment in expanding its leadership training programs and launched an on-demand digital platform teeming with articles and videos on a wide variety of subject matter.

Employees can access specific topics such as leadership, D&I, health and safety, and make progress toward a career goal, or pursue personal interests. Bénard enjoyed a session on compelling storytelling, which she says

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

490

full-time staff in Canada

18

weeks, maternity leave top-up pay

3-6

weeks, vacation + 13 company holidays

1/2

 Imperial Tobacco Canada's guiding principles are highlighted at their head office in Montréal.

improved her presentation skills.

According to Arpi Armoudian, who is leading the company’s Future of Work transformation project, employee feedback is not only shaping employee programming in real time, it is being used to set the foundation for Imperial Tobacco Canada’s

new work model that gives employees a choice in where and how they work. The pandemic, she adds, was a catalyst for that transformation.

“Employees’ expectations have shifted,” Armoudian explains.

“To meet these expectations, we have developed a new hybrid

Be The Change.

Shine without limits at careers.bat.com

working model that will provide flexibility, unlock career opportunities, and strengthen our ability to attract and retain top talent.”

When employees were asked how often they would like to work from home, nearly 85 per cent opted for up to three days a week. It’s one more indicator that

day, summer Fridays

the flexible, hybrid work model is here to stay, Armoudian says.

“We are redefining what it means to work for a large multinational through the combination of flexibility and connectivity,” she says. “Our people are truly at the forefront of this transformation.” 

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Insight Canada is all ‘hunger, heart and harmony’ Over the past year, the company implemented a telemedicine platform called Dialogue, through which employees can get access to unlimited mental health support and health care. As the person who oversees benefits, Vafopoulos appreciates the focus Insight has put on mental wellness, particularly during the pandemic.

 Insight teammate celebrating awards at the office.

A

lmost 40 years ago, John Dathan was a student at Concordia University and was working at a retail store selling first-generation PCs, two blocks away from where he works now, at Insight Canada.

In the years since then, Dathan, senior vice-president and general manager at Insight Canada, has worked for a lot of IT companies, some of them pretty powerful. But no place has had a culture that matched Insight’s.

“We describe our culture and our values in three words – hunger, heart and harmony,” says Dathan. “And it’s amazing how powerful simple words are, and

how embraced they are at the teammate level.”

Dathan has been thinking a lot about Insight’s culture lately as he wrestles with the configuration of the post-pandemic workplace.

“We know that the future is hybrid, but we’re trying to figure out what that looks like,” he says. “I am not concerned about productivity or efficiency. My team and I have been prioritizing our culture and ensuring ways for it to be preserved because we’re not getting the same in-person contact.”

Dathan has been encouraging people to think of the office differently. “It’s not the place to go and do tasks that you can do perfectly well from home,” he

says. “Go there to have one-onone connections with people, to have spontaneous conversations or to collaborate on a project or an idea.”

What initially attracted Barbara Vafopoulos to Insight was the company’s community involvement and its desire to take its wellness program to the next level. When she joined, she wasn’t convinced she would stay for long. That was 14 years ago.

“The truth is that the culture at Insight and the people and our values resonate really strongly,” says Vafopoulos, a senior human resources benefits analyst. “I can’t visualize myself working anywhere else, because of the level of care here.”

The truth is that the culture at Insight and the people and our values resonate really strongly. I can’t visualize myself working anywhere else.

— Barbara Vafopoulos Senior Human Resources Benefits Analyst

Insight Walks was started to encourage employees to step away from their desks and screens and connect with their team members.

“It’s something you didn’t know you needed,” she says. “You didn’t know you needed that connection.” But it changed the dynamics for many teams. “They said, ‘You know what? Let’s do this weekly. Let’s just talk about non-work-related things.’”

And managers are encouraged to have regular walking one-onone sessions with each of their

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

950

full-time staff in Canada

0

limit to mental health counselling

100+

teammate engagement initiatives

48

diversity & inclusion internal events

 Insight marketing team meeting for a socially distanced walk.

team members. “If you walk and talk personally, you can’t multitask,” says Dathan, who does half a dozen or more of the half-hour sessions each week. “It’s a different level of connection for people.”

Communication from the top down has intensified over the

course of the pandemic as well.

Monthly forums give employees business updates, celebrity speakers have been brought in to motivate staff and senior leadership send out frequent communications about COVID-19 and returning to work. And there are plenty of opportunities – including

“Insight’s Got Talent” and ugly sweater contests – for everyone to have some fun together.

Insight started 34 years ago, when two brothers, both students at the University of Arizona, started selling hard drives by advertising them in magazines.

Now it’s a Fortune 500 company

Our teammates embrace the hunger to challenge, the heart to create meaningful solutions and the harmony to work together to achieve transformation.

We deliver Insight Intelligent Technology Solutions™.

Learn more

with over 12,000 employees globally.

“But it still has that quirky family kind of feel,” says Dathan.

“It’s really unusual compared to other places. So why do I worry about work from home? Because I don’t want to give any of that up.” 

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LPA charts a steady course for fulfilling careers protection of the environment and whales in the St. Lawrence.

Using online resources and charts, Duguay creates “areas” for the simulator’s navigational systems, putting major ports in place, as well as churches, trees, docks – everything the pilots and captains would see on the water to signal them to change course. Not only does he enjoy helping make the St. Lawrence safer, but he also appreciates his close-knit team.

The marine world is unique, and the people I work with are caring, kind and motivated.

— Jonathan Duguay 3D Modeller

 Laurentian Pilotage Authority employees at a meeting at their head office in Montréal.

I

n 2019, when geomatics engineer Jonathan Duguay was approached to see if he’d be interested in working as a 3D modeller at Laurentian Pilotage Authority (LPA) head office in Montréal, his interest was piqued when he was told LPA had a newer version of the pilot-navigation simulator he was working on at a company in Québec City. “I’ll have a new toy to play with!” he thought, before accepting the offer.

Laurentian Pilotage Authority is a federal Crown corporation

responsible for providing marine pilotage and related services in the waters of the Laurentian region, in particular the St. Lawrence River and the Saguenay River.

And while Duguay jokingly refers to the simulator as a toy, he’s fully aware of the magnitude of his work and his value to the organization.

“LPA wants to be cutting-edge in technology in the maritime sector,” says Duguay. “When I was interviewed, I was one of two people in Québec who knew how the simulator worked. It’s an elite

group, so I was special to the LPA, and they let me know it.”

“Technology is a real driver for us,” says CEO Fulvio Fracassi.

“We’re investing a lot of time and resources in it to improve navigation safety, the efficiency of our services and ship transits on the St. Lawrence.”

The simulator is used to research how boats behave on the St. Lawrence, to develop best practices in navigation and piloting, and to train captains and other marine personnel. This work helps LPA contribute to the

“The marine world is unique, and the people I work with are caring, kind and motivated,” he says.

Fracassi is equally enthusiastic about working in the maritime sector. After practising law for 15 years with the federal Department of Justice, he moved to an executive position within the federal government. His last role in Ottawa was as director general of Canada’s National Marine Security Program. Becoming LPA’s CEO in 2012 meant he could move home to Montréal and become part of the broader maritime community.

“LPA isn’t that well known to the general public, but we play an essential role to maritime traffic,” says Fracassi. “We keep

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58

full-time staff in Canada

40%

of executive team are women

4

weeks, starting vacation allowance

100%

job related tuition subsidies

 Laurentian Pilotage Authority using cutting-edge technology to create navigational systems for their marine simulator.

the ships safe, and our services contribute to the protection of the environment and the economic development of our region. We’re 58 employees who work with 200 contract pilots – you get to know everyone, and it sounds like a cliché, but we really do feel like a family.”

That “family” was separated physically in 2020 when COVID-19 sent employees home to work. “We’re an essential service, so it was mission critical to organize ourselves so we could continue operations in a way that protected our employees, pilots and clients,” says Fracassi. Pilot

boat crews and pilots were given personal protective equipment, and administrative staff were set up to work remotely (LPA bought Duguay a state-of-the-art laptop to use at home).

In November, Fracassi was still working remotely but taking some meetings at the office, and

a hybrid work model is being developed for 2022. “Our employees like the idea, and we’ve learned that we can be creative and productive when people work at home and still deliver top-notch services,” he says. “But the human element – seeing people in person – is also important.” 

Laurentian Pilotage Authority

pilotagestlaurent.gc.ca

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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Lowe’s Canada promotes a supportive workplace the flexibility of work hours for store associates and office staff alike.

“The pandemic really caused us to innovate and accelerate trends that were already underway in our organization,” says Macdonald.

“The changes fit perfectly into our DNA and we are going to lean into them even more going forward.”

Since joining Lowe’s Canada four years ago, Macdonald says he has never felt more at home in a workplace.

Every day, it’s pleasant to wake up and go to work.

— Youmanet Drame Assistant Store Manager

 Youmanet Drame, assistant store manager, at Lowe's Canada's Réno-Dépôt Marché Central.

T

wo of the core behaviours every Lowe’s Canada employee knows are “show courage” and “take action.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, those behaviours took on added resonance.

“We had to show courage and act by making decisions in real time with the data we had,” says Marc Macdonald, senior vice president, human resources, for the Boucherville-based home improvement retail chain. “Where there was uncertainty, we always

erred on the side of protecting the health and safety of our employees and customers.”

During the pandemic, recalls Macdonald, the retailer had to significantly reduce the opening hours in one of its Québec-based stores, sending the entire staff on paid quarantine leave out of an abundance of caution regarding the potential spread of COVID19. In hindsight, he adds, this level of precaution was likely unnecessary given the health and safety measures Lowe’s Canada instituted across its national network of more than 450

multi-format stores.

“We lost sales when we did that and we paid all our associates who missed shifts at that store,” he says. “But we remain proud of that decision because we were acting responsibly on the best information we had at the time.”

In response to the pandemic, Lowe’s Canada significantly expanded mental health coverage for all employees, allowing up to $3,000 per year in individual stand-alone benefits for psychological and other counselling services.

Lowe’s Canada also increased

“I can really be my true self here,” he says. “I can be vulnerable and open with my boss and my colleagues and ask for help without the fear of being judged.

That’s something we work to instil across our workplace – the idea that it’s okay to ask for help and to expect your leaders to listen to any concerns or issues you may have.”

That kind of supportive environment is one that certainly appeals to Youmanet Drame, assistant store manager, RénoDépôt Marché-Central.

Since joining Lowe’s Canada 17 years ago as a cashier, Drame has held several increasingly senior positions with one long-term goal in mind – to be a store manager.

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

13,572 full-time staff in Canada

48

years, longest-serving employee

42%

of employees are women

320

charities helped last year

 RONA cashier helping a customer.

“Being able to help customers is what I enjoy most,” says Drame.

“We just want them to leave the store happy and satisfied.”

The in-store work environment is very friendly, she adds, and begins each day with a “rally” in which managers huddle with small groups of employees for

about 15 minutes before customers arrive.

“We keep them up-to-date on the latest store results, upcoming events and training opportunities,” says Drame. “We also encourage their input and suggestions about how we can all work together more effectively.”

You’ve got the talent, we’ve got the tools!

BECOME PART OF THE FAMILY

Drame credits Lowe’s Canada with helping her progress towards her management goal through continuous learning, on-the-job training and leadership development courses.

She also appreciates the opportunity to give back to the community through employee-driven

fundraising programs like Lowe’s Canada’s Heroes as well as partnerships with the Children’s Miracle Network.

“These past 17 years I’ve never even thought of looking for another job,” says Drame. “Every day, it’s pleasant to wake up and go to work.” 

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At Maples Group, diversity is a good investment India, she moved as a newlywed to the Cayman Islands, where her husband was employed. In 2005, she was hired as a corporate administrator in the Maples Group’s legal services division in the Cayman Islands.

Over the next nine years, James built a strong knowledge base on investment funds. With their three children now older, she was poised to take on more responsibility and challenges. Following a discussion with her manager, she transferred to the Fiduciary division as assistant vice president in 2015.

 The Maples Group navigates and adapts to the new normal of communication while working remotely.

W

hen Mark Weir arrived in Montréal in 2009, he didn’t plan to linger in the city for long. Coming from a financial services hub in his hometown of Dublin, he quickly realized Montréal had everything required for a thriving financial services industry. Joining the Montréal office of the Maples Group in 2010 as a business systems analyst further convinced him to stay.

The Maples Group offers a broad array of financial services solutions tailored to the unique requirements of each of its global clients. Employees represent 50 nationalities and speak 35 languages. Montréal’s diversity

also has played a key role in the success of this office, which operates under the international financial centre (IFC) program sponsored by Finance Montréal.

“The Maples Group has recruited a diversity of talent that represents what a modern workforce should look like, and our growth has been driven by this talent,” says Weir, now deputy global head of fund services. “It’s exciting to be part of a growing, entrepreneurial and dynamic organization that creates operational, compliance and technology solutions to meet the needs of the financial services industry.”

Weir credits the office’s growth in large part to the different backgrounds and talents of its

employees. “Teamwork is created when you work with people who are different than you,” he says. “Our innovation, as well as our integrity, comes from being challenged by those differences.”

Over the course of five promotions, Weir benefited from both formal and informal mentoring.

Now, helping others learn and develop their skills has become one of the things he enjoys most.

“Our employees can see first-hand the approaches of people with a diverse array of backgrounds and receive guidance from them,” he says.

Like Weir, Sharon James came to the Montréal office from another country and has been promoted from within. After working in financial services in her native

The Maples Group has recruited a diversity of talent that represents what a modern workforce should look like, and our growth has been driven by this talent.

— Mark Weir Deputy Global Head of Fund Services

In the meantime, James and her husband started looking at immigrating to Canada to give their children more educational opportunities. After the couple decided

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270

full-time staff in Canada

12,000

job applications received last year

33

years, average age of all employees

54%

of employees are women

 The Maples Group is proud of its diverse and inclusive company culture.

on Montréal, James asked her manager if there were opportunities for her at the Maples Group office there. Part of the board support team at that time, she was asked if she could set up the department in Montréal.

In 2019, James transferred to the Montréal office as the dep-

artment’s vice president. “That part of the move was the easiest, because I had been at the Maples Group so long that I fit in seamlessly,” says James. “I didn’t even feel like I was in another country because I was in my Maples Group home.”

With this promotion, James

began managing people for the first time. To help her do so, she took advantage of internal learning and development programs.

“There’s mandatory and optional training, with financial assistance for external courses,” she says, “and while it is strongly encouraged, it’s up to each employee

A WORLD OF CHOICE FOR FUTURE LEADERS UN MONDE D’OPPORTUNITÉS POUR LES LEADERS DU FUTUR

how to make use of this benefit.”

Next on James’s list is to register for courses available locally so she can get more acquainted with Canadian regulations. “We moved here for the opportunities Canada offered our children, but it was also a great opportunity for my career,” she says. 

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Morgan Stanley invests in people and the community with her Master of Science in E-Business Technologies and Bachelor Degree in Software Engineering, Audu participated in the Technology Analyst Program (TAP) which places promising recruits on a four-month rotation in one of the company’s international offices (Audu went to New York City). The program offers comprehensive technology training and provides participants with the foundation for long-term career success.

It’s a place that will help you be the best version of yourself.

— Mathieu Gamache Executive Director

 Janet Onyeche Audu, java application developer at Morgan Stanley.

F

or Janet Onyeche Audu, working at Morgan Stanley Montréal is about more than just a challenging career. It’s also an opportunity to live out her personal values.

Audu, a Java application developer at the international investment firm’s Montréal Technology Centre, is someone who believes strongly in giving back to the community.

As a young woman of colour who came to Canada six years ago as an international student, Audu also has a keen interest in issues of diversity and inclusion.

Giving back and committing to diversity and inclusion are two of Morgan Stanley’s five core values (the others are doing the right thing, putting clients first and leading with exceptional ideas).

“The values of this company really resonate with me,” says Audu. “I get plenty of opportunity to give of my time and share my knowledge.”

Audu has mentored high school students, talking to them about the need to get more women involved in sciences and engineering.

She has also worked directly with underserved communities in

Montréal, teaching coding skills.

As a member of Morgan Stanley’s diversity and inclusion program, Audu also helps mentor and spotlight diverse talent within the firm.

“Being a Black woman, there aren’t a lot of people who look like me doing what I do,” she says.

“So it’s important we encourage more people to come into this space and make sure they can learn, grow and feel like they belong.”

Audu says she also appreciates how much Morgan Stanley invests in its people. In her case, upon graduating from university

Now a full-fledged developer, Audu continues to benefit from the guidance of company mentors, both in Montréal and around the globe.

“Everyone is approachable and is just a message away,” says Audu.

Mathieu Gamache is an executive director who has been with the Montréal Technology Centre since its inception in 2008 and has contributed as the office grew rapidly into one of Morgan Stanley’s largest tech sites.

“We are all about using technology to deliver cuttingedge solutions for our business and clients,” says Gamache.

“It’s a complex, challenging environment, and one that has helped me grow personally and

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

1,940

full-time staff in Canada

964

jobs available last year

18

weeks, maternity leave top-up pay

100%

 Morgan Stanley employees are committed to giving back to the communities where they live and work.

professionally.”

Gamache says the company is ideal for people who “are looking for opportunities to stretch themselves, who are curious and want to learn. It’s a place that will help you be the best version of yourself.”

Like Audu, the ability to give

back to the community is a huge motivator for Gamache.

“I personally started the community engagement effort here in Montréal,” he says. “We have an annual volunteer month every June and we organize dozens of events during that time.”

Moisson Montréal, Canada’s

largest food bank, is a key partner, as are the Montréal Children’s Hospital and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Foundation.

The company also works closely with Dans La Rue, an organization that helps homeless and at-risk youth.

For Gamache, the combination

paid medical and dental benefits

of a challenging work environment and an employer that encourages philanthropy is a winning one.

“We work hard, collaborate and enjoy what we do,” he says. “But we also have the additional reward of helping to make a difference in our community.” 

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Goldilocks and diversity make OneSpan just right useful during the pandemic, says Kaba. The other is digital identity and helping to stop fraud, a line of business that is of benefit mainly to banks and other financial institutions, he adds.

For Kaba, OneSpan’s global reach is a definite plus. “There’s this level of connectedness to the world, and learning about different cultures. In my team, I've got folks in the U.S., I've got folks in Canada, I've got folks in Europe.

We have this daily activity on our Slack channel where we share what we cooked for dinner, what we did with our families. Those interactions are really cool.”

 OneSpan holds a ‘Lunch and Learn’ event for its employees at the office.

T

he “Goldilocks syndrome” is a boon for people who work at OneSpan Canada Inc. Just as the fairytale character of the “three bears” story preferred porridge that was neither too hot nor too cold, the cyber-security firm is neither too big nor too small.

“For me, a company of our size is the perfect spot, because it's not so small that you’re often cash-strapped and don’t have enough money to do the things you want,” says Rahim

Kaba, vice-president of product marketing. “But you're also not in a large enterprise where you can get lost in the shuffle.”

That balance is the main reason workplace experience co-ordinator Veronica Buna loves working at the firm. “You feel like you’re part of a big company, but we’re also small enough that you feel you have some stake in decision-making,” says Buna, whose responsibilities include making sure everyone has everything they need to be able do their jobs and feel supported in their roles.

“If you get into one of the tech giants, you don't really have a say as a small individual contributor, whereas here a regular employee has a say in how their stuff gets done.”

With its global headquarters in Chicago, and operating in 17 countries, publicly traded OneSpan offers two streams of services. One is the automation and digitalization of legally binding agreements, for which the company’s Montréal office has developed an e-signature platform that’s been particularly

You feel like you work for a large company, but we’re also small enough that you feel like you have some stake in decision-making.

— Veronica Buna Workplace Experience Co-ordinator

Buna concurs. “We get to work with staff in Brussels or Bordeaux or Chicago. So, we have to understand that everyone's coming at things from different cultures.

That becomes really valuable.”

While diversity is part of the fabric of OneSpan internationally, it’s also integral to the DNA of the

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

295

full-time staff in Canada

11,001

job applications received last year

38

years, average age of all employees

250

 OneSpan teams work collaboratively in a space that allows them to communicate easily.

Montréal office. The company has various initiatives to advance women, says Kaba. And before the pandemic, there were staff events to which employees brought foods from their own cultures and shared their experiences and recipes.

“My background is Indian,”

he adds. “I’m a person of colour.

And I’ve had the opportunity to grow at OneSpan and get the trust of my boss and my peers and get the confidence to take on a senior role. I've had employees come into the organization and say, ‘Hey, it's great to see a person of colour in a leadership position in your

organization.’”

The firm’s commitment to the community through OneSpan Acts is also important to both Kaba and Buna. All employees get a paid day every year to volunteer. Buna says one of OneSpan’s philanthropic activities in Montréal means a great deal to

staff volunteer hours last year

her. “There’s a woman who collects lists from shelters of children who need a little extra fun and love during the December holiday season. So, we collect toys or just cash for something like 120 kids every year. It’s one of those things where you’re just amazed every time.” 

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At Pfizer Canada, joy is part of the corporate culture down with the H1N1 virus. I had to call and tell them, I’m at the hospital with my baby and she’s fighting for her life. And they told me, You know what? Take care of your daughter, and when you’re ready, let us know – we’ll keep your position for you.

It’s a very diverse workforce in terms of opportunity and different types of jobs – there’s something for everybody.  Pfizer Canada organized a drive-by food drive on Giving Tuesday to support many local food banks.

O

ne of the global values for employees at pharmaceutical company Pfizer Canada is, simply, “joy.” And in Montréal, Guylaine Lessard found a great way to express it with her team as they worked remotely during the pandemic. They would all go out for a “virtual walk” in which each person strolls on their own while talking to the others on a video call.

“Pfizer has encouraged us to break away from our computer screens to ensure wellness,” says Lessard, who, as field medical advisor team lead, oversees a

group of colleagues based across Canada who provide medical and scientific support on Pfizer’s medicines and therapeutic areas to healthcare professionals. “We would go out and talk, but never about work. Sometimes people would turn their camera to where they were walking, which could be different places across the country. We would just have that joyful moment.”

In fact, Pfizer people go out of their way to look for joy, finding time at the beginning of most meetings to highlight moments that have brought joy to employees, from a successful work initiative to a new baby.

“Courage, excellence, equity and joy are our values, and we’re very proud that joy is one of them,” says Laura Larbalestier, vicepresident of human resources. “I think the focus on joy has been one of the things that has gotten us through the pandemic.”

A trained pharmacist, Lessard has found a lot of joy working for Pfizer Canada. After an initial career in pharmacy, she joined the company in 2009 as a medical information manager – but not without drama.

“I got a sense of the Pfizer culture even before I started,” she says. “Just before my first day, my six-month-old daughter came

— Laura Larbalestier Vice-President of Human Resources

“When you hear that, you know you’re getting into a great, great company,” she says. “And from then on, I’ve never been disappointed.”

Lessard, whose daughter soon got well, moved smoothly through a succession of roles, taking on her current responsibilities in 2019. At the same time, she received educational support from Pfizer to obtain her doctorate in pharmacy, a designation that will help in her career development and patient care. Meanwhile, on weekends and in other free time, she still works as a replacement pharmacist in Québec, again with

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

894

full-time staff in Canada

61%

of managers are women

6

weeks, maximum vacation allowance

210

 Managing work life balance was made easier at Pfizer Canada by encouraging employees to break away each day.

the full support of Pfizer and aligned with her passion for direct patient care.

Lessard also played a key role overseeing the staff COVID-19 vaccinations in April and May of 2021. She led a team of employee volunteers with medical backgrounds as they vaccinated

their colleagues at the head office in Kirkland. The employees were encouraged to donate grocery cards, raising over $20,000 for West Island food banks.

Lessard notes that Pfizer operates both at macro level, improving the lives of patients around the world, and locally and

nationally, offering strong community support. “It makes you proud to be working for a company like that,” she says.

Larbalestier says professionals like Lessard are a big part of the proud Pfizer family in Montréal. “We have people with chemistry backgrounds, biology

It takes collaboration…

Pfizer Canada strives to profoundly impact the health of Canadians through the discovery, development, and delivery of medicines and vaccines. Through collaboration, we offer the possibility of a healthier world.

Pfizer Inc., used under license by Pfizer Canada.

®

charities helped last year

backgrounds, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, MDs and many PhDs. We have pharmacists, nurses, economists – the full gamut.

It’s a very diverse workforce in terms of opportunity and different types of jobs – there’s something for everybody. And it’s a very interesting place to work.” 

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Collaboration and people are a priority at Pharmascience to work remotely three days a week. It allows us to maintain the corporate culture, as employees come on site two days a week.

“We also seized the opportunity to renovate our head office and offer more collaborative spaces.

These new collaborative spaces give employees the chance to interact with different colleagues from all divisions on a daily basis.”

We all feel that we are part of a family and we are working for the same purpose.

— Gabrielle Dagenais Engineering Supervisor

 Pharmascience employees gather at their newly renovated office.

P

harmascience Inc. is the largest pharmaceutical employer in Québec, with almost 1,500 employees worldwide, some 1,200 of them in the province.

And it is the second-largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical manufacturer in the country. Yet the organization, co-founded in 1983 by pharmacist Morris Goodman and led by his son David Goodman since 2006,

retains a family atmosphere.

According to Gabrielle Dagenais, engineering supervisor, that family feel is central to the Pharmascience culture. “It’s a company focused on its people, and they take the time to really listen to us. We all feel that we are a part of a family and we are working for the same purpose.”

She adds that there are “many opportunities to develop your career and to work on a diversity of projects. And while being a

woman in engineering is not that easy, I have never felt that way since I started at Pharmascience.

It's inspiring that there are many women here in higher positions.

“Another benefit of working for Pharmascience,” says Dagenais, “is the new workplace model that was recently launched to follow what was introduced during the pandemic. This hybrid work model is offered to eligible positions and provides flexibility to employees by allowing them

For his part, vice-president of information technology Martin Beaudry says he took on a challenging opportunity when he started working for Pharmascience. “One of the main reasons I joined the company was that it wanted IT to be more strategic. “It’s very exciting for me and all the IT team to be more involved in the actual business of Pharmascience, leveraging new technology trends like artificial intelligence, the internet of things and digital workspaces to add value for the business.

“And it’s a huge advantage to work for a company that has its

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

1,464

full-time staff in Canada

30,000

job applications received last year

18

weeks, maternity leave top-up pay

48%

of employees are women

 Pharmascience employees participate in the 24h Tremblant.

head office here in Montréal, to be close to where decisions are being taken,” he continues. “The employees experience proximity to the management team, which is extremely motivating for everyone.”

Beaudry, too, cites the company’s strong culture and

family-anchored values. That human touch extends to the community. For more than two decades, Pharmascience has worked with Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) to help the organization provide access to medication to vulnerable communities. Pharmascience

is one of HPIC’s top donors in the health-care industry.

In another philanthropic initiative, Pharmascience is raising money for the Foundation Charles-Bruneau, which provides care for children with cancer in four Québec locations.

Pharmascience does so by send-

ing teams every year to 24h Tremblant, a downhill ski relay race whose participants collect pledges. Dagenais is part of one of the three company teams participating this year. “Our objective is to raise $25,000,” she says. “The company is very rooted in our community.” 

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PSB BOISJOLI LLP sets a clear path for employee success covering soft skills, such as how to improve communication with clients.

Michael Coulter, business valuation consultant, who joined PSBB in spring 2020, was also attracted to the firm due to its support of employee learning and development. Coulter is pursuing his customer due diligence (CDD) designation and has about 18 months left before he will be certified. Coulter appreciates that PSBB provides time off to study and take exams and covers 100 per cent of his tuition costs.

They are really geared towards helping their employees grow and achieve their goals and move up.

 PSBB regularly organizes fun activities for employees to do together.

S

tephanie Pacheco says she joined PSB BOISJOLI LLP (PSBB) because she wanted to work for a company that provided opportunities for growth.

“PSBB really sets you a clear path to help you reach your goals,” says Pacheco, who joined the Montréal-based accounting firm in November 2020 as a senior auditor.

Employees set goals at their individual performance reviews

every six months. They then meet with their performance coach regularly to discuss how they are progressing and what they can do to advance. ”If you have reached your goals, you discuss a new goal. So there is this continual path of progression,” Pacheco says.

For example, Pacheco was recently a senior auditor on a team that finished a file. Her manager suggested that Pacheco supervise and review the file so that next year, she will be the manager on it.

“So, I see a clear path for the next two to four years,” Pacheco says. “For me, motivation comes from looking at where I see myself in the next five to 10 years and how I can get there. And PSBB really creates a plan of how this can be achieved.”

The firm helps employees reach their goals through in-house and online training, leadership training, mentoring and paid internships. In addition to training related to accounting topics, senior leaders also provide sessions

— Michael Coulter Business Valuation Consultant

“There is also great support at the partner level,” Coulter says.

“They have an open-door policy if you want to discuss what you’re learning with the partners. They are really geared towards helping their employees grow and achieve their goals and move up. They want everyone to get better year over year.”

Coulter and Pacheco also appreciate that PSBB is a fun place to work. Coulter says that while

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220

full-time staff in Canada

28

years, average age of all employees

49%

of managers are women

62

charities helped last year

 PSBB organized a golf tournament for its staff members.

many companies preach about work-life balance, PSBB delivers.

This includes flexible work hours, reduced summer hours and the opportunity to work a shortened week. PSBB also regularly organizes fun activities for employees to do together. When Coulter joined the firm, they held a virtual

lunch on his first day so that he could meet everyone.

Pacheco is grateful for the firm’s focus on wellness. For example, PSBB provides each employee with $1,000 annually to be used towards health and wellness, which can be used for gym equipment or activities. The firm

also organizes lunch and learns with mindfulness professionals and nutrition information sessions to help employees adopt healthy habits. On Wellness Wednesdays, a fitness instructor leads a 30-minute class.

Since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, the firm also holds

weekly meetings, where team members can see how everyone is doing and how colleagues can help each other.

“I love going into work every day,” Pacheco says. “It is a great place to work, with so much support and training. In this one year, I have learned so much.” 

OÙ DES LEADERS SONT CRÉÉS ET DES RÉSULTATS SONT OBTENUS WHERE LEADERS ARE CREATED AND RESULTS ARE ACHIEVED

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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PSP employees are inspired by a sense of purpose level,” she says. “We also have an ongoing program within the technology team called Women at PSP, which allows us to share experiences and challenges specific to women in our field. It gives me and other women an opportunity to increase their engagement with the organization, and to support female colleagues in their challenges.”

 PSP Investments offers a program called 'Women at PSP' that allows women to share their experiences in a safe and collaborative space.

“A

mong the key factors that galvanize employees at PSP Investments is its purpose to make life better for its contributors and beneficiaries,” says Giulia Cirillo, its senior vice-president, chief human resources and global communications officer.

Founded in 1999, the federal Crown corporation invests funds for the pension plans of the RCMP, the federal public service, the Canadian Forces and the Reserve Force. It has about 450,000 contributors and beneficiaries, handling more than $204.5 billion in net assets – which makes it one of the country’s largest pension-investment managers.

“We’re managing pensions for people who are giving the best of themselves every day to make this country safer and to make Canada better for all our citizens,” observes Cirillo. “Everything we do in this organization, we do it with mindfulness, we do it with authenticity and we do it with precision.”

That sense of purpose definitely inspires Nathalie Langlois, a director in the organization’s technology and digital strategy team. She’s also ignited by the collaboration among PSP’s business groups to deliver on its pension promise. And she says that in recent years – and especially during COVID-19 – “the technology team has been highly involved in putting our heads together with various

teams to solve issues, and that has become critically important to us as we continue to evolve our role both during and following the pandemic.”

Langlois has been with PSP for 13 years, having started out as a project manager. She notes that the firm has provided her much support and training to advance her career. “PSP has given me a lot of opportunities to develop myself over the years to be where I am today. I’m very grateful for that.”

She also appreciates the fact that PSP is very committed to equity, inclusion and diversity.

For Langlois, the gender focus has been particularly meaningful.

“We have more and more women in the technology team, including at the management

We’re managing pensions for people who are giving the best of themselves every day to make this country safer and better for all our citizens.

— Giulia Cirillo Senior Vice-President, Chief Human Resources and Global Communications Officer

Equity, inclusion and diversity are key pillars of the organization, says Cirillo. “It started here about five years ago with the creation of an Inclusion and Diversity Council. We're so proud of our council, which has more than 100 people actively involved. They collaborate across our eight affinity groups. That creates a work environment where employees feel

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

842

full-time staff in Canada

18,470

job applications received last year

39

years, average age of all employees

26

 The Inclusion and Diversity Council at PSP Investments has more than 100 employees actively involved to collaborate and create an inclusive work environment.

that they can be their authentic selves.”

The affiinity groups include veterans; diversity of thought; Indigenous peoples; LGBTQ+ individuals; people with disabilities; anti-racism, culture and religion; gender dynamics; and multiple generations.

“Each group has a leader and a co-leader, and they come forward with how they are going to raise awareness or educate us, or how they’re going to gain traction and the societal changes we should be thinking about,” Cirillo says. “And it’s really become a platform of intersection among

the different business groups, different locations, different levels.

It’s one of the most collaborative platforms that we’ve created in the organization.”

On top of all that, says Cirillo, PSP is committed to responsible investment, which also motivates its workforce. It believes that

weeks, maternity leave top-up pay

companies that manage social and environmental issues are more likely to prosper, so it integrates environmental, social and governance considerations into its strategy. “With every investment we make, with every decision we make, we are thinking about how to build a better tomorrow.” 

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Collaboration leads to connection at Richter in different ways,” says Delisle, “and we wanted to make sure we gave our employees the tools they need to feel safe.”

The firm continues to invest heavily in professional development. As Richter’s director, talent development & talent acquisition, Andrea Musailowski leads an extensive slate of training programs, bringing together colleagues from different services to learn about each other’s work experiences, including Train the Trainer, which explores which ways of learning might work for each individual.

We foster a sense of belonging, and the feeling that you’re part of something bigger than a work environment.

— Justine Delisle Partner  Richter celebrates its team members who earned designations and passed the CFE in January 2020.

W

hen Richter LLP asked its team members for one word that would best describe the Montréal-based business advisory and family office services firm, the most popular answer that came back was “family.”

That doesn’t surprise Justine Delisle, a partner in the firm who leads Richter’s Family Account Management team. “I think that

goes back to our culture of caring,” she says. “We foster a sense of belonging, and the feeling that you’re part of something bigger than a work environment. It’s more like a lifestyle, and we want our employees to feel that.”

During the pandemic, Richter stepped up with a number of programs to help team members manage their work-life balance, their pandemic stress and their general health and well-being.

They were given access to a

virtual health-care network of physicians, as well as to the popular Kiid Concierge, which offers parents a range of childcare and tutoring services.

Richter also launched monthly mental health webinars to address team members’ concerns.

Those included questions about managing teams remotely and identifying colleagues who might be experiencing anxiety or depression and need extra support.

“The pandemic has been stressful

“At Richter it’s all about innovation and collaboration,” she says. “We believe it’s the responsibility of all of us to grow each other’s competencies and support each other. So you could have someone with audit expertise working with someone who specializes in risk management, or tax and restructuring professionals working together. It’s a great opportunity for them to train each other on what their goals look like and share their technical expertise so they can work more

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

470

full-time staff in Canada

6,704

job applications received last year

46%

of managers are women

100%

 Richter team members take part in a team building challenge during a town hall event in February 2020.

collaboratively.”

Richter also offers a Women in Leadership program that provides mentorship and education to enable the advancement of female team members. “We see these young women before and after they participate in the program, and we can measure the difference

in their confidence and their competencies,” says Musailowski.

“For me, it’s extremely rewarding to work for a firm that is committed to that initiative.”

Delisle points out that each participant in the Women in Leadership program is personally supported by a senior sponsor,

underlining Richter’s family-like connections. “We want to make sure we give young women the proper tools, confidence and network to advance in their careers,” she says.

“I’m a young woman partner, and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish over the

job-related tuition reimbursement

past two years,” she adds. “I’ve developed my own team and my own services, and that’s because the firm has always supported my entrepreneurship and been open to my ideas. I appreciate that there’s an ecosystem of innovation that maximizes the experience for both clients and employees.” 

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Inclusion is everyone’s business at Rio Tinto their annual cultural potluck, the committee organized a cookbook instead as a way of sharing people’s cultural heritage.

“We want people to feel safe and valued so that they can share their thoughts openly and contribute to the company, helping it reach another level through diversity,” says Bérubé.

“Rio Tinto is a really dynamic workplace where I get to work with multidisciplinary teams from every culture. I’m continuously learning and I feel like my job is part of a greater purpose.”

 Claudia Bérubé is one of approximately 700 employees working at Rio Tinto's Montréal hub.

A

s a woman in the mining industry, Claudia Bérubé says she gets a lot of support at Rio Tinto, a leading metals and mining company.

Right from the start when she joined as an economics undergraduate five years ago, she was paired with a mentor under the Rio Tinto graduate program, who has helped fast-track her career, supporting her move from commercial to the climate change team. Now a senior advisor, climate change, at the Montréal hub, Bérubé encourages women in her network to consider the industry in a new light as well as advising others within the company.

“My general manager is a woman and there’s definitely been more tangible action promoting women this past year,” says Bérubé. “But we’re still a minority. Mining isn’t the most feminine industry – people think about it as extracting rocks from the ground – but it’s much more.

“It’s about having a purpose in contributing to sourcing essential materials with so many applications in our day-to-day life, such as aluminum which is used in everything from electric cars to mobile phones.”

Bérubé is also a member of the company’s diversity and inclusion committee, focused on raising awareness and fostering an inclusive work culture. The group organizes lunch and learn events,

with roundtable discussions around topics such as unconscious bias, the gender equity, gender gap and the multi-generational workplace.

“I found the workshop on unconscious bias really inspiring, because it helped me think about what people could be experiencing if they’re a minority,” says Bérubé. “We tend to mentor people that are like us, so that was really eye-opening. The committee also involves our executive team so people can see it’s a priority for leadership as well. Rio Tinto is really diverse in terms of expertise, but also in our cultural background which really makes us stand out.”

During the pandemic, when staff couldn’t gather in person for

Diverse cultures, communities and point of views are not only respected and recognized here, we see diversity as being essential to our success.

— Ivan Vella CEO, Rio Tinto Aluminium

Ivan Vella, CEO for Rio Tinto Aluminium, based in Montréal, feels the same way. “Our internal teams dedicated to diversity and inclusion are really important to keep us connected to evolving ideas and leading practices outside our company.

“Diverse cultures, communities and point of views are not only

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10,974 full-time staff in Canada

55,826

job applications received last year

100%

health plan premium & family coverage

200

charities helped last year

 Rio Tinto's Montréal hub is located in the heart of downtown Montréal.

respected and recognized here, we see diversity as being essential to our success. We know there’s more to be done and have a strong commitment to continuing our journey.”

To that end, Rio Tinto’s ‘Everyday Respect Taskforce’ is dedicated to ensuring a safe,

inclusive and respectful environment for every employee through various internal initiatives, including listening sessions and groupwide coaching programs. Over the past year, the task force’s work focused on embedding psychological safety, respect and inclusion into the company’s foundations,

while addressing behaviours such as sexual harassment, bullying or racism in the workplace.

“Inclusion and diversity are imperatives for the long-term sustainable success of our business,” says Vella. “The other challenge facing our world is climate change and the need to

decarbonize.

“We’re very focused on our role in supplying the required low-carbon materials and in making changes to our own business to reduce our carbon footprint and associated impacts. We’re all very motivated about contributing to this significant challenge.” 

MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

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Trouw Nutrition strives to feed the world sustainably produce quality meat, eggs and milk. As part of Nutreco – the largest family-owned business in the Netherlands, with sales in more than 100 countries – Trouw Nutrition is part of the essential food chain.

“As a global company, we share a strong set of values, including honesty, integrity, trust and caring,” says Bijl. “While we are a large organization, we also have another core value, which is to ‘keep things simple.’ We try to reduce bureaucracy and work at a very local and direct level with our customers to meet their needs.”

The company says we are driven by passion and backed by science and I’ve found that to be very true.

 An employee at Trouw Nutrition Canada's poultry research facility.

E

mployees at Trouw Nutrition Canada are motivated by a singular purpose and passion summed up in the phrase “feeding the future.”

Trouw Nutrition, along with its parent company, Netherlandsbased Nutreco, supports food producers by translating science into practical nutrition and farm management solutions. The overarching challenge is to help produce the 70 per cent more food that will be required to feed

the global population in 2050 – and to do so in a sustainable way.

“Along with the energy transition, how to sustainably feed the world is the other major challenge facing humanity,” says Maarten Bijl, Trouw Nutrition Canada’s president and managing director. “I think the majority of our colleagues are inspired by this purpose. That kind of commitment is certainly something we look for in potential recruits.”

Karine Vezina, who joined Trouw Nutrition as a marketing

advisor six years ago and now serves as a marketing director, fits that description.

“The company says we are driven by passion and backed by science and I’ve found that to be very true,” says Vezina. “We live in our time, but we are working for the future and what will be needed in terms of sustainability and improving the performance of our producers.”

Trouw Nutrition provides thousands of producers across Canada with the data and technology to

— Karine Vezina Marketing Director

For Bijl, the most satisfying part of the work is in helping Canadian farmers innovate and stay profitable while also reducing their environmental footprint.

“To put it simply, I can explain to my kids why I spend so much time away from home,” he says.

“It’s about having a positive impact on the world.”

Bastiaan Bartelse, Trouw Nutrition’s national human res-

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

1,225

full-time staff in Canada

52

charities helped last year

52

years, longest-serving employee

100%+

increase in female hires for mid/senior roles, 2021

 Trouw Nutrition's purpose focuses on feeding the future.

ources director, concurs.

“We are really in this for the generations to come,” says Bartelse. “You can also see this when it comes to the sustainability of our products. We don’t look at this business on a just monthly or quarterly basis; we actually have a much longer perspective.”

Trouw Nutrition also places a strong emphasis on continuous learning and grooming future leaders from within.

“I found their leadership program just a tremendous example of how to help people get to the next level,” says Vezina. “They don’t try to make you fit some

preconceived notion of what a leader should be. Instead, they take the qualities you have and work with those to help create the best version of you as a leader.”

For Vezina, the most positive aspect of Trouw Nutrition’s workplace culture is the calibre of people she interacts with.

“I have the opportunity to work with competent, reliable, professional people with very good values,” she says. “We complement each other and work together towards the common goal of serving our customers. We are stronger because it’s all about the team, not the individual.” 

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Teamwork fuels diversity at Ultra Communications munications’ products, which include video and data communications.

“It was a pilot to build trust and empathy for our leaders as well as the users of our products,” Cohen says. “Seeing the team grow though that program was inspirational; it’s something we’ll be looking to repeat in the future.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the company responded with a flexible work-from-home policy, investments in equipment to allow staff to work remotely and town halls to keep them connected, as well as dividers, masks and even a food truck for employees who needed to be at the office.

 Ultra Communications is a supplier of communications and networking equipment for defence systems, security and public safety applications.

W

hen Alain Cohen became president of Ultra Electronics TCS Inc. (“Ultra Communications”) a year ago, one of his challenges was to boost workforce diversity at the Mont-Royal-based supplier of communications and networking equipment for defence systems, security and public safety applications – traditionally a very male-dominated industry.

“It has been a massive push for

us,” he says. “We recognized that we needed to grow fast and tap into a broader demographic base to get to where we needed to be, and to energize the culture. So we set some ambitious targets, and we’ve been seeing it pay off nicely.”

The company started by training and incentivizing its leaders, setting targets for talent acquisition and using role modelling to fill key positions. “I wanted to have a second woman on the leadership team to balance it and bring in fresh ideas,” says

Cohen. “It was a challenge, as only 25 or 30 per cent of graduates at Québec’s top engineering university are women, and the numbers are worse in other disciplines, like radio frequency.

But we persevered, and it was worth it.”

Ultra Communications also launched a program called Strategies 4 Success to support female employees to continue to develop leadership and networking skills. Another initiative took managers into the field for three days to test Ultra Com-

We’re growing rapidly, and we want everyone to feel that their contribution is connected to that success.

— Alain Cohen President

The pandemic also spurred a major investment in the company’s headquarters. “We’re revamping the facility for a post-COVID-19 world and creating a campus that is innovative in Montréal,” says Cohen.

“It’s going to be great.”

Yaxi Fan, who started working as a mechanical design specialist in September, appreciates the care

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

127

full-time staff in Canada

43

years, longest-serving employee

6

weeks, maximum vacation allowance

100%

 Ultra Communications believes in having a diverse workforce because every voice counts.

that her team and manager took to give her the support she needed to settle in and connect to her colleagues during the pandemic.

“The projects we work on are so interesting, and everybody is very helpful,” she says. “We are true team players, and my manager always has time to give me the

answers and guidance I need.”

That connection is maintained with regular department, team and project-specific meetings to discuss progress and issues. “We have a lot of opportunities to voice our concerns and get feedback,” Fan says. “I see clearly how I can develop my career. It’s based on

skill, experience, knowledge and how you work with the team. It’s the same standard for everyone, so I feel very comfortable here.”

Cohen echoes her emphasis on Ultra Communications’ teambased ethos. “There’s a culture of deep trust and respect,” he says. “We win and lose as a team,

Come innovate with us for a safer tomorrow

employer-paid health plan, with family coverage

always. The second thing is that, regardless of what function they’re in, everyone’s a problem-solver.

And the third one is that it’s everyone’s company, essentially.

We’re growing rapidly, and we want everyone to feel that their contribution is connected to that success.” 

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WB Games Montréal levels up on being good to each other right thing to do, diverse teams are better. They are more productive. They are more creative.

They make better things.”

Stéphane Roy, vice-president and studio head, confirms that an inclusive culture is important to him. “It is amazing to work with people who have different points of view. I like when there are different ideas and different solutions,” Roy says, adding that diversity also includes having experienced employees paired with people new to the industry.

“It’s about finding that balance and that’s how we're going to extract the best from a group of people.”

 A concept artist working at WB Games Montréal.

F

leur Marty was feeling stressed and tired. She had just completed a major development milestone on a video game project for WB Games Montréal. That day, one of the directors on the project had a basket delivered to Marty full of chocolates and other goodies.

“She said she wanted to give me a pick-me-up,” says Marty, studio executive producer. “These are the kinds of things people do for each other at the studio. I have witnessed so many times how people embody our values and

apply them every day.”

Marty is referring to the studio’s four values: we get it done, we join forces, we treat each other well and we have fun doing what we do.

“My favourite one is we treat each other well and I especially like that we join forces. That means everyone is able to contribute in a meaningful way,” Marty says. “Just because you’re not at the leadership level does not mean your voice won’t be heard. You can come forward with ideas and contribute meaningfully to our games.”

Marty, who is the studio’s first woman executive producer, is also grateful for the studio’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Three recent video game projects were all headed by women. “I think this is pretty unique in our industry. It’s great to work in a studio that makes room and it’s not just coming from the women,” Marty says. “Of course, I'm in a unique position to make room for others but our studio head cares a lot about it too, and that plays a big role in it being a part of our culture.

“Aside from the fact that it’s the

Aside from the fact that it’s the right thing to do, diverse teams are better.

They are more productive. They are more creative.

They make better things.

— Fleur Marty Studio Executive Producer

The studio also helps employees succeed through training programs on topics including diversity and leadership. Another program pairs employees who are identified as having a lot of po-

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MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2022

360

full-time staff in Canada

37

years, average age of all employees

100%

employer-paid health plan, with family coverage

3

weeks, starting vacation allowance

 WB Games Montréal's main cafeteria on the 6th floor.

tential for growth with a coach for one-on-one weekly, confidential sessions for six months. “I’ve been on that and it has helped me grow as my responsibilities grow,” Marty says. “Having someone I can brainstorm with on challenges I face is priceless. I love it.”

Roy is also proud to be part of

providing employees with the opportunity to work in such an exciting industry. WB Games Montréal develops what the industry calls AAA games, which are produced and distributed by a mid-sized or major publisher with higher development and marketing budgets. The project Marty is

Montreal’s Top Employers Winner

working on is a DC Comics game.

“Working with DC, we have access to amazing characters, but the whole video game industry excites me,” Roy says. “It takes so many different people and different skills that we need to bring together to create a single product.

“Games are amazing because you are going to be part of the story. We give employees the chance to be writing and programming and managing this.

Sometimes, life can get repetitive, especially during the pandemic.

So sometimes, it’s cool to be in the shoes of a superhero.” 

Tell us your story If you are an exceptional employer with progressive human resources programs and initiatives, consider applying for next year’s edition of Montréal’s Top Employers. Now entering its 23rd year, our national project is Canada’s longest-running and best-known editorial competition for employers.

For information on next year’s application process, visit:

CanadasTop100.com/2023 Applications for our 2023 competition will be released in February and must be returned by April.

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