They’re taking on underground construction obstacles, tackling mining and energy quandaries, and don’t hesitate to brainstorm daily about how to address climate change. Hatch is an engineering and professional services firm that employs 12,000 people in 150 countries around the world, all from its perch in Mississauga, ON. But you may have never heard of them, and that’s by design. “It's true that we're not a household name,” says Hatch Chairman and CEO John Bianchini. “We're employee-owned and we don't feel the need to advertise other than – in the good old Canadian way – based on what we do ..read more

When Jennifer Wong was an economics student at the University of British Columbia, she walked into an Aritzia store with her resumé. The company at the time was only three years old and operated two locations. She landed a part-time job, which led to other Aritzia jobs as the company grew.  Three decades later, she became Chief Executive Officer of the clothing retail giant that now boasts 117 stores in two countries, plus a global online presence. “My journey has really been about figuring things out, learning new things and overcoming problems,” she tells Goldy Hyder in the Speaking of ..read more

When the last spike was driven into the Canadian Pacific Railway track on November 7th, 1885 in British Columbia, CP became the first transcontinental railway to connect Canada from east to west.  Last April, the iconic Canadian company marked another first, when – in Kansas City, Missouri – a ceremonial final spike connected Canadian Pacific with Kansas City Southern. The new railway, now named CPKC, became the first and only single-line railway connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico. It stretches across more than 32,000 kilometers of track and employs 20,000 people.&n ..read more

It was a summer job that sparked Mike Rencheck’s lifelong career in the energy industry. He started out as an intern at the Beaver Valley Power Station in Pennsylvania in the 1980’s, and never looked back. “It really opened my eyes to what was possible in nuclear energy,” he says. Skip ahead a few decades and Rencheck is now the President and CEO of Bruce Power. The nuclear plant on the shores of Lake Huron produces 30 per cent of Ontario's electricity – that’s half of all the province’s nuclear power. Rencheck recognizes the important role nuclear will play as Canada transitions to lower emis ..read more

Jeffrey Orr has a simple message for business students: live your values. “I think people have the impression that there's a different set of ethics and values that apply in business than apply in their personal lives,” he says. “That’s not the case.” The CEO of Power Corporation says in his experience, successful leaders turn to personal values and instincts when faced with tough business decisions.  In a wide-ranging conversation with Goldy Hyder on the Speaking of Business podcast, Orr discusses lessons he has learned as a business leader. Key to his philosophy is that consistent appro ..read more

Iggy Domagalski is a big believer in having fun at work. “Work can be enjoyable,” he says. “When people know that they can have a bit of fun and that they can take five minutes to spend some fun time with their peers, I think that sends them back to their desk smiling.” Domagalski is the President and CEO of Wajax, a Canadian industrial products and service company. With 3000 employees working in 120 branches across the country, a strong corporate culture that embraces positivity is a big priority for him. That’s why you might run into a foosball table or an impromptu basketball game at a Waja ..read more

François Poirier and his co-workers see themselves as problem-solvers. The problems are many, and familiar to anyone who follows North America’s energy industry.  The need to reduce emissions from traditional energy sources like oil and natural gas.  The need to transition to lower-carbon sources without raising prices for consumers.  The need for energy security in a world that is increasingly unpredictable. It’s a tall order, but Poirier – President and CEO of Calgary-based TC Energy – is optimistic that his company and others in the industry can meet the challenge. Not ..read more

Twenty-seven years ago, WestJet took to the air with just three aircraft and five destinations. Today, the Calgary-based airline serves more than 100 cities across four continents. Overseeing the operation is CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. He's a newcomer to Canada but not to the industry, having spent two decades working for and running airlines in Europe.  When he arrived in Canada last year, he was struck by the country’s rugged geography and “sheer size”, which brought home to him the importance of air travel.  “In Europe, if you want to get from city A to city B, you have tons of o ..read more

Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, Tracy Robinson liked to watch the trains roll by. Little did she know then that trains would have a lasting impact on her life. She spent 27 years working at Canadian Pacific Railway before switching to the energy sector for almost a decade. Last year she returned to her roots when she was appointed President and CEO of CN, a job she calls “the best in the world.” Overseeing 30,000 km of track across Canada and the United States, Robinson understands the integral role rail plays in North America’s complex supply chain. “We need the supply chains to b ..read more

Rania Llewellyn spent 26 years working at Scotiabank before making a move she describes as a “big leap and a big change” – becoming President and CEO of Laurentian Bank. And yet she says the hardest part of that transition was joining a new institution in the middle of a pandemic. The inability to walk through the office and meet people created unique challenges, she says. “Organizations are made of people. You need to be a really good listener to be a good leader.” In a wide-ranging conversation with Goldy Hyder on the Speaking of Business podcast, Llewellyn discusses how she built a new ..read more