MEDIACORP CANADA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Employee in the Office ( Photo Credit: Eric Carriere )
Job Titles:
- Director of Technical Services
Ann-Julie Bonin joined Bell Canada in 2017 shortly after earning an engineering degree from Montréal's Concordia University. She was enrolled in the company's three-year new-grad program and, to her surprise, was quickly managing a team of 30 field technicians - some of whom had children older than she was.
She embraced the challenge and found lasting benefit. "I loved the experience," says Bonin, who is currently director of technical services with the field services business unit. "It taught me so much about how to manage a team. I still use what I learned there on a day-to-day basis."
In her current role, she oversees a team of 30 managers. They are responsible for the smooth operation of the company's contact centres and the 1,500 agents who work there.
Brandon White accepted a position at Bell in September 2020 after graduating from Queen's University in Kingston with a bachelor of computing degree, which is a mix of computer science and software engineering. "I wanted a company that had a new-grad program," says White, a technical product manager based in Toronto. "I thought that would be the best way to get exposure to the company and get up to speed on industry knowledge."
The program exceeded his expectations and made for a smooth start to his career. First, he participated in orientation sessions where he and other new hires were able to speak to executives. He also had an opportunity to meet and network with other recent graduates. "It helped create a community of young people," says White.
Job Titles:
- Bell Canada Technical Director
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice - President of Human Resources
Diana Godfrey, senior vice-president of human resources and corporate affairs, says the company has worked hard over the years to build and maintain a corporate culture that is "highly collaborative, empathetic and friendly."
As the company shifted to a hybrid working model post-pandemic - which evaluates the obligations of each role to set a minimum number of in-office days per month, giving the majority of employees plenty of opportunities to work from home - Godfrey says Fidelity has maintained its culture and the employee experience by intentionally using the office for collaboration and connection.
Jean-Philippe Paradis joined Bell in the early 1990s as a new grad after earning a degree in industrial engineering from Polytechnique Montréal. Since then, he has held over 15 positions and was able to complete an MBA with the support of the organization.
He has been a front-line manager, a senior manager, a director, and president of Bell technical solutions. Recently he took on a new role as vice-president of subscription sales, distribution, out of home and business intelligence with Bell Media.
Kelly Creelman, senior vice-president of products and marketing, says Fidelity wants its young employees to grow within the organization, whether that means climbing the career ladder throughout the same department or exploring different business lines to see what fits. Creelman has lived that in her career. After joining Fidelity 24 years ago as an analyst in the finance department, she worked in multiple departments across the organization before settling in products and marketing.
"There's a lot of opportunity to try new things, and if you want to try a different role or go to a different department, that's great," she says. "If you have the transferrable skills, we can train you."
Despite being a large organization, Fidelity has long had a collaborative and friendly culture that has allowed employees to get to know people outside of their immediate teams. But that's been harder for Gen Z employees, who were hired during the pandemic and started their careers working remotely. To help these employees network, Creelman launched Fidelity's Vibe Check social series at the beginning of 2023. The monthly events have included mixology classes, networking opportunities with senior leaders at Fidelity, and more.
Job Titles:
- Senior Specialist, Environmental, Social and Governance, at Bell Canada
Monika Potocki, senior specialist, environmental, social and governance, at Bell Canada
Nisa Bently first came across Fidelity Canada while doing a summer internship at youth charity, BGC Canada. Seeing Fidelity's long-term partnership with the charity up close, and speaking with volunteers from the financial services company about their positive experiences in its co-op program, Bently knew Fidelity was "the place to be."
After Bently was hired in 2019, she quickly found the Toronto-headquartered company more than lived up to the hype. "Everyone was so friendly, and it's so easy to interact with senior management. People at Fidelity are eager to give you advice, see you grow and set you up for success," says Bently, now a team manager for client support at Fidelity Clearing Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fidelity.
Despite Fidelity's significant workforce of more than 1,700 Canadian employees, Bently has found it easy to connect with people outside of her direct team through supportive onboarding initiatives for new hires and mentorship programs, as well as huddles and recognition programs that highlight the work of employees across the company.
"The effort and hard work you put in is really recognized on a massive level, and there are opportunities for people from other departments to get to know who you are," she says. "There's a real sense of community."
Job Titles:
- Fidelity 's Director of Software Product
Shahinian, Fidelity's director of software product, was on the team that developed Investly, Fidelity's mobile investing app, which launched to the public in November 2023. Investly was built specifically to take the fear out of investing for people who are new to it by making the app simple, streamlined and packed with educational resources.
Sharanya Tiwari is early in her career, but she's already had plenty of opportunity to grow at Fidelity Canada.
Tiwari first joined the financial services firm in 2021 as a co-op student while she was still doing her bachelor's degree in accounting, and had three consecutive placements in project management, investment product groups looking at both ETFs and new solutions, and marketing. After a brief stint at another company, Tiwari knew Fidelity was where she wanted to be, and joined in February as a financial analyst on the company's financial decision support team.
Every step of the way, she says, her colleagues across the organization have been happy to share their knowledge with her, and her managers have made the effort to find projects that allow her to do work she's passionate about.
"If someone takes time out of their day to speak with you, it means they also care about your growth. I've found that to be consistently the case across all my co-ops, and it was something that made me want to join Fidelity full-time," she says. "It's a place that rewards curiosity and is invested in your growth."
Vibe Check has added benefits for Fidelity, Creelman says. It has given the company the opportunity to learn what a younger cohort of employees wants from their employer, and to leverage their skills and unique perspective to help Fidelity be relevant to younger investors. During the monthly meetings this year, Creelman asked Gen Z employees what they thought of marketing targeted at a younger demographic - and they had plenty of feedback about cutting back on financial jargon.
"It helps us communicate and engage better, and gives our young employees a voice," she says. "These people are brilliant, and we really encourage them to share their thoughts."
Tiwari, who was part of that session, says she appreciated that the company values her perspective, and that she's contributing to its mission to improve Canadians' financial literacy. "They're always thinking about ways to bridge the gap and enhance financial literacy for younger generations."