Air Canada believes in growing by doing, encouraging employees to take risks and learn from their mentors in a safe environment.Supplied
Muhammad Yahya didn’t hesitate when Air Canada accepted his co-op student application in 2022. He was enrolled in the MBA program at Concordia University in Montréal and had applied to several companies but joining Air Canada “was a no brainer,” he says.
“I’m originally from Pakistan and came here in 2011 for my undergraduate studies. Air Canada is a flagship carrier and has prestige associated with it. It’s like we are serving the country.”
After his co-op ended, his director asked if he was interested in staying on. “I said, ‘I’m more than interested!’” By the time he graduated, Yahya was working full time as an IT analyst. He credits mentorship as the primary driver of his professional growth. “Today, I’m a project manager. I have 28 people reporting to me on a big AI-related project,” he says.
“The director who hired me was a great mentor and always extremely supportive. When I told him I was interested in a project management role, he gave me the stepping stones by assigning me to different projects supporting different people in the company.”
Right from the start, Yahya was impressed by Air Canada’s supportive culture. “People here are extremely collaborative. They’re very helpful. If you ask for help, they will go out of their way.”
When he was set to make a presentation to the senior executive team, his director not only reviewed his work but took the time to explain the executives’ perspectives, what their business priorities were, and how best to communicate with them. “It’s one thing to say what needs to be fixed, but it’s another to teach me about how my work fits into the business strategy and to see things from a senior leader’s viewpoint,” he says.
For Pina Guercio, vice-president, global human resources, what started as a summer job at Air Canada’s call centre 27 years ago has turned into a long and rewarding career. “I thought, ‘I’ll do it for the summer and then go to Hawaii.’ Well, I made a life out of it and I’ve been very blessed.”
Guercio has made her way across the organization including leisure and corporate sales, tour operations, project management, and even supporting the launch of a new airline, Air Canada Rouge. “I’ve touched multiple areas and that has enabled me to really understand how the business works. It’s also made me appreciate the importance of being able to serve both our external customers but also our internal customers, our employees. Fifteen years ago, someone took a chance on me, and I took a chance on myself and moved into human resources.”
The company believes in “growing by doing,” says Guercio. “Mentoring is really about sharing,” she says. “Through an application process, we match the mentor and mentee.” Guercio herself seeks to mentor new people managers to the company. “Sometimes a junior employee may be afraid to ask their leader questions. A mentorship is a safe space where the mentee can share their challenges and learn. I remember when I started, sometimes I took two steps back to take three steps forward.”
When supporting the launch of Rouge, Guercio recalls pushing herself and her team too hard. “Looking back, I’ve learned that sometimes you have to put your hand up and ask for help. That was the best mistake I learned from,” she says.
When asked what has been his biggest “pinch me” moment since joining Air Canada, Yahya doesn’t hesitate: “It’s the mentorship. It all goes back to the people.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.