Hatch is inspiring great people to do great things

Among her many varied and stimulating roles at Hatch Ltd., Vancouver-based engineering manager Sandra Fleming embraces mentoring the next generation of engineers and maintaining strong ties with her alma mater.

A member of the University of British Columbia’s mechanical engineering alumni committee, Fleming brought together professors and industry professionals at Hatch’s office earlier this year to discuss future industry needs, and how the university could respond through curriculum development.

Fleming also regularly attends events to speak with students. And when they arrive at the global engineering and professional services giant where she has worked for the past two years, she mentors them, drawing inspiration from the firm’s strong mentoring culture and her 13 years of industry experience.

“We want to make sure that people are getting the connections and mentorship they need,” she says. “You don’t have the feeling that you’re just a cog in the wheel at Hatch.”

The company is driven by a governing manifesto that is foundational to its culture. “We are passionately committed to the pursuit of a better world through positive change, and that really does drive what we do,” says Mike Fedoroff, regional managing director for Western Canada. “One of the values in our manifesto is encouraging great people who make a difference. We want our employees to be fully engaged with our client’s work, with our business, our people and the communities that we operate in.”

Whether it’s fostering close ties with educational institutions or raising money for local food banks, Hatch supports its employees in volunteering to better their communities and will match the money they fundraise, says Fedoroff.

For several years, Hatch has supported Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer. The annual event raises money for the Toronto-based Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, one of the world’s top five cancer research centres. Hatch employees fundraise and volunteer their time to play hockey. Over the years of its involvement, the company and its employees have donated more than $3 million.

Hatch is committed to nurturing long-term relationships with its clients, many of whom have been associated with the employee-owned company since it was founded more than six decades ago, but also with its colleagues. “We encourage a flat-connected organization around the globe, which enables that connectivity from new employees to the CEO. Anyone can pick up the phone and call our CEO or myself if they have a question,” says Fedoroff.

Employees are committed to connecting and working collaboratively, but Hatch also facilitates social events – everything from volleyball teams and soccer leagues to dragon boat races. “When your employees are able to work together but also play together it creates a safe and trusting environment where they can count on their colleagues to support them,” says Fedoroff.

Fleming finds camaraderie with the Women at Hatch group, which includes non-binary people. Meeting monthly, they have held paint nights and brought in experts to discuss fertility issues and other timely topics. Events happen in person in Hatch’s local offices, but for bigger events such as International Women’s Day, they connect online with the larger, global Hatch community.

While the company encourages its employees to meet in person whenever possible, having colleagues around the world means that’s not always possible. For Fleming, having international expertise at her fingertips is a bonus in her specialized field of mineral processing. “I can always call on colleagues in Montréal or Australia or around the world to compare notes.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 17, 2023 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Hatch’s mentorship attracts and grows young talent

Right after completing her engineering degree, Safaa Azammam embarked on her dream job at Hatch Ltd. – planning and designing tunnels for Montréal’s biggest public transit project in more than half a century.

While studying civil engineering at Montréal’s École Polytechnique, she decided she wanted to specialize in underground construction for tunnels and knew the global engineering and professional services giant had a good reputation in the industry.

“As a young professional in tunnelling, you have to learn it in the field – it is not learned in school,” she says. “I had the opportunity with Hatch to work on this big project and to be supported by colleagues with different expertise.”

In 2016, immediately after being hired by Mississauga, Ont.-based Hatch, she joined its Montréal office working on a light rail transit (LRT) project. After determining where to put tunnels for the electric rail network, she then moved onto the design and specifications for the project’s tender phase. She later moved on site where she provided expertise during construction. The project included constructing a three-kilometre tunnel to Montréal-Trudeau International Airport.

“I learned a lot on this project. We started with an idea and now I am proud to see what we’ve done,” says Azammam.

Fostering continued learning is essential to Hatch’s success, says Lynn Iturregui, a Sudbury, Ont.-based project manager and sponsor of mining projects. Having joined Hatch after completing her civil engineering and management degree at McMaster University more than 26 years ago, Iturregui was the recipient of mentorship and technical guidance and is now in a position to provide it to others. She is also actively involved with Hatch’s campus recruitment and scholarship initiatives, particularly with her alma mater.

“Mentorship is how we grow our family. We think of our company as a family,” says Iturregui. “So much of our organization’s success is driven by our ability to work similarly – similar processes, similar mindset, interfacing with our clients, thinking like owners, nurturing those long-term relationships. All of that is building blocks for meeting our clients’ needs.”

From day one, new hires at Hatch are mentored. Each one is assigned a Hatch buddy for onboarding support, as well as a direct supervisor who provides more hands-on, daily guidance. New employees also have the opportunity to join online mentorship circles to connect with a mix of people who have been with the organization a similar length of time and are from a variety of different regions and business units.

Hatch’s leadership team encourages a flat, connected organization around the globe so there are no barriers to connectivity from junior engineers in training to the CEO.

“We are very proud that you won’t find an org chart within our organization. We think of it as a matrix,” says Iturregui.

Much of the connectivity and mentorship that happens at Hatch takes place in person in the office. The pandemic showed how essential human interaction is to the organization’s creativity, innovation and ingenuity, says Iturregui.

“We do stress for people to be in the office to connect with others, share what you know, be prepared to hear what other people have to share and be open to the possibilities.”

As a young female engineer, Azammam is excited about the possibilities and is thankful for the support she receives from her senior colleagues who allow her to take ownership of projects. “Hatch wants to promote and to invest in young professionals,” she says. “I would like to expand my career development to take on more leadership challenges, to be part of the next generation at Hatch.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Employers for Young People winners, published January 23, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.