Air Canada is where new careers take flight

There’s good reason, Arielle Meloul-Wechsler says, why her position at Air Canada carries an unusual job title. “It does look like a mishmash of roles,” says the airline’s executive vice president, chief human resources officer, and public affairs. “But it just means I cover the whole of stakeholder relations, whether internal or external — employees, government or public — where our messaging needs to be consistent and authentic,” she explains.

“Transparent communication has been absolutely key in building trust with our employees, because they know whatever we’re telling them is the same as we tell everyone.”

In recent years, Air Canada has intensified its use of communications avenues, including the Viva Engage platform, “which is a kind of internal chat room for employees to ask about anything and get answers from each other and from leaders,” Meloul-Wechsler says.

That effort is only one part of Air Canada’s commitment to support and engage its employees. “We believe in stretch goals, where you’re taken out of your day-to-day comfort zone and put to doing something completely different — like a lawyer becoming head of HR,” says Meloul-Wechsler, who began her Air Canada career in the airline’s legal department in 1997. “And I’m only one example among many.”

Another, by his own description, is Eric Naki, now a team care manager – benefits, who joined Air Canada’s general reservations department in 2012. “Since then, doors have kept opening and I’ve always been pushed in the right direction to go ahead, to grow and to really make the most out of the opportunities that I’ve had here,” says Naki.

Making the most of opportunities is aided by a variety of supports for ongoing learning and development. “Air Canada has assistance for continuing education, from support for in-house training — online courses and workshops — to apprenticeships and skilled trades certification programs to university courses, including tuition reimbursement,” Meloul-Wechsler says.

“We’ve invested a lot in mentoring, pairing senior managers with mid-level managers. That’s win-win because the senior people really love to transfer their knowledge to the next generation of leaders.”

A hybrid work option, flexible schedules and vibrant employee resource groups representing women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, those living with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people are other core elements of Air Canada’s workplace culture, as is its continuing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

“DEI is something that we were embracing long before it was on everybody’s radar — we were one of the first employers to offer same-sex family benefits,” says Meloul-Wechsler. “When I’m asked whether I’m concerned about the trend we’re seeing in the U.S. where companies are starting to pull back a little bit on DEI, my answer is no. I’m not that concerned in Canada, and I’m certainly not concerned about it at Air Canada. For us, it’s not just a program, it’s in our DNA. You don’t pare back on who you are.”

It all makes for a culture that Naki is eager to pay forward. “I oversee the leave of absence section of my team, which involves helping employees who are usually experiencing intense situations, whether it’s a great moment, like a new baby, or a tough, family-illness moment. I tell my team members to always actively listen and go the extra mile for the callers because an extra mile for us can be a life-changing experience for them,” Naki says.

“After 12 years, I would say that working here is one of the richest and most rewarding career paths that I could have had.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Montreal’s Top Employers winners, published March 18, 2025 in the Montreal Gazette. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

The sky’s the limit for young hires at Air Canada

Célian Genier, corporate photographer at Air Canada, once combined a lifelong fascination with aviation with nervousness about flying. Not any more though, says the 23-year-old, given his high regard for his fellow employees at the Montréal-based airline.

“Having seen behind the scenes, I have complete and total trust in our pilots, our mechanics and how much redundancy is built into the system,” he says. “Now, I sleep during turbulence.”

A good thing, too. There is much Genier loves about his job, from the work itself to the opportunities available to him and his fellow young employees, but the cherry on top is one of corporate Canada’s best employee benefits – travel privileges. “In 2024, I flew five or six times back to France to visit relatives,” says Genier, whose family emigrated from outside Paris to Montréal when he was six.

Pina Guercio, the airline’s vice president of global human resources, also enjoys her travel privileges – she recently returned from a visit to Dubai – while stressing the airline’s other substantial employee perks. An Air Canada veteran, Guercio started in the call centre in 1999, thinking it would be a good summer job.

“Then the horizons opened up because Air Canada will encourage any employee from the start to grow within the organization. I’ve had the chance to dip my feet into areas from leisure sales to project management and my love, which is now HR,” says Guercio.

“The system is so well supported,” Guercio continues. “We have our internship programs, a formal mentoring program and a great tuition reimbursement program where employees can access up to $5,000 a year for tuition assistance. We offer a flexible work policy and five catch-up days a year which employees can use as they need them. That’s especially helpful when you’re trying to further your education.”

In 2023, Air Canada launched an 18-month leadership program that has already trained more than 2,000 managers, says the vice president. “It’s a comprehensive program that really ensures we lead with confidence, that we recognize and empower our employees, and that we listen. In the educational partnerships we establish and when we go to career fairs, we’re able to say, ‘you can be a mechanic, a flight attendant, a pilot, a lawyer, and many other roles here,’” Guercio says. “Air Canada is a place of opportunity for everybody.”

The airline also has a corporate wellness program, Unlock the Best in You, with a robust telemedicine component. “This is a resource I use quite frequently,” says Guercio. “Within two hours of making a call, I’ve seen a doctor, got a prescription and had it delivered to my house. And it offers unlimited mental health support through TELUS Total Mental Health. If you want to talk to someone, you have unlimited sessions. We don’t cap you.”

While all these benefits are important for employees of any age, Guercio says, they are especially significant for the current generation. “Information and availability of resources is key for young people, and our policies and programs aim to show that if you want to grow in this organization, we have the right tools to help you do so.”

“I honestly think this is one of the best places to work in Canada if you want to build something meaningful,” says Genier. “If you have good ideas and bring them forward, you have an incredible infrastructure to boost your efforts. And health and wellness? In a dreary minus-30 degree February, I can go for two days to Miami just to relax and get some vitamin D.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Employers for Young People winners, published January 21, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Air Canada aims to make DEI ‘just the way it is’

Christianna Scott, director of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Air Canada, has a resumé tailor-made for her position. An accomplished lawyer with a passion for human rights advocacy, she was born in Ghana, the child of a Canadian father and Ghanaian mother. Raised in small fishing villages along Québec’s Lower North Shore and fluently bilingual, Scott is quintessentially Canadian in her diversity.

For Scott, her work at Canada’s largest airline has opened immense possibilities. “Air Canada has 40,000 employees across the world, and real change could come from continuing to advance on these issues,” she says.

“I asked if they were truly committed to this, and the answer was yes. As well as the very important humanity aspect, it is fully understood within Air Canada that the more you increase diversity, the more innovation you get, and the better the problem-solving,” says Scott. “It’s why I have a team of 12, which is huge among corporate DEI groups.”

It’s why, too, the airline showcases its diversity in its community outreach. “We need pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, lawyers, doctors, nurses,” says Scott, “and we need traditionally under-represented groups to see themselves in those roles, for young girls to see a female pilot and think, ‘I can be part of this.’”

In her work and its ultimate aim, the director emphasizes the E in DEI. “To effect systemic change, you need to build equity into programs,” says Scott. “That’s what creates change that’s no longer seen as diversity, equity and inclusion policy. Then it’s just the way it is.”

Gurasis Singh couldn’t agree more. Now a Montréal-based teams solutions manager–benefits and self-described “aviation geek,” Singh came aboard Air Canada in Winnipeg in 2018, fresh out of college. “It was inspiring to step into an environment where shared values drive collective success,” Singh says.

“The department that I worked in always encouraged us to stay close to our roots, commemorating everything from Diwali to Christmas to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation,” says Singh. “Being a part of a place that values diversity like this is truly uplifting.”

Air Canada has embedded DEI elements within its corporate wellness program, Unlock the Best in You, adds Scott. “It assures employees that when we say, ‘bring your whole self to work,’ that includes your identities and the complexities around them. When people contact our mental health partner, they can make a request for a practitioner who shares their lived identity — so they don’t have to go through the emotional labour of having to explain all the background — whenever they feel it’s critical to their mental health journey.”

Scott also stresses Air Canada’s commitment to communication and accountability in DEI matters. “We hold quarterly meetings with our active employee resource groups — representing women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, those living with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people — so that we hear from them and inform them of what we’re doing,” she says. “We always provide that loop.”

For Singh, Air Canada’s vision is compelling. “It aligns with my story and my broader values – we are always connected to our roots and cultures,” he says. “Just like our flight network, we are from all over the world, and the company‘s approach to creating a truly inclusive and supportive environment not only enriches our workplace, it strengthens our team unity.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada’s Best Diversity Employers winners, published February 25, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.