An entrepreneurial spirit fuels success at Hatch Ltd.

Most Hatch Ltd. employees have two things in common, according to Pierre Olivier, regional managing director for Western Canada. The first is a passion for solving problems. “That’s a good thing,” says Olivier. “We respond to the world’s toughest challenges that face our clients around the world.”

The second thing that ties Hatch employees together is an entrepreneurial spirit that permeates the entire company. “We’re a private business that nourishes entrepreneurial behaviour,” says Olivier.

Hatch provides fertile ground for problem solvers. The global engineering company has 10,000 professionals who solve a range of problems for clients in the metals and minerals, energy, transportation and infrastructure sectors, working on a vast range of problems: everything from reducing carbon emissions to making transportation systems safer.

With offices on six continents and a global reach that includes projects in 150 countries, Hatch functions as an innovation hub for engineers, inventors, technical experts and other employees. Working in tandem with its engineers, the company boasts expertise in many complementary areas, including digital innovation, climate change, community engagement, technologies and advisory services.

Charlotte-Skye Fullerton has only been with the company for three years and she’s already changed roles three times, recently moving into her new role as a workforce planning coordinator. At her Montréal office, she also sits on a Hatch employee committee called Femmes de génie. She says Hatch has opened a world of opportunity to pursue her own passions.

“The people I work with are smart. They challenge me and stimulate me intellectually every day,” she says. “The regional managers trust their teams and they don’t micromanage us. They give us a lot of space to start initiatives, and if they think those initiatives would benefit the company, they’ll let us run with it. They’re open to any kind of idea.”

At the same time, Hatch gives employees a voice by maintaining a flat organizational structure, according to Fullerton; a place where an entry-level employee can communicate with someone in senior management through an email or a knock on the door.

Fullerton is not an engineer. She joined Hatch with a newly minted MBA, along with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. “The fact that I’ve already changed positions a couple of times shows that there are so many opportunities, even for someone who isn’t in engineering,” she says.

“There are many diverse backgrounds and degrees here. It creates this amazing company environment with people who are business-oriented, technical, or who lean toward human behaviour; all kinds of skills. There are many paths you can create for yourself and so much you can learn here at Hatch.”

“We value our unique culture here,” says Olivier. “Our employees become experts in their field, and because their skills are in demand around the world, they reach communities and colleagues globally, where the world’s toughest challenges need to be addressed.”

Olivier says Hatch values employees who are technical experts in their field and can deliver solutions to its diverse clients. “All our employees are valued equally, whether their skills are in a technical field, or their strengths lie in leading teams of people,” he says. “By supporting everyone who works at Hatch, it helps our business thrive.

“We’re a business that helps design the future,” says Olivier. “The way we’ve managed to impact the world is phenomenal.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 15, 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.

Hatch offers a world of opportunity for young employees

For Charlotte-Skye Fullerton, the biggest challenge presented by the pandemic was finding ways to keep busy. Working on her nearly completed MBA degree helped a lot, but what she really wanted was a full-time job. One of her close friends had recently found employment with the engineering firm Hatch Ltd., and she was talking non-stop about the place.

“She wasn’t trying to sell it to me,” Fullerton recalls. “It was just friend to friend, sharing stories about how much she loved her job.”

Fullerton was intrigued, and she started doing her own research into the company. What she found intrigued her even more. Based in Mississauga, Hatch is a global engineering firm with experience in more than 150 countries, taking on challenges in the fields of metals, energy and infrastructure. It was the opportunity to expand her horizons that attracted Fullerton the most.

“It became obvious to me that Hatch is a creative employer with a great reputation,” she says. “And when you get a chance to work with people who have aligned values, it’s so much more fun to go to work every day.”

Today, Fullerton is even more sure about that theory. She’s employed by Hatch as a workforce planning coordinator for Eastern Canada, her third position with the company since joining three years ago.

Pierre Olivier is Hatch’s regional managing director for Western Canada. He says the percentage of young people that the company needs to recruit is a hot topic in management discussions.

“It’s imperative for us to have young people in our business,” says Olivier. “They bring fresh ideas. They bring new approaches. It’s not a sustainable business if we don’t continually bring in new talent. Younger talent complements our experienced staff and helps us do better.”

Attracting the best rookie talent means making sure young people have opportunities that are attractive and exceptional, says Olivier. “Not only do our employees get the opportunity to challenge humanity’s toughest problems, but they also get to see more of the world. They get exceptional mentorship from industry experts. They get access to knowledge and experience that they otherwise wouldn’t get. They get exposure to our clients and their problems and processes.”

“For me, having a role that doesn’t put me in a box is truly something that makes me happy to come to work every day,” says Fullerton. “I have the independence to connect with people globally and to make my ideas come to life. If you are proactive, Hatch gives you the space to grow on your own. They will provide you the space and the tools and the connections that you need.”

Fullerton says that Hatch is a “flat” organization, a place where new employees can contribute and be heard. That means that young employees feel they are making a difference right from the start.

“It’s not the kind of hierarchical structure that you would normally see in large firms,” she says. “Upper management always has their door open to answer any question or listen to any idea you may have. People are respectful and friendly, no matter what your title is.”

There are many opportunities for young people to grow and develop within the company, says Fullerton, including formal training and classes, organized mentorship programs and a wealth of informal mentorship opportunities.

“Hatch is a company that moves with you,” she says. “You can have multiple careers here, many different experiences, all within the same company. You get to grow and try new things and keep your seniority and the reputation that you’ve built. That’s a real win-win for me.”

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.