Morgan Stanley invests in people and the community

For Janet Onyeche Audu, working at Morgan Stanley Montréal is about more than just a challenging career. It’s also an opportunity to live out her personal values.

Audu, a Java application developer at the international investment firm’s Montréal Technology Centre, is someone who believes strongly in giving back to the community.

As a young woman of colour who came to Canada six years ago as an international student, Audu also has a keen interest in issues of diversity and inclusion.

Giving back and committing to diversity and inclusion are two of Morgan Stanley’s five core values (the others are doing the right thing, putting clients first and leading with exceptional ideas).

“The values of this company really resonate with me,” says Audu. “I get plenty of opportunity to give of my time and share my knowledge.”

Audu has mentored high school students, talking to them about the need to get more women involved in sciences and engineering.

She has also worked directly with underserved communities in Montréal, teaching coding skills.

As a member of Morgan Stanley’s diversity and inclusion program, Audu also helps mentor and spotlight diverse talent within the firm.

“Being a Black woman, there aren’t a lot of people who look like me doing what I do,” she says. “So it’s important we encourage more people to come into this space and make sure they can learn, grow and feel like they belong.”

Audu says she also appreciates how much Morgan Stanley invests in its people. In her case, upon graduating from university with her Master of Science in E-Business Technologies and Bachelor Degree in Software Engineering, Audu participated in the Technology Analyst Program (TAP) which places promising recruits on a four-month rotation in one of the company’s international offices (Audu went to New York City). The program offers comprehensive technology training and provides participants with the foundation for long-term career success.

Now a full-fledged developer, Audu continues to benefit from the guidance of company mentors, both in Montréal and around the globe.

“Everyone is approachable and is just a message away,” says Audu.

Mathieu Gamache is an executive director who has been with the Montréal Technology Centre since its inception in 2008 and has contributed as the office grew rapidly into one of Morgan Stanley’s largest tech sites.

“We are all about using technology to deliver cutting-edge solutions for our business and clients,” says Gamache. “It’s a complex, challenging environment, and one that has helped me grow personally and professionally.”

Gamache says the company is ideal for people who “are looking for opportunities to stretch themselves, who are curious and want to learn. It’s a place that will help you be the best version of yourself.”

Like Audu, the ability to give back to the community is a huge motivator for Gamache.

“I personally started the community engagement effort here in Montréal,” he says. “We have an annual volunteer month every June and we organize dozens of events during that time.”

Moisson Montréal, Canada’s largest food bank, is a key partner, as are the Montréal Children’s Hospital and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Foundation.

The company also works closely with Dans La Rue, an organization that helps homeless and at-risk youth.

For Gamache, the combination of a challenging work environment and an employer that encourages philanthropy is a winning one.

“We work hard, collaborate and enjoy what we do,” he says. “But we also have the additional reward of helping to make a difference in our community.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Montreal’s Top Employers winners, published February 15, 2022 in the Montreal Gazette. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Morgan Stanley gives new talent extra skills

Fresh from an undergraduate electrical engineering degree at McGill University, Ghalia Elkerdi joined Morgan Stanley Montréal six years ago – and quickly found herself immersed in a very different kind of educational experience.

Elkerdi, who is a data infrastructure engineer, participated in the Technology Analyst Program (TAP), which places new university hires on an intensive, fourmonth rotation in one of Morgan Stanley’s international offices (Elkerdi went to New York City). The program offers comprehensive technology training, mentoring and networking, and provides participants with the foundation for long-term career success.

“The prospect of someone investing in me at the start of my career was very attractive,” she says. “I learned things during TAP that, frankly, I didn’t learn during my engineering degree, including soft skills around communication, interaction and collaboration. It’s the first time I wasn’t learning just for a grade.”

Since joining Morgan Stanley Technology in Montréal, Elkerdi has participated in volunteer and philanthropy initiatives that have allowed her to use her technical skills to give back to the larger community and build out her tech experience in the process.

In particular, she has worked with Morgan Stanley’s diversity and inclusion committee to help attract more women into the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). She has also worked closely with the Montréal YWCA and other community organizations to help upgrade the skills of women who are attempting to re-enter the workforce after several years away.

“Being part of this community of women at Morgan Stanley has been truly empowering,” says Elkerdi. “Here, I meet community-minded people who volunteer their time to work on concrete solutions to pressing social issues. I like that we break down the stereotype of an engineer as a technical person buried in equations and diagrams all day.”

Elkerdi says Morgan Stanley has a strong track record of recruiting bright young talent and giving them the opportunity to prove what they can do.

“There isn’t this culture of ‘I know more than you just because I’m a day older than you’,” she notes. “The company really believes in the notion of training young people and placing them in teams where they can meaningfully contribute to solve complex challenges and have a real impact on the businesses and clients they serve.”

Elspeth Minty, who was also a TAP recruit when first joining Morgan Stanley 20 years ago, explains that the firm’s culture of mentorship is very deliberate.

“There’s a really strong tradition of developing people here,” says Minty, who is now an executive director and global lead for the Java platform engineering team. “We make sure people know there’s no such thing as a stupid question. We want them to always feel comfortable and question the way of doing things and create an environment for people to grow their abilities.”

Minty credits TAP with preparing her for a successful career spanning two decades and three cities. Having started at Morgan Stanley’s London office, Elspeth took advantage of the firm’s mobility program and worked in Shanghai, joining the Montréal team in 2018.

“TAP graduates are bright and enthusiastic and come out of the program with a network that’s really valuable,” she adds. “I still have contacts, both at the firm and outside, that I made during that time.”

Now a hiring manager herself, Minty values the qualities young people bring to the company.

“They provide diversity of perspectives and new ways of looking at things,” she says. “They are enthusiastic and contribute to making us a great workplace for innovators.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Employers for Young People winners, published January 18, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.