Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and Montreal's Top Employers (2025):
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Nov 14, 2024)
Here are some of the reasons why Saputo Inc. was selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2025) and Montreal's Top Employers (2025):
- Saputo encourages employees to adopt an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan (available to all) and helps employees save for the future with a defined contribution pension plan
- Saputo offers maternity leave top-up for mothers (to 100 per cent of salary for up to 15 weeks) as well as parental leave top-up for fathers and adoptive parents (to 100 per cent of salary for up to five weeks)
- Saputo works to engage employees both professionally and socially through a variety of programs and events throughout the year, from an annual two-day in-house HR convention (with conferences, workshops and team-building activities) to employee hockey and soccer tournaments and a yearly Christmas party for employees and their families
Saputo’s supportive culture keeps employees growing
When Catherine Tokarz looks back at her 21 years of working at Saputo, the thing that stands out is the supportive culture at the Montréal-based manufacturer of cheese and dairy products.
“I’m the type of person who has to be aligned with the values of the people running the organization, and it’s always been such a good fit,” says Tokarz, Saputo’s senior vice-president of governmental affairs. “They set you up in a situation where you can thrive and then give you the tools you need to get to where you want to take your career. And they value you.”
Tokarz is far from the only employee with more than a decade of service. “We have recognition events where you’ll have some newbies who’ve been here five or 10 years and then the 35- and 40-year people,” she says. “It’s incredible. When I walk into our boardroom for a meeting, I say ‘Hello family,’ because I’ve known many of them for as long as I’ve been here.”
Gabriel Safi, manager of a Saputo plant near Québec City, is considered a newbie, having only been at the company for eight years, but he echoes that sentiment.
“I started as an intern at 20,” he says. “Some people I graduated with have been hopping around companies, but I fell in love with Saputo from the start. I couldn’t believe the way everyone talked to everyone, whether CEO or intern. I really never felt that hierarchy, and that’s why I stuck around.”
Safi always felt that his contributions were valued. “From the start I was given impactful work, even as a student,” he says. “It was a very exciting internship. I had the chance to make a difference. I was always given opportunities to grow, and that’s something I appreciate tremendously.”
Safi took advantage of both informal and formal leadership training as he moved through several departments to his current role.
“I’ve been paired with leaders to meet monthly and discuss my challenges,” he says. “When I became a plant manager, they gave me a mentor who’d been a plant manager for many years, and that made a big difference. There was also formal training with colleagues across the company, so I got to interact with different teams. And when I wanted to do my MBA, they encouraged me. I felt supported throughout, and that creates the sort of comfort I don’t think I’d find elsewhere.”
Tokarz points to flexible hours, mental health and wellness programs, and increased vacation time as other positives, but she says the best part of her job is helping employees plan their career development.
“We’re trying to get everyone out of silos, because we’re better if people can connect and understand each other,” she says. “My role is to get my team members to the level they want to get to and champion them to other leaders, and we’re all like that. I don’t know a lot of companies that do that. I do some fun things in my role, but the most fun is developing people.”
It all comes down to a culture where everyone listens to each other. “When I started, I knew nothing about the business,” Tokarz says. “But it’s a kind of management style where if you’re in the room and you’ve got something to say, your voice is just as important as the CEO’s, and I like that. I’ve never felt like I couldn’t say my piece; in fact I was rewarded for it. It’s a very open-minded kind of culture.”
Openness and flexibility engage staff at Saputo Inc.
Roland Canimo worked as an information technology consultant for many companies over 16 years before he found one that he wanted to work for full-time: Saputo Inc., the Montréal-based manufacturer of cheese and dairy products.
“When I saw the way Saputo operated, I knew it was a company I’d be open to joining,” says Canimo, who’s now senior director for IT. “One of the biggest selling points for me was that it’s a large company that operates almost like a small, family business. You can walk into anybody’s office and get advice, or just chat.”
Canimo also appreciates the co-operation among the different departments. “Traditionally, IT is siloed, and people only see IT when there’s a problem,” he says. “That’s not what it’s like here. We’re more like partners who are trusted to execute on strategy.”
That extends to Saputo’s many professional development initiatives. “I was nominated to join an Elevate Your Influence leadership training program,” he says. “I like that it’s not just IT, it’s a cross-company program where I get to meet people from different roles across the business and the globe, and I think we learn a lot from each other because of that.”
A year ago, Canimo asked if there was any training in presentation skills available for his IT team.
“Our training team came back with a 12-week program called Presenting with Impact, where my team could use the job they were doing and learn different ways to present it,” he says. “Usually with IT, the focus is on technical skills, so it was great that the company invested in soft-skills training for them.”
Canimo then asked several senior leaders if they were willing to spend the time to listen to the team’s presentations. “Nobody said no — they all sat down and listened for four hours,” he says. “I think that kind of support is really stellar.”
Georges Jebara, a senior legal counsel for Saputo’s Canadian division, says he also receives valuable support in his role. “I think it’s the perfect balance of my boss giving me enough freedom with my files but being there to support me in case I have questions,” he says.
Jebara also values the company’s open-door policy, which includes informal coffee time with company leaders. “Our president takes the time to do that with everybody, and it’s really appreciated,” he says. “Even when I started as a young lawyer, I always felt my opinion mattered, and that starts with the leaders. Everybody works toward the same goal, and I think when you’re open to input from everybody, it creates confidence in the whole team.”
As the father of three young children, Jebara is grateful for Saputo’s paternity leave top-up plan and flexible work schedule. “We are in the office three days a week, but the days are not fixed, and if I need to, I can come in a bit later and leave later, which is great,” he says. “I feel like they understand that in order to succeed you have to be open and flexible with your employees.”
That flexibility also means a lot to Canimo. “I love that they asked for feedback from everybody to find out what days they preferred to be in the office,” he says. “Our job in IT always has peaks and valleys, with times when we work long hours. Our leadership respects that and makes sure we take it easy afterward. Everybody looks out for each other, and that’s important.”
The Career Directory
Saputo Inc. has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.
