Atlantic Canada's Top Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 16
16
SPONSOR CONTENT
ATLANTIC CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
BIOVECTRA invests in employees at every level
A
nita Baker had
been a hairdresser
for 20 years before
she decided to go
back to school
to study bioscience. Once she
graduated, she took a position
as a technician working on the
floor at Charlottetown-based
BIOVECTRA. Eight years later,
Baker is superintendent of a
vaccine manufacturing facility
there and tries to encourage other
women to consider manufacturing
as a career.
“BIOVECTRA is very inclusive,”
she says. “I have never once felt
like I was less because I was a
woman or overlooked because I
was a woman. The opportunities
here are very equal. And it’s good
work. There’s always somebody
there to help you.”
Nicole McTague has been with
BIOVECTRA since 2011 and has
held every job in the human
resources department at one time
or another. Now director of HR
operations, McTague has benefited not only from the expansion
the company has undergone in
the years since she arrived, but
also from the collaborative culture
there.
“I can do things outside of my
role,” she says. “If an employee has
initiative or desire, the opportunity is really there to learn and
grow. There’s a lot of trust put into
employees. Even as the company
has grown, that hasn’t changed.”
Because BIOVECTRA was
founded by a professor, Dr. Regis
Duffy, she adds, the company
is committed to continuing
education. “You can put forward
really any idea, and it doesn’t have
to be directly related to your job,”
McTague explains. “We’ve had
people in operations who wanted
to take marketing; we’ve had
scientists who wanted to get their
MBAs.”
In fact, three years ago the
company hired a director of
learning and development,
which only increased the focus
on internal training. There’s a
mentoring and coaching program,
which all company leaders have
been through but which anyone
can request to be a part of, as well
as an online learning platform.
Cross-training is also encouraged
so employees can try positions in
other departments to get an idea
of future possibilities.
If an employee has
initiative or desire, the
opportunity is really there
to learn and grow.
— Nicole McTague
Director of Human Resources
Operations
BIOVECTRA offers its employees development opportunities and room to grow in their careers.
Internal candidates are
typically top of the list for hiring.
“Especially with our industry
within Atlantic Canada, you don’t
have a lot of competitors and there
are fewer resources,” McTague
says. “So, there is a big focus on
making sure everybody here
knows a little bit of everything.”
Communication is also a priority at BIOVECTRA. Internally,
Baker says, every manager has
an open-door policy, and each
employee has an annual one-onone. Regular town hall meetings,
quarterly updates and virtual messaging from the executive team
keep employees up to date with
company goals for the year. “Goals
aren’t just for the leadership
team,” she says. “The company
makes it clear what they want and
