Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 20
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CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2026)
Mentorship elevates young employees at Air Canada
M
uhammad Yahya
didn’t hesitate
when Air Canada
accepted his
co-op student
application in 2022. He was
enrolled in the MBA program at
Concordia University in Montréal
and had applied to several
companies but joining Air Canada
“was a no brainer,” he says.
Fifteen years ago,
someone took a
chance on me, and
I took a chance on
myself.
— Pina Guercio
Vice-President,
Global Human Resources
“I’m originally from Pakistan
and came here in 2011 for my
undergraduate studies. Air
Canada is a flagship carrier and
has prestige associated with it. It’s
like we are serving the country.”
After his co-op ended, his
director asked if he was interested
in staying on. “I said, ‘I’m more
than interested!’” By the time he
graduated, Yahya was working full
time as an IT analyst. He credits
mentorship as the primary driver
of his professional growth. “Today,
I’m a project manager. I have 28
people reporting to me on a big
AI-related project,” he says.
“The director who hired me
was a great mentor and always
extremely supportive. When I told
him I was interested in a project
management role, he gave me the
stepping stones by assigning me
to different projects supporting
different people in the company.”
Right from the start, Yahya
Air Canada believes in growing by doing, encouraging employees to take risks and learn from their mentors in
a safe environment.
was impressed by Air Canada’s
supportive culture. “People here
are extremely collaborative.
They’re very helpful. If you ask for
help, they will go out of their way.”
When he was set to make
a presentation to the senior
executive team, his director not
only reviewed his work but took
the time to explain the executives’
perspectives, what their business
priorities were, and how best to
communicate with them. “It’s
one thing to say what needs to be
fixed, but it’s another to teach me
about how my work fits into the
business strategy and to see things
from a senior leader’s viewpoint,”
he says.
For Pina Guercio, vice-president,
global human resources, what
started as a summer job at Air
Canada’s call centre 27 years
ago has turned into a long and
rewarding career. “I thought, ‘I’ll
do it for the summer and then go
to Hawaii.’ Well, I made a life out
of it and I’ve been very blessed.”
Guercio has made her way
across the organization including
leisure and corporate sales, tour
operations, project management,
and even supporting the launch
of a new airline, Air Canada
Rouge. “I’ve touched multiple
areas and that has enabled me
to really understand how the
business works. It’s also made
me appreciate the importance
of being able to serve both our
external customers but also
our internal customers, our
employees. Fifteen years ago,
someone took a chance on me,
and I took a chance on myself and
moved into human resources.”
The company believes in
“growing by doing,” says Guercio.
