Alberta's Top Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 70
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ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
Syngenta Canada cultivates a people-first environment
L
eah Welter finds it easy to
succinctly sum up her 17year experience at Calgarybased Syngenta Canada
Inc.: “Rewarding and fulfilling.”
Welter began her career as
a territory sales manager in
Saskatchewan for Syngenta,
a leading global agricultural
innovation company with a panCanadian presence and offices
in Alberta and Ontario. She says
that ever since, her managers
have continually given her
opportunities to develop her skills,
help direct her own career, take
on new challenges and advance in
the company.
Welter eventually moved to
Calgary, where she is now district
manager for southern Alberta and
British Columbia. She says her
relocation provides a prime example of Syngenta’s commitment to
its employees’ career progression
and well-being, which are integral
to the company’s “people-first”
strategy.
“I was given the opportunity
to take on a new role and really
shape that role within the organization very early in my career,”
Welter says. “The second piece
was just the whole relocation was
so seamless. I remember my parents saying to me, ‘Wow, Syngenta
sure makes it easy on you.’”
Welter says another key
reason Syngenta is a rewarding
and fulfilling place to work is
its commitment to two-way,
employee-manager dialogue.
Through regular Pause2Talk
sessions, employees are able to
express their career aspirations
and identify development
opportunities to get there. To
facilitate mobility and promotion
in the company, Syngenta offers
individualized management
and leadership programs and
continuing education assistance.
Welter says Syngenta also listens
to employees’ ideas about how
to improve operations and has
sought out their participation in
developing company policies. “I’ve
had the opportunity to contribute
to a number of initiatives within
Syngenta over the last 17 years,”
she says, “and really felt part of
building the strategy within the
organization.”
Trevor Heck, president of
Syngenta Canada, says the company’s organization-wide “culture
of feedback” and open door
policies have increased employee
engagement and satisfaction.
Another positive catalyst has been
the company’s steadfast commitment to providing top training
possibilities to its staff, regardless
of the economic environment,
and ensuring it offers top benefits,
including an unusually generous
six weeks of annual vacation to
start for any hire.
We want to attract the best
people, support them in
their career development
and foster a progressive
and inclusive workplace.
— Trevor Heck
President, Syngenta Canada
Employees at Syngenta Canada participate in regular Pause2Talk sessions to express their career ambitions
and identify development opportunities.
“We want to attract the best
people, support them in their
career development and foster a
progressive and inclusive workplace,” Heck says.
Another reason people stay at
the company for the long term
is its commitment to innovation,
sustainable agriculture and
increasing food production while
protecting the environment, says
Heck, who started at Syngenta in
1992.
The company extends that corporate purpose into its community
outreach strategy. Launched in
2023, its Zero Hunger Challenge is
a multi-year campaign to support
rural food banks. It’s a national
