Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 30
30
CANADA’S BEST DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS (2026)
At Thales, people feel connected to each other
T
wenty years ago,
when Maryse Yelle
joined the Thales
Canada avionics
business in Montréal,
she felt welcome and experienced
a sense of belonging. Diversity,
equity and inclusion (DEI) was
already part of the culture, with
events bringing teams together
for International Women’s Day,
potluck lunches, outings to a
traditional Québec sugar shack,
and more. On her first day, a gift
was waiting on her desk to mark
Administrative Professionals' Day,
though she joined the team a few
days later.
At Thales, colleagues
are welcomed from
around the globe,
making us stronger
together.
—Maryse Yelle
Coordinator,
Aviation Global Services
This tradition continues today.
Recently, Yelle — along with
the local social committee —
launched initiatives to promote
DEI such as a breakfast focused
on Hispanic heritage, a documentary for Black History Month,
and a Pride Month celebration, to
name a few.
“We work in a cosmopolitan city,
and the people in our office are
like family — interested in, and
connected to, each other,” says
Yelle, coordinator, Aviation Global
Services.
A global leader with Canadian
Employees at Thales Canada provide mentorship and guidance to participants of the Technovation Girls
Competition (photo credit: Denise Barria, Technovation Montréal).
headquarters in Kanata, Ont.,
just west of Ottawa, Thales offers
leading capabilities in the defence,
aerospace, cyber and digital sectors — meeting the most complex
needs and requirements of its
customers across all operating
environments.
Jessica Dempsey became chair
of the DEI committee for the
defence and security business
of Thales Canada in 2024. With
representation from sites across
Canada, the committee endeavoured to find out why DEI is
important to employees.
“We had whiteboards at sites
and opportunities to give input
online,” says Dempsey, director,
project management and
operational lead. “People gave us
ideas as to what we should focus
on.”
The slogan for the DEI initiatives became “You belong,” and
employees are encouraged to show
up as they are. Local events are
supported, and the DEI committee developed learning moments
— educational sessions on topics
such as neurodiversity, ageism,
menopause and andropause, and
mental health awareness.
Awareness leads to action in the
organization. One thing that was
identified through neurodiversity
awareness training is that some
people work better in a quiet environment. Since Thales has open
workspaces, the new Canadian
headquarters opening this year
will provide options to work in a
quiet work area based on personal
needs.
Another call to action came
when the DEI committee
members took training in how to
uncover unconscious bias. They
realized it would be beneficial for
others in the organization. Since
then, they have rolled out training
for all resource and project managers to assist them in their hiring
and management practices.
Last September, on Truth
and Reconciliation Day, Thales
launched Indigenous training
for all employees. The company
recently opened its West Coast
operations centre in the Malahat
