Montreal's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 22
MONTRÉAL’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
22
CSL’s culture of growth fosters learning and thriving
I
n his 12 years with The
CSL Group (CSL), Yousef
El Bagoury, senior fuel
procurement and sustainable
fuels specialist, has travelled
the world on behalf of the
company. “I’ve been to China,
Denmark, California, Singapore,
Australia,” says the Glasgow-born
El Bagoury in his soft Scottish
accent. “And I’ll be in Panama
come May.”
His career at the Montréal-based
shipping giant has been as varied
as his travels, with nearly as many
roles as countries visited.
When your
professional life aligns
so closely with your
own moral and ethical
compass, it really
keeps you energized.
— Yousef El Bagoury
Senior Fuel Procurement and
Sustainable Fuels Specialist
Employees at The CSL Group are encouraged to grow their long-term careers by taking on various roles within
the organization.
“There are so many opportunities here. I’ve been able to
experience shipping from the
ground up — crawling through
engine rooms, troubleshooting
operational issues, contributing
to sustainability solutions in the
legal department, and assessing
how our contracts reflect CSL’s
environmental goals,” he says.
“I’ve had such a varied career
within CSL, and every time I’ve
moved into a new role, people
have taken the time to train and
guide me,” says El Bagoury. “This
is a place where helping each
other is just part of the culture.”
That sense of opportunity is
a core part of CSL’s workplace
culture, says Stéphanie Aubourg,
chief human resources officer.
“If you have the willingness and
curiosity to learn or to do something new within CSL, there’s
always someone in-house ready to
teach you and help set you up for
success,” she says.
To reinforce its emphasis on
internal growth, CSL offers firstclass employee benefits. These
include 100-per-cent maternity
and parental leave top-ups for
mothers and fathers, matching
employee charitable giving up to
$1,000 (with employees helping to
select the charities) and a $2,500
mental health support account.
Add in weekly fresh fruit deliveries — a favourite of El Bagoury
— and the monthly learning
hours, and it’s easy to see the
“family vibe” Aubourg associates
with working in a family-owned
business.
“Every month, there’s a twohour session on a Wednesday
afternoon, when meetings are
off-limits for everyone, from
receptionist to executive,”
Aubourg says. “That time is left
entirely to employees to decide
how they want to learn and
grow. They might connect with a
colleague for mentoring or take
an online course, and our learning
and training intranet will point
them to relevant training for
different roles.”
While he enjoys the fresh fruit
and the company’s focus on
employee well-being, El Bagoury
