Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 42
42
( 2025 )
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Capital One Canada invests in a culture of learning
B
ecoming an analyst
wasn’t something Emily
Rea envisioned when
she joined Capital One
Canada as a marketer
six years ago, but it turned out to
be just the right move for her.
Armed with an economics
degree from McGill University,
Rea was first attracted to the
financial company because of
its commitment to continuous
learning and investment in
helping people grow their careers
from within. So when she decided
to switch from marketing to
analytics – not a common career
change – her manager set her up
with a data scientist who provided
hands-on training.
“My entire leadership did not
blink at it,” says Rea, now a senior
business analyst. “They were completely open for me to go through
a formal transition process where
essentially I just did the job for
a few months and proved that I
could do it.
“I’ve been on a learning curve
since making that change and
moved on to an underwriting
team last year. I never could have
imagined myself doing this when
I first started here as that seemed
completely out of the realm of
possibility.”
Asa Harrington, president,
Capital One Canada, says the
company’s people-first culture
genuinely supports autonomy and
ownership.
“We’re not rigid around role
structures and often grow jobs to
meet the skills of our associates,”
says Harrington. “We pride ourselves on meeting our associates
where their interests and needs
are, building the systems to
support their growth and development at every career stage and
providing lots of flexibility.”
Rea says she’s never felt that her
personal growth has been at odds
with the company’s goals.
“I’ve had several experiences
where I wanted to develop some
skill or make a change, and the
company has always helped find
me the opportunities that I needed to grow, even when it would
have been more convenient for
me to stay in my role,” says Rea.
“I really feel that when I come
to work, I can seize the day and
make the most of it exploring and
building new skills.”
“I really feel that when I
come to work, I can seize the
day and make the most of it
exploring and building new
skills.”
— Emily Rea
Senior Business Analyst
Capital One Canada holds a monthly Invest in Yourself Day, encouraging employees to use the time for
personal improvement or wellness.
In addition to internal training,
Capital One offers employees
$5,000 a year for courses with
any accredited educational
institution in the world, including
non-job-related activities, such
as cooking or language classes.
There’s also an Invest in Yourself
Day, held on the last Friday of
each month, where everyone
enjoys a no-meetings day to focus
on themselves.
Rea says she likes to use the
time for personal improvement
or wellness activities outside the
context of her job. As a member
of a pottery studio, she might go
there for part of the day.
“We can prioritize what fuels us
best, whether that be focusing on
professional development, having
a massage or going for a walk and
listening to that podcast waiting
on your playlist – our employees
get to choose,” says Harrington.
