Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 82
82
( 2025 )
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Interac works to instill a feeling of belonging
T
wo closely-linked
factors brought Marius
Sobrepena to Interac
Corp., one of the country’s most influential financial
technology companies, or fintechs,
in March 2024. “Interac helps
nearly every Canadian move their
money and data,” says the company’s new head, human resources
and workforce strategy. “We are
mission-focused on helping to
improve Canadians’ financial
well-being and control, and we are
rapidly growing – from 500 to 750
employees in the last year.
“We are dedicated to
maintaining a culture where our
people love coming to work, with
all that that means,” Sobrepena
says. “The research out there
backs what Interac strongly
believes: when you invest in people and treat them with respect
and empathy, you create a great
workplace and you get employees
willing to give their all. And it just
feels good, too.”
Product management specialist
Arushi Babhuta couldn’t agree
more. She first came to Interac
in 2021 as a co-op student from
the University of Waterloo after
applying for a placement on the
company’s commercial team. In
this role, she would be working
on new technology supporting
instantaneous and secure digital
money transfers, and Babhuta
was nervous before her interview.
“I really didn’t know much about
payments technology, which
I admitted, but the interview
focused on what other experiences and skills I had, what kind of
person I was, just how curious and
excited about learning I was,” says
Babhuta.
Impressed, Interac gave her
the intern position, then hired
her full-time onto the payments
technology team within days
of graduation in 2023, and later
supported her switch from the
business to the product side of
the team. “I wanted to know more
about the tech side of payments
because I only knew it from one
perspective, and my managers
were so helpful in doing that,”
Babhuta says.
“When you invest in people
and treat them with respect
and empathy, you create a
great workplace and you get
employees willing to give
their all. And it just feels
good, too.”
— Marius Sobrepena
Head, Human Resources and
Workforce Strategy
Interac supports its employees in pursuing the career path they’re most passionate about through both
internal and external learning.
“Interac invests a lot in supporting where you want your career
path to go,” says Babhuta, “like
enrolling you into the internal
learning and development
courses I took when moving from
business to product or making
sure you get any needed external
certifications.”
All that and some wonderful perks too, says a laughing
Babhuta. “I love, love, love
Summer Fridays,” she says about
Interac’s 3 p.m. office closure on
those days. “When my parents
visited from India, helping them
explore Ontario was very dependent on my Summer Fridays.”
Another much appreciated benefit
is company-funded access to a
nutritionist. “That’s really cool
