With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1490198
Created by the Canada Wide Media advertising department in partnership with BCI Embracing Flexibility Builds a Strong Team B ritish Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) provides investment management services for the province's public sector. It is one of Canada's largest asset managers with hundreds of highly skilled investors, technology specialists and other business professionals managing $211.1 billion to generate the investment income that supports BC's public sector pension plans, insurance funds and a host of government programs. More than 715,000 pension plan beneficiaries and 2.5 million British Columbian workers depend on the investment returns BCI generates. And for the fourth consecutive year, the company has been selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, thanks to a variety of flexible and family-friendly working arrangements. BCI offers four-weeks starting vacation plus personal days, and a generous maternity/parental leave top-up. "We want our employees to come to work knowing that what they do and what they bring to the organization is valued and respected along with their ideas and that their opinions are listened to," says Norine Hale, executive vice president, human resources. "We have such incredibly smart people working here. Their unparalleled dedication to their work is what creates our culture." BCI is headquartered in downtown Victoria, which climbed BCBusiness' Best Cities rankings to 16 in 2022 from 31 the prior year. Most recently, Victoria was selected as the Best Small City in Canada by Resonance Consultancy—exclusive ranker of the world's top urban destinations. Anyone considering Victoria today sees it moving forward with progressive, lifestyle-driven growth, benefitting from a strong tech sector at the helm of Canada's Blue Economy. BCI's head office features an active recreation space where employees can mingle over a game of foosball, an exercise class, or lunch. Holiday gatherings, summer picnics and other events are employee driven. Employees are also given two paid days to do community work at a charity of their choice, and departments often use them for team-building events. Caglar Somek, portfolio manager, global emerging markets, says it became evident after talking to senior leaders at BCI that the company was the right fit. "BCI fostered an opportunity to be part of a successful institutional investor with progressive leadership and build a new investment strategy in emerging markets," he says. "I felt I could excel in this environment." Beyond a friendly, open office that facilitates communication, Somek says BCI offers him work-life balance, a short commute and a high quality of life for his nature- and food-loving family. "Victoria is a beautiful city, and now that we have been here for more than a year, we appreciate every season," he says. "We can be at a different lake or beach town every weekend." Visit bci.ca | bci.ca/careers @BC Investment Management Corpora on BCI BCI is an innovative, family-friendly employer of choice, headquartered in beautiful Victoria, BC, one of the province's most desirable locales to live and work PHOTO: BCI TEAM AT THE 2022 VICTORIA PRIDE PARADE NORINE HALE, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AT BCI