For all the complexity inherent in his leadership role at ADAPTOVATE Inc., Ghaleb El Masri easily zeroes in on his two essential goals. “It’s crucial to secure the right workplace culture for the high-quality team members we worked so hard to find,” says the global consultancy’s managing director, Canada.
“It’s both sides of the coin for us in terms of creating opportunity and being able to fulfill those opportunities for our people. They’re our greatest asset and, frankly, our only asset.”
Toronto-based ADAPTOVATE’s welcoming workplace is supported by employee benefits frequently found among top employers, El Masri notes, including tuition reimbursement, a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation, and flexible work hours and locations. And by some far less common perks as well.
“There’s $5,000 that can be spent as a flex budget for personal or wellness costs like a gym membership or for new experiences like going to another ADAPTOVATE office, whether in L.A. or Sydney or elsewhere,” says El Masri, “and we’re committed to Pledge 1%.” Under that global program, 19,000 member companies donate one per cent of staff time, product, profit or equity for social impact.
Pledge 1% is a core aspect of ADAPTOVATE’s deep involvement in community engagement. “In part, that reflects the company’s values, but we find it’s also very important for the type of people we’re looking to have join us,” El Masri says. “And we’d certainly hear from our people if they didn’t feel the company was aligned to what they care about. We have heard this in the past, with objections about certain companies or environmental practices — and it does factor into our business decisions.”
It’s an equally strong part of ADAPTOVATE’s appeal for management consultant Janelle Calvert, who works remotely for the most part from Bracebridge in Ontario’s cottage country, two hours north of Toronto. “I have previously volunteered here with Muskoka Victim Services, a non-profit, community-based organization that provides 24/7 emergency support and practical assistance to victims of crime and tragic circumstances,” says Calvert.
“Volunteer-run charities don’t always have access to training budgets, so ADAPTOVATE is volunteering the time to facilitate a one-day event to provide leadership training and an opportunity to network for a number of community organizations,” she says. “So, I suggested this to Ghaleb, and he thought it was a great idea.”
The response was no surprise to Calvert. “This is a pretty special place. We’re small and we’re all involved with everything involving our clients — from business development to marketing initiatives to coaching — while learning from each other,” she says. “The personalities we have within the company are all geared toward this mindset and this style of working.”
It’s all part of practising what you preach when you help clients adjust to a changing world, according to El Masri. “We are always holding up a mirror and asking, ‘Are we the cobbler’s child who has no shoes?’” he says. “We decided recently we really had to grow in our technical capabilities, and in 2025 everyone in the firm had to learn some basic AI programming and achieve Microsoft Azure certification.”
“I’ve always said this place is a unicorn,” says Calvert. “Its entire premise is to help people work together better, and that means both clients and employees.”
