Practices & Accountability
Employee Ownership
For over two decades, EllisDon has utilized the employee ownership structure to invest in its employees. Our people drive our success, and as proud owners, our employees have benefited more from sharing the company’s accomplishments. This is our EllisDon, and we want everyone who is committed to the long-term success of EllisDon to become a shareholder.
Board of Directors
EllisDon continues to be governed by an independent Board of Directors, to whom the CEO and the senior management team report. The board is comprised of eight experienced leaders from across Canada with backgrounds in various sectors. The governance and leadership of our world-class Board enables EllisDon to achieve our strategic goals. More information about EllisDon’s Board of Directors can be found on the EllisDon Website.
EllisDon is a purpose-driven company that is committed to making a positive impact on our employees, our communities, and the environment. We believe that by aligning our goals with those of society, we can enhance our organizational resilience and work towards a better future.
We recognize the vital role we play as business leaders, and we're committed to taking immediate and measurable action. Our Board of Directors is accountable for ensuring that we achieve our targets, and we're dedicated to transparency and mutual accountability. Our belief in working collaboratively with our various EllisDon teams will allow us to create a more sustainable, inclusive, and safety-focused industry. We're proud of our team's hard work and dedication, and we're committed to supporting them on their journey toward positively impacting the environment. We know that there's always more work to be done, and we're dedicated to continuing our journey towards being a more purpose-driven company that positively impacts the world.
Geoff Smith Chair of the EllisDon Board of Directors
Operationalizing ESG
As a value-driven company, EllisDon seeks to have a positive impact on our employees and our environment. ESG themes are covered and operationalized through various areas within the company to ensure our organizational resilience is enhanced by the alignment of our goals with society’s. The prime contributors are the following teams: Sustainable Building Solutions, Inclusive Diversity, Socio-Economic Development and Indigenous Relations, People and Culture, Quality Assurance, and Healthy Safety & Environment. The team’s Executive Sponsors meet monthly and report to the Board quarterly. Relevant ESG topics are consistently included in these meetings. The CEO and Board have ultimate oversight over the strategies developed, with the CEO having direct input into the ESG strategies and policies.
Business Ethics
Guided by our core values, EllisDon has fostered a culture that is dedicated to upholding the highest professional and ethical standards across all levels of the organization. Our policies, mandatory compliance training, and enforcement procedures ensure that all EllisDon personnel act ethically and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
EllisDon is committed to conducting its business in compliance with all applicable anti-corruption laws and regulations in Canada and in all other countries in which we perform work or transact business. Our policy sets forth guidelines, practices, and minimum standards with which all employees must comply, and our designated compliance officer is responsible for investigating any potential violations. Employees may also anonymously report any potential violations of the policy or any applicable laws to the EllisDon Compliance Line. Should any employee be unsatisfied with any response from the Compliance Officer, the employee may report any perceived violations to the Chair of the EllisDon Audit Committee.
Quality Management
At EllisDon, quality is all about taking the right steps to effectively understand and plan the work. The goal is to build it right the first time, every time, and quality management is the way we get there. This is done through a collection of tools and processes that assist us in understanding the requirements, assessing risk, developing mitigation strategies, and the application of our collective knowledge, experience, and lessons learned. This is the foundation of EllisDon’s quality program, and it’s a proactive approach rather than a reactive one.
Delivering quality work means more durable infrastructure, achieving expected building performance, efficient and effective use of materials, and minimizing rework which is both inefficient and poses additional safety risks.
Quality Management System
EllisDon has a robust Quality Management System (QMS) based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle – a universally adopted management philosophy that supports risk-based thinking. EllisDon’s QMS has been developed in conformance with international standards (ISO 9001:2015) and applies to both construction operations and facility services.
Key Pillars of EllisDon’s Quality Program
Consistent Execution – focus on executing the quality program effectively and consistently project to project, area to area.
- Area Quality Leaders are established in each business unit within construction operations and facilities services.
- Quality training is included in our employee onboarding program.
- Quality Initiation Meetings are held before the start of every new project.
Program Integration – expanding and connecting the quality program across all relevant business units, and across our 360° Certainty services.
- EllisDon’s QMS aligns and connects the quality program, people, and processes across all business units within construction operations and facilities services.
- Quality program elements are fully integrated into our operational practices.
Culture and Empowerment – make quality part of our everyday thinking, elevate the role of quality within EllisDon, and empower all employees to take ownership in delivering quality work.
- EllisDon celebrated quality week with a company-wide Quality Annual General Meeting and an interview with Geoff Smith, Executive Chair of the Board, on the importance of quality.
- EllisDon continues to build and enhance the KnowlEDge Hub, a technical training platform to help teach, empower, and share valuable knowledge to all employees.
Digitization and Innovation – Evolve the quality program with tech, tools, and data.
- EllisDon has digitized several key quality processes including project quality audits, subcontractor quality evaluations, and quality reporting/KPIs.
- EllisDon has deployed a mobile task management platform used to perform quality checks, track and manage deficiencies, and for general coordination of inspection and testing activities.
- Quality has partnered with our Innovation and Construction Technology team to help pilot and onboard new technology on our project sites.
EllisDon’s KnowlEDge Hub
As part of EllisDon’s uniquely proactive approach to quality management, the quality team developed the KnowlEDge Hub – a technical training platform available to all our employees. The KnowlEDge Hub has over 150 on-demand training courses focusing on technical topics such as concrete, building envelope, mechanical, electrical, and flooring. By empowering our employees with the technical knowledge when they need it, we are proactively addressing quality and mitigating risk on our projects.
Please direct questions to:
Jolene McLaughlin | Vice President, Climate & Sustainability | jmclaughlin@ellisdon.com.