Canoe Company Culture & Values

Describe Canoe’s culture in one word. What made you pick that word?

Continuous learning. OK, it’s two words, but I think the phrase perfectly captures Canoe’s culture. In today’s ever-changing landscape, the tools available to improve the way we work are constantly growing. Canoe does an excellent job of not only leveraging these tools, but also fostering an environment where learning is continuous and encouraged. 

A great example of this is Canoe’s ongoing series of lunch-and-learn sessions, which reflect the company’s commitment to education and growth. For instance, in July, we hosted a lunch-and-learn session about ChatGPT and consumer AI tools. Experts from information security, product management and machine learning came together to teach us about both the potential and pitfalls of using these technologies as well as the underlying mechanisms behind them. In a more recent session, we focused on Excel, discovering tips and tricks to level up our spreadsheet game and make our work more efficient. Personally, I gained valuable insights in both sessions and look forward to the next one.

How long have you been with Canoe, and what professional growth have you experienced in that time?

I’ve been with Canoe for six months now, and I’ve experienced substantial professional growth in that short time. My role is unique, as I serve as both the technical recruiter and the HR business partner for our commercial organization. This dual responsibility has allowed me to collaborate with colleagues across a wide range of departments, giving me valuable insight into both the product and engineering organization and the commercial organization. 

Additionally, in my short time with Canoe, I’ve had the chance to work on large-scale projects, including the critical migration we made from relying on a professional employer organization to having our own HR information system and benefits, giving us full control over the benefits that we offer our employees. This project required significant coordination across multiple departments, ensuring a smooth transition to meet the needs of our workforce. I can safely say that I had no clue just how much work it takes to get a project like this over the finish line, and this experience is something that I will take with me wherever I go.