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business elite canada
H
JUNE 2014
ect just to name a few. Azmi
says Metalcare is projecting
an even higher demand for
its services for the remainder
of this year. The main trend
within the industry seems to
be marked by a fast-paced
environment with increasing
demand, and it will remain
like that for at least the next
10 years, according to Azmi.
He identifies a lack of highly
skilled human resources due
to an unstable market and
an increase in the production
requirement for oil sands op-
erations as some of its big-
gest challenges. Adding to
the mix, he says, are stringent
requirements and regulations
for hiring foreign skilled work-
ers that are more prevalent in
the Canadian market rather
than in the international mar-
kets.
Moving from the well-
oiled Alberta market with its
years of experienced industry
leaders and workers presents
its own challenges.
“The majority of the proj-
ects are in Alberta. You are
able to get people from out-
side of Alberta, but still there
are challenges that we are
facing because resources are
so tight. You can get the peo-
ple, but getting the right peo-
ple that can fit in the culture
is tough.”
With these obstacles in
mind, expansion remains the
goal for Metalcare, locally and
internationally with an inter-
national office in Singapore,
which services the Southeast
Asian Market, as well as the
Pacific. The company has just
added another office in the
Philippines.
“Although in the inter-
national market, there are
certain standards that is be-
ing held, however I think the
greater control exercised by
owners here makes us, in
terms of quality, more strin-
gent. I’ve worked in various
parts of the world such as
Middle East, Asia and Oceania
and I am currently working in
Canada so I am able to derive
a comparison,” said Azmi.
In addition to efforts at in-
ternational expansion, Met-
alcare also had to make some
internal changes in order to
ensure the future of the com-
pany at its core. This meant
stepping away from a tradi-
tional leadership structure
and taking a more people
-oriented approach, Azmi ex-
plained.
“Our leadership structure
now emphasizes the concept
of leaders serving their em-
ployees. We believe that our
employees informally repre-
sent us as our ambassadors.
We believe that employees
are a crucial element in any
business and ensuring their
emotional wellbeing ranked
