Purpose-Led CEO Interview Series, Tonie Chaltas, CEO, Achēv

As part of our purpose-led CEO series, we had the privilege of meeting with Tonie Chaltas, CEO of Achēv, a leading charitable organization dedicated to delivering employment, newcomer, language, and youth services to help individuals achieve their full potential. She has spent 20 years with Hill and Knowlton, a global communications firm where she held leadership roles. During her tenure, Tonie held the positions of Chief Integration Officer and Chief Operating Officer while maintaining her consulting practice. In this capacity, she held responsibility for strategic and business planning for Canada for 12 years.

Tonie’s consulting career, coupled with her time as a political advisor to a Premier of Ontario, put her at the intersection of the public and private sector. She understands how to build strong working relationships and partnerships with and between government, business and stakeholder communities. She is known as a collaborative, inclusive, motivational leader and mentor.

Tonie has been a member of a number of boards, including Women’s College Hospital Foundation, the Toronto Zoo Board of Management and Excellence Canada Board of Governors. She was also the lead of the Pledge Committee Engagement Working Group at the BlackNorth Initiative during its first year and half of operation.

What was your first job and what did you learn from it?

My first job was at a snack bar in a hockey arena. I learned that being part of a team means showing up and doing your job well because others are relying on you. Also, I experienced the power of kindness. In a small town where everyone knows you (and your mother), being kind and polite was essential and, as an added benefit, it paid off with better tips.

As you look back on your career, what were the pivotal moments that led you to your role today?

Looking back, there were three pivotal moments in my career.

The first major event was the result of a car accident. I had finished university, spent a year abroad, and had not lived in Ontario for the four years I was attending Dalhousie University in Halifax. I was moving back to Halifax to start my working life and, not even ten minutes outside my hometown, we were involved in a car accident. Luckily our injuries were minor but that halted my move back to Halifax as I recouped from a dislocated shoulder. I was stuck in a small town and was not happy at home without a job. At the time, the PC Party of Ontario’s leadership had just gotten underway so I called the local riding association president to ask about volunteer opportunities. Luckily, I got a paid job instead, in Mike Harris’s leadership campaign headquarters. This translated into a job in the Leader’s Office then Premier’s Office at Queen’s Park for the next 6 years. This job was like a master class in communication, strategy, and collaboration as I handled various political activities like events and media, and managed Mike Harris’s daily schedule. Having grown up in politics I also volunteered at the federal and municipal levels. All of my political activity helped me build a strong network. That, combined with my experience at Queen’s Park eventually landed me a job at Hill and Knowlton (H&K), a global public relations and public affairs consultancy.

I started my career at H&K as a public affairs consultant and over the next several years worked my way up to leading the national public affairs practice. I had always imagined my career in the shape of a triangle the pinnacle of success was to become a subject matter expert in my field. However, sitting at the executive table, I quickly realized that careers are more like an hourglass than a pyramid. Once I joined the executive team, I was expected to have an informed point of view on all aspects of business, not just my own area of expertise, public affairs. This was magnified when I took on the role of Chief Integration Officer and later the Chief Operating Officer (COO) which I did for 12 years.  I had moved from being a specialist to a high performing generalist. This also taught me the importance of not just having an opinion on a wide range of business matters but to use my voice to advocate for what I believed in. All of this helped me build strong relationships within the company and in the community, marking another significant milestone in my career.

The third major turning point in my career happened during COVID-19 when I was looking for a new job, after spending 20 years at H & K. During that time, I had a chance to think about who I was and what I wanted to do. I realized I didn't want to be second-in-command anymore; I wanted to lead. I also wanted to leave the corporate world behind and find something that was more purpose driven. This period of reflection marked another important moment in my career, my first role as a CEO here at Achēv.

If you think back on leaders who inspired you in your career or leadership style, who were they and why were they inspiring?

I was truly inspired by Mike Coates, who was the Vice Chair of H&K North America and former CEO of H&K Canada. Mike was my boss for 12 years. I've never worked with anyone who has supported and championed me as much as he did. His collaborative style and authenticity truly remarkable and one I continue to try and emulate today. He taught me the power of having a clear vision. He loved to collaborate and found room for everyone’s opinion in the vision he articulated. Having a clear vision and plan, he then empowered us to go and ’get it done’, as he often said. He always had our backs if something went wrong, and it was more like a partnership than a typical boss-employee relationship. While we didn’t have that label then, Mike created an environment of psychological safety by allowing his team to voice their ideas and opinions. To sum up, Mike’s mentorship has greatly influenced my career and leadership style.

What motivates you every day?

For me, it's all about people and tackling big challenges. I am an integrator of ideas and people. I may have mentioned collaboration a dozen times already because it’s a fundamental part of what I do. I am a firm believer that 1 plus 1 equals 3 and people coming together to share ideas is what gives me energy. By people, I mean two separate groups. First are our clients who are immigrants and have left everything behind to start a new life. Helping them transform their lives motivates me a lot. Second is our staff and volunteer Board and Committee Members.  They care deeply about our mission and give it their all for our clients every day.

Another thing that motivates me is taking on tough challenges. As a leader, I am not good at the status quo and always want to be transformative. I have this innate desire to bring people and ideas together to create a bigger impact in the communities we serve. We have done this successfully at Achēv. Over the last several years we have grown by more than 20% and now serve over 100,000 clients annually. However, with significant growth comes even bigger challenges. Having an evolving organization means a recurring impact on our 450 staff and their families who are all dependent on the management team, and me, as the CEO, to get things right. This challenge motivates me to come to work every day.

What is the purpose of Achēv?

The purpose of our organization is creating faster paths to prosperity. We help people settle into a new community, learn French or English and get a job. We also have a wide range of specialized programs that work in specific sectors including streams for women and youth. Most of our clients are newcomers and disadvantaged who face multiple barriers to achieving their goals. Our job is to ease their pathway to prosperity.

How has being clear on your purpose and vision benefited you as a leader?

Clarity of vision is the north star for me and for the future of Achēv and it makes my job a lot easier. It helps everyone stay focused on the things that will make the biggest impact for our clients. Secondly, working in a client-based organization means understanding that we can't serve everyone, especially if they don't align with our purpose. Our staff chooses to work at Achēv because they genuinely want to help our clients. We support them and provide the tools they need to create an inclusive environment where they can be their best selves for our clients. This emotional connection is what drives Achēv, setting us apart from other businesses or social services because we are driven by heart. Clarity of focus also allows us to recruit and retain people who resonate with our purpose. Our company celebrates diversity, with people from different languages and cultures, many of whom were once our clients. But what brings us together is our shared purpose.

What one piece of advice would you give other CEOs and leaders regarding leading with purpose?

My advice would be to stay close to how your purpose plays out on the front line. As a CEO focused on the future, it is easy to get disconnected from day-to-day stuff. We’ve got 9 offices, 450 staff, serving over 100,000 clients. I try to meet with all our staff all in small groups twice a year. I also host regular town hall meetings each quarter and twice a year they are dedicated ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions where you can literally ask me anything and I won’t shy away from answering. Being there and listening to your clients and staff is what keeps you connected to your purpose and gives you a renewed sense of passion and commitment to your cause.

What one question would you like to ask other purpose-led CEOs?

How do you ensure that your purpose resonates and is relevant to everyone in a multi-generational work environment?

One question from the CEO we interviewed before you, Surranna Sandy, CEO of Skills for Change (SfC).

How do you ensure that your leadership style or approach not only fosters diversity and inclusion, but also empowers underrepresented voices within your organization?

The answer to this question is twofold. The first part is making space by creating a psychologically safe environment for everyone to openly share their opinions. When you empower people to speak their minds, you essentially empower them in the work that they do. I use my regular roundtable discussions with the front-line staff to create these environments. One of the rules of these discussions is "what is said in the room, stays in the room." Staff have learned that they can openly share their experiences and opinions on what we are getting right and wrong.  Setting the example of openly accepting this feedback is one part but the second part is acting on what I have learned. As a result of these sessions, we have modified policies and processes and found ways to make our culture more inclusive.

Secondly, I believe representation really matters. Achēv staff speak 52 languages and come from 21 cultural regions around the world. When I first joined, the senior leadership team lacked the diversity we saw throughout the entire organization, including our board. I have since created two new roles and it was imperative to me these individuals represent the communities that we serve. 

To sum up, we try to be ‘intentionally inclusive’ in our decision-making and provide a safe and supporting space for people to dialogue. Also, with our client base, we focus a lot on representation and these combined efforts not only foster inclusivity but also empower everyone that works with us.