insights Keeping our Integrity program at the forefront of our culture

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

My name is Paul Smith. I’m an advisor in training and communications in the Integrity department. I’m from Scotland originally, but I’ve been in Montreal for about 20 years now. As my job title suggests, I work on various training and communications campaigns, writing modules like the annual Code of Conduct Certification, and helping coordinate and present events like the Global Integrity Week.

What led you to become an advocate for integrity in your professional life?

Of course, I want to work for a company I am proud to represent, and I want to set a good example to my kids by prioritizing integrity in all aspects of my life. However, the real satisfaction comes from our ability to influence the world through AtkinsRéalis . Being part of a company that is dedicated to collective anti-corruption action, sharing our integrity story with our peers and competitors, and raising the standards of ethical business practices across the industry as a whole is deeply rewarding.

How would you define integrity in your own words?

Since a corporation is incapable of believing in God, and integrity is a human value, we must assume that the morality of our institution is a form of humanism. I prefer to use Kurt Vonnegut’s words, “Being a humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead.”

Can you give us an example of when our integrity program made a real-life difference in a project?

I don’t have any first-hand examples because I don’t work in the business or on projects like that, but we heard some great stories during our leaders panel discussion as part of Integrity Week. Being accountable and transparent with our clients has earned us a level of trust you could never get otherwise. We got some wonderful examples of how strong relationships were built directly on solid demonstrations of our values.

AtkinsRéalis has had a fascinating integrity journey. What part would you say you are the proudest of?

I’m really proud and excited to see so many people embrace the next leg of our integrity journey by celebrating our culture and understanding how our values are so fundamentally important to our growth and prosperity. Our most recent global Integrity Week saw a number of events inspired by our theme of “Integrity Builds Success” where employees and business leaders discussed examples of how our values have resulted in tangible wins for the business, or how our integrity program has been a differentiator in the market for vendors, clients and prospective employees.