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One B.C. CEO makes Glassdoor’s list of Canada’s top 25

The ranking includes companies based here, as well as those with employees in the country.

By Nathan Caddell /

Credit: McElhanney

McElhanney CEO Allan Russell is the only B.C.-based name on Glassdoor‘s list of top bosses in the country

The ranking includes companies based here, as well as those with employees in the country

Engineering consultant McElhanney doesn’t have the name recognition of some of B.C.’s more notable firms. And its president and CEO, Allan Russell, isn’t necessarily Ryan Holmes or Chip Wilson. But Russell is the only B.C.-based chief executive on Glassdoor’s 2021 list of the best bosses in the country.

For those in the know, it’s not a huge surprise. Yes, it’s Russell and McElhanney’s first appearance on the list since it launched in 2015, but the company has racked up honours in the last while, including being named one of Canada’s best-managed companies five years in a row by Deloitte.

Russell comes in at 20th place, with an approval rating of 96 percent. The ranking is decided solely by employees who leave reviews on Glassdoor, and only companies with at least 1,000 Canadian staff are eligible.

After two years, there‘s a completely new top five in 2021 (there was no list in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), with Toronto-based Mackenzie Investments and its CEO, Barry McInerney, snagging the No. 1 spot. Rounding out the top five: Montreal-headquartered Laurentian Bank, U.S. department store giant Marshalls, Toronto hospital SickKids and U.S. tax preparation firm H&R Block.

Check out the complete list here.