Jim Sarvinis

To work alongside Jim Sarvinis is to see firsthand what inclusive leadership looks like. A member of Hatch’s global D&I committee, Jim has been influential in creating and developing some of Hatch’s D&I best practices.

Jim is known for his mentorship and sponsorship of women at Hatch, taking an active role in encouraging women throughout the organization—not just his own team—to feel confident and assured in their value at Hatch, and to strive to achieve their goals. Jim’s leadership has positive impacts beyond his mentees, creating an environment that encourages inclusivity:

“What Jim may not even realize is that his exemplary behavior; his generosity with his time; his patience in addressing issues I would encounter at my level and his genuine interest in my success has pushed me to replicate his example. I have prioritized leadership and allyship for my staff, identifying Hatch mentors that are outside of our practice; giving them the same exposure to different perspective on our business and a connection with the greater Hatch that provides so many opportunities to work on different and exciting projects,” shares one of his nominators.

Jim’s encouragement is not just contained to Hatch. He’s well known in his industry for his inclusive leadership and allyship, as demonstrated through a letter of support received for Jim’s Positive Change Award nomination from his client, Katherine Moshonas Cole, president of X-energy Canada who notes, “Jim is a natural ally. He does not do it for accolades and does not make a big deal about it; he simply treats all with equal respect and support. I have found this to be extremely powerful and inspiring to me and others around him.”

Having diverse team members and including their ideas when we tackle our clients’ toughest challenges leads to the most innovative solutions.

Why do you believe in diversity and inclusion?

I believe in D&I for many reasons. Firstly, it is the right thing to do; we’ve heard it from our parents and from our founder, Dr. Gerry Hatch: “Treat others as you would like to be treated!” Having diverse team members and including their ideas when we tackle our clients’ toughest challenges leads to the most innovative solutions.

What do you think we need to do as individuals to improve inclusivity?

Listen to others; ensure everyone in your team has an opportunity to speak up; and, when you participate in meetings, make sure all attendees share their views.

What does positive change mean to you?

To me, positive change means applying our professional skills to help our clients solve their toughest challenges and by doing so improving the environmental, social, and economic profile of the communities associated with our projects.

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the people I have hired, helped train, and mentored over the years. I get the biggest kick out of seeing those people grow in their careers and be successful at Hatch.

What do you like most about working at Hatch? How do you think the Hatch culture is different from other companies?

What I like most about Hatch is our entrepreneurial approach. We can do anything we set our collective minds to do. I think our culture of promoting technical excellence and truly dedicating ourselves to the success of our clients’ projects and businesses sets us apart from other companies.