Rewards and Recognition Gala 2017

Congratulations to the best of the best

Every year, I have the honour of hosting an event that recognizes and celebrates the best-of-the-best employees here at the TTC. At last evening’s Rewards and Recognition Gala, I joined many of our colleagues in recognizing a number of exceptional employees for their contributions in the areas of Leadership, Customer Service, Safety, Innovation and Creativity and Teamwork, as well as those employees who have worked injury-free and accident-free for more than 35 years.

Presenting the Employee of the Year Award is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I was privileged to present this year’s award to Duty Station Manager Flobell Asaba Ndesan whose initiative and drive to implement and promote a new Fire Prevention Program has improved the safety of our customers and our employees. His strong collaborative approach working with groups like Stations, the Fire Prevention team, Operations and the Service Delivery Group, meant that this program was designed with the right input and acceptance from the start. Flobell is also the recipient of this year’s Safety Award for this program.

The other category winners at this year’s Gala truly exemplified the qualities of commitment, teamwork, trust and commitment that we look for in all of our employees:

• Daniel Clavette, an Operator from Birchmount, was recognized for his honesty, integrity and exceptional Customer Service when he turned in a backpack that contained $50,000 and helped reunite it with its owner.
• Leonard Pearce, an Operator on the Bloor-Danforth & SRT lines, was celebrated for his Innovation & Creativity when he took the initiative to develop a website for Operators to review crew and run guide information from a home computer or mobile device.
• Hossein Mohammadian, a Track QA Engineer with Subway Infrastructure, was awarded the Leadership Award for developing computer-based programs and systems, which have helped increased passenger safety and reduced track related delay time.
• A large group of employees from the Project Management, Operations and Service Delivery Groups were celebrated for their Teamwork approach to a successful opening of the Leslie Barns on Nov. 22, 2015.
• We also recognized more than 30 individuals for achieving 35 years or more of working without injury or accidents in our Safe Worker and Safe Operator programs.

Finally, I was thrilled to present the CEO Special Award, which recognizes excellence that falls outside the Rewards and Recognition program. This year, Paul Buttigieg, Director of Budgets Costing and Financial Reporting, was celebrated for his exceptional stewardship during one of the most challenging budget cycle processes I have ever been a part of. His leadership and steady hand was critical as we worked tirelessly to deliver a budget that was right for our customers and our organization. A news release will be issued today with all of the winners (see below).

The Rewards and Recognition program aligns with our Corporate Plan’s People Objective of creating an empowered, customer-focused workforce that values teamwork, pride in a job well done, and an organization that actively develops its employees.

There are stories of greatness all around us and there will be many more opportunities to be recognized for your ongoing efforts to make the TTC proud. You can also help by taking notice and nominating your co-workers for these awards. Please visit the Rewards & Recognition section of the Intranet (internal website) or The Coupler’s With Compliment’s Section to learn more about the Rewards and Recognition program and how to nominate a fellow employee (brochures are available at all divisions, garages and other locations throughout the organization).

Congratulations to all our winners!

Andy Byford
Chief Executive Officer
February 24, 2017

News Release

February 24, 2017

TTC recognizes employee excellence

Last night, the TTC named its Employee of the Year at its annual Rewards and Recognition event, which also honoured the best-of-the-best in the areas of Leadership, Customer Service, Creativity & Innovation, Safety and Teamwork.

The Rewards and Recognition program, which honours the hard work and dedication TTC employees bring to the organization, is part of the TTC’s Five-Year Corporate Plan to create an empowered, customer-focused workforce that values teamwork, pride in a job well done and an organization that actively develops its 14,000 employees.

The 2016 Employee of the Year award, as selected by CEO Andy Byford, was presented to Flobell Asaba Ndesan, a Duty Station Manager in the Yonge North Zone, for extensive work designing and implementing a new fire prevention program that will result in increased safety for customers and employees.

Andy Byford also presented the CEO Special Award to Paul Buttigieg, recently retired Director of Budgets, Costing and Financial Reporting, for exceptional work that falls outside the Rewards and Recognition program.

The TTC is proud of Flobell and Paul, and of the great work done by the following award recipients:

Leadership
> Hossein Mohammadian – Track QA Engineer, Subway Infrastructure

Innovation and Creativity
> Leonard Pearce – Operator – Bloor-Danforth & SRT, Subway Transportation

Safety
> Flobell Asaba Ndesan – Duty Station Manager, Stations

Customer Service
> Daniel Clavette – Operator – Birchmount, Bus Transportation

Teamwork
The Leslie Barns Project
> Frank Campbell – Construction Site Manager
> Bryan Chung – Senior Project Engineer
> Scott Fraser – Senior Project Engineer
> Charles Lee – Construction Site Manager
> Anthony Leonetti – Deputy Construction Manager
> Adrienne Long – Senior Project Engineer
> Micheal Ruel – Senior Project Engineer
> Warren San – Senior Project Engineer
> Paris Savides – Project Manager
> Connie Wan – Project Administrative Secretary
> Pat Williams – Project Administrative Secretary
> Akram Yoannis – Senior Project Manager
> George Yousef – Manager Contract Administration

“The 14,000 men and women who work for, and represent, the TTC to the public and our customers each day are an immense source of pride for me and our Board,” said CEO Andy Byford. “The winners of these awards represent the best-of-the-best our employees have to offer. This highly motivated group strives every day to deliver a transit system that makes Toronto proud. It is my privilege to recognize their efforts through these awards.”

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