Case Study
Hazelview Investments: Building a Resilient Culture Amidst Growth and Competition
Hazelview Investments is a global real estate investment firm rooted in a people-first culture and a commitment to lasting value. Recognized among Canada’s most admired corporate cultures, Hazelview fosters integrity, trust, and collaboration while building strong partnerships across its real estate investments.
Meet Hazelview Investments.
Employees
701 Employees
Industry
Real Estate
HQ Location
ON, Canada
Customer Since
2023
At Hazelview Investments, culture is not a passive outcome of success — it is the deliberate foundation on which success is built. Rooted in trust, leadership credibility, collaboration, and employee wellbeing, Hazelview Investments believes that creating a meaningful, human-centered workplace leads directly to business excellence. Through strategic listening, authentic leadership, and people-first practices, Hazelview Investments has crafted a thriving organizational culture designed to adapt and grow with purpose.
Key Insights
Maintained strong cultural performance+
Despite organizational scaling and external market pressures, Hazelview Investments sustained a remarkable 2024 average Trust Index™ Employee Survey score of 84%, reinforcing cultural consistency and resilience.
Preserved and strengthened key cultural foundations+
Core pillars such as trust, collaboration, leadership credibility, and wellbeing remained robust, providing a stable environment for employees during growth phases.
Converted Trust Index™ Employee Survey insights into strategic actions+
The company transformed employee feedback into meaningful initiatives, leading to tangible improvements in areas like recognition, fairness, and career development opportunities.
Strengthened market positioning as an employer of choice+
By nurturing a high-trust culture and prioritizing employee experience, Hazelview Investments enhanced its brand reputation and successfully attracted and retained top talent in a competitive industry landscape.
Partnering with Great Place To Work®
At Hazelview Investments, building a thriving, people-centered workplace has always been a strategic priority. To deepen this commitment and benchmark its culture against global standards, Hazelview Investments chose to partner with Great Place To Work®.
The Trust Index™ Employee Survey offered a credible, proven framework to guide Hazelview Investment’s cultural evolution. Partnering with Great Place To Work® helped validate strengths, uncover new opportunities, and accelerate Hazelview Investment’s journey toward becoming an employer of choice.
84% of employees at Hazelview Investments say it is a great place to work compared to 60% of employees at a typical Canada-based company.
Source: Great Place To Work® 2021 Global Employee Engagement Study.
“We’re passionate about growing our talent and our business.”
Vanessa Mian, Managing Partner, Chief Human Resources & Strategy Officer
Dimension-Wise Cultural Achievements
| Dimension | 2024 Average Score | Cultural Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Building Trust | ~80% | Deepened organizational transparency and ethical leadership. |
| Leadership Credibility | ~81% | Reinforced employee confidence in the organization’s direction and leadership authenticity. |
| Team Collaboration | ~82.5% | Sustained high collaboration and cross-team support, crucial for rapid growth integration. |
| Growth and Opportunity | ~72% | Supported career advancement opportunities aligned with employee aspirations. |
| Employee Wellbeing | ~80% | Promoted psychological safety, emotional health, and work-life balance across the organization. |
Challenges and Opportunities
Trust Index Survey insights
As Hazelview Investments expanded its operations, it faced two critical realities:
- Rapid organizational growth brought the risk of diluting the intimate, trust-based culture that had been its cornerstone.
- Increased competition for top talent placed new pressures on engagement, loyalty, and employee satisfaction.
Rather than allow these challenges to compromise its values, Hazelview Investments saw them as opportunities to strengthen its cultural commitment and make deliberate investments in its people and leadership practices.
“The secret sauce to our success is our people.”
Ugo Bizzarri, CFA, Managing Partner & CEO
How Listening and Action Strengthened Culture
By leveraging insights from the Trust Index™ Employee Survey, Hazelview Investments gained deep visibility into both strengths and areas for growth.
The organization celebrated enduring trust, collaboration, and emotional wellbeing, while simultaneously taking focused action to enhance recognition, address fairness concerns, and support career development pathways.
This active cycle of listen, act, evolve allowed Hazelview Investments not only to protect its culture during growth — but to transform culture into an accelerating force for its future.
Strategies Implemented
To address the insights gathered and sustain cultural momentum, Hazelview Investments implemented several strategic initiatives:
- Leadership Development Programs: Focused on authentic, transparent leadership that builds trust and models company values.
- Recognition and Appreciation Enhancements: Formalized and personalized programs to celebrate contributions fairly across teams.
- Career Growth Pathways: Expanded mentorship, learning opportunities, and mobility frameworks to align employee aspirations with business goals.
- Wellbeing Integration: Embedded emotional and mental health supports directly into everyday work life, moving beyond traditional wellness programs.
Conclusion: A Culture that Grows with Purpose
At Hazelview Investments, culture is viewed as a living system — one that is nurtured, evolved, and strengthened deliberately. Amidst scaling operations and fierce market competition, the company never wavered from its people-first philosophy. Instead, it leveraged Trust Index™ Employee Survey insights, invested authentically in its workforce, and anchored its success in trust, leadership credibility, collaboration, growth opportunities, and holistic wellbeing.
Culture was not merely sustained during change; it was transformed into the company’s greatest competitive advantage.