The Biggest Economic Opportunity of Our Generation (Agriculture): Justine Hendricks on Why Showing Up As You Is Your Best Bet
Listen to the episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Listen to the episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Invest Ottawa, Ottawa’s lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries. We teamed up to produce this special podcast series to celebrate women leading in Ottawa during International Women’s Month.
In support of its Women Founders and Owners strategy, Invest Ottawa offers programs and services that enable and accelerate the growth and success of women entrepreneurs from every walk of life.
Visit www.investottawa.ca/women to learn more!
“I promised myself I’d get this job the Justine way. I wasn’t going to follow someone else’s script—I was going to show up as me.”
Justine Hendricks, sits as Farm Credit Canada’s President and CEO after 17 years with Export Development Canada (EDC) and 7 years with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Throughout her career, she has championed Canadian businesses across agriculture, agri-food, and other critical industries—helping them access the capital, risk management solutions, and strategic support they need to grow and thrive.
But what sets Justine apart isn’t just her impressive track record—it’s how she leads. Whether spearheading EDC’s $9B Insurance and Working Capital Solutions portfolio, being appointed and becoming its first Chief Sustainability Officer, or aligning corporate strategy with evolving environmental and human rights standards, Justine is redefining what it means to lead with integrity, vision, and action.
At FCC, she’s shaping a bold new vision for Canadian agriculture—one that sees the industry as a generational force for solving global challenges like hunger, health, climate, and economic growth. Justine is known for her humor, humanity, and no-nonsense leadership style. And she is building the future by listening first—and leading with heart.
Justine is a member of the University of Ottawa Board of Governors and currently sits on their Audit Committee. She’s also deeply committed to shaping the next generation of leaders, serving on the University of Ottawa’s Board of Governors and previously chairing both the Digital Opportunity Trust and the Forum for Young Canadians.
Justine earned an MBA from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Carleton University. She is the recipient of several awards related to her inspirational leadership and community involvement.
We Talk About What Matters
Why agriculture can solve health, hunger, climate, and economic challenges—all at once.
What it really means to lead with presence.
How Justine approached her first 100 days—and how it shaped FCC’s strategy.
Why integrity matters more than perfection.
Why she believes credibility is built in the small moments—by doing what you say you’ll do.
Looking for a specific gem?
0:00 Introducing Justine
3:40 Humor plays a large part of our lives
4:00 Where does Justine come from
7:20 A life-changing decision: the first fork in the road
12:45 Shaking 800 hands in her first month as CEO of Farm Credit Canada
13:50 Justine’s strategy for learning, listening, and leading with intention (her first 100 days)
14:43 "I promised myself I’d be truly Justine every step of the way."
15:26 Integrity as a core value: Why doing what she says she will do is non-negotiable for Justine
16:00 “What is your vision” — taking a collaborative approach: "It’s not just Justine’s vision—it’s Canada’s agriculture and food vision."
18:39 Meeting with the VP cohort and ensuring a strong leadership pipeline.
19:00 Why Justine prioritizes being present and reachable for her employees and clients
20:17 Asking for help as a CEO
22:40 Transitioning from the private sector to a Crown Corporation
22:50 The late-night application, the whirlwind interview, and the decision that changed everything
23:50 Bold career shifts: from banking to a Crown Corporation
24:19 The hunger that drove her toward impact
31:00 the gravity of a recommendation: your reputation is on the line
33:20 The days of being a “perfect leader” are over
37:40 I park my title at the door every single day
39:00 Know who you can call - the power of building a strong network
41:15 Recruiting the best in the game; how a strong vision attracts top talent and fuels organizational transformation
44:21 Why you should care about the Canadian egg and food industry
45:00 Agriculture & Food: a generational opportunity to change the world
45:05 How this industry can solve major global challenges—health, hunger, climate, and economic growth—all at once.
Conversation Transcript
Naomi Haile: Hi, everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Power of Why podcast. Today, I am here with a special guest. Her name is Justine Hendricks. Justine, how are you doing today?
Justine Hendricks: I'm doing great, Naomi. How are you doing?
Naomi Haile: Wonderful. You're laughing a little bit because it was a bit of a tennis match getting all your tabs closed—exactly.
Justine Hendricks: Exactly. As you could see, my technology skills are not the best, but thank God I’ve got a great team, and we were able to figure it out so we can do this great interview.
Naomi Haile: What is your origin story? What was your life like growing up? What did you enjoy doing as a child? And we'll go from there.
Justine Hendricks: Sure! It’s super great to be here, Naomi. I will do my best to have my humor at the appointment this afternoon. But yes, I do believe that in life—and this applies to work—if you can't laugh about some of the things that are going on, I’d probably be hiding in a closet crying a lot of the time. So, to me, humor plays a very important part of our lives at all stages—whether professional, personal, and so forth.
But where does Justine come from? Maybe the way I would tell the story is the way my mom used to tell me the story when I’d say, “Mom, how did you and Dad meet?” and “What was it all about?”
My mom grew up in Montreal. I like to say that my grandfather had a convenience store on Saint-Denis Street. For those who know Montreal, it's pretty much at the heart of the city. My father is from Georgetown in Guyana, South America, and they actually met at Cornell University.
The way the story goes is that they were both in the chemistry lab, and Dad offered to help Mom. Like a good French Canadian, she told him to buzz off because she was an independent woman. But then, after classes, she was waiting at the bus stop to go home, and she saw someone drive up in this beautiful car—a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Your audience can maybe look up that car; it was pretty slick.
I still remember to this day when she said to me, “You know, Justine, I wasn’t really sure about the guy, but he had a pretty nice car.” If you knew my mom, it was very out of character for her to say that. They were married for over 50 years. So, it only went without saying that when I got married, I was driven to the altar in a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
That gives you a little bit of an idea of the type of person I am and how I attach significance to moments in time. If they are part of my family, I tend to, at times, try to bring them back to keep that story going.
I was born in Ottawa, actually, and two months after I was born, Mom, Dad, and my brother moved to Montreal. So most of my childhood was in Montreal. I went to the same school with the same girls for 12 years, and I’m super happy that, to this day, some of us are still very close. We have a friendship that has lasted over 45 years. That, too, has shaped a little bit of who I am, how I show up every day.
And hey, I had a pretty happy childhood. I always said to people, my parents loved me dearly. I always knew that things would be taken care of. Of course, there are always things you wish didn’t happen the way they did.
At one point, when I was graduating from high school, my mom, who was a dietitian, got this really neat opportunity to become the CEO of the National Institute of Nutrition. That’s where my life took a bit of a twist. Mom got this great opportunity, which meant moving back to Ottawa. When she got that opportunity, she turned to me and said, “Hey, instead of going to CEGEP, why don’t you come to Ottawa and go straight to university?”
That was probably the first fork in the road in terms of where I thought I was going versus where I ended up. And admittedly, if Mom were here, she would probably tell you that at one point, it was the worst decision she made—encouraging me to come with her—because I really struggled. But today, if she were alive, she’d say, “Okay, you turned out okay, Justine. Everything is okay.”
But it was probably the first major situation in my life where a fork was presented, I went along with it, but I wasn’t as prepared as I needed to be. It was a huge change for me, and it took me quite a few years to figure my way out.
To this day, when people talk about university, my first degree wasn’t fun—I didn’t enjoy it. When I went back to do my MBA, I enjoyed it a lot more because I understood what I was going into.
So, if I look at where I am today—and I still live in Ottawa—that’s what brought me here. I completed my studies, started working at the bank, and, I guess, the rest is history. I’m sure you have lots of questions, Naomi, so I’ll let you guide where we go next.
Naomi Haile: Wow, wow. I didn’t know that was what brought you back to Ottawa! I did know that your mom was a dietitian and that your dad worked at Canada Post. And later, you know, he helped shape the cargo division at Air Canada, which I learned from your team in those early experiences.
Well, for those who don’t know, CEGEP is unique to Quebec. After finishing grade 11, students attend CEGEP for two to three years—it can lead to a full diploma, but it can also be a stepping stone to other post-secondary opportunities.
So, for you, going to university right after high school probably meant you were the youngest in your class. What did you feel you needed at that time to help you adjust and get acquainted?
Justine Hendricks: So maybe I'll twist your question a little bit, Naomi. What was super hard, I think—and I’m trying to think of this in the context of today—is that when Mom came to me and said, "Hey, there's this opportunity," in my mind—if I remember correctly—I think Mom and Dad talked to me about this in August. So I had graduated, and my whole summer was kind of shaping its way.
In my mind, I was looking forward to starting a new chapter at CEGEP with my group of friends that I had known for 12 years. And then suddenly, it was, "Hey, stop. New opportunity. Pick up, move to another city, go to a new school." And I think what was so difficult was the short time frame in which that change happened. Honestly, I didn’t fully appreciate what it meant.
And as I mentioned at the beginning of the podcast, I love Mom, I love Dad. So this has nothing to do with whether or not they made a mistake. But I also knew in my mind that Mom had this great opportunity, and I didn’t want to let her down.
On my first day at Carleton, I came home in total tears. It was so bad that I actually took the wrong bus and ended up on the other side of the city. And back then, we didn’t have cell phones, so I had to figure out how to get home. I came home and cried like a baby.
Mom walked into my room and said, "Do you want to go back?" And in that split moment, I said no—because I didn’t want to let Mom down. And frankly, if I look at where I am today, maybe things would be very different if I had said yes, right?
It didn’t make things any easier, but there was that moment when I thought, "I can’t do this," but then immediately, "I can’t do this to Mom." It was all about me, but I just wanted her to be super proud. So I told myself, "Come on, I can do this." But it was a big jump.
In hindsight, if I could redo something, it probably would have helped if we had made that call earlier. I would have been better prepared or had more time to understand what was coming. But like I said, one of my philosophies in life is that if you spend too much time dwelling on the past—on everything you should have done differently—you’re probably not focused on what you need to do now.
So, I try to pick up the lessons I need to but not dwell on them. Instead, I say, "Hey, look what happened to you. You had some good times and some tough times, but you’re doing well, so keep going." That’s a little bit of my mindset about life overall.
Naomi Haile: And you’ve led such a full life since then, right? The reason I asked the question was to understand the reflections you’ve had since that moment. Because I think you called it a fork, and so many of us have those "fork in the road" moments—where you make a decision, and all these little things contribute to where we are today.
But I think the reflection you have is the thread that has helped you in your career—to figure things out the way you needed to. You’ve done so many things throughout your career, and I’d love to start with today.
You are in a remarkable company—a Crown Corp, I should say. And in an interview, you shared your commitment to spending your first year meeting as many customers, industry players, and stakeholders as possible to learn. That curiosity, that desire to be present and really serve the customer or client, is a thread I’ve heard so many times in your story.
You shook about 800 hands within your first month at FCC. And I personally believe that trust strengthens when people know their voices are heard and acted upon. So, as you stepped into your role as CEO—maybe this is the wrong question—but what was your initial agenda coming in?
Did you come in with any preconceived notions about what the industry needed? Or were you open to learning as much as you could and going from there?
Justine Hendricks: Yeah, I’m really glad you’re asking me that question because I might go against a few myths out there, right?
First of all—and funny enough, Naomi, you’re right—when I got the job, everyone reads the articles and books about "your first 100 days," right? Like, what do you have to do in your first 100 days? And you have to come up with a plan.
For me, there were three things I had to accomplish in those first 100 days.
One, I needed to connect with the staff—that’s 2,500 people across the country—so I had to figure out how to do that in the most reasonable way.
Two, it was about the customer—or vice versa, right? At EDC, I covered several sectors. I had touched agriculture and food, but now I was 100% in it. So I needed to quickly learn what this was all about—to get a sense of the sector.
And I knew that I could connect with people. That’s something I do fairly well, so I wasn’t scared about that. But it was about figuring out how to gather as much information as possible while learning the job.
And then the third thing, obviously, was: Where does FCC go from here?
I should probably start by saying that when I went through the interview process, I made a promise to myself. When I got the call, I told myself: "I am going to get this job by being truly Justine every step of the way."
I had to park the fact that it was a CEO job and an opportunity to run a Crown Corporation. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let the potential of a bigger role change what I was going to say in those interviews. Because I knew that whatever I said would set expectations if I was hired—and I’d have to live up to that.
So one thing that comes through in what I’m saying is that, for me, integrity is so important. If I say something, I want it to be true. If I make a commitment, I pride myself on delivering. And I will lose sleep if I don’t. That mindset transcends into everything I do—if I choose to do something, I want to do it right.
But to your question, it was about going out there and connecting so that I could understand.
In one of the town halls, someone asked me, "So Justine, what’s your vision?"
And I basically said, "I don’t have a vision—because I’m coming here to build it with you. I have a blank sheet of paper, and we are going to build it together. That’s why I’m here. I have a lot to learn. I need to understand this organization and the industry. But the only way we’ll do what we need to for agriculture and food in Canada is if it’s not just Justine’s vision—it’s Canada’s ag and food vision. And the only way to build that is with the industry, the employees, and so forth."
That was my baseline.
But what I did do was go out quickly to connect. And I think many CEOs or leaders do that—I just did it on overdrive. But it was super important to me.
And it meant I had to learn the job while being the CEO and connecting with customers, which puts a strain on you, right? But it sped up my understanding.
And I quickly realized that some of the issues were the same across Canada, which was a huge sigh of relief. I thought, "Okay, I’m starting to hear similar things." That really allowed me to accelerate the process and start shaping things.
And frankly, I would say, Naomi, it also gave me the confidence that as we started putting pen to paper, we were on the right track.
Naomi Haile: Yeah, and I would say that’s probably the impact that comes from listening seriously and deeply right from the onset, right? You mentioned that the first 100 days are often closely watched as leaders enter a new space. So for you, what can leaders learn from how you approached your entrance into this role?
Justine Hendricks: So, there are a couple of things I would say. I also recognized coming in that I couldn’t do it alone.
One of the other things that really matters to me is that it’s super important for people to feel that I’m an accessible individual. I’ve worked for too many leaders who, as they take on more responsibility, become less and less accessible—to the point where, in some instances, they are completely inaccessible. And in my humble opinion, that goes against the real purpose of why you’re there in the first place, especially if you’re in the customer business.
So, I put a lot of weight on my shoulders. My first job as the leader of this organization was to make sure I was accessible. If I peel it back and look at the employees of FCC, I actually did this in the early days—I met with the entire VP cohort. And I said, frankly, “The reason why I’m meeting with you is that part of my job as CEO is to prepare for succession. Not that I don’t meet with the executives, but they’re there, right? There’s work there. But getting that next layer ready for what the future looks like is super important. That’s part of my job.”
So, I think it’s really important to understand who you are and how you need to get there. And I put the emphasis on me to adjust and to figure out the mechanisms so that accessibility is there. Now, obviously, I can’t be accessible to 2,500 people all the time. But to do that, you need to approach it with the right mindset and have a team around you.
I came in with a couple of people who helped me. Interestingly enough, I realized that the executive team had been working together for a long time—so I was the new kid. I was going to disrupt their dynamic. So I told myself, If I’m the disrupter, I need to allow myself to be vulnerable and figure out how we’re going to come together.
So, I brought in some help. And there was an executive who said to a coach—not to me—but they said, “Wow, that’s quite something that Justine would recognize that she needs help.” Not because it was me, but because it’s not something you regularly see—a CEO coming in and saying, “Hey, I can’t do this alone.”
But I thought, No, we’ve got a big job, and we don’t have a lot of time to do it. I don’t have 10 years to get this right. I have to get going.
That thought process and planning ahead of time were very much part of how I arrived. And for the leaders out there, this approach may not work for everyone, but I would say: Think about how you want to arrive. What does that look like?
It also depends on the environment. I was coming into something totally new. The head office wasn’t in Ottawa, which added another dynamic. So I asked myself, How do I immerse myself in this organization? And because I thrive on human interaction, How do I connect so that the whole organization feels connected to me—and I to them?
I was very transparent about it as I traveled across Canada. I told everyone, “My intention is to be on the road 30% of the time.” It ended up being 60%. And I said to the entire company, “I need your help. I need you to help me be a CEO. I also need to be a mom—that’s super important to me—and I need to do the best job I can for this industry. And I cannot do it alone.”
So, I was transparent from the beginning.
Naomi Haile: Which I’m sure set a really strong standard for what the following years would look like. You mentioned that FCC has over 2,500 employees, and you made it a point to meet as many of them as possible, along with clients and stakeholders.
And what you just said—there’s this theme coming through about collapsing time—almost like, How do I get the most grounding to be able to do things, so that we can accomplish a lot?
You’ve spent a large part of your career in public service, and from that, I can see that impact is really important to you. Serving Canadians is really important. So when you transitioned from banking into your first role in a Crown Corporation—what was it that you were transitioning for?
Were you thinking about impact? Were you thinking about career fulfillment? Or was it something else for you?
Justine Hendricks: Yeah, no, I love that question because I still remember when I made that transition.
And funny enough, I was doing super well at the Royal Bank, right? I was in the talent pool, conversations were happening about my future, and people were saying, “You will have a great career in this organization.”
But—this is kind of how my life goes—someone at EDC, who used to work at the bank, sent me an email saying, “Hey, there’s a job here, and I think you would be perfect for it.”
And maybe I shouldn’t admit this on air, but I had no idea what EDC did. So, I did my quick research, and it was one of those moments where I literally submitted my application at midnight—10 minutes before the deadline.
I remember thinking, Justine, you made a commitment to yourself. You said you’d do it. So just do it.
Then, I got a call for an interview. At the time, I was working downtown at RBC, so it wasn’t far to go to EDC. I went in, they asked me their questions, and I still remember—I walked out, called my mom, and said, “Mom, I think I nailed it.”
And she said, “Oh, okay, that’s good.”
By the time I walked back to RBC—a seven-minute walk—EDC had already offered me the job.
And then I panicked. I thought, Oh my God, what am I doing? It felt like getting divorced three times over.
I felt this deep loyalty to RBC. They had told me, “You have a great career ahead of you.” I almost felt like I cheated on them. But at the same time, there was this opportunity.
So, your question—Why?
I was hungry.
I didn’t know that I wanted impact. Honestly, I didn’t. But I was hungry to broaden the reach of my work.
The bank is fantastic. Banks are fascinating to me. I used to say to people, Imagine—you can get on a plane in Charlottetown, fly across Canada for five and a half hours, land, walk into an RBC branch, and get the exact same level of service. Imagine what it takes to orchestrate all of that.
I was always fascinated by how it all worked.
But one of the challenges in a bank—if you’re like me, someone who wants to put their personal touch on things—is that it’s harder.
For a bank to deliver that level of service, it has to be highly standardized.
So, while I thrived in that environment, I also saw the limitations. When I did my interview, I said, “What I learned at the bank is the value of loving your customers. I learned the appreciation of standards and how they create confidence in an organization—because you have predictability, you have data, you know what’s going on.”
And then, I thought, Now that I understand this… watch me go.
But the watch me go part is tough when you’re at a bank. Because unless you’re in those high echelons—and even then, you have a stock market to answer to—you can’t just wake up one morning and decide to make a dramatic change.
I was hungry for that.
I wanted the ability to say, “I know something, I think we should do this,” and actually test it. I wanted that thrill.
And then, when I got to EDC, that’s when I realized what I had been hungry for all along—impact.
And that’s what has kept me here all these years.
Naomi Haile
Yeah, 17 years, right? And I’m sure that every role you stepped into felt like a completely different organization. And then, again, that transition to FCC—was that what led to that decision-making as well?
Justine Hendricks: So, interestingly enough, right? I told you—I got an email when I was at RBC, and I got a phone call when I was at EDC. I had seen the posting come out, and then somebody in the federal government called me and said, “Listen, they’re looking for somebody, and I thought of you.”
So, I guess for me, another lesson in life has been that I’ve been fortunate to have a few guardian angels out there—people I didn’t even know existed—who, along the way, would send me an email or a phone call saying, “Hey, this could be good for you.”
And another thing Mom always taught me—she said, “Justine, in life, waves are going to go by. You’re a fool if you don’t take a look at them. Don’t just let them pass. Take a look, and then you have the opportunity to make a choice. But don’t turn around later and say you never got an opportunity.”
So, I’ve looked at these moments in life as waves that pass. I stop and ask myself, Am I ready? Do I want this or not? There are probably a couple of waves I’ve missed, but the ones I decided to take my surfboard and ride have given me really cool experiences.
When I left RBC for EDC, it was so hard for me because I felt like I was betraying an employer that had invested in me. It took me a while, but I knew it was time for me to go.
Then, when it came to FCC, I looked at the time I had spent at EDC and the things I had accomplished. I’ll say I was more confident this time—I knew it was the right decision. But anytime you spend a prolonged period of time somewhere, you build relationships, and leaving is never easy.
That said, it was easier the second time than it was the first time. I had grown, I was more mature, and I understood things differently. I was more confident in what I could achieve. I thought, Give me a chance to sink my teeth into this, and I know I can do something good. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’ll do what I’ve done my whole career—and so far, that’s worked out pretty well.
So that’s what drove me to say, Okay, go for it. Put your name in. But I told myself that if I got the job, I was getting it the Justine way. I wasn’t going to follow a script or take a chapter from someone else’s book on how to answer my questions.
Naomi Haile: Right. Yeah, and I want to put a pin in that because I think it’s really important—it connects back to what you said about integrity as well. But before that, I just want to ask—because in both of these transitions, it was an email, it was a call. Reflecting back on your whole career, what do you believe you did right that people can take note of? I don’t know if these individuals were people who were super close to you or if they just understood something about you. But obviously, you were visible in some sense. People brought your name forward. Can you shine a light on that?
Justine Hendricks: So, there are a couple of things I would say. And I love to tell stories, Naomi. I believe that why these people reached out is because when I did interact with them, right—whether they were colleagues or I met them in a different circle—I think, depending on what my interaction was or whether or not I worked with them, this integrity of delivering on what I commit to is what made the difference, right?
Because everybody knows—if you’re going to recommend somebody or a service, right?—you want that service to be good. If not, you don’t want to jump in. So, it’s the same principle, right? For somebody to say, “I think I know a good person,” I don’t think people would put that name out unless they felt somewhat confident about it and they could articulate, “So, why her versus somebody else?” But the way you, in my mind, earn that is through what you deliver. It’s not just because I’m a nice person—it’s because I think I’m able to deliver.
And maybe one of the stories you’re making me think of is when I left EDC. So, you know, when the announcement came out that I was leaving, all sorts of people sent notes—“Oh my God, Justine, sorry to see you go,” “I was super proud of you,” all of those things. But I got this note from an individual in a department at EDC that, honestly, I hadn’t heard from in like 10 years—just because, right? You know, EDC has over 2,000 employees as well. And she sent me this note saying, “Justine, on one hand, I am really sad to see you go, but I’m super proud. And I just want you to know, you have no idea what difference you made. Because with you, we always knew that when we sent you something, you always got back to us.” And I just—it really struck me. Because again, I take pride in trying to get things done. And it made me realize—and I don’t want to judge anybody for it, that’s not my goal—but it’s amazing how that discipline of getting back to people builds credibility.
For me, honestly, it’s total guilt. Like, I don’t want to leave people hanging because I don’t like to be left hanging myself. And like I said, this person took the time to send me this note, and she said, “I’ll tell you, the word on the street is, ‘Oh my God, there was one person that always got back to us.’” And I think I’m usually pretty honest when I don’t know or I’m not sure—I’m not afraid to say it, right? Because I don’t believe that always being perfect is the goal. I think those days of leadership are over, thank God.
And if success—if my success—was about being perfect, then we’ve got a big problem, right? That’s not success. But anyway, I don’t know if I’m answering your question, Naomi. But that note? I still remember it to this day, and I’ll probably never forget it. Because sometimes, when you’re about to leave, you get those messages, and you think, “Wow, I wish I would have gotten this in the 17 years I was here.” But yeah, I think people do notice, right?
And I could talk for hours about customers—whether at RBC or EDC—who, 10 or 15 years later, pop up somewhere and say, “You know Justine Hendricks?” That keeps me going, right? It makes me realize—wow, what you do can have an impact. And honestly, I never thought that years later, you would feel that impact. But, man, when it comes back, it’s always at the moment when you actually need it. Yes.
And it’s another wave, right? Catch it when it comes, sink into it, take it in—because somebody, somewhere, knows you needed that. And just embrace it and move, right? Take it for your next propulsion. That’s kind of how I’ve rationalized it. Because sometimes, these things come back years later—but when they do, you’re like, “Ah, okay. I can keep going.”
Naomi Haile: Thank you for sharing those stories. I love story. I live in stories, as we all do. And on the other side of that—what you said about, you know, receiving those notes at exactly the right time you need it—I think about that on the other side, like when I have a thought or a memory that comes back, to give people their flowers, you know what I mean? To send the note, even if it's one line, two lines, and you don’t think anything of it.
I think part of sending—being able to identify and acknowledge the gifts in others—is a gift in and of itself. And so, yeah, thank you for sharing those few instances. I'm sure there are hundreds more. That's, that's wonderful.
And you know, on your LinkedIn, there's one testimonial that I read that kind of speaks to this, where someone says: Justine is a natural leader who cares about the success of others. That is probably why she was able to get the best talent on her transformation programs. And I think it speaks to a lot of things. You obviously have worked in many complex organizations—so many moving parts, things happening in the world that affect, you know, the work that you do.
But can you speak to this—this skill of being able to identify and attract top talent? Because you mentioned at the beginning, when you first started at FCC, you brought in people with you. And so, you know, attracting top talent, keeping them motivated, and then delivering results—those are not easy things to do.
And so tell us, for those who run organizations, however small or large, what has been a critical piece in being able to do that successfully?
Justine Hendricks: Okay, so that is—well, it's not a complex question, but let me try to answer it as clearly as possible for your audience.
So, if I take a step back, Naomi, and I look at all of the different things I've done—and everybody's got their own adventures—one of the other things that I come to the table with is an acknowledgment that I'm not a doctor, right? I don't have a PhD, let's say, in environment and so forth. So if I look at the combination of what I've studied and my life experience, I bring a package to the table that I'm a quick problem solver. Over the years, I've figured out what is kind of—what's my, what's—what’s my secret sauce? What am I really good at?
But what's come along with that too is I've always cherished, along the way—because I like human interaction—meeting other people. So whether it's been through my work, because when I was the first Chief Sustainability Officer, I didn’t do a degree in environment, but I needed to learn and better understand. And to be clear, I'm not, you know, like a certified PhD in that. But I've always cherished surrounding myself with experts and using curiosity to learn.
I've never—you know, I really believe, like, no matter what your title is, I park mine at the door every single day. I even say, sometimes I wish that I didn’t have the three initials that I have because I know, in a different environment, what it can create, right? And as a result of that, it's allowed me to meet people—sometimes experts in different fields. Over the years, as I've worked with these people, I've built affinities with some more than others, so that when I do have a dilemma, I call upon them.
So the way I think, right, is—if somebody gives me a challenge, I will formulate in my mind what I think the challenge is. Not quite what the solution is, but kind of like how I want to tackle it. And as somebody once told me, "Justine, it’s interesting to see you work because you start over here—very wide—and then you kind of repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. And then at one point, we see the trigger in your brain—you know what you believe in, what you want to say, and then off you go." But I do that by consulting different folks, and so I think that is an important skill set.
And I think sometimes too many of us hide behind our desk. And don’t get me wrong—like everybody, I work super hard. Like, I work more hours than I should. I'll admit it. But to me, if you don’t build that network—and you don’t build that overnight—but if you don’t know who you can call, if you don’t have those individuals around you, that’s a problem. And I don’t see it as a sign of weakness at all. On the contrary, I think it’s a sign of strength to not put on your shoulders that you have to know everything.
So depending on what that dilemma is or what that question is, I’ve got a few people I’m going to go and ask, and I invite those to come and help me. So I think that’s kind of one of the things, for the audience, that’s important. And the other thing too is—so when I came over, I brought two people to help me. And then, as we started to formulate a little bit where we needed to go… yeah, the joke was that I was starting a recruitment firm because I recruited quite a few people.
But you know what was super rewarding? And I’m a good storyteller, as you know. I can be pretty passionate—that comes through loud and clear. But because we had done our homework and we kind of knew where we wanted to go, when I told the story of, "This is where we want to go with ag and food," people's faces lit up. They were excited to join.
And one time, I was in Montreal—actually, like, eight months into the job—and I met with an investment firm. And one of the individuals I was meeting with, I knew from my past life. And I remember walking into the room, and I was super happy that she was there. And she’s like, "Justine, the market is checking you out."
Oh my gosh, right? And I must say, I was so proud of that. Because I’m like, You watch, Canada. You think I can do it? I’m going to get the top people in this country. So, for somebody to tell me that—and I wasn’t consciously doing it—but for someone to say, "You have no idea, but everybody’s waiting to see your next move because you’re going to pick rock stars." And I was like, Well, wouldn’t you expect anything less from me?
But honestly, it naturally happened because I used my network. Some folks I knew, but not all of them. But then it was like, Hey, this is what I want to do. And I really think, because I fundamentally believe that the strategy we have is what Canada needs, when you do that and you pitch it right, all these people—who are super smart—are like, Holy, Justine, like, this is wild.
And people would say, "Are you kidding me? Like, are you sure you want to do this?" And I’m like, "Yeah." I think people never thought that it would actually go on a piece of paper. But then, you know, some of the people that we’ve recruited have that ambition as well, right? So it's like, Wow, I have somebody who gets my ambition and is challenging me.
So we’ve put together quite the team, and the goal is that the whole organization comes along, right? And to be super clear, some of those people were already at FCC, so it’s not like they weren’t there. But it’s the combination. And sometimes you gotta move, right? Create that environment.
But yeah, that’s how we’re doing it. And I’m sure it won’t be perfect, right? Sometimes you have winners; sometimes you don’t. But literally, Naomi, that’s how it came together.
So it wasn’t just my whole rolodex. And now that we’ve gone out to the market, the market knows this strategy. Like, I literally, because I also do the CHRO job these days on an interim basis, you should see how it's exploded when we put out a poster, right? So there are announcements that will get, like, 200 applications. And, you know, I hear in the network people saying, What’s going on at FCC? Something’s moving.
So for me, honestly, that’s impact, right? Like, if the word’s getting out that cool stuff is going on and people want to be part of it, that’s all I need to keep on going and then bring people along. And I know we’ll get to where we want to go, right? But I find that, as a leader, it’s hugely rewarding when you’re in that situation.
Naomi Haile: And you know what? I was gonna say, yeah, it's fantastic. Because I think, you know, we haven’t even touched on agriculture and, you know, the bold statements and the aspirations that you've kind of set with the organization. But everything you've shared so far, I think, applies beyond industry, and so many people can, you know, learn from it.
So you had alluded to your aspiration statement—it includes the word bold, which isn’t obviously the first word that we think about in this industry. But what does it mean for FCC to be bold in branding and positioning? Is it about taking a stance? Is it about pushing boundaries?
And the reason I think this is important is what you mentioned about getting people excited about this industry. Because, you know, farming is really important for our livelihoods. And I think there are certain industries that have a lot of hype and attention around them, like technology, AI, and all of these things that are capturing young people.
But when we think about the future of this space, thinking about the next generations is really important. So talk to us about the storytelling that was involved in your vision and why this is important—why you’re excited about it.
Justine Hendricks: Okay, so it's gonna be tough for me to be succinct, but let me try.
So maybe before I answer the boldness, Naomi, what I want to share with the audience—and thank you for giving me this opportunity—when I go out and after we've done this work on the strategy, and when I either talk to industry or if I talk to students, let's say in a business school, and say, Why should you care about the ag and food industry in Canada? This is why.
The Canadian ag and food industry—first of all, we're a net exporter of food, right? We are a powerhouse. Even within Canada, we’re responsible for one in nine jobs. We're the second-largest manufacturing sector, and yet we're not as visible or part of the dialogue as we should be. But guess what? This industry, and the way I shape it, is—I say this industry has what I call a generational opportunity, right? It has the opportunity to solve some of the world's biggest problems: health, hunger, climate, and economic growth. And not only can it do all four, it can do all four at once.
So I would challenge your audience to find me an industry that has that potential, and I honestly think that it doesn't exist other than ag and food. So we've got a good thing going for us. Do we have challenges? Absolutely. We are not perfect—that is not the message I’m trying to convey. But with this generational opportunity and the role that Farm Credit Canada has to offer—which goes beyond financing, because there are a lot of other things that we do—the boldness is about I've got to be there to support the industry in whatever it takes to achieve that aspiration, that generational opportunity.
That means I’ve got to either change my products, adapt my products—maybe I have to do things, maybe I have to go into a line of business that I didn’t do before. But if it allows us to trigger and enable that success, I fundamentally believe that’s our job at Farm Credit Canada. That’s our success. If I can make the Canadian ag and food industry thrive, we have been impactful.
So that’s what boldness means. It means we don’t forget what’s brought us success today—that’s not going away—but we have to embrace what’s missing in order to seize the generational opportunity ahead. We have to be bold to do it. And I can’t wait to do it—I gotta get going right now! That’s where that boldness comes from.
Naomi Haile: Very nice, very nice. Thank you. I could talk to you forever, and I know we have to wrap up the episode. I appreciate you talking about the vision and also being in spaces where the next generation can start doing the research and learning more about the opportunities in this space, right?
Justine Hendricks: No, for sure. And obviously, Naomi, we can continue to chat at another time because you're super inviting and comforting at the same time. But yeah, that’s kind of what I think—why you're in a Crown Corporation. Like, if you want to make a difference, as people say, you don’t do it for the paycheck. No, you do it because when you see things come together like that, it is so rewarding. Just so rewarding.
Naomi Haile: Thank you so much, Justine. For those who want to support the work that you're doing and connect with you online, what is the best way for them to do that?
Justine Hendricks: Well, the best way—people can find me on LinkedIn, right? I’m good at keeping on top of my LinkedIn. Sometimes I have a few days’ delay, but yeah, if people want to connect, I invite them to reach out on LinkedIn. And I’m the one who monitors it officially, so I don’t have a third party taking a look at it—I’m the one who looks at those things to see where they go.
And if not, I mean, the FCC site—you know, they can send an inquiry through that. So I’m fairly accessible that way.
Naomi Haile: Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you, everyone, for listening to this episode of The Power of Why podcast. And thank you so much, Justine, for being here. It was an absolute pleasure to speak with you.
We'll catch you in the next episode, folks!
Listen to the episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Connect with Justine
LinkedIn: Justine Hendricks
Farm Credit Canada Website: Farm Credit Canada
Connect with Naomi
Website: naomihaile.com
LinkedIn: Naomi Haile
Instagram: @naomiahaile
Twitter: @naomiathaile