Christine Chadwick is a towering figure in Canada’s healthcare space. A veteran of the industry, today she leads Archus as its Managing Director, building and expanding the company in Canada. In her direct work with clients, she champions and supports a patient first philosophy when thinking strategies for new and/or expanded healthcare facilities. Christine is a Sessional Lecturer and Mentor in Residence at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine & Innovation, a mentor for the Women’s Infrastructure Network, and a Founding President of the Canadian Women’s Circle of Healthcare (CWCH). Christine sits on the Technical Committee of the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) and co-chairs the Digital Infrastructure for Healthcare Committee.
She describes herself as “energetic” in a word. She is always thinking about something new. “I’m never satisfied with the status quo,” she says. “I believe we can always push beyond our limits and be better in one way or another.” Along with being energetic, she is selfless, humble, generous, and empowering. For her, success means the ability to uplift other women leaders – as well as men – and help them shine. It gives her goosebumps to see someone flourish in their roles to become leaders and transforming and coming into their own. The biggest compliment is when staff come back and want to work with you again and again.
Stepping Into the Healthcare Space
Christine joined the health industry by chance. Her parents weren’t able to send her to university through the traditional path. At the time, she was seeking a job that would allow her to attend university at night, and there were job openings in an Oncology Hospital. Christine recalls that she recruited a couple of her friends and shared the commute four hours a day to work at this hospital, and then in the night, she would attend the university. She would also work at a bar over the weekend. Whilst reminiscing on this time in her life, Christine says “I don’t know how I did really – it was a lot”.
Then, the hospital began to pay for Christine’s education. “They paid for my night classes at the university and books,” she says. As she was studying health administration, she was allowed to use the hospital as a base for her projects. All these made her want to grow in healthcare, not knowing where a specialty may find itself.
Some of Christine’s first projects were along the lines of, “Okay, Christine, we need to install an MRI, but we don’t know where to put it,” or “There’s a space on the fifth floor — can you arrange it?” She points out, “It sounded simple, but it really wasn’t.” There was engineering, architectural, and other components involved. Christine learned on the job how to get these assignments done.
“Soon after, I discovered that I was just fascinated by the fact that form needs to follow function, and making that happen in a healthcare environment was so important,” she says. So, the basis was formed, she dedicated her career to bringing form and function together in a strategic way in healthcare to satisfy multiple endeavors: such as affordability of a project, technical requirements, physical needs, and, most importantly, the well-being and retention of staff and the best outcomes for patients.
Dealing with Challenges
Times were a little different when Christine first entered the healthcare construction industry. She remembers going to her first construction site while working on a hospital infrastructure project. When she arrived on-site in a City North of Toronto, the bricklayers walked off the job. Christine shares that they refused to work on a project where a woman was in charge. She was astonished to see that. They had to negotiate with the general contractor to resolve the situation and make the bricklayers return to work.
Christine recalls that the general manager brought her a pink hard hat with her initials inscribed on it – CC – and a bottle of Canadian Club, which is a whiskey and has the initials CC. She says that the general manager thought this would make the situation better, but it was a stressful time for her. “It opened my eyes to the fact that people didn’t accept women in the health construction industry,” Christine says. Christine has been fortunate to work all over the world, often, when she visited other countries, she found that people there would not respond to her. They would look at her male colleagues and answer her questions to them.
Compared to those days, she sees more women are now present during design and construction meetings; also, there are more women working in the healthcare industry and holding C-Suite executive positions, Christine points out. Despite that, she believes there is still a long way to go before women are treated as equals to men in the healthcare industry.
The other issue Christine had to learn was how to handle bad behavior. As recently as last year, she experienced this challenge. Christine says that when their staff was working on a project, somebody began to scream, bang on the table, and yell at everyone. She asked her staff to get up and leave, instead of fighting back or explaining themselves. It is because she does not want her staff to endure bad behavior again. This is a difficult challenge for women in male dominated professions like construction.
Moving to a Healthcare Infrastructure Specialist
Archus is a healthcare infrastructure specialist. Its team of experts provides strategic, technical & digital consulting services to our clients worldwide. Christine joined the company in May 2023.
Christine had long been searching for an opportunity that addressed the gaps in the design of healthcare consulting and allowed her to shine in the areas where she felt strongest. “I love strategy, front-end planning, building a team, and expanding businesses, and I really wanted to do that,” Christine says. She was already familiar with the Archus team, as she had met them at a European Healthcare Design Conference, where she serves on the committee that organizes the program and awards each year.
“In the UK, I connected with the Archus team through a former colleague and started using them on my projects in Canada because I really believed in their values,” Christine recalls. They understood public healthcare systems, the issues, and the experiences involved. She also found that their thoughts on the Canadian market were, to a great extent, similar to hers. “Bringing something different to the Canadian market in the areas where I wanted to excel and have a swansong in the long run – made for a great fit,” Christine says.
She feels fortunate to be with an organization where people come first. “When starting a new position, there’s often a honeymoon phase before the true nature of the organization becomes apparent. At Archus, the strong organizational culture and commitment to improving patients’ lives and shaping the future of healthcare have consistently remained at the forefront of our work. This dedication is deeply embedded in our approach to tackling new challenges.” Christine applauds Archus’ CEO, Victoria Head, for her commitment to upholding this value throughout all aspects of the business.
A Packed Work Schedule
Christine’s work schedule is packed. “My work routine is way too busy,” she says. “I’m doing a lot now.” She is not only hiring but also winning projects, writing proposals, and crafting strategies all whilst keeping a firm hold on the culture of Archus. Christine expects that by then, they will have many more people in place to help with the geographical challenges of working across a large country. They do a lot of international work as well. Christine points out that many of the contracts they have in Canada are quite different from what they are doing in the UK, quite different from what they are doing with other independent health organizations and funding agencies. “The work can be very different,” she adds. “So, we need to make sure that we have the skill set for all of those kinds of iterations.”
“Knowing that we can fluidly exchange staff from the UK to Canada and around the world is great,” she adds. “A lot of people love to travel, and it’s a way to recruit and retain talent.”
Christine sums up her responsibilities as Managing Director by saying that it is about building the business in Canada, laying its foundation and maintaining the extraordinary culture that the business prides itself on. She points out that the business plan for the first year looks a little different than it did for the second year. So, they have to be flexible and stay aware of what the business and the market are telling them. She adds, “Reputation is so important at this stage for the company, as this is the make-or-break time for business growth.” For this reason, having the right people in place is essential to ensuring quality.
As a leader, Christine finds great joy in helping people achieve the goals of their organizations or healthcare facilities. “We started on a new medical school recently, and I was there for the initial meetings and the launch,” she shares, “The client even gave us presents.” Clients usually hire them and expect them to do their job, but they never give them presents, Christine points out. But this client treated them like part of their team and even gave them university sweatshirts to wear the next day.
“We actually felt like part of the team,” Christine says. “We want to help our clients succeed and feel good about it and be motivated.” She adds, and then, hopefully, they’ll give them a good reference — because, in the end, they are only as good as their last job.
The Leader Who Serves and Leads
Christine is a leader who serves because, for her, employees come first. She believes this is the only way to truly know them and help them grow. “If they grow, it’s better for me,” she says.
She also points out that leaders often surround themselves with brilliant people but stifle them by not allowing them to express themselves. Christine provides her employees with a safe space, allowing them to make mistakes. She assures them that there are no repercussions for that.
“I not only serve but also lead — especially when it comes to the business side of things and the vision for where we’re going,” Christine says. She believes that there are two key aspects of being a leader: serving employees and looking at the future to ensure they will continue to have opportunities and employment.
Christine considers it her greatest achievement when people who have worked with her before wish to work with her again. Currently, she is hiring two of her former team members at Archus.
“They’re people you help grow, and then they go off and do something else, but they choose to come back and work with you again. I find so much satisfaction in that because these people could work anywhere if they want — they have great educations, experiences, and opportunities,” Christine says. “When they choose to return, I feel like I’ve won a million dollars.”
Plans for the Future
Christine has a five-year plan for the company in Canada that aligns with the overall goals of Archus. It will guide the company to its envisioned goals within that period. In addition to growing the business on this side of the pond, Christine also intends to contribute to the overall company’s development – developing it further in terms of strategy, way forward, and international possibilities.
“I’ve done so much international work in my life,” she says. “There are great aspects to it, but there are also some risks that need to be mitigated. Putting a structure in place for how we approach these opportunities is important.”
Christine is also focused on succession planning. She has two potential successors in mind and wants to form a team around them. Christine says that she wants to spend more time with these two people so that the succession plan is clear. “So, when I do retire, I want to feel confident that someone is in place to continue the company’s growth as projected,” Christine says.
Christine thinks of staying on post-retirement, in some capacity. “Some people say that I should be open to other things once I retire,” Christine says. “I’m on the fence about that now, quite frankly.” It is primarily because she is in a new relationship on the personal front.
“If you would have asked me before I met him, I probably would have said, ‘Oh, no, I’m going to work until I’m 100 years old’,” Christine shares. “Now, I’d really like to find true work-life balance in order to spend more time with him.”
Christine believes that her dreams and personal goals have changed over time. To her, success today will be when she gets the company up and running, has a successor in place, and can pass it off in a really wonderful way. “I’d love to still mentor or stay on and help if they need me,” she says. “But I also understand that they may not need me. And that’s something you have to come to terms with as well.”
Message to Aspiring Leaders
Christine advises aspiring leaders to treat their staff better. She believes a lot of staff would prefer better treatment, one-on-one career counseling, and other benefits in order to attract and retain quality staff. She also encourages leaders to take risks while at the same time providing a safe environment for their team.
“You also have to get out there, setting aside your ego, and figure out what the market needs — and how you can make it work for the whole, not just for yourself,” she adds.
