CPO Diana McLachlan talks about internships, entry-level hiring and bringing Canadian talent home
When asked to take over the people team at Wealthsimple over a year-and-a-half ago, Diana McLachlan was more than happy to accept — despite her “unconventional” route to HR.
That’s because her background in communications, change management and public affairs were "HR-adjacent," says the chief people officer, especially during the COVID years when organizations grappled with rapid transformation.
“That really prepared me for saying yes… marrying the experiences that I had over the last several years in communication and storytelling,” says McLachlan.
“From a reputation and trust perspective, you really build trust over the long term when you marry your actions and your words. And what better way to do that when you're both telling stories externally and internally, but also so tied to the actions of the business.”
And that works especially well for Wealthsimple, she says.
"I like to say that we take a product approach to building people products," she explains. "What I mean by that is you have to be really embedded with the teams that are building the products. And then we ship what we call people products to our employees to get feedback really quickly and iterate and improve them."
Multi-tiered approach to hiring
McLachlan has been with the company since 2021 when she joined as director of communications. She became VP of people operations in July 2024 and chief people officer in March 2025.
With more than 1,500 employees, the company has grown about 15 to 20 per cent in 2025, with more planned for next year, she says.
And while much of the tech industry has slowed entry-level hiring, Wealthsimple has taken the opposite approach — significantly expanding internship programs and launching new pathways for early-career talent.
"If you think about what I think the future of work looks like, I'd say it's about building adaptable teams with folks that are able to change faster than the world around them is changing,” says McLachlan. “And I think in order to create that type of ecosystem, we have to start to experiment with different ways of hiring and building teams."
As an example, the company hired over 130 interns in 2025 and is increasing the winter cohort.
"I think there's just an energy around younger individuals who are trying and testing new things," she says.
Pairing interns with experienced mentors
To ensure greater success for both the individuals and the company, each intern is paired with a mentor. The strategy deliberately combines junior and senior talent.
"You pair those exceptional minds with experience or talent density and more senior levels. And so you mix junior high-talent density with senior high-talent density," she says. "That's the strategy we've been building over the last 12 months."
A lot of the inspiration for the initiative comes from the UK apprenticeship models, says McLachlan, “such as supporting and thinking about the future of work with young people."
And she’s hopefully this approach will keep Canadian talent in Canada, “bringing in young, hungry, curious, early talent who want to grow and build and develop their careers at Wealthsimple while partnering with… amazing senior talent.”
Launchpad: recruiting before university
Most boldly, Wealthsimple launched Launchpad, a gap-year program targeting high school graduates interested in entrepreneurship and technology. These are students who have been accepted to universities but are choosing to work first — and the company is actively competing for their time and attention.
"I think that private companies and industry plays a really big role in ensuring that the next generation of Canadians are learning and growing and developing and have the space to do so," says McLachlan.
The 12-month paid internship sees people rotating through different teams, working with different mentors, and assumes they will eventually return to school.
"All of the individuals that we hired were accepted into fantastic universities. I see a huge benefit of these employees going back to school and also leveling up and providing context and supporting universities as well with just different experience,” she says.
And by moving interns to three days per week in the Toronto office, acceptance rates went up noticeably, says McLachlan.
“Many of these early talent employees grew up during COVID. So, they're tired of being in their bedroom working, right? They want to get out and connect. So, it's refreshing to see that.”
North Star: Bringing Canadians home
As Wealthsimple scales its entry-level talent acquisition, it's simultaneously recruiting at the opposite end of the experience spectrum. The company launched a “North Star Initiative” targeting Canadians who have worked abroad and want to return home.
The company hosted a Canadian Thanksgiving event in San Francisco in October, inviting Canadians to participate during the holiday.
“We're trying to attract folks that have seen scale and growth and, perhaps, products that have been built outside of Canada and bringing that talent back home,” she says.
The response was impressive: Over 1,500 applicants expressed interest, says McLachlan: "They have a connection both with the country, but also with our mission and what we're trying to build.”
The strategy mirrors Wealthsimple's own founding story: Two of the company's three co-founders are American and met in San Francisco before deciding to build in Canada.
