Ilias Hader (he/him)

About me

I was born/grew up in: Vienna, Austria

I now live in: Montreal, Quebec

I completed my training/education at:  Bioresource Engineering, McGill University

What I do at work

In my work at Deloitte, I help our clients improve their business processes by using new technologies. The goal is to make them more competitive. In particular, I focus on how artificial intelligence can help their business.  In my work on the Deep Space Food Challenge, I manage a team (Inspira PBR) of over 20 students and engineers. Our task is to conceptualize and build an automated food production system. This system needs to work in the Canadian Far North and for very long duration space missions.

I have regular meetings with my team. This helps me keep up to date on the status of projects, business intelligence, and data visualization work. In both my two professional activities, the approach is similar and is typical of what an engineer does. This includes problem identification, technical and economical study of solutions, implementation, re-evaluation, and production. 

My STEM background has mainly taught me scientific rigor in a process of solving technical (or non-technical) problems. It has also given me a level of comfort with uncertainties. English and French are the main languages spoken at work. 

My career path is

I didn't start out with this career in mind. I initially wanted to become an investment banker (darn!). The climate emergency pushed me to enroll in bioresource engineering rather than finance. My internships at the United Nations and the European Space Agency pushed me towards international development and international civil service. There are many coincidences (including a Netflix series that got me excited about computer science) that got me where I am now. I think it is good to sometimes take things as they come while remaining ambitious!

I am motivated by

What excites me is the fact that I have to constantly learn new and fascinating methods and technologies to stay up to date and do my job the best I can. A very interesting aspect is the direct interaction with the beneficiaries of our solutions; it allows us to appreciate their problems and to redouble our motivation to bring solutions!

How I affect peoples’ lives

My jobs are relevant in that they address real-world issues. This includes such things as improving the competitiveness of the Canadian economy and ensuring that development is inclusive. A career in STEM is ideal for solving these types of issues, both locally and globally.

Outside of work I

I'm a big volleyball fan! I also enjoy being a couch potato from time to time. Enjoying doing nothing can be an art!

My advice to others

One closed door leads to ten open doors of opportunity! Take care to enjoy the moment while keeping your big goals in mind.