The Value of Serving
An open conversation on service, leadership, and the responsibility to use our experience in ways that benefit others.
What connects a bank branch, military service and Canada's nuclear industry? For Carl Marcotte, the answer begins with understanding the people his work serves.
In this episode of The Splitting Atoms Podcast, host Caitlin Stone sits down with Carl of Candu Energy, an AtkinsRéalis company, to explore a career shaped by listening, learning and finding ways to contribute. From early jobs at TD Bank to international finance and a move into nuclear, Carl reflects on the experiences that helped him recognize where he could make a difference.
He shares how his grandfather's wartime stories stayed with him throughout his life—and how a long-held ambition led him to pursue the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve in his mid-forties. His account of returning to the Netherlands and recreating a photograph of his grandfather brings the meaning of service into sharp, personal focus.
The conversation also explores what happens when you enter an unfamiliar industry with curiosity. Recalling his arrival at Chalk River, Carl describes learning from scientists, asking basic questions and discovering a culture built around sharing knowledge. Those experiences connect with a leadership lesson he returns to: understand what motivates people, give them the tools to succeed and make room for them to do their work.
Together, Caitlin and Carl discuss why Canada's nuclear story needs to reach more people—from the role of CANDU technology and medical isotopes to energy security, public understanding and opportunities for Indigenous communities to help shape future projects.
For anyone navigating a career change, developing as a leader or looking for more meaning in their work, this conversation offers a reminder that your next chapter can build on everything you have already learned—even when you cannot yet see where it will lead.
Listening is a skill that travels with you
Carl's early banking experiences taught him to understand the personal story behind a transaction, a lesson he carried into later roles.
A long-held ambition can still have a place in midlife
Carl describes pursuing reserve service in his forties while maintaining his civilian career.
Curiosity helps you enter unfamiliar industries
At Chalk River, he learned by asking scientists to explain their work and doing the homework to understand it.
Leadership includes making room for others
Carl reflects on choosing good people, understanding their motivation and giving them the tools and mandate to act.
Connect complex work with its human purpose
The discussion returns to what nuclear technology can mean for people's lives, communities and future opportunities.
How did Carl Marcotte move from finance into nuclear?
Carl explains that he was recruited to Chalk River in 2013 after a career in structured finance. His work involved building business development, marketing and communications capabilities as the laboratories prepared for a different operating model. He learned the unfamiliar science by spending time with researchers and asking questions.
What did banking teach him about leadership?
Listening to customers helped Carl understand the human circumstances behind financial decisions. He describes that ability to connect with people as one of the most valuable skills he carried through his career.
Why did he pursue military service in his forties?
Inspired by his grandfather, Carl had wanted to serve for years. He describes deciding to pursue that ambition when his family circumstances and fitness made it possible, and how a supportive employer helped him undertake the training.
This is Carl's personal experience, not current recruitment guidance.
What does serving others look like as a leader?
For Carl, it includes listening, understanding what motivates people and creating the conditions for them to do good work. His closing reflections connect those habits with the example set by his grandfather.
