Putting people at the core of everything we do is paramount at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). We’re proud to be a people-first organization, where employees are supported, valued, and empowered to thrive, both personally and professionally.
Through the Our People series on BCIT News, we celebrate the passion, expertise, and impact of individuals who help shape a better future at BCIT and beyond.
Meet Michael Galli, Director, International Recruitment and Global Mobility, and a BCIT 2025 Employee Excellence recipient in the Leadership category.
What does it mean to you to be a 2025 Employee Excellence Award recipient?
After completing almost 18 years of service at BCIT, to be nominated and recognized by this award was truly a great honour. The collective work we all do here at BCIT changes lives and there are few things as critical to a young person’s development as education. To be recognized for my contribution to the institute, our staff and our students, has reinforced the pride I take in the service I have provided.
Looking back on the past year, what do you think contributed most to you receiving this recognition?
This past year was particularly challenging for BCIT, and especially our International department. With so many changes and the accompanying uncertainty, I did my best to provide leadership and consistency to my colleagues, while also driving forward international initiatives.
I was grateful for this nomination and award, but I recognize that the success I had was made possible by the many efforts of my colleagues who have worked so diligently and professionally to keep our operations moving forward. None of us function in a vacuum, and without the support of the entire international team, none of my efforts would have succeeded.
Is there a particular project, initiative, or achievement from 2025-2025 that you are especially proud of?
There are several initiatives I take pride in, which include successfully championing a number of partnership agreements. However, I feel that managing the re-organization of the International department was the most important because of the many staff members who were affected.
Helping to mitigate the challenges of the transition was an important objective for me, and I hope it was enough to assist my colleagues to navigate through the changes.
How have your colleagues or team supported your success over the past year?
My colleagues have always been exceptional. I cannot take credit for the honest, diligent and exceptional work ethic of each member of this team: that is something they each own, and I am truly grateful to have worked with such outstanding individuals.
This year they were required to extend themselves much further than usual as they needed to adapt to so many changes in a short amount of time. With several rounds of leadership changes, I needed to pick up on many initiatives, and without the positive and enthusiastic contribution of my colleagues, I would not have been able to maintain the operation of this department without something falling through the cracks.
The team rallied (as they always have) and ensured that nothing went amiss. I am very honoured to have worked with such remarkable colleagues.
I would be remiss to omit mention of the supportive leadership of our AVP, Academic, Justin Williams, who helped balance our needs and priorities. I could not have moved our initiatives forward without the support from Justin, and I am very grateful for the broad understanding of international education that he has brought to the Institute.
What aspect of BCIT’s workplace culture has helped you thrive in your role or project?
I have always felt a great connection to BCIT’s workplace culture because it has always been very challenging but also very collegial. We generally only grow when we are challenged, so I have always tried to see change as a positive experience. This has formed a big part of the culture of BCIT International, and I have seen a lot of change over the years.
As with any workplace filled with intelligent, hardworking people, at BCIT we do not always agree with one another, but the culture here has always promoted respect for the value we each brought to the Institute. That has indeed helped me to thrive and that is one quality I truly hope does not change.
Another aspect of the BCIT culture that fits well with my personal work ethic is that we put in the hard work and do not cut corners because we strive to create and improve this environment we work in. It is a great source of strength for me knowing that our faculty and staff are ever collaborating to give students the best educational experience to prepare them for the future that awaits them. I believe in the BCIT education model, and I believe we each emulate that model in the daily tasks we each perform.
What’s next for you – any goals, upcoming projects, or aspirations on the horizon?
The business development projects I am working on are always exciting to me because I try to achieve them in the most creative, productive and effective way I can.
My team changed a great deal this year and I have had to adjust to that, but one of my goals was to do my best to ease the difficulty of the transition and keep moving initiatives forward in a very different climate. That work is ongoing, but I am confident that we are creating the path as we walk it, and in so doing, we are re-defining ourselves and the international identity of BCIT.
What I aspire to achieve is essentially to make BCIT a better place than when I first arrived here. I have always been a bit of an idealist and I strongly believe that BCIT can be a global hub for international and domestic students to interact, share and grow to better understand that, even though we come from very different cultures and world views, we have much in common and so much to learn from one another. Canada is a great country and has much to offer others who come from places with less, but more and more I see that other countries are advancing at a quicker pace and there is much we can learn from them. That is a reality I think more of us are becoming fast aware of.
Wherever they are from, I trust that students come to BCIT for education that will offer them strong and exciting career opportunities. Knowing I can help them along that path gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment that I am part of something much bigger than myself.