Doing the Work: Equality, Education, and Diversity in Cybersecurity

"Doing the Work: Equality, Education, and Diversity in Cybersecurity" - MAPLE Advisory Board member, Sem Ponnambalam, co-founder and President of cybersecurity firm, xahive, is profiled in an article by Toronto Metropolitan University and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. Congratulations Sem on the recognition for continuing to break through barriers! Check out the article at https://cybersecurecatalyst.ca/doing-the-work-equality-education-and-diversity-in-cybersecurity/

WHY MUST LGBTQ+ LEADERSHIP BE REPRESENTED IN ADVISORY SERVICES?

We are grateful to hear from former MAPLE Ontario Executive Director Bernardine Perreira, about the importance of LGBTQ+ leadership in advisory services. Bernardine is a leading champion of greater LGBTQ+ inclusivity in her field through her work at Raymond James Ltd. 

Author: Bernardine Perreira, CFP® TEP, CIM®, Wealth Advisor, Perreira Wealth Advisory of Raymond James Ltd, Toronto

The importance of LGBTQ+ leadership in advisory services cannot be understated. It goes beyond mere representation -it fundamentally shapes the organizational culture, fosters inclusion, and drives meaningful change. LGTBQ+ leaders provide unique perspectives, enhance diversity of thought, and ensure that the needs of marginalized groups are recognized and respected. Moreover, they can spearhead efforts to create safe spaces within institutions, cultivating a sense of belonging for employees and clients. 

As someone who has journeyed through different career stages—from studying fine arts at York University to working in a startup and eventually landing in financial advisory services—I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of representation. My trajectory, marked by a pivot from theatre to the business world, was deeply influenced by personal experiences, particularly meeting my first girlfriend. That relationship sparked a new career path and a deep love for business. Over time, I found my niche in advisory services, where I now have the privilege of running my own practice and working closely with the LGBTQ+ community.

Advisory services often deal with sensitive, personal matters, and having LGBTQ+ leadership ensures that clients from the community feel seen, understood, and respected. When queer leaders are at the forefront of such services, they help create an environment where LGBTQ+ clients can trust that their unique financial concerns—ranging from estate planning to legal challenges—are treated with empathy and expertise.

Impact on Organizational Culture
In advisory firms and other institutions, the presence of LGBTQ+ leaders significantly impacts organizational culture, particularly in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). My personal experience in corporate Canada illustrates this vividly. At Raymond James, for example, DEI was virtually nonexistent when I joined the company. However, I became one of the founding members of our DEI committee, where my focus was primarily on LGBTQ+ issues. This initiative paved the way for the organization's first Pride event at our Toronto corporate headquarters, complete with a powerful guest speaker from PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

The power of storytelling, such as the PFLAG speaker sharing her child’s transitional journey, demonstrated how deeply personal narratives can resonate within organizations, fostering empathy and building community. These moments underscore the importance of LGBTQ+ leadership in ensuring that marginalized groups' experiences are acknowledged and actively incorporated into the company's cultural framework.

The broader impact of LGBTQ+ leadership on organizational culture can be seen in the push for inclusivity at all levels. Traditionally seen as a conservative field, advisory services are now being reshaped to be more inclusive and welcoming. The presence of queer leaders opens up conversations around gender, sexuality, and identity, which were often previously ignored or sidelined.

Supporting LGBTQ+ Leaders
To cultivate and support LGBTQ+ leaders in advisory services, organizations must consciously create safe and inclusive environments. A vital aspect of this is providing mentorship opportunities for young LGBTQ+ professionals, helping them navigate the challenges of a predominantly heteronormative industry. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can play a pivotal role in this process, offering support, education, and networking opportunities that empower LGBTQ+ employees to grow into leadership roles.

For example, at Raymond James Financial, the Pride Financial Advisor Committee, I served on launching quarterly educational webinars and hosted an annual Business of Pride conference. These events educated the broader organization and highlighted the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in business and how to serve our increasingly diverse client base better. Such initiatives are crucial for fostering an environment where LGBTQ+ professionals feel safe, valued, and heard.

Mentorship, ERGs, and inclusive leadership practices benefit LGBTQ+ employees and the organization. Diverse leadership has led to more innovative thinking, problem-solving, and overall employee satisfaction. When organizations invest in diversity, they are investing in their long-term success.

Intersectionality and the Challenges of Leadership
One of the often overlooked aspects of LGBTQ+ leadership is the role that intersectionality plays. As a queer woman, my experience navigating a male-dominated field like advisory services has been shaped by both my gender and my sexual orientation. Intersectionality—the understanding that we each hold multiple, intersecting identities—means that my experience cannot be fully understood through the lens of gender or sexual orientation alone. These identities shape how I move through the world, particularly in spaces where both women and LGBTQ+ individuals have historically been underrepresented.

In my practice, I've used my identity as a queer woman as a differentiator, one that allows me to build deep, authentic relationships with my clients. However, I've also faced challenges, from subtle biases to decisions about whether to work with specific clients whose views conflict with my values. These experiences highlight the ongoing nature of the "coming out" journey, which often involves continuously asserting one’s identity in personal and professional spaces.

The Role of Allies
The role of allies cannot be overstated in creating more inclusive and equitable workplaces. Allies, particularly those in positions of power, can help amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ leaders and push for systemic changes that benefit all employees. At Raymond James, I was fortunate to have strong allies, including our executive sponsor and the head of HR, who supported our DEI initiatives and actively worked to implement diversity training across the company.

Allies also play a crucial role in dispelling harmful stereotypes and tropes about the LGBTQ+ community. By getting closer to the community and learning about the real experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, allies can help challenge biases that often hinder inclusivity efforts.

Dispelling Myths and Promoting Authenticity
One of the most effective ways to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion is through storytelling and sharing personal experiences. By being open about my journey, I have connected with colleagues and clients on a deeper level. For instance, after sharing my story at a Raymond James conference, a colleague confided in me about her bisexuality—something she had kept hidden because of her marriage to a man.

Such moments remind us of the importance of visibility and authenticity in leadership. When LGBTQ+ leaders share their stories, they help create a culture where others feel empowered to be their authentic selves, which is essential for fostering inclusion and reducing the stigma around non-heteronormative identities.

Conclusion
LGBTQ+ leadership in advisory services is not just about representation—it is about creating a culture of inclusion, authenticity, and respect. When LGBTQ+ leaders are visible and supported, they enrich the organizational culture and inspire others to embrace their true selves. Through mentorship, education, and allyship, organizations can ensure that the voices of LGBTQ+ leaders are heard and that their contributions are valued. Ultimately, this leads to a more innovative, compassionate, and successful organization.

Bernardine Perreira specializes in Canada/U.S. cross-border wealth management for executives, professionals and their families. In addition to a full suite of Canadian and US investment service, she can assist Canadian residents with IRA and inherited IRA accounts in the United States. Her many professional accomplishments include the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation, the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation and the Chartered Investment Management (CIM) designation. She holds an Ontario Insurance Agent license and Canadian and US Securities licenses. 

In the community, Bernardine served as Executive Director of MAPLE Business Council, Ontario Chapter from 2022-2024, Past President of the Executive Committee of the Estate Planning Council of Toronto and served as a founding council member on the Raymond James Diversity and Inclusion Council and served on the Raymond James Pride Financial Advisor Network Council.  Bernardine has served the LGBTQ+ community as the Past President of the Pride and Remembrance Run Board and the Pride and Remembrance Foundation.

Raymond James (USA) Ltd. (RJLU) advisors may only conduct business with residents of the states and/or jurisdictions for which they are properly registered. Raymond James (USA) Ltd. is a member of FINRA / SIPC.

Trailblazing with Pride - Navigating the Corporate Compass

MAPLE Ontario Executive Director Bernardine Perreira CFP TEP CIM of Perreira Wealth Advisory Raymond James in Toronto is the focus of Trailblazing with Pride -Navigating the Corporate Compass. This is the third episode in the “Diverse Pride: Voices Amplified” podcast series hosted by Crowe Soberman in conversation with Jarvis Sam, CEO and Founder of The Rainbow Disruption LLC.

Cultivating an Inclusive Workplace

Author: Lauren Herb Schudson, Market Development Manager, RSM US LLP

Back in the day, when faced with an employment or investment decision, I would look up the company and immediately go to its leadership and board of directors’ web pages. I wanted to know if they were walking the talk from their diversity pages and how many women and people of color were on their leadership teams.

But today, that method for assessing a company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts is out of step. The majority of employees now, largely Millennials, prefer a fresh perspective on DEI topics.

The newer generations of workers believe DEI refers mainly to a diversity of ideas, perspectives and insights, and the race/gender/sexual orientation numbers will rise naturally. Above all, they are seeking inclusive and supportive cultures at the places they work and support. The younger cohorts want a sense of community and to feel they belong, which requires employers to provide ample opportunities for engagement, transparency, and authenticity.

Creating an Engaging Culture

When Millennials talk about inclusion, they are focused on subjective measures, such as whether an organization offers ALL people the opportunity to network, share ideas, and contribute to innovation. So how does a company express its welcoming, innovative culture and demonstrate a commitment to those subjective topics without citing analytics?

The firm I work with, RSM US LLP (“RSM”), has been remarkably successful in this area. In fact, MAPLE Co-Founder and President Stephen Armstrong said, “RSM is clearly doing it right. I was inspired by your employees’ passion and the sense of community and fellowship they promote throughout the firm.”

I agree RSM is doing it right but there is always room for improvement. Case in point, the firm has a widely open door for any employee at any level to recommend innovative ideas whenever they see those opportunities (more on that later).

But taking a step back, let’s look at the foundation of RSM’s engaging culture. It begins with a well-defined focus on what the organization believes in. RSM is an audit, tax and consulting firm, and the leading firm serving the middle market. For many years, we’ve provided our clients with “the power of being understood.” Everyone in the organization, through all levels and positions, believes in it, and works every day to make it a reality – not only for our clients, but for one another.

Supporting and giving structure to the power of being understood are the firm’s 5 C’s (characteristics of a first-choice advisor): We are caring, curious, collaborative, courageous, critical thinkers. These behaviors, along with our core values of respect, integrity, teamwork, excellence and stewardship, help enable others to feel understood.

Inside the firm, we promote a “power of being you” culture where each of us can bring our authentic selves to work and serve as a leader every day. Understanding is at the core of our brand, and it starts by understanding our people and their unique talents and aspirations.

"We know that when people are understood and included, they feel a sense of acceptance and belonging," says Paul Short, partner and leader of RSM's Orange County office. "It builds trust and leads to strong relationships while empowering people with the confidence to achieve their best."

RSM fosters its inclusive environment through training programs, collaborative summits, 12 employee network groups, and other resources that facilitate transparent dialogues and inclusive thinking. Together, these strategies empower us to develop global leadership, embrace cultural differences, raise intercultural competencies, improve workforce productivity and exceed the expectations of our clients. Our differences fuel our insights.

Examples of RSM’s Inclusive Community

• For seven years and counting, we have hosted our annual CDI Summit, attended by hundreds of key leaders from across the United States and Canada. Positive reinforcement of an inclusive environment is the tone at the top of our organization. According to Tracey Walker, our national culture, diversity and inclusion leader, “If you don’t have leaders who are authentic in their behavior, efforts for inclusion won’t resonate at the workforce level.”

• Our firm’s CEO holds regular “Courageous Conversation” webinars with all employees and invites them to share their voice and ideas for enabling RSM’s future success. “I always look forward to listening to the diverse perspectives and learning from the different points of view that are shared during this candid exchange,” says Brian Becker, managing partner and CEO with RSM US LLP.

• RSM has committed four professionals to serve as CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellows. These professionals work alongside fellows from other firms to identify, develop and promote scalable and sustainable public policies and corporate engagement strategies that advance racial equity and improve societal wellbeing. This is the second class of professionals we’ve committed to this important work.

• We provide resources to our employees and clients for engaging as allies in matters relating to race. People who think of themselves as allies benefit because they have more frequent and effective conversations with others. This has very important social, institutional and organizational impact.

• The firm recently launched the RSM Excellence Academy, a multi-year early identification professional development and skill-building program for underrepresented students majoring in accounting, business technology and related fields.

• Our diversity report shares the intricate details of our initiatives, our progress and the next steps on our path toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion. (And if you’re a person who still likes to see the stats, we include those as well.)

• We believe anyone with a big idea, or a different perspective, can drive transformative change. Innovation has been and always will be a key element of our firm’s culture. Employees can submit new ideas through a variety of programs and contests, which not only helps us provide the latest tools and concepts to our clients, but encourages camaraderie, collaboration and learning.

• Perhaps most important and unique are our 12 employee-led employee network groups (ENGs) mentioned previously, which bring together people with diverse experiences and similar interests. They are a critical component of what makes RSM an equitable and inclusive firm where diverse talent excels. We created this grassroots movement to advance culture and connectivity while creating spaces for people to belong. ENGs facilitate communication, provide education and serve as a source of community for their members. We feature all of them on our website, with information and videos about their purpose. The groups consist of:

  • AACE (African American and Canadian Excellence)

  • Abilities

  • Alumni

  • Family First

  • Generations

  • ¡Hola!

  • InspirAsian

  • Interfaith

  • Multicultural

  • Pride

  • STAR (Stewardship and Teamwork for the Advancement and Retention of women)

  • VALOR (Veterans and Allies Leading OutReach)
    

Bringing It Home to Our Communities
Granted, many companies have affinity groups similar to RSM’s ENGs, but our firm really shines when we involve ENG members in activities and events with our clients and communities. These members become ambassadors who share our inclusive culture with other stakeholders.

For instance, when RSM’s Orange County office held an open house to showcase its innovative office features, we highlighted all 12 of our local ENGs at the event. Each group had its own space to promote their unique perspectives and discuss with guests how their team interpreted the “Disruption” theme of the event.

“Our employee network groups are passionate about sharing their cultures and interests to increase understanding of the power of diversity,” Paul explained. “By the same token, RSM also believes strongly in innovation. So I wanted to blend both concepts at our event by asking the ENGs to express their understanding of how “disruption” enables innovative ideas to surface.”

The external involvement of our ENGs demonstrates RSM’s DEI priorities, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from our communities. We continue to encourage team members to get involved, knowing that their engagement strengthens our overall ability to deliver for our clients and employees.

I believe that by placing the highest priority on developing an inclusive culture, all organizations can drive meaningful change, create a more equitable future and ultimately escalate their business success. Thankfully, leaders are increasingly recognizing that DEI is a critical component of the business ecosystem.

Each day we make intentional choices to create an environment where inclusion thrives. The work required to provide a first-choice workplace culture and create long-lasting change in our society will continue—strengthening our firm and elevating our professionals.

It is inspiring to know we each have a role in incorporating the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion into our professional and personal spaces, relationships, and communities. By now you might be wondering who I am, or how my role enables me to speak about DEI at my firm. Demonstrating that RSM encourages all our voices to be heard, I write this even though I’m a newbie in the grand scheme of this global company. I’m not a partner, accountant or CDI director, but I am still a leader – because we all lead, authentically, from where we are.

The author is a market development manager in RSM’s West region. For more information about RSM, please visit www.rsmus.com.

Photo Credit: Tony Lattimore Photography

What It's Like to Be An Immigrant in Canada

Author: Olena Polissky, Founder/Managing Director of Art One Translations

The Beginning

August 1996. I am sitting on the plane approaching Vancouver, holding my breath, looking out the window. Down there, I see a magical landscape of a fairy-tale-like city immersed in greenery with impressive bodies of water, bathing in the lazy afternoon sun, all wrapped around by a range of spectacular mountains. I am stunned and fall in love with the city before stepping onto its grounds.

What awaits me here?

Out at the luggage carousel, my two bags approach, and a man beside me offers help picking them up for me. His face suddenly contorts from unexpected heaviness - the innocent-looking bags are packed with thick dictionaries intended for translation work.

A volunteer from the Ukrainian Community drives me to my B&B. I am exhausted from a long flight and need my sleep. Tomorrow I will go out to explore; tomorrow, I will step into my new life.

The Language

The first shock was that I didn't understand the language. The language I majored in at the university and had taught for years, and in which I could freely communicate with Brits and Americans.

I remember sitting on the bus listening to people around me and being unable to understand anything! English in Canada is different.

Someone gave me an old black-and-white TV with a tiny screen which I left on pretty much all the time in my rented apartment to get used to the language. Three weeks later, I started understanding Canadians. I don't know how and why, but it took me exactly three weeks to break through.

Work and Career

What Planet Are You From?
Before immigrating to Canada, I worked in the Kyiv office of a German grain export company, where I was responsible for contract execution, which meant everything from when the contract (which I also translated) was signed to the grains arriving at their final destination. The job was challenging, demanding, and stressful. It required juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, dealing with grain silos, authorities, customs, and ports, and keeping the management in Hamburg up to date. Countless scheduling, tracking, and phone calls.

My boss gave me an excellent letter of recommendation, which I was sure would help me land a job in Vancouver. I planned to work in the office, learn new skills and move up to more opportunities.

Well, the plan was good, except not many people knew where Ukraine was, not taking me or my experience gained there seriously. I was an alien from who knows where, and who knows how they do things in "what is the name of the country you are from again?".

Accounts Payable Clerk with PhD
I was applying for jobs, mailing (yes, mailing!) out hundreds of applications each week. I was desperate. In my despair, I wrote in my cover letter, "I will commit 110% to the job". The President of a manufacturing company invited me for an interview. He wanted to see with his own eyes a person willing to give a 110% to a job. He hired me on the spot. Oh, how happy and proud of myself I was!

But not for long. I realized quickly that most people in the office were immigrants. Their jobs were much below their qualifications, and their salaries significantly lower than the going rates for what they were doing.

I remember a girl who had a Ph.D. from her native country of Turkey, working as an Accounts Payable clerk for a salary of $20K. (I was Accounting Manager with access to the payroll). That was awfully low and unfair, even for the 1990s.

The work conditions left much to be desired; the Operations Manager, an angry man, kept the thermostat at 14 degrees, not allowing anybody to touch it. In the midst of summer and scorching sun outside, we were freezing, wrapping ourselves in sweaters and scarves, barely able to click on the keyboard with our numb from the cold fingers.

We all needed Canadian work experience as what we did in our countries didn't count.

Giving 110%
Giving 110% is not a joke; exceeding expectations is a norm for an immigrant who is determined to establish professionally in a new country. The immigrants must work harder than others, often sacrificing their personal lives and time with their children for professional growth and recognition. What others get away with, the immigrants will not.

Odd jobs, OK jobs, good jobs, and rewarding careers all led to a successful business. Giving more than what was expected became a norm. (A sure way to make yourself enemies as there is always someone - not willing to work as hard - who sees you as a threat).

I know the bitter taste of rejection, the joy of recognition, and the sweetness of success.

I know what it's like to make ends meet and what it takes to be financially independent. And once there to be called "lucky" and "privileged."

Professional Designations
Luckily, I didn't have issues validating my education, but I've heard many stories from other immigrants about their struggles having their educational credentials assessed.

One such story is about a Croatian immigrant to whom a potential employer said that Canada didn't recognize his degree from Zagreb University. In despair, the man replied: "Zagreb University is one of the oldest in Europe; it was established in 1669 when Canada did not exist. I don't think it requires Canada's recognition."

The hardest to get professional designations in Canada is for foreign-educated doctors. It takes years of enormous commitment, dedication, sacrifices, and financial investments. I've heard about depression, nervous breakdowns, and even suicide. All this when there are shortages of medical workers in Canada, and all these foreign-educated professionals are willing and capable of contributing their much-needed expertise to our medical system.

Cultural Adaptation and Values

Family
Years ago, I knew a man whose father had died in another city, and his body had not been found until a week after. Apparently, the son hadn't seen his father for 12 (!) years and spoke on the phone with him only twice during that time. How is this even possible?!

Where I come from, families are usually very close. They care for one another, share home-cooked meals, older generation helps mind grandchildren while their parents are at work. Giving children the best, including a good education, is seen by parents as a duty. And adult children see taking care of their aging parents as theirs.

Friends
Growing up, I remember my parents' apartment (people typically lived in apartments similar to a one or two-bedroom here) often filled with friends. They joined in to celebrate various occasions. Hard-to-find food items had been gathered months in advance and often traded between friends. Furniture was moved around for the occasion, and the whole place was rearranged to fit a large number of people.

Here in Canada, many people live in large houses, and there is plenty of food in the stores. Yet, gatherings like this seem rare, and friends tend to meet in restaurants or coffee shops, and welcoming people home seems reserved for very close family and friends.

It’s a Trade
I once met a woman from Italy who married a Canadian living in Vancouver. I asked her how she felt leaving behind her country, so rich in history and culture. Her response was: "It's a trade." The trade of the familiar for unknown, for new values and new possibilities.

It takes years to establish in a new country and even longer to feel at home. And when it happens, many immigrants share the same sentiment. In the beginning, we all try hard to assimilate, to "unlearn" our ways, to fit in. With years, however, we realize the importance of staying true to who we are with all our cultural differences, habits, and accents. Because aren't these differences what makes the population of Canada such a beautiful and colourful mosaic?

-----

Having lived in Canada for 26 years, I met many good people of all kinds of backgrounds. People who supported me, believed in me, gave me opportunities, opened their homes and hearts to me, taught me lessons, and offered a shoulder to cry.

One man, a lawyer of Ukrainian origin, helped me with a legal matter when I was going through difficult times. I could not afford to pay him and asked how I could thank him. He replied: "By helping others who need help. This will keep the chain of help going"

Today, most Canadians know about Ukraine because of the war, and many admire the bravery and determination of its people in their fight for freedom.

Today my heart is broken for my old country, and it is my time to pay back by welcoming Ukrainian refugees to our Canadian family. Because this is the chain of help, and we must keep it going to stay true to ourselves and to our Canadian values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

For more information on Art One Translations, please visit www.artonetranslations.com.

A Lawyer's Letter to Her Younger Self

Nicole Janigian Simonian
Partner & Co-chair International Trade practice and International Employment and Global Mobility Lead.
Crowell & Moring LLP
Los Angeles, California

A seasoned lawyer gives guidance to young women based on her experiences facing the challenges of building a career and balancing family and personal demands. Nicole Janigian Simonian, an international trade attorney at Crowell & Moring in Los Angeles, shares the advice she would have given her younger self.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “you wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” Remember this, repeat it, and stop living for the approval of others. You will never be able to please everyone.

If only I knew when I started my legal career in 1998 what I know now. It was a time when working 13 billable hours a day was not enough, sleeping under your desk was expected, and going home was a reward. 

It was a time when you worked so hard you couldn’t see straight, but as junior associate, you had to fax closing papers to 100 parties and one incorrect number meant starting all over again. Remote work and smartphones did not exist.

Most of your work life will bear little connection to what you learned in the classroom. Exposure to “real world” skills, like the business of law firms, client service, time management, innovation, deadlines, and billing was few and far between. If only I knew then what I know now!

My Own Do’s and Don’ts 

Don’t worry about making a mistake. Own it, seek feedback, and move on because you will do better next time.

Do know you will have hard days, sleepless nights, lost friendships, and missed holidays. Appreciate that it will build endurance, stamina, and dedication to this profession.

Do voice your opinion, particularly when you find yourself in a room full of men (trust me, that will happen—often). Speak up and always bring your A-game, you have a valuable perspective that can make a difference.

Don’t fear failure. Fear the regret of not trying something new, not raising your hand for a project, not trying to land a client that others thought wasn’t possible. Seek those who share your passion and commitment.

Don’t be deflated when women who are supposed to be your role models seem more critical than supportive. Remember, these amazing women also had to earn success against enormous odds and with minimal support. It wasn’t an easy path for them, and they may hope you take some tough turns to appreciate how hard it is to stay in the game. Learn from their perseverance and intelligence and know they really are your champions, advocating and cheering you on even if it’s not always visible.

Do expect that you will work with people you sometimes don’t understand or appreciate; neither will they understand nor appreciate you. Each time is an opportunity for growth, learning different styles and perspectives, and potentially finding new friends, mentors, or mentees.

Don’t dismiss important words of wisdom from family when you find yourself running across the street from your office to cry on your late brother-in-law’s shoulder or call your mom at 2:00 a.m. looking for someone to say quit. They never did. One day you will wish you could find those moments again.

Don’t assume your career and life are over when you are diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and take a leave of absence in your second year of practicing. When you return and struggle to work day and night, hiding your pain, don’t be discouraged. Instead, know that you are only pausing for a few months to fight with grace before returning for another 18-plus years of a pretty awesome career.

Do know that despite the difficult illness, pregnancies, bed rest, and hospitalization, you will survive, and that it is okay to embrace your newborn child without holding your Blackberry in the other hand.

Do realize some clients will become lifelong friends and the authentic “you” is what binds you. Remember who you are, wherever you are, whoever you are with, and in whatever situation you find yourself.

Don’t make excuses when you’re appointed leadership roles. Embrace the opportunity and thrive. You are where you’re supposed to be.

Do believe you will make a difference. Always be there for someone struggling, someone who may need advice and sponsoring, just like you did. Take the time to embrace it, as mentoring and sponsoring is one of the most rewarding parts of your profession.

Don’t forget to live. Enjoy this crazy life of sometimes feeling as if you’re on a never-ending hamster wheel of deadlines and airplanes to time zones you have never been before (crippled with a silent fear of flying), away from home for weeks on end. But, when you can, take the opportunity to travel with your family. Show them your work life and the amazing people you have met.

Do sit at your sick family members’ bedsides when they need you. You will not regret missing work or missing what little “you” time you have.

Finally, don’t expect it to always make sense. There will be times when being a lawyer is hard; when life is messy and unpredictable and you will question it all. But you are much stronger, more resilient, and wiser than you know. Don’t you ever forget it.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. or its owners.

Author Information 

Nicole Janigian Simonian is co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s International Trade practice and International Employment and Global Mobility lead. She counsels companies on cross-border movement of people, goods, and services and global business expansion throughout the world.

Reproduced with permission. Published April 15, 2021. Copyright 2021 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) http://www.bloombergindustry.com

MAPLE Voices on Diversity Equity and Inclusion - From Our Members and Partners

Welcome to our first Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) issue of MOMENTUM. Of the 52 issues we've published to date, I am most proud of what this one represents as it is a window on our collective knowledge of an important topic and the "momentum" towards a greater good that is already at work across our community.

DEI is never more timely than it is today as we struggle to comprehend the horrors of the recent discovery of buried Indigenous children at a Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia and the murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario. Racism is systemic and pervasive and these tragic events only underline how much work we have to do, not only to embrace diversity, but simply to respect and value human life.

As a cross-sector international membership organization, we are in a unique and privileged position to connect with so many organizations, large and small, in Canada and the United States. This access affords us a meaningful opportunity to explore what is happening in 'corporate North America' on a topic as important as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The opportunity is twofold.

First, we have a wonderful learning opportunity from our members and partners because of our access. Equally important, we can leverage our content platforms to share their insights and initiatives with a broader Canada-U.S. network.

So this month, we asked our community to provide us with a brief look at their DEI goals and programs for this special issue. What follows are contributions and reflections from business leaders and DEI ambassadors from 14 organizations based in California, British Columbia, Colorado, Ontario, Michigan, and New York. In addition to the insights our contributors have shared are links to some outstanding organizations and resources - be sure to check these out too.

Thank you to my fellow MAPLE DEI Workgroup members - Anna Innis (Air Canada), Robert Kelle (MAPLE Business Council), Bernardine Perreira (Perriera Wealth Advisory Raymond James), and Sem Ponnambalam (xahive). And thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts. We also wish to acknowledge the contributions of Canada through the Consulate General teams in Los Angeles and New York. We are richer for what everyone has shared.

We hope these examples of DEI programs and personal insights help to inform and inspire your own journey.

DEI On the Ground and In the Skies at Air Canada

Anna Innis
National Manager, Business Development & Community
Air Canada
Los Angeles, California

Air Canada has long been recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers. For the last six consecutive years, Mediacorp Canada Inc. has bestowed this honor to Air Canada for its ongoing commitment to D&I (Diversity and Inclusion). And, it’s my honour to offer a few reflections.

I joined Air Canada in the mid-1990’s in the U.S. Call Centre Office in Tampa, Florida. One of my first memories was a widely diverse environment of inclusion like I had never known. And, after spending over two decades with Air Canada; in 4 different states, 6 cities and 2 different countries, I see that it’s a company continuing to walk the walk creating a safe space of inclusion in our workplace and communities alike.

Over the last year, and during Covid, Air Canada formally founded a D&I Employee Working Group, giving employees a platform to share ideas and create necessary and positive initiatives. In February 2021, and in celebration of Black History Month, Air Canada hosted a Black History Month Roundtable Webcast with representatives from the airline as well as outside the industry. In addition, Air Canada featured weekly spotlight articles in our weekly employee publication where Black employees shared topics important to them.

In March 2021, Executive Leadership addressed the rise in anti-Asian sentiment and gave a platform to our colleagues to speak and share ideas to counter these acts of aggressions and discrimination. In May 2021, Air Canada’s D&I Team, hosted a roundtable discussion for its employees to safely speak and share ideas around the rise in anti-Asian sentiment witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

These are just a few examples of how Air Canada continues to create safe space for its employees at work and in the community, while promoting and celebrating D&I. Air Canada is among the top 20 largest airlines in the world. It is a company that celebrates Diwali, Black History Month, Lunar New Year, Pride Month, Women in Leadership and beyond.

I’m pleased to share information below with a recent press release and Air Canada’s Sustainability report, where a key pillar is “Our People”, highlighting over 30% of The Board is now comprised of women.

• aircanada.com/citizensoftheworld

• https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/air-canada-recognized-as-one-of-canada-s-best-diversity-employers-for-the-sixth-consecutive-year-832040959.html

A few notable awards: Forbes' World's Best Employers 2020, Montreal Top Employers 2020 (Mediacorp), Employment Equity Achievement Award for Diversity & Inclusion from Employment, and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

It is a double honour to be writing this as the first woman on the Board of Directors for MAPLE Business Council as well as one of the women on Air Canada’s U.S. Leadership Team. There is always going to be more work to be done. That is true of everything worthwhile. Being able to share best practices and finding value in all our contributions; however, continue to make work a pleasure.

Thank you, Air Canada and thank you to the MAPLE Community.

Translations for a Good Cause and DEI Commitment

Olena Polissky
Managing Director
Art One Translations
Vancouver, British Columbia

In the global world we live today, embracing our diversity is more important than ever.

Art One Translations is a global company empowering businesses to grow internationally. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are at the core of everything we do as the translators bridge the gap between cultures.

With our multicultural team living and working in over 75 countries, we convey the messages of our clients not only in the languages of their global audiences but making sure these messages resonate with those audiences on a deeper cultural level and ensuring the usability of the products regardless of their end user's language, culture, or background.

An important segment of our business offering is working with non-for-profit organizations serving different marginalized communities in Canada.

Through this work, we collaborate with Mothers Matter Centre, the BC Council for Families, UBC’s Department of Medicine, the Vancouver General Hospital, Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work, among others.

The causes we contribute to include: equipping low-income and socially isolated parents of various cultural background to help their children succeed in school and live brighter lives, providing educational materials aimed at helping new Canadians and refugees better assimilate into the Canadian society and better prepare for a balanced life with a focus on family well-being and optimal child development, to equip cultural minorities with health guidebooks and other informative materials in their languages.

Art One Translations sponsored “Mothers as a Catalyst of Change: Inspiration from Around the World”, a conference hosted by HIPPY Canada and the BC Association of Family Resource Programs. We are honored to have been part of the initiative focusing on women’s equality and family well-being and the role of mothers in helping to change the world for the better.

Collaborating with Youth the Future and the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work allowed us to contribute to supporting Canadian youth with disability and mental health issues throughout their journey of achieving and retaining employment.

Providing English subtitles for the documentary "Dora" by Natalya Bernadskaya, the film telling a deeply moving story of a Holocaust survivor from Ukraine, Art One has contributed to the mission of making this story heard by wider audiences in the English-speaking world.

Art One Translations is committed to further contribute to the DEI and bringing cultures closer together.

Diversity is our Region's Superpower - Alliance for Southern California Innovation

The Alliance for Southern California Innovation (Alliance) is committed to showcasing diversity broadly (e.g. geographic, industrial, and individual diversity) and we deeply believe it is our region's superpower. The Alliance is finishing a communication plan for the SoCal Innovation Ecosystem that seeks to help root, spread, and champion the region's position both locally and abroad. Diversity is a central pillar of that work. In the coming months we will host branding materials on a dedicated website and will start to push out this work with our regional partners across the region.

The Alliance is advocating and advancing a more inclusive ecosystem across the SoCal region, including creating greater funding access to underrepresented groups. We also are working to make our programs and events more inclusive and representative of our region. For example:

• Founders: We collaborated with PledgeLA and Annenberg Tech to identify and adopt best practices on how to ask and capture historically underrepresented founders in the company application form for the new capital matching program SoCal Venture Pipeline we just launched that will deliver more institutional capital ($4M+ checks) to SoCal-based startups.

• VC Engagement Program: The Alliance recently launched a VC Engagement Program and VC Advisory Council, whose leadership is women led.

• Regional Public Events: We plan to hold a follow up event to our 2019 Diversity Fuels Innovation Forum that will again include a panel of underrepresented innovators and investors.

• Invited ecosystem events: We continue to weave diversity into our events and into our programming and want to provide authentic and credible voices on this topic a platform. This last year we had a panel of PledgeLA board members present at our annual SoCal Ecosystem Leadership Forum, so that others in the region can learn about and begin to model that work. DEI will be a topic in our next SoCal Ecosystem Leadership Forum this fall.

• Invited Leadership Roundtables: We regularly host intimate conversations with C-suite SoCal executives and investors on implicit bias and leadership lessons from the frontline to achieve inclusive workplaces.

• DEI Advisor: The Alliance recently brought on a DEI advisor, Dr. Donald Grant, who will help guide us on this work. We recognize that we can't do it alone and need to enlist others to help us accelerate our progress in a field that is overwhelmingly white and male.

Tech for Good

Communitech
Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario

The murder of George Floyd and subsequent peak of the Black Lives Matter movement in June, 2020 was a huge catalyst for change at Communitech, where Tech for Good has long been a guiding principle. Complacency was not an option, and we realized we had a lot more work to do, as an organization, when it came to equity, diversity and inclusion.

The May 2021 discovery of a mass grave of 215 children at a residential school site in Kamloops, B.C merely underscored that our effort can never let up as we work towards reconciliation and change.

On July 9, 2020, we assembled an internal Tiger Team with a mandate to actively address diversity, equity and inclusion at our organization. We highlighted our Mission, Objectives and Guiding Principles, made this information available to our team, and made a public promise in our guiding principles on our website.

So far, we’ve tracked fairly well against many of these objectives:

• We pledged ourselves to the 50-30 Challenge, an initiative led by the Government of Canada that asks organizations to aim for gender parity (50%) and significant representation (30%) on Canadian boards and senior management teams. Underrepresented groups include racialized persons, people living with disabilities (including invisible and episodic disabilities) and members of the LGBTQ2 community.

• We created an Anti-racist and Land Acknowledgement that we include at the beginning of all large meetings, events and programming. We edit this acknowledgment as we continue to learn.

• We launched the Fierce Founders Uplift program, which provides $10K in non-matching funds to women and non-binary founders who belong to another underrepresented group.

• We have implemented team training sessions on such topics as addressing unconscious bias, Black history in Canada, Indigenous education, and inclusive hiring practices, in addition to employee-led panels, reading groups and internal chat channels.

  Despite all of this, it feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface of what we can do for our team, our customers and our community. Striving for diversity, equity and inclusion is a complex and emotional process that brings up difficult questions and discussions, demands humility and introspection, and needs consistent care and attention. That said, this is simply something we must do, for the sake of our people.
  

  The business case for EDI is not enough – we must keep driving change together, because it’s the right thing to do.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles

Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles

In the aftermath of a challenging year, both Canada and the US are focused on recovering from the economic and social damage that the COVID pandemic wrought. The crisis has shed an even harsher light on the necessity for more equitable and inclusive societies. The Government of Canada is deeply committed to this goal both at home and abroad. The Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles is naturally at the forefront of this effort given Southern California’s social, cultural, and economic global heft. This offers us the opportunity to project Canadian values, to share Canada’s priorities of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Southwest region, and for our team to engage at all levels and across all sectors, with a focus on equity-deserving groups, particularly women, Latinx and Black communities.

The Consulate’s efforts are divided into two main categories: internal and external. First, we are taking stock of the environment within our own team and reflecting on changes we need to promote internally. Concretely, this includes the implementation of our vanguard Equity Pledge, the work of our Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Council and ensuring that we strive toward best practises in recruiting, human resource management and workplace dynamics, including incorporating the commitments to measure and communicate outcomes.

Secondly, and more externally focused, we are highlighting the values of diversity and inclusion in local public engagements as per our broad mission goal. For events/webinars, panels or public speaking opportunities in which we participate, whether of a commercial, cultural or public diplomacy nature, we strive to include visible and invisible equity-deserving groups including women, racialized minorities and the LGBTQ2I community.

When it comes to the business community that we serve, our commercial program promotes the participation of companies led by entrepreneurs from historically underrepresented groups, either by delivering initiatives exclusively for these targeted participants or by applying a strong DEI focus across all of our business development activities and events. This includes actively promoting opportunities to targeted business and trade associations in Canada, and adapting some of our initiatives to their particular needs (which we recently identified via a study we conducted on Indigenous and Black entrepreneur communities).

We have also been applying DEI considerations as asset criteria in our competitive programs and have been including members of these underrepresented communities on our selection committees. In addition, we are proactively seeking partnerships with local business groups and chambers representing equity-deserving groups in order to broaden the pool of partners and service providers to support our key initiatives. As a result, the upcoming year will see us deliver nine commercial initiatives exclusively for clients from inclusive trade groups, and eight additional initiatives with a strong DEI component, across all of our priority sectors in the Southwest U.S. market.

Finally, to measure and manage our progress, we will seek voluntary disclosure of DEI status from our clients and stakeholders, within the limit of privacy laws, tracking services and activities in our CRM and producing an annual commercial report card. We will use data to identify remaining challenges and future opportunities to actively promote diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do at the Consulate.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Consulate General of Canada in New York

Alex Vachon White & Nigel Neale
Co-Chairs, EDI Council
Consulate General of Canada in New York

Among Canada’s top priorities is addressing the challenges and systemic barriers faced by underrepresented groups. This cuts across our society at home and abroad.

At the Consulate General of Canada in NY, EDI is embedded in our culture. We understand why we need this; our focus is now squarely focussed on how we make this a cornerstone of our management across the mission.

It starts from the top – our Acting Consul General Khawar Nasim serves as our top champion and established our EDI Council last June by appointing two committed colleagues to drive it forward: Kathrin Gallo and Anthony Alexander.

The Council’s commitment to applying an EDI lens to our work can be framed in two dimensions: externally for our client-facing programs and events, and internally within the corporate structure of the Consulate. Here are some examples:

• Helping the National Women’s Hockey League, HQ’d in Brooklyn, with its first-time expansion to Canada via a sixth NWHL franchise, the Toronto Six. This brings professional women’s hockey back to Canada, with a franchise planned for Montreal in 2022-23, and promotes EDI in sports.

• Advancing gender equality and increasing the diversity of the Canadian business clients we recruit for our programs with the goal of achieving a minimum 50% representation from inclusive trade groups. We’ve applied this lens to our recent Canadian Technology Accelerator programs in cleantech and digital health, our cell and gene therapy accelerator run out of Philadelphia, and our two Women in Cleantech cohorts. We are intentional and deliberate in our efforts, working with partners across Canada and leveraging our LinkedIn page to reach our clients.

• Our Foreign and Public Affairs team has put gender and racial equity at the forefront of cultural and advocacy programming. We continue to engage our Consul General in an ambitious and broad ranging outcall program with diverse stakeholders and seek to profile and support Canadian artists from underrepresented groups. Examples include our Connecting Perspectives initiative, which seeks to connect BIPOC artists from across Canada and the US to create new pieces of art together (virtually) and our partnership with Resolve Philly and our UK colleagues to bring together journalists from Canada, the UK and the US to discuss building structural equity in journalism.

• Internally, in addition to establishing the Council through community engagement and developing an Equity Pledge and Action Plan with clear accountabilities, key deliverables include the incorporation of an EDI commitment in our contracts with external vendors, our job posters and our individual performance agreements.

  Creating an environment where everyone can bring their whole self to work requires a hard commitment – to our values, to listen, and to take action in order to effect change.

Promoting Enhanced Equity, Diversity and Inclusion - InterVISTAS Consulting Inc.

InterVISTAS Consulting Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia

The intelligence, innovation, and passion of our colleagues, acting within an inclusive and diverse global organization, is at the heart of our success at InterVISTAS Consulting Inc. As a company within the RoyalHaskoningDHV group, we have taken stock of our corporate pledge of Enhancing Society Together to ensure we are striving for continuous improvement as an equitable, diverse and inclusive organization and community partner.

Our approach has been to have a lens for diversity in recruitment, hiring, training and procurement policies. We have processes in place to ensure that race, gender, colour, ethnicity, national origin, beliefs, or sexual orientation are not barriers for mobility, leadership, and career opportunities. Specifically, racial and gender equity in positions of leadership are areas of strength within InterVISTAS, as well as our ongoing commitment externally to achieving contractual relationships with Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Minority-owned Business Enterprises and Woman-owned Business Enterprises.

As with all our business operations, we have a focus on continuous improvement, including the formation of an autonomous, non-hierarchical and volunteer-led Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee in early 2020. The Committee was tasked with ensuring that issues of racial equity and the range of EDI considerations are planned for, tracked, and progressed. The Committee’s focus in the next year seeks to develop insights to run a neutral and inclusive communications and work-flow process internally; conduct unconscious bias training; make topics related to EDI more open to discussion; and take special care to enable more participation on these topics by everyone.

We know that a company culture fostering and continuously working to improve upon the inclusion of all employees and clients is fundamentally the right thing to do. In addition, we are experiencing an increased health and vitality of our company, and the attraction and retention of a diverse and talented staff. Having a breadth and diversity of viewpoints, experiences, expertise, and ways of thinking, are all essential elements for keeping pace with innovation and change, and for working with integrity. We are committed to equal opportunities and are proud of our increasingly diverse workforce, which offers both economic and social added value for our business, and ensures our organization remains vibrant and relevant today and for the future.

Inclusion at National Corporate Housing – Intentionally Designed

Amber Smith
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist

Denver, Colorado

National Corporate Housing is committed to creating a great place to work for every associate – present and future. National promoted an associate from within, to a full time Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion seat to establish dedicated focus, accountability and to keep the diversity and inclusion conversation progressing forward.

Over the past 6 months National has launched a live internal conversation series to discuss topics like unconscious bias, microaggressions, and more. We have had great success with the series and associates have stated they enjoy the open dialogue.

In our pursuit of a fully inclusive work community, we have revamped our Inclusion Council, intentionally designed for our associates to collaborate, and make an impact on the company. All members are required to attend four Diversity & Inclusion webinars per year and devote time biweekly to attend collaborative council meetings. During this time, these associates research, advise and recommend inclusion strategies that are presented to our Leadership Team for implementation consideration.

We have recently appointed a female, Misty Gregarek, as our President and COO who we feel best represents our associate mix of over 71% female. Over the next 6 months we will launch several affinity groups to bring associates together over a commonality, to increase synergy and improve employee retention. This is intended to create an environment where associates feel National Corporate Housing is a workplace where they can be their true selves.

Please contact Chris Annunziata, Global Account Executive, and member of MAPLE Business Council, for any questions or inquiries of National Corporate Housing.
(929) 226-7614, cannunziata@nationalcorporatehousing.com

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at QA Consultants

Gabriella Szasz
Senior Partner, QET Practice

New York

Now is truly an exciting time in the United States of America. Our new President’s focus on diversity gives this country the steppingstone to significant cultural change. It is amazing that with so much focus on diversity for so long, in so many ways, that the US has not progressed faster or more substantially. In the corporate world, many Diversity, Equality & Inclusion officers have been appointed, yet substantive cultural change has not happened. But the numbers game that DE&I has been turned into, has been won, however this is not the true or anticipated sign of success. Obtaining a true diverse culture is the focus of improvement for QA Consultants (QAC) in helping our clients.

We at QAC, are focusing on diversity infusion into technology transformation programs. This is a very opportune time; many companies are beginning their digital journeys. This means that they must have an upskilling program for their technology organizations. Once you need to upskill/augment your staff, this is the perfect point where diversity can be injected into a technology organization.

QAC has developed a new service to help our clients, perform skills assessment, upskilling their workforce and then, updating Quality Assurance (QA) to Quality Engineering (QE). To address this new sector, QAC has created a new North American practice titled the Quality Engineering Transformation (QET) Practice. We believe this practice will be disrupting the QE Space.

QAC is also dedicated to giving women a strong voice in the technology sector. We have sponsored and participated in multiple panels over the past year. We have given women a voice and a channel for mentor and sponsorship. Many women are so impressive, have a great story and need a caring forum for their stories. And this is a global forum. QAC is intent on changing the world.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Purolator Inc.

Shaquana Burton
HR Manager/Regional Diversity & Inclusion Lead

Detroit, Michigan

Purolator is a diverse organization. For us, this means committing to further conversations and actions around diversity and inclusion within the workplace, and the communities we serve, to help ensure our organization continues to grow as a place where all of us can be treated with respect and equality, while also celebrating our differences.

It is very important that we continue the conversation of Diversity and Inclusion. To continue the conversation and education on D&I, we offer focused websites on D&I with a host of resources, panel discussions, a feature in our weekly newsletter, and updates during the Monthly Business Review.

We have identified areas of focus such as more women in leadership roles, an increase in people of color in leadership roles, and increased overall diversity within the organization. We have approached these focus areas by incorporating diversity in hiring practices, launched a development program for minority staff and created a dashboard to track achievements against goals.

Different events that we have hosted include a Selma Movie Review Discussion for MLK Day and Black History Month, a panel discussion for International Women’s Month, and entire months focused on Mental Health Awareness, Pride Month, Juneteenth, and Indigenous People events just to name a few.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Raymond James

Bernardine Perreira
Financial Advisor
Perreira Wealth Advisory - Raymond James Inc.
Toronto, Ontario

Raymond James Ltd. nurtures an inclusive and diverse culture where everyone feels welcomed, respected, valued – where we all feel we belong. There are four inclusion pillars that have formed the basis for change:

Psychological Health & Safety
Everyone is responsible for creating a safe and healthy workplace, where people are respected for different perspectives, and where diversity is welcomed.

Guiding Behaviours
A roadmap for each person to support healthy team dynamics and professional growth. These behaviours are key hiring and performance assessment criteria.

Associate Insight
We seek feedback, welcome each person's point of view and commit to address shortcomings – to learn from mistakes and move forward together.

Diversity
Building a diverse workforce, a place where we all feel a sense of belonging, is a natural extension of our values-based culture.

The key path of success has been to establish safety as the foundation – where occupational health and safety is both our obligation and our commitment. The path to health and safety is how we treat one another (guiding behaviours) coupled with how we listen and act upon feedback (associate insight). Respecting diversity is thus an extension of this foundation, where we acknowledge systemic discrimination exists and we are therefore compelled to act.

Recent events have deepened our resolve to face and counter discrimination in all forms. We will not be bystanders. Our action plans are extensive:

1. Empowerment of the Inclusion Council to be a voice for diversity. The Council launched an intranet portal alongside new communications such video micro-learning (IDEA Tuesdays) and sharing diverse experiences through stories.

2. In partnership with S.U.C.C.E.S.S., we will sponsor anti-racism bystander training, webinars for self-care in the face of racism, and facilitation with a leadership panel and parliamentary secretary Rachna Singh.

3. The recruitment teams are diversifying candidate sources. One example is Mosaic, a non-profit organization for recruiting immigrant and diverse communities. We work with 19 diverse sources of candidates.

4. Our 25 by 25 goal – 25% women Advisors by the year 2025 – was created in 2013 to attract and coach women in this traditionally male career path. We are making progress with 18% women Advisors presently.

5. Training launches include Leading Toward Inclusion and the Unconscious Bias webinars, in addition to our anti-harassment program, Fostering a Respectful Workplace. Additional programs coming in 2021 are Recruiting for Inclusion, StoryTelling, Bystander and Mental Health Awareness.

6. A national pay equity analysis is underway. Over 60 people have received pay adjustments so far.

7. We have launched self-identification to compare our demographics to Canadian census, a key measure of our progress over time. Our next step in representation is adopting the 50-30 Challenge.

8. Accessibility policies supporting employees and clients with disabilities are being updated and will have an enhanced presence on our intranet and raymondjames.ca including our multi-year plan. We have also adopted captioning for internal town halls in the spirit of accessibility.

Please see below link to our parent company CSR report.
https://www.raymondjames.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility

We have Advisor Inclusion Networks – women, black and pride.
https://www.raymondjames.com/advisor-opportunities/diversity-and-networks

I serve on the Pride Financial Advisor Network. Pride Perspectives publication can be found in this link.
https://www.raymondjames.com/advisor-opportunities/diversity-and-networks/pride-financial-advisors-network

At RSM, Inclusion Starts with I

By RSM US LLP

At RSM US LLP (RSM), we believe inclusion starts with “I.” This means that each of our 13,000+ professionals across the U.S. and in Canada is committed to doing our part to advance racial understanding and inclusion across our firm and within the 87 communities where our people live and work, including here in Southern California.

To support our activities, we recently launched the Middle Market Collaborative for Understanding, a group of middle market organizations working together to actively advance inclusion and racial understanding within our own organizations and the broader middle market business community. The Collaborative is a peer group of middle market executives who are similarly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in business. We also share our internal resources for the benefit of our clients and others who want to drive meaningful change and create a more equitable future.

There are two critical components for fostering greater equity and understanding: allyship and courageous conversations.

Organizations have an opportunity to take action by investing in and engaging as allies in matters relating to race. Demonstrating care and being curious, driving collaboration and using critical thinking courageously fosters understanding, deepens learning and influences skeptics.

People who think of themselves as allies benefit because they have more frequent and effective conversations with others. This has important social, institutional and organizational impact. To help foster allyship, we teach our leaders and our teams about it at RSM, and we designed an ally priorities list in response to our employee network group member requests. Those priorities are:

• Take action to create moments of the “valued community” that include fellowship between whites and people of color

• Serve as a collaborative leader for others while working for institutional understanding

• Work on personal interactions with all people of color so your behavior does not reflect unconscious bias or privilege blind spots

• Give and get peer support from other allies as you model inclusive behavior and discuss their views

• Intervene if you witness racially problematic statements or behaviors

• Convert more allies by helping people understand that racism is an important issue and that they are part of the solution

• Manage your own learning path as an ally

• Make lifestyle and personal choices that reflect your passion for racial equity

• Support racial equity efforts with money or time

• Manage your online presence and your communication within your organization to promote inclusion using empathy and perspective-taking to build trust

The second critical component for fostering equity and understanding is courageous conversations. These types of honest discussions form the basis for deeper understanding. They challenge us to push ourselves beyond what is comfortable and to hear a variety of perspectives to encourage empathy and inclusiveness.

To hold a courageous conversation, it’s important to abide by certain ground rules and principles. To create a safe space for candor, honesty, perspective taking and understanding, all participants should:

• Assume positive intent.

• Consider their voice important in educating others on the journey to inclusion.

• Extend empathy and suspend reactions to the shared views and comments of others.

• Be open to understanding.

• Lean in, ask questions and seek common ground when discussing differing perspectives.

• Give feedback that will help individuals, teams and the group grow.

Our Courageous Conversation Guide provides additional resources and questions for you to hold your own courageous conversation.

For more on how to drive meaningful change and create a more equitable future, we encourage you to visit rsmus.com and read our Resources for Racial Understanding and inclusion.

xahive - Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commitments Journey

Sem Ponnambalam
President
xahive, Inc.
Orange County, California

Being a woman of color and having had to hustle to get my cybersecurity startup off the ground in Canada, the US, and the UK, I have firsthand experience of sexism, racism, and unconscious bias. It is one of the main reasons why at xahive, I have made it a goal that we have substantial diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, procedures, and goals. It is not just a business goal for xahive, but a life-long personal goal based on my experiences.

Whether we employ students, part-time or full-time employees, or consultants and vendors, we ensure that we are working with organizations that are fully representative of marginalized communities or work with organizations that explicitly demonstrate their “allyship” to achieving DEI goals. We continue to measure our DEI goals, policies, and procedures on a bi-annual basis, including our partner and vendor relationships. In addition, we have come to realize that we need to undergo unconscious bias training. We put ourselves and our team through this process bi-annually to ensure that we continue to provide an open, diverse, and genuinely inclusive environment regardless of background.

Some lessons learned through our DEI programs:

• Collect demographic data & analyze hiring practices & compare data and DEI policies & procedures to other organizations

• Share data with key stakeholders, companies as this can increase accountability and transparency

• Identify roadblocks and address them in a path forward

• Changing leadership & board’s mindsets from seeing complaints as threats to valuing them as insights that can spark positive organizational change

• Technologies that get deployed for corporate screening, hiring, and evaluation processes have to be built on data that is fair to socio-demographic groups

• To avoid tokenism or stereotypes best to use simultaneous evaluation processes rather than evaluating individuals one by one

• Get managers and other leaders involved from the start on how to increase DEI

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021, “the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt by women and marginalized communities. The timeframe for closing the global gender gap has increased from 99.5 years to 135.6 years.”

Given this new evidence, it is more important now than ever for xahive to make a concerted effort to help make a positive difference in not just achieving DEI goals. Most importantly, enacting policies and procedures that will ensure true DEI for all marginalized communities.