Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership

Author(s)/Auteur(s): Wendy Cukier (Toronto Metropolitan University), Eddy Ng (Queen's University) & Mohamed Elmi (Toronto Metropolitan University)

Research has found that diversity in leadership is beneficial for organizations and can help them broaden decision-making perspectives, inspire staff and community members, and demonstrate commitment to diverse communities. However, there are systemic barriers to achieving these goals, which affect underrepresented groups' experiences in the Canadian labour market. In this workshop, facilitators will speak on the current state of gender and racial diversity on boards and in senior leadership teams across Canada and offer strategies for improving diversity and inclusion at the leadership level. Specifically, the facilitators will discuss the 50 – 30 Challenge and the Diversity Assessment Tool (DAT) and how striving towards Challenge goals and applying the DAT can help organizations enhance diverse representation and inclusion on boards and in leadership positions.