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The Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR) is pleased to announce the launch of the ACCELERATE Leadership pilot program, in partnership with KDPM Consulting Group, TD Bank Group (TD), and Blueprint. This innovative program, funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre, will leverage proven tools and best practices to embed equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) capabilities across all areas of the participating organizations, starting at the top with organizational leadership.In this initial phase of the program, C-level executives at Canadian organizations in the innovation economy will participate in intensive coaching and workshops led by fellow C-level executives and experts who have experience successfully integrating EDI in their organizations. Participants will also have access to self-guided tools and a community-of-progress platform. Through the process, participants will uncover existing barriers, discover the many benefits of EDI, and develop a go-forward plan for integrating EDI capabilities across the entire organization, not just in the HR department.“The ACCELERATE Leadership program recognizes that change starts at the top. The integration of strong EDI practices is rooted in organizational leadership,” said Claudette McGowan, CILAR Chair. “Most Canadian business leaders have the right intentions, and they want to take action to improve EDI within their organizations, but they often lack a clear pathway, or skills and tools to make it happen. Traditionally, EDI is the responsibility of Human Resources — this program changes that by placing the responsibility firmly in the C-Suite, helping leaders move from good intentions to organization-wide action.”TD is one of the organizations that will be sharing their expertise in the ACCELERATE Leadership pilot. CILAR’s Inclusive Innovation and Technology Pillar Chair, Rizwan Khalfan, Chief Digital and Payments Officer at TD stated, “EDI integration helps to increase equitable representation of our colleagues, and accelerate innovation, growth and profitability for the organization by bringing a wide variety of ideas to the table.” TD and CILAR have been long-time collaborators on inclusive innovation – recently piloting the Bank’s Equity Resource Hub with CILAR in early 2022 and launching to the public late last year.The program is being offered free of charge to the executives who participate in this initial pilot phase. Participant recruitment has started and the program will run over the next three months, with all participants walking away with a clear roadmap and resources for their teams to embed EDI in their products, programs or services. Blueprint, a consortium partner of FSC, will lead the program evaluation.“We are thrilled to work directly with private sector employers on skills development approaches to support and equip C-Suite executives with the necessary competencies to drive company-specific EDI policies and programs,” said Pedro Barata, Executive Director at the Future Skills Centre. “This will help us understand what works when it comes to corporate leadership and the impact EDI has on innovation.”The ACCELERATE Leadership program is one of many projects underway or in development by CILAR, its members and co-creators to build an inclusive innovation economy.
Get Involved & Stay Informed
If you are interested in participating and would like more information or if you’d like to suggest a potential candidate, please contact opportunities@cilar.ca or complete this form by June 30, 2023.
If you’d like to be kept informed about news and learnings related to this program or other CILAR activities, please subscribe to CILAR’s e-newsletter using the form in the footer of the website (www.cilar.ca) and/or join the community on social media: Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR)
CILAR is a diverse group of Canadian leaders committed to creating equitable pathways for the Black community, Indigenous peoples and people of colour. In doing so, CILAR aims to help end systemic racism and other barriers to participation using an inclusive coalition model. The five areas of focus include youth development, job opportunities, access to capital, leadership, and inclusive innovation/technology. Learn more at (www.cilar.ca).
Funder Information
The ACCELERATE Leadership pilot project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre. The Future Skills Centre (FSC) is a forward-thinking centre for research and collaboration dedicated to driving innovation in skills development so that everyone in Canada can be prepared for the future of work.
Collaborator Information
Blueprint is an evidence-generation partner in the Future Skills Centre Consortium, collaborating with partners and stakeholders to inform innovation in Canada’s skills development ecosystem.KDPM Consulting Group’s L.E.A.P. to Equity Program and Coaching Framework is at the forefront of innovative Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Leadership training. The cultural equity-focused learning experiences are rooted in ancestral wisdom systems, psychological safety, neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and adult learning principles. KDPM Consulting Group provides Human Equity centred training, coaching and cultural solutions to help support the human and A.I. element of the implementation and integration of company-wide EDI strategies.
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