As part of our Rotman Short Talks series, hear from Tanya van Biesen, Executive Director of Canada, Catalyst, Inc. and Rotman alumna about how working towards gender equality can position firms to do better in the War for Talent. (12 mins)
Tanya van Biesen is Executive Director of Catalyst Canada, the leading global nonprofit working to accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion. In this capacity, Tanya is responsible for leading the growth of Catalyst’s operations in Canada, shaping strategies to advance Catalyst’s mission with supporters, corporate partners, professional organizations, CEOs, senior leaders, and stakeholders.
A recognized leader and influencer with deep experience in the executive search sector at the most senior levels of corporate Canada, Tanya brings more than two decades of corporate leadership and diversity experience to Catalyst. Most recently, she co-led the Financial Services Practice at Spencer Stuart and was a key member of the Canadian Boards Practice, focusing on executive search assignments at the board, CEO, and general management levels. She also led the firm’s Canadian Diversity Practice, specializing in the placement of chief diversity officers and diverse slates of candidates across all search assignments.
Tanya began her career at Procter & Gamble, working in both Toronto and Calgary in regional and national sales leadership roles. A sought-after speaker on the topic of diversity in the boardroom, Tanya has contributed to several research studies and articles analyzing leadership trends and attributes. She holds an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University, and speaks English, French, and Dutch.
Is the invisible hand fair to all? On International Women’s Day, Sarah Kaplan, director of the Institute for Gender and the Economy at the Rotman School of Management, spoke with Steve Paikin on TVO’s The Agenda about how gender affects economic outcomes.
Research suggests that there is an untapped investment market, one that focuses on investing with a “gender lens.” TVO’s The Agenda explores the possibilities of this market with GATE Director, Sarah Kaplan, Jackie Vanderbrug from US Trust and Sue Meirs of Barclays.
Diversity and inclusion have become hot topics in technology, but you may not know how you can make a difference.
On September 25, 2017, Anjuan Simmons shared his insights about what any of us can do to be an ally.
About the talk
Diversity and inclusion have become hot topics in workplaces but you may not know how you can make a difference. This talk will help you understand that–no matter your background–you have privilege and can lend it to marginalized groups in the workplace.
About the Speaker
Anjuan Simmons is a technologist with a successful track record of delivering technology solutions from the user interface to the database. He is an energetic and informative speaker who presents at conferences, seminars, schools, and community centers around the world on topics including diversity, inclusion, Agile software development, and leadership. Anjuan has an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Texas A&M University.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
Panel Discussion: How Allies Can Advocate For LGBTQ+ Employees in the Workplace on October 25, 2016.
For a summary and infographic of the panel discussion, click here.
Opening Speaker:
Ed Clark, former President and CEO, TD Bank Group
Moderator:
Sarah Kaplan, University Distinguished Professor of Gender & the Economy and Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Four panelists:
Kenneth Fredeen, General Counsel, Deloitte
Deborah Richardson, Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
Sandeep Tatla, Assistant Vice President and Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Manulife
Jennifer Tory, Group Head, Personal and Commercial Banking, RBC
The Letters at Rotman Student Club – Difference and diversity, including sexual diversity, are increasingly recognized as a fundamental strength of any organization. A home for Rotman’s LGBTQ students and their friends and allies, the Letters offers opportunities for networking, self-development and fun.
Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, Angela Duckworth explained why talent is hardly a guarantor of success.
Book synopsis
In this must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, athletes, students, and business people-both seasoned and new-that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called “grit.” Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, MacArthur “genius” Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments. Drawing on her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently bemoaned her lack of smarts, Duckworth describes her winding path through teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience, which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not “genius” but a special blend of passion and long-term perseverance. As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Duckworth created her own “character lab” and set out to test her theory. Here, she takes readers into the field to visit teachers working in some of the toughest schools, cadets struggling through their first days at West Point, and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Finally, she shares what she’s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers-from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to the cartoon editor of The New Yorker to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll. Winningly personal, insightful, and even life-changing, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that – not talent or luck – makes all the difference.
Biography
Angela Duckworth, PhD, is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. An expert in non-I.Q. competencies, she has advised the White House, the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Prior to her career in research, she was an award-winning math and science teacher as well as the founder of a summer school for low-income children that won the Better Government Award from the state of Massachusetts. She completed her BA in neurobiology at Harvard, her MSc in neuroscience at Oxford, and her PhD in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance is her first book.
This event was co-hosted by BEAR (Behavioural Economics and Rotman) and the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE).[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
For a short recap of Dr. Elson’s talk, see the video below.
About the talk
In a context of widening inequalities, it is more than ever important that the alignment of government budgets and social justice should be improved. Gender budgeting seeks to secure this through a focus on how budgets impact on gender equality and the well-being of women, in particular women who also experience other inequalities, such as those related to class, ethnicity, age, disability and sexual orientation. Professor Elson’s talk drew on UK experience with gender budgeting, focusing on the different and changing roles of government and civil society; the implications of equalities law; and research conducted by the UK Women’s Budget Group on the distributional impact of budget measures. She highlighted lessons learned that may have relevance to Canada.
About the speaker
Professor Elson is an internationally known researcher on gender, economic rights and social rights, and government budgets. She is one of the founding thought leaders for gender-responsive budgeting – the analysis and development of government budgets from a gender equality perspective, and has given presentations on this to government officials and parliamentarians in numerous countries, including South Africa, India, Brazil, Chile and Morocco. From 2009 to 2016, she served as chair of the UK Women’s Budget Group, which brings together feminist economists, researchers, policy experts and activists to work towards a gender-equal society in which women’s financial independence gives them greater autonomy at work, home, and in civil society. Professor Elson is a member of the UN Committee for Development Policy and consultant to UN Women. She has served as Vice-President of the International Association for Feminist Economic and on the advisory committee of the IMF project on gender budgeting. She is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology at Essex, Research Associate at the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, Rutgers University and has held visiting appointments at several schools including Carleton University, Ottawa. In 2016 she was awarded the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.
Sponsors
The event will be co-sponsored by the York Research Chair on Global Governance, Gender and Human Rights; The Gender Budget Lab @ York; and The Institute for Gender and the Economy at Rotman.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=”” type=”legacy”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_color=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_delay=”0″ animation_offset=”” logics=””]Frustrated with the lack of progress towards gender equality in the economy, proponents of diversity are building the “business case” for action. But, the “business case” may do more harm than good by sending signals that women need to be better than men in order to be included in corporate leadership, as investors or as entrepreneurs.
About the Event
In this TEDx talk on October 27, 2016, Sarah Kaplan shows how the myth of meritocracy unintentionally reinforces privilege and blocks further moves towards gender equality. She also suggests that if we treat the diversity challenge as an innovation problem, we can make progress.
About TEDx
In the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” the TEDx program helps communities, organizations and individuals produce TED-style events at the local level. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis, under a free license from TED.
About the Speaker
Sarah Kaplan is University of Toronto Distinguished Professor of Gender and the Economy, Professor of Strategic Management and Director of the Institute for Gender + the Eco. She is author of the business bestseller, Creative Destruction which challenges the myth of sustainable competitive advantage. Her current research continues this exploration of how organizations participate in and respond to the emergence of new fields, examining biotechnology, fiber optics, financial services, nanotechnology and the field emerging at the nexus of gender and finance. Her interest in gender lens investing is in understanding how whole new ecosystems can be built. She recently authored “The Risky Rhetoric of Female Risk Aversion,” “Meritocracy: From Myth to Reality,” and “The Rise of Gender Capitalism.” Formerly a professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a consultant for nearly a decade at McKinsey & Company, she received her PhD from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
Are politicians such as Angela Merkel, Theresa May and Hillary Clinton, and public figures including Beyoncé, the 50-foot women we need to save the day?
Catherine Mayer tackled those questions and more in Attack of the Fifty Foot Women: How Gender Equality Can Save the World! on April 26, 2017.
About the book:
Catherine Mayer’s book, Attack of the Fifty Foot Women, takes readers through her years as a journalist and as Editor at Large for TIME magazine, her experiences in forming the Women’s Equality Party, and insightful research into the global reality of gender inequality.
Mayer says:
“You may have noticed a popular refrain in public life at the moment: ‘Men have made a mess. We need women of stature to clear it up’. This book tests that proposition and asks what else the power of women, unleashed, might achieve. A lot of research points to the economic benefits of increasing female participation but what else would change? Are Equalians happier? What’s going on in Equalian homes and workplaces? Who’s looking after the children? Does the air smell cleaner? What’s on TV? It wasn’t until I started advocating for gender equality on doorsteps and at meetings of the Women’s Equality Party that I realized everyone struggles to imagine a gender equal society because nowhere on the planet does such a society exist. My book works to plug that gap.”
Through deep and sometimes hilarious accounts of her own journey, as well as studies and interviews with experts and leaders in diverse fields, Mayer illuminates the obstacles holding women back and how much women contribute in the face of these daily setbacks. She also reveals her visions of a truly gender-balanced society—a place that she calls “Equalia,” and shows readers how to get there.
About the author:
Catherine Mayer is a bestselling British author and journalist, and the co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party (WE) in the UK.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
The lack of gender parity in the governance of business corporations has ignited a heated global debate leading policymakers to wrestle with difficult questions that lie at the intersection of market activity and social identity politics. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with corporate board directors in Norway and documentary content analysis of corporate securities filings in the United States, Challenging Boardroom Homogeneity empirically investigates two distinct regulatory models designed to address diversity in the boardroom: quotas and disclosure. The author’s study of the Norwegian quota model demonstrates the important role diversity can play in enhancing the quality of corporate governance, while also revealing the challenges diversity mandates pose. His analysis of the U.S. regime shows how a disclosure model has led corporations to establish a vocabulary of “diversity.” At the same time, the analysis highlights the downsides of affording firms too much discretion in defining that concept. This book deepens ongoing policy conversations and offers new insights into the role law can play in reshaping the gendered dynamics of corporate governance cultures.
About the Author:
Aaron Dhir is an Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. His scholarly interests centre on corporate law, governance, theory, and accountability. He was the 2013–2014 Canadian Bicentennial Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School, as well as a Global Justice Senior Fellow at the Yale MacMillan Center. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Stanford Law School and as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, the University of Oxford, Berkeley Law School, and University College London. Professor Dhir is the author of Challenging Boardroom Homogeneity: Corporate Law, Governance, and Diversity (Cambridge University Press, 2015; paperback edition, 2016) and has published widely in scholarly journals. He has contributed opinion pieces to The Atlantic, The Globe & Mail, and The Toronto Star, and his research findings have been covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Newsweek, Pacific Standard, The Globe & Mail, The Financial Post, The Toronto Star, National Public Radio, CBC Radio-Canada, The Seattle Times, The Hartford Courant, Lexpert Magazine, TheStreet, El Mercurio (Chile), and ThinkProgress. Professor Dhir has participated as an invited expert in some of the most significant policy reform initiatives in his areas of expertise, including those convened by the Government of Canada, the Ontario Securities Commission, and the former United Nations Special Representative on Business and Human Rights. He began his professional career with one of Canada’s leading business law firms. He then made a shift to social justice advocacy and has acted on cases up to and including the Supreme Court of Canada.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”50″ bottom_margin=”50″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://www.gendereconomy.org/events/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_blank” link_attributes=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_bottom_color=”#62bd19″ button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#00c2e2″ accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]See more past events[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” size=”5″ content_align=”center” style_type=”default” sep_color=””]
