HSBC Bank Canada and Teck win SFU diversity awards

A trio of awards recognizing outstanding efforts in promoting diversity in business were presented today at the Simon Fraser University 2014 Nancy McKinstry Awards for Leadership in Diversity.

HSBC Bank Canada – the Canadian branch of HSBC, one of the world’s largest banks – was the winner of the Corporate Diversity award, presented to an organization that exemplifies the values of diversity in the workplace.

The organization was recognized for its robust, comprehensive approach that ensures diversity is embedded at every level in the organization.

The award was presented to HSBC Bank Canada’s Chief Operating Officer Sandra Stuart at a sold-out breakfast event at SFU’s Segal Graduate School of Business in downtown Vancouver.

“HSBC Bank Canada’s exceptional commitment to diversity through numerous initiatives is extremely admirable and something of which they can be proud,” said Blaize Reich, Dean of SFU’s Beedie School of Business.

“The selection committee was particularly impressed by their five-year Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which is delivering systematic changes in HR practices, along with increased employee engagement, and which truly exemplifies the spirit of the Nancy McKinstry Awards.”

The 2014 Exemplary Initiative Diversity Award, recognizing an organization that has set itself apart with its own unique diversity program, was presented to Teck, Canada’s largest diversified mining company.

The award recognizes Teck’s Building Strength Through Diversity working group, through which the organization takes a leading role in promoting opportunities for women in mining, a traditionally male-dominated industry.

SFU Executive MBA student Christine Dawes received the 2014 Nancy McKinstry Graduate Student Scholarship for Leadership. The $2,500 scholarship is awarded to a Beedie School of Business graduate student who has been a leader in promoting opportunities for women in business.

Dawes has had a successful career in electrical engineering, another industry in which women are traditionally under-represented. In addition to holding several senior management positions, she has also encouraged other women to enter the industry, acting as a role model and mentor to aspiring female engineers.

The Awards for Leadership in Diversity were established in 2009 to honour Dr. McKinstry for her contributions to SFU as Chair of the Board of Governors. The Nancy McKinstry Graduate Scholarship for Leadership is supported by the Nancy McKinstry Endowment, established to honour McKinstry and build on her legacy.

Simon Fraser University is committed to promoting the values of diversity and social equity both in our own employment practices and through our community engagement activities.

The university boasts a very diverse student body and has forged strong connections with Vancouver’s multicultural communities. SFU is ranked as one of British Columbia’s Top 60 Employers, and for the sixth year in a row, has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 employers.