Leading the way in diversity

From left to right: Dr. Nancy McKinstry presented the 2012 Nancy McKinstry graduate student scholarship for leadership to Lesley Varley, along with Daniel Shapiro, Dean of the Beedie School of Business.

Annual SFU Nancy McKinstry Awards focus on diversity in business.

Since 2009, the Beedie School of Business has hosted the Nancy McKinstry Awards for Leadership in Diversity to recognize organizations that are demonstrating leadership in workplace diversity. Each year an award is presented to the organization which exemplifies the values of diversity in the workplace, and a scholarship is presented to an SFU student who exemplifies leadership in promoting opportunities for women in business.

This year, the recipient of the award was Deloitte, one of Canada’s leading professional service firms. Deloitte was recognized for its commitment to diversity, in particular the diverse composition of its staff, management and board. The award was presented to Deloitte’s Karen Keilty at a sold-out breakfast at the university’s Segal Graduate School campus in downtown Vancouver.

“Deloitte should be commended for its commitment to making diversity part of its DNA, which not only benefits society as a whole but also the success of organizations,” said Daniel Shapiro, Dean of the Beedie School of Business. “Deloitte’s outreach activities, workplace culture and vision for the composition of its workforce are shining examples of leading diversity in the community.

The Nancy McKinstry graduate student scholarship for leadership was presented this year to SFU EMBA student Leslie Varley. Varley is the Director of Aboriginal Health with the Provincial Health Services Authority since 2008. In her leadership role, she has helped develop a provincial strategy for advancing Aboriginal health, including leading cultural competency training for health professionals. She is also part of the first cohort of the Beedie School of Business’ new Executive MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership program.

After the awards, the Beedie School of Business hosted the inaugural SFU Nancy McKinstry Leadership in Diversity Workshop, with a focus this year on Aboriginal inclusion. The workshop featured a number of guest speakers, including Leslie Varley, and focused on lessons learned by organizations seeking to recruit and retain Aboriginals and was intended to foster collaborative learning through an open dialogue.

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.