Walk down a main street in Canada and you’ll likely find yourself in a diverse crowd of different genders, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and physical abilities.
But step into a corporate board of directors meeting and you will probably find yourself in a homogeneous all-male, all-white group.
Such is the finding of a new survey by Toronto-based Canadian Board Diversity Council (CBDC). The two-year-old organization charts the mix of people on Canada’s top boards and encourages more diversity in leadership.
“Right now, corporate Canada is recruiting from half of the talent pool,” says CBDC founder Pamela Jeffery.
She and many leaders from Canadian companies agree it’s a situation that needs fixing. A board with a true mix of members is a more effective board. But it’s not easy or inexpensive — or on every company’s priority list — to make changes.
Ms. Jeffery’s organization sent out 220 surveys this past summer to the largest publicly traded companies in Canada, using Report on Business’s 2011 Top 1000 listing as a guide.
It found that only 25 per cent of top Canadian companies had achieved the CBDC’s goal of having at least 20 per cent women. And only 150 boards contain any diversity — including women or visible minorities — at all.
Those interested in change say it’s not about putting new faces on boards for appearance’s sake.
“Different kinds of people look at problems in different ways,” says Norie Campbell, executive vice-president and general counsel with TD Bank Group. “We think that having people who reflect different communities helps us best serve different needs.”
TD was ranked No. 9 in the survey: Its 17-person board includes six women and one visible minority. It’s the highest-ranking bank on the list.
TD’s newest board members include Karen Maidment, former chief financial officer with the Bank of Montreal and Amy Brinkley, a risk expert from North Carolina who worked with Bank of America.
For another high-ranking company, Cineplex Entertainment, running a board with varied members helps it stay relevant with its young, multicultural clientele and be aware of things like expansion opportunities in a range of communities.
“It comes down to having that broader perspective and not a narrow mindset,” says Heather Briant, senior vice-president of human resources for Cineplex.
The film exhibition company ranks No. 7 on the survey, with 58 per cent diversity that includes two women and two visible minorities.
They include Bank of Nova Scotia vice-chairman and chief operating officer Sarabjit Marwah and the board’s chair Phyllis Yaffe, former CEO of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.
For Ms. Jeffery, running a board with a mix of people affects decision-making. “You avoid groupthink,” she says. “It’s really important to avoid a scenario where all the directors agree because they went to the same schools, play all the same sports and all live in the same neighbourhood.”
That mix of thinking from a board allows it to better perform its “sober second thought” role, says Ms. Campbell. A well-rounded board makes better choices and that translates into better value for shareholders.
To achieve a better mix, Ms. Jeffery says companies have to formally interview prospects (most new members are just asked to join and are never interviewed, she says). Better still: Turn to a recruitment firm.
Recruiters can compile lists of sometimes unexpected names — talented, experienced people who just don’t happen to be connected to a board’s existing contacts.
TD — which was awarded a diversity award by CBDC last May — uses a recruiter to help it pursue a diversity policy it began following in 2005.
That policy coincided with the bank’s expansion into the United States — making it aware of the need for talented directors across North America.
“Our view at the senior level is, if you’re only hiring from a very small portion of the available talent, you’re not doing the best you can for the bank,” says Ms. Campbell.
