Careers and Culture
Inclusion, Diversity and Equity
Committed to a culture of inclusion
Embracing inclusion, diversity and equity (IDE) is a core part of our business priorities and strategic planning. Incorporating IDE in all aspects of our organization enhances our strategic priorities and performance, while enriching the communities we do business in and call home.
Building on a core foundation of smart, talented employees, we embrace diversity as a fundamental part of our culture. We know our team members become more invested in their work when they see their own experiences, values and priorities reflected in their workplace. Internal supports, like employee resource groups, create more opportunities for networking and mentorship, and create an environment where every team member feels engaged and valued.
IDE initiatives help to improve employee recruitment and retention by building a diverse, engaged team, which in turn means our employees mirror and understand the diversity found in our Plan membership and investment partners.
Making progress
Employee resource groups
Coached and supported by executive sponsors, employee-led resource groups are driving IDE efforts every day at OPTrust. Employees take action to enhance personal and professional development, raise awareness, learn from and teach their peers, and build connections with external communities and allies.
Gender balance
We believe gender equity representation in senior-level positions is an achievable goal for OPTrust. Our Board of Trustees has a strong historical record of gender parity and our Executive Team has 44 per cent female representation. We actively invite different genders and diverse candidates to join our team.
VersaFi and 30% Club Canada
We are members of Catalyst, VersaFi (formerly Women in Capital Markets) and the 30% Club Canada. We partner on a wide range of initiatives to accelerate progress on gender diversity in investments and in the spheres where we can collectively exert collective influence.
Indigenous truth and reconciliation journey
As an organization we’re seeking ways to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92. We’re working with the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business to build bridges with Indigenous communities and partners, and we have created an employee-led Reconciliation Working Group that will work with Indigenous experts to identify a path to reconciliation for our organization.
Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee
We have an Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee chaired by a member of our Executive Team that serves as an advisory body to help the organization look at everything it does through an IDE lens to advance our goals.
Asset owner’s IDE toolkit
Our Asset owner’s toolkit for advancing inclusion, diversity and equity in investment portfolios provides a starting point for investment professionals, with simple first steps they can adapt and build on. It also gives them the opportunity to think through IDE in their portfolios, including how it can support better performance and risk management.
Employee resource groups
Coached and supported by executive sponsors, employee-led resource groups are driving IDE efforts every day at OPTrust. Employees take action to enhance personal and professional development, raise awareness, learn from and teach their peers, and build connections with external communities and allies.
Gender balance
We believe gender equity representation in senior-level positions is an achievable goal for OPTrust. Our Board of Trustees has a strong historical record of gender parity and our Executive Team has 44 per cent female representation. We actively invite different genders and diverse candidates to join our team.
VersaFi and 30% Club Canada
We are members of Catalyst, VersaFi (formerly Women in Capital Markets) and the 30% Club Canada. We partner on a wide range of initiatives to accelerate progress on gender diversity in investments and in the spheres where we can collectively exert collective influence.
Indigenous truth and reconciliation journey
As an organization we’re seeking ways to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92. We’re working with the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business to build bridges with Indigenous communities and partners, and we have created an employee-led Reconciliation Working Group that will work with Indigenous experts to identify a path to reconciliation for our organization.
Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee
We have an Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee chaired by a member of our Executive Team that serves as an advisory body to help the organization look at everything it does through an IDE lens to advance our goals.
Asset owner’s IDE toolkit
Our Asset owner’s toolkit for advancing inclusion, diversity and equity in investment portfolios provides a starting point for investment professionals, with simple first steps they can adapt and build on. It also gives them the opportunity to think through IDE in their portfolios, including how it can support better performance and risk management.
Land acknowledgement
The land where OPTrust operates in Toronto is on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. This land is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.
We also recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of Australia, where OPTrust also operates. The Gadigal of the Eora Nation are the traditional custodians of what we now call Sydney, and we pay our respects to the Elders both past and present.
These acknowledgments encourage us to be mindful of our relationship with Indigenous communities that have called these lands home for thousands of years, as well as our relationship with the land on which we learn, share and live.
