Move hailed as ‘significant step’ forward for key business sector
Toronto (March 4, 2015)—Today, Catalyst Canada announced that GOLDCORP INC. (TSX: G, NYSE: GG) has joined the list of Catalyst Accord signatories, becoming the 28th company—and first from the mining sector—to sign the Accord, pledging its support for accelerating change in the boardroom. The move signals an important step forward for the mining industry, a leading contributor to the Canadian economy.
“We celebrate Goldcorp for sending a powerful message to the business community, and the mining sector in particular, that the status quo is no longer acceptable when it comes to the lack of women on boards,” says Alex Johnston, Executive Director, Catalyst Canada. “By publicly committing to boardroom diversity and setting goals, Goldcorp serves as a role model for others, demonstrating that leadership and accountability start at the top.”
“It has never been more evident globally that women leaders are essential to business success,” says Chuck Jeannes, President and CEO, Goldcorp Inc. “Gender diversity on boards helps drive better business results and strengthens Canada’s economic competitiveness. We encourage organizations across all industries to develop their own strategies and action plans for accelerating the advancement of women in leadership.”
The minerals exploration and mining industry faces many challenges including a pending skilled labour shortage in the coming years. Many experts agree that attracting and retaining traditionally underrepresented groups such as women is an important strategy for the future.
“While the Canadian mining industry has made great strides in increasing the number of women to its workforce in recent years, outperforming several other resource sectors in this area, it remains a male-dominated industry. The mining sector is working hard to diversify its workforce and boards, but it takes leaders like Goldcorp to accelerate progress and enact meaningful change,” says Pierre Gratton, President and CEO, the Mining Association of Canada.
The Catalyst Accord calls for participating companies to help lift the average representation of women on FP500 boards to 25% by 2017 by setting their own goals. Catalyst makes available to all Accord signatories its directory of CEO-sponsored board-ready women, along with other resources to aid progress.
“The leadership demonstrated by all of our Catalyst Accord signatory companies is a significant step in accelerating change around the boardroom table, but there is still much work to be done. We encourage all FP500 corporations to set goals and commit to the Catalyst Accord,” says Ms. Johnston.
Catalyst Award Signatories: Leading the Way
Catalyst salutes and thanks the following Accord signatories: Air Canada, BMO Financial Group, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, CIBC, Chubb Insurance Company of Canada, Cineplex Entertainment LP, Coast Capital Savings Credit Union, Deloitte LLP, Dentons Canada LLP, Desjardins Group, EY, Goldcorp, HSBC Bank Canada, Intact Financial Corporation, KPMG LLP Canada, Linamar Corporation, Manulife Financial Corporation, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Metro Inc., MTS Allstream Inc., Ontario Power Generation, National Bank of Canada, PwC Canada, RBC, Scotiabank, Talisman Energy Inc., TELUS Corporation, and WestJet Airlines.
ABOUT CATALYST
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit membership organization expanding opportunities for women and business. With offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, and Japan and more than 800 member organizations, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work. Catalyst annually honors exemplary organizational initiatives that promote women’s advancement with the Catalyst Award.
For more information:
Francine Beck, FB Strategies Group
+1 416 725 3710
francine@fbstrategiesgroup.com