Today, Vancouver Airport Authority announced that Craig Richmond, President & CEO, has signed the Minerva BC Diversity Pledge, a public commitment to achieve gender parity in the workplace. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, YVR joins over 25 CEOs from around the province that have pledged to help support and empower women as leaders in their respective organizations. Vancouver Airport Authority is the community focused, financially independent organization that manages Vancouver International Airport / Aéroport international de Vancouver (YVR).
In 2015, Minerva BC, a registered charity, released the Face of Leadership™ BC Score Card, a report measuring gender diversity amongst the largest companies in the province. The program has since expanded with additional initiatives designed to help narrow the gender gap, including the Minerva BC Diversity Pledge, an Inclusive Leadership Forum and Executive for a Day, where emerging leaders have a unique opportunity to spend a day with a CEO or senior leader.
“On behalf of Vancouver Airport Authority, I am extremely proud to sign the Minerva BC Diversity Pledge. As a community focused, financially independent organization, we are committed to achieving gender equality at every level, and over the years we have introduced a broad range of diversity initiatives to help advance women in the workplace,” said Craig Richmond, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “By signing this pledge, we are taking a public stance on the gender equality movement, with other leading organizations in British Columbia, and we look forward to supporting Minerva BC on their mission to change the face of leadership.”
“We are delighted to welcome Vancouver Airport Authority to our community of committed leaders,” says Tina Strehlke, CEO of Minerva BC. “For 20 years Minerva BC has supported women and girls in developing their leadership capacity. Investing in women’s leadership development is critical. But we also need business leaders who are serious about breaking down implicit biases and replacing them with attitudes and systems that are supportive to women’s achievement.”
YVR continues to champion women in their career paths and to date, women account for more than 40 per cent of the management team, 60 per cent of the officers of the Executive Team and 50 per cent of the Board, including the Board Chair. Since 2014, Vancouver Airport Authority has sponsored the Women in Management program—an initiative that promotes and supports the advancement of women in the workplace. In previous years, YVR has hosted bi-annual meetings for the program on intercultural approaches to gender literacy and unconventional career paths for women.
In 2017, YVR’s Women in Management program launched Women’s Development Circles, a series of group conversations targeting women in non-management roles. Women participate in discussions moderated by a woman in a senior leadership role and have an opportunity to explore a wide range of topics from work-life balance to tangible career advice.