Pekarsky & Co. and Panorama Leadership – A Community Built Upon Diversity

We affirm our commitment to equality in all aspects of our operations and at all levels of the organization. We work with clients to ensure there is no discrimination based on, but not limited to, ethnicity, language, race, age, ability, sex, sexual or gender identity, sexual orientation, family status, income, immigrant or refugee status, nationality, place of birth, generational status, political or religious affiliation.

“One of the competitive advantages we bring to every search is the diversity of our search work; we are industry agnostic and our breadth and reach means that we know, and are known to, a much broader and more diverse candidate pool than the traditional “Big 5″ search firms. In short, there are vast pools of untapped talent who do not necessarily reside in the Rolodex’s of traditional Calgary.”

• Quoted from a 2018 Pekarsky & Co. Proposal to a leading Calgary energy company for Board Recruitment Services. We did not win the work. They instead hired a “Big 5” search firm who added two additional white males to their Board of Directors, bringing its total composition upto 73% white men.

We believe intersectionality is a priority and we champion diversity. We also believe we are uniquely positioned, as search consultants, to move the dial on advancing this important issue, therefore, we take the following steps in our process:

Outreach

• Non-gender specific ad drafts
• Specific targeting to wide range of diverse groups, through direct conversations, emails, and digital tools
• Recommendation of media with a broad outreach and aligned to the sector
• Social media platform usage to leverage a wide audience
• Outreach to diverse networks and organizations

Long List

• Training of Selection Committees on two relevant topics:
  • 1. Unconscious Bias;
  • 2. Equity, diversity and inclusion
• We strive for 50% representation on longlists, reflective of equity and diverse candidates

Panel Interviews

• Pekarsky & Co. team members sits on interviews to ensure conversations steer away from assumptions, perceptions, and judgements
• From initiation to completion, our goal is to evaluate candidates based on a CLEAR framework (competencies, leadership attributes, experience, agility, and results)

Furthermore, we abide by the following practices:

Accessibility

Accessibility is a normal part of our recruitment process. Our workplace is accessible, and we notify applicants that accommodation is available upon request, encouraging applications from people with disabilities. We also set up our successful candidates to speak with Human Resources at their new place of employment to discuss their specific accommodation policies.

Unconscious Bias

Our partners and team are training on conscious/unconscious bias to bring awareness to the Selection Committee of possible fixed ideas or preconceptions that may affect our perception of a candidate. We provide this overview prior to shortlist and interviews with our candidates.

What gets measured, gets managed

We further recognize that the increasing diversity among residents in Canada has added cultural, social, and economic benefits to our country. In fact, studies show that diversity can increase innovation by as much as 30%. Therefore, attracting diverse talent is a top priority for us.

Think like a businessperson: You’re looking for a return on your investment. And that’s what inclusion is — it’s all about return on investment. You’re investing in the future of the business, the division, the country. I’m convinced that, going forward, you will see a differentiation for those organizations that truly understand what inclusion means and then those that stay behind and view it purely as a cost of doing business. Inclusion is an investment. It’s not a cost.”

 

• Rod Graham, co-CEO Horizon North Logistics and long-time Pekarsky & Co. friend and client