Canadian Board Diversity Council

(Released Nov. 16, 2011)

The CBDC was launched in 2009 in order to promote board diversity in Canada. We are dedicated to increasing board representation of women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBT community members.

The CBDC is the leading Canadian organization advancing diversity on Canada’s boards and we do so by:

Conducting research on the status of diversity on Canadian corporate boards;
Providing excellence in governance education programming to build a greater pipeline of highly-skilled diverse board candidates;
Educating CBDC members and the governance community on board diversity best practices and principles;
Building a robust network of business leaders committed to board diversity, including highly-skilled diverse professionals interested in board work.

How will the CBDC achieve its mandate?

Creating and distributing an Annual Report Card on diversity practices and outcomes on the boards of Canada's largest corporations;
Creating and communicating ‘Board Diversity Best Practices’ and ‘Board Diversity Action Plans’ to support Chairs of Boards and Nominating Committees in addressing board composition;
Bringing together Chairs of Boards and Nominating Committees with board-ready and high-potential diverse candidates;
Equipping board-ready and high-potential diverse candidates with the tools to pursue board placement;
Executing an advertising and media campaign that profiles companies and their boards that are leaders in board diversity with stakeholder groups including shareholders, governments, employees, media and customers.