Women in Governance's Annual Recognition Gala in Toronto to celebrate prestigious organizations awarded its Parity Certification

In 2022, a record number of organizations submitted their application to obtain the Parity Certification. To celebrate this remarkable success, WiG is holding its prestigious Annual Recognition Gala at The Toronto Board of Trade on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. This long-awaited event was presented by the Canadian Bankers Association, in the presence of their CEO, Anthony Ostler, and held under the honorary co-presidency of Najah Sampson, President of Pfizer Canada, and Dino Bianco, Chief Executive Officer of Kruger Products. This event will bring together Canada's top executive leaders to pay tribute to the 83 organizations that achieved the Bronze to Platinum levels of its Parity Certification.

WiG's Parity Certification—the first of its kind in North America, launched in 2017—helps organizations increase the representation of women in sectors where they have historically been underrepresented, as well as in senior management positions. Evaluation partners Accenture, Mercer, and WTW support the WiG team in assessing applications. Its robust questionnaire evaluates parity at every level of an organization with an added focus on intersectionality, to build a diversified and inclusive pipeline of female talent. More than 700,000 employees across Canada and the USA work for an organization that has been Parity Certified!

"As the positive impact of diversity on financial performance, innovation, employee engagement, and branding is more vastly recognized, an increasing number of organizations are working to close the gender gap. This is where WiG's Parity Certification comes in! This innovative and rigorous tool embeds an intersectional lens so that companies that wish to give women the same opportunities as men do so in a way that accounts for the multiple impacts of diversity in one's career advancement, and therefore benefits all women regardless of their origin, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, etc. It is still possible for organizations to register for the 2023 Certification. SMEs can now take part in the certification process!" — Caroline Codsi, Founder and Chief Equity Officer of WiG.

The following 10 organizations have obtained a Platinum Parity Certification: Accenture | National Bank | CBC/Radio-Canada | Intact Financial Corporation | Mercer Canada | Desjardins | Sanofi Canada | Sodexo Canada | Sun Life | Ville de Montréal. Five of them—National Bank, Intact, Desjardins, Sodexo, and Sun Life—are Parity Certification "pioneer organizations," as they have been in the program since the very first cohort in 2017!

About Women in Governance

Women in Governance (WiG) is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 to support women in their career advancement and access to decision-making bodies, as well as progressive organizations striving to close the gender gap in the workplace. The organization pursues its mission with its Parity Certification, inspiring events, as well as governance training and mentoring programs.

More about Women in Governance: https://womeningovernance.world

About the Parity Certification

WiG's Parity Certification, the first of its kind in North America, was launched in 2017 and enables organizations to concretely close the gender gap at every level. With the support of its partners Accenture, Mercer and WTW, WiG evaluates and guides organizations on their journey towards parity, taking into account intersectionality and the multiple facets of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

More about the Parity Certification: https://paritycertification.org