Leading by example: UBC Sauder’s Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics finds new ways to advance equity, diversity and inclusion

The Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at the UBC Sauder School of Business promotes ethical business practices in Canada – including equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Since launching in 2015, the centre has led EDI-focused educational programming, research and media commentary that have informed and inspired students, alumni, business partners and the wider community. After studying its EDI performance to date, the centre launched a series of new initiatives aimed at making EDI a core value and corporate priority. 

Taking stock and looking for EDI opportunities 

Over the past nine years, the Dhillon Centre’s EDI initiatives have raised awareness and created positive impact, but according to Executive Director Christie Stephenson, the job is never done. After reflecting on its EDI progress to date and examining the evolving EDI landscape, the centre decided to go even farther and faster to bring EDI into the mainstream. 

“Reflecting on our past successes inspired us to keep innovating and finding more ways to amplify and contribute to our mission of a more equitable, diverse, inclusive world through educational excellence and ethical business leadership,” says Stephenson. 

Honouring UBC Sauder’s 2SLGBTQIA+ students

One of the ways the Dhillon Centre is amplifying EDI is through a financial award that honours UBC Sauder 2SLGBTQIA+ students who have made significant contributions to the school’s culture. The Dhillon Centre Student Triumph Award: 2SLGBTQIA+ recognizes 2SLGBTQIA+ students who have demonstrated leadership, as well as resilience in the face of adversity. 

“This award is very special to everyone connected to the Dhillon Centre,” says Stephenson. “The recipients are passionate about advocacy and fostering inclusivity at our school. They are a source of inspiration for others and their bravery helps other 2SLGBTQIA+ students feel braver.”

Preparing diverse business professionals to join corporate boards

Another initiative launched by the Dhillon Centre is designed to increase diversity on corporate boards by providing diverse candidates with corporate board training. The Dhillon Centre Pathways Program is open to experienced business leaders from under-represented groups such as racialized, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. These individuals typically have non-profit board experience but are facing roadblocks in accessing corporate board positions. The workshop offers corporate governance fundamentals and strategies for participants to position themselves as board-ready candidates. 

“We know that diversity leads to better business decisions and the best boards are the ones with diverse voices,” notes Stephenson. “Since directors are the ultimate stewards of public corporations, boards should reflect the full makeup of society.” 

Applying an EDI lens to business topics and current events 

The Dhillon Centre is also encouraging public discourse through a speaker series called the JEDDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization and Inclusion) Seminars. Led by the centre’s Research Director, Dr. Kirstin Appelt, the seminars feature high-profile Canadian and U.S. researchers who share their research and engage audiences in topics such as the inequities faced by visible minorities enrolled in Canada’s Foreign Temporary Foreign Workers Program and the racial bias consumers experience when seeking a business loan in Canada. 

The centre is also supporting innovation in academic research through the EDI Catalyst Grant, which empowers academics to study EDI in corporations. The 2024 awardees include UBC Sauder faculty members and PhD students from various disciplines whose research projects explore questions such as “Gender Diversity and Corporate Environmental and Social Performance” and “Can AI-Human Collaboration Decrease Demographic Biases in Performance Evaluations?”

Dr. Katherine White, UBC Sauder’s Senior Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability, says the centre’s creative approach to leading EDI conversations is helping to uplift communities that have been historically and persistently marginalized.

“The Triumph award was among the first to honour and recognize members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities at UBC,” says White. “In addition, the centre has engaged a variety of experts around the topics of equity, diversity, and inclusion from diverse academic perspectives. The EDI Research Catalyst Grant, for example, has engaged researchers from a range of disciplines including organizational behaviour, marketing, accounting, management information systems, finance, psychology, and law. I think that is pretty cool.”

Applying creative thinking to the EDI challenge 

According to Stephenson, public awareness of the importance of EDI is growing, but as the landscape shifts, it reveals new opportunities and angles to explore. 

“The more you learn, the more you realize just how diverse the topics of equity, diversity, and inclusion are,” says Stephenson. “But that’s our job as a university – to facilitate meaningful discussion and action so that EDI becomes a common value that we all share and work to advance.”