CIBC: Fostering an Inclusive Culture, Leading with Gender

In June 2013, the senior vice-president of talent management of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), recognized an organizational need at the bank. He realized that, to build a strong workforce, CIBC needed to move from simply filling diversity targets through recruitment to a focus on the development and advancement of a leadership talent pool. Towards that goal, he appointed the vice-president of executive talent management to lead a new diversity and inclusion department. CIBC had an even representation of women at an aggregate level, but the company wanted to improve the level of representation at the executive level. The vice-president of executive talent management conducted an internal and external analysis of gender diversity and inclusion in the financial sector. She then wondered how to continue the momentum by leveraging CIBC’s strong track record as a company committed to diversity, hoping to evolve the strategic focus on gender. She also wanted to determine which key leaders to engage and how best to secure their sponsorship.

This case is suitable for workplace gender diversity and gender equality courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. After completion of this case, students will be able to<ul><li>understand the distinction between diversity and inclusion as well as the relationship between the two concepts;</li><li>analyze a set of diversity and equality management practices in human resources management;</li><li>evaluate the organizational change process for increasing gender diversity in organizational leadership; and</li><li>develop a set of recommendations for next steps in CIBC’s gender diversity and inclusion journey.</li><ul>

• women in leadership, diversity, inclusion, human resource management, gender diversity