Building a Culture of Anti-Racism: Together, Let's Empower Black Professionals

As leaders within the business community, it’s our responsibility to create inclusive environments where everyone can thrive. We must not only condemn acts of racism but also address the systemic barriers that contribute to inequality. This requires listening, accountability and most importantly action. We are all in an incredible position of power to implement change and policy within our organizations. 

We are entrusted to ensure our companies succeed and providing more opportunities to qualified Black candidates not only helps individuals thrive but your business thrives as well. Unique talent and diverse thinking enable a stronger culture leading to better performance. 

At HP Canada, we proudly collaborated with the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR) to develop a talent playbook that helps organizations of all sizes across all sectors advance equality in the workplace and help advance Black Professionals in their careers. We identified actionable measures that I encourage you to practice in your leadership roles. 

Begin by assessing your inclusive talent acquisition and talent development processes to ensure the talent pipeline is diverse when recruiting or promoting for a role. Provide anti-racism and anti-oppression performance management and succession planning to ensure employees feel supported throughout their career journey. Leaders should check their unconscious bias and hold themselves accountable.

At HP, the entire company is dedicated to fostering a culture that actively works against racism. We champion diversity and inclusion, both internally and externally. We strive to challenge inequality on a global scale by fostering a diverse pipeline to recruit Black/African American professionals, aiming to double the number of Black/African American executives at HP by 2025, and partnering with diverse suppliers like RLA Engineering to enhance Black representation throughout our supply chain.

We also understand the importance of mentorship, especially for entrepreneurs and business owners facing structural barriers. As allies, let us make a conscious effort to cultivate a diverse network of mentees and contacts. 

Conversations, empathy, kindness and accountability are crucial in this journey. Let us reaffirm our commitment to eradicating racism and creating a workplace where Black empowerment thrives. Together, we can make a difference.

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Mary Ann Yule

President and CEO, HP Canada

Mary Ann Yule is the President and CEO of HP Canada. With more than 20 years of experience, she is a trailblazer in innovative personal systems and printing technologies, including 3D printing, digital manufacturing, and related services and solutions. Since joining HP Canada in 2016, her proven track record of driving results continues to deliver breakthrough market outcomes across HP’s portfolio and credited with establishing HP as the most sustainable technology company in Canada1 as well as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers.

Mary Ann holds a Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, attended Ryerson University, and holds numerous professional accreditations, including Six Sigma Executive Champion. She is a highly sought-after speaker on positive disruption driven by technology megatrends like 3D printing, sustainable impact, diversity, and inclusion.