News & Media
Diversity & Inclusion in Retail Symposium Report
Date Published: October 20, 2022
Foreword
Ramesh Venkat, PhD
Director, David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing & Services
Organizations that embrace diversity and create an inclusive environment see great gains in terms of creativity, employee engagement and business outcomes. While organizations have been on the path to becoming more diverse and inclusive, it has taken a tragedy and worldwide protests to bring this issue to the forefront in corporate boardrooms.
The David Sobey Centre (DSC) was honored to host the “Symposium on Diversity & Inclusion in Retail”, which brought together academic researchers and retail industry executives for an exchange of ideas regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the retail sector. The event was attended by over 300 people, consisting mostly of executives from many of North America’s leading retail companies.
The speakers underscored the benefits of DE&I, highlighted the progress that has been made, and acknowledged the many obstacles that remain. The session provided attendees with examples of success stories and ideas on how they can move the DE&I agenda forward in their companies.
The DSC is pleased to present this report, which summarizes the key messages from the symposium. We hope it serves to further the conversations and actions that create a diverse and inclusive workplace in retail companies.
Download the full report here
