Talent Acquisition

Richard Tse is leading an accomplished team of talent acquisition professionals. Supporting corporate, investment management, and real estate management teams across Canada.

Natasha Soobramanie is a passionate advocate for the achievement of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion through effective talent management, employee engagement and leadership development initiatives. I have developed and implemented programs with national and international scope

How important is recruiting to helping BGO achieve its DEI mission?

RICH: The talent acquisition team is crucial to supporting BGO’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy and mission. There are three main ways our team contributes to diversity objectives. The first is with initiatives that expand the reach of our recruitment. The second is working with hiring managers. We provide them with training to limit unconscious bias and broaden their perspectives on what constitutes a strong, valuable hire. And third, we are an important source of feedback. We help the firm measure how effective DEI initiatives are by reporting hiring results and providing anecdotal feedback from candidates and prospects.

NAT : Recruiting is key to achieving our DEI mission. BGO decided to broaden and integrate the focus of our diversity efforts rather than have a single diversity program. From a recruiting perspective, which means we set a firm-wide goal of having a larger proportion – two out of every three new hires – be people who identify as belonging to an underrepresented group. We changed our approach to hiring and now look beyond traditional industry sources for talent. And now, over 70% of BGOs new hires in 2021 and 2022 meet this criterion.

How is BGO’s ongoing culture journey contributing to better diversity recruitment outcomes?

RICH: Our culture code is the foundation of our DEI mission. We strive to do the right thing. That includes identifying possible biases within the talent acquisition process. Our people are empowered to be the change through education, using best practices, and sometimes having difficult conversations with our leaders. We focus on what matters. For example, we assess our job descriptions for gender neutrality, and we strive to provide a diverse slate of candidates for all job opportunities.

NAT: We realized that we could not address a lack of diversity until we created an inclusive culture at BGO. If we skipped this step, it would be hard to retain and cultivate the diverse talent we recruited. So, we took, and continue to take, the time to address our BGO culture. On an ongoing basis, we are examining our people programs and policies with the goal of creating structural equity. Educational tools are made available to all employees to address inclusiveness.

Our desire to attract diverse talent was matched, in equal part, with our efforts to create positive and meaningful work experiences.

What are the sorts of initiatives that firms can put in place to better attract more diverse talent to the company?

RICH: Firms should communicate their DEI initiatives both internally and externally. It is important to share stories that showcase diversity in the workplace. Two ways to do this are by sharing employee testimonials and highlighting diverse professional profiles on public-facing channels.

“Our desire to attract diverse talent is matched, in equal part, with our efforts to create positive and meaningful work experiences. We assess our job descriptions for gender neutrality, and we strive to provide a diverse slate of candidates for all job opportunities.”

Employees are any company’s best ambassadors. We encourage our employees to share their experiences through word of mouth and their social media platforms.

It is also important for our leadership to be present at the networking forums diverse talent is drawn. Their active participation gives us a touchpoint to a community of top talent and allows us to tell our story to a broad audience.

NAT: Firms should understand their starting point or current state. If a firm does not know, then they can measure employee sentiments around inclusion and get specific/candid feedback on areas that impact equity for employees, such as job satisfaction, promotion, and compensation. Once they know their starting point, you can track progress towards creating a more inclusive culture.

Creating Employee Resources Groups (ERG) is a great way to celebrate and promote diversity. ERGs that have the full backing of your firm’s leadership team can provide supportive environments for existing diverse talent and a forum to advocate for change.

Another idea is to start a mentorship program with a focus on underrepresented groups. This is especially helpful in supporting strategic goals like building more inclusive talent pipelines and increasing representation in leadership.

How are you – as a professional – drawing motivation to help BGO and the industry at large improve representation, equity, and opportunity for diverse communities?

RICH: I think of myself as a lifelong learner, and it is something I enjoy doing. My personal DEI journey started with knowing very little. As a result, I was uncomfortable discussing the topic.

I started to change this by telling myself it is ok to embrace the discomfort. I used that as motivation to open my mind to understanding new concepts and experiences. BGO leadership’s views align with my own in that we believe more diverse teams with representation from a range of communities are stronger, more resilient, and make better decisions.

These values motivate me to do my part as a recruiter to fulfill this vision for our firm. There is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from being a part of something that is changing the face of our industry.

NAT: I draw great motivation by collaborating with diverse communities of people who are equally motivated to drive progress on DEI. The sum of our individual efforts creates momentum and positive pressure. Some people are task motivated or results motivated, but I am motivated by environments that allow me to collaborate with and influence others in service of the mission.

The work I am helping to lead requires me to invest time in my own self-awareness. The gap between the diversity we see and the inclusion we feel is still very much present. That is an opportunity to meaningfully understand and address my own gaps needed to make me a better ally& advocate. There is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from being a part of that change.