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Championing DEI in the workplace

As recipients of this year's Women in Capital Markets Champions of Change award, Michael Cherny and Charley Butler sat down to share their thoughts about Ontario Teachers' commitment towards advancing DEI.

Michael Cherny (he/him), Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), and Charley Butler (she/her), Chief Pension Officer, received the 2023 Women in Capital Market's Champions of Change award for their contributions as leaders pushing advancement boundaries in the Canadian finance industry.

Both executives have brought organization-wide value by helping Ontario Teachers' to continue to embed DEI deeply into its culture: Butler as a senior leader and through her work as the executive sponsor of the Multicultural@Teachers' Employee Resource Group (ERG), and Cherny through his work leading the organization's DEI strategy. A proud trans man, Cherny is also a passionate advocate for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Ontario Teachers' sat down with both award winners to learn more about their commitment to advancing DEI efforts in the workplace.

How would you describe Ontario Teachers' culture in relation to DEI?

Charley Butler, Chief Pension Officer: Before answering your question, let me first congratulate Mike for receiving this honor, too. This award reflects all he's done as our head of DEI to accelerate change across our organization.

To your question, there's always more we can do, but we've worked hard to build an inclusive company where more and more people feel comfortable bringing their true self to work. I think Ontario Teachers' is further along in building this culture than we believed possible three or four years ago. We've driven systemic improvements in recruitment and talent attraction while striving to create a great work environment for everyone once they get here.

I believe it's a basic human right for people to show up as their full selves and we work hard to help break down any barriers to ensure all people feel like they belong here. We let our talent know they're employed here because they bring their unique approaches, experiences, and mindsets to our workplace. We also work to make our talent feel safe in disagreeing with leadership, challenging groupthink, questioning whether we should continue doing what we've done historically and challenging us up and down the hierarchy. That true inclusivity and psychological safety ultimately leads to better business results.

Michael Cherny, Director of DEI: I describe DEI as foundational to our culture, with inclusion being a value that doesn't just exist on paper but manifests in everything we do from ERG activities to our policies and processes. It's well-integrated, and we're continuously progressing along the equity journey.

What is the role you play in advancing the DEI across the organization, both as a leader and as a conduit?

Michael Cherny: I’m very grateful that it’s my full-time job to focus on advancing DEI across Ontario Teachers', to support our internal and overall strategies that we've cascaded down through all our divisions and regions. In leading that effort, I also support our investment strategy and our members. When we talk about DEI being embedded in everything we do, it's not just about the employee experience, but how that experience translates into the way we support our members, our investments and other stakeholders. I get to play at the center of all of that.

Charley Butler: As the company's Chief Pension Officer (CPO), I lead a team of nearly 200 people. We're one of the most diverse groups and I'm proud of that. It's my job to ensure there's ongoing education for my team leaders and the leaders that report to them so that we as a leadership group can build the right culture that I talked about earlier.

I was one of the first to come out as trans in the finance industry, and as the first, you've got to blaze the trail, and I didn't shy away from that. It's a mountain to climb, but I took that as an honor and opportunity to make the sector more inclusive. 

Michael Cherny (He/Him)
Director of DEI

Why are you passionate about DEI?

Michael Cherny: My journey into DEI began as a volunteer with an ERG and grew from there. I used my background in finance to redirect my career towards DEI because I saw there was work needed to be done. Serving on various nonprofit and regulatory boards provided me with strategic insight and DEI focus. I also was one of the first to come out as trans in the finance industry, and as the first, you've got to blaze the trail, and I didn't shy away from that. It's a mountain to climb, but I took that as an honor and opportunity to make the sector more inclusive, especially by creating policies and guidelines for those transitioning in the workplace. I recognized the need for support among all underrepresented groups, which drove me further into the world of DEI, and fueled by my passion and my professional experience, I was determined to make an impact.

This is a labour of love for me. It's both a burden and a blessing to move the needle in this somewhat ambiguous field. The lack of established guidelines and regulations in DEI and that ambiguity motivates me to do more and to think differently about how to inspire change.

Charley Butler: Living in Canada provides opportunities daily to experience diverse cultures. All these experiences have made me passionate about DEI. I recognize that some of the smartest, most capable, and passionate people don't bring their full value to environments because they aren't inclusive. Any small part I can play in making them feel safe and included is worthwhile.

The real champions of change at Ontario Teachers' aren't the leaders like me. It's the passionate, often junior employees who are in our ERGs and on the DEI Council who make the workplace better. 

Charley Butler (She/Her)
Chief Pension Officer

Reflecting on your Champions of Change award, what is one thing you'd like for people to know or to take away to help make the workplace better?

Charley Butler: The most important thing for people to take away is that the real champions of change at Ontario Teachers' aren't the leaders like me. It's the passionate, often junior employees who are in our ERGs and on the DEI Council who make the workplace better. These volunteers and grassroots champions are doing the heavy lifting, volunteering their personal time to organize events, educate others and advocate for change. While we leaders and organizational allies invest programmatically in changing processes, it's these volunteers' hard work moving us forward on our DEI goals. I consider myself the smallest part of this change, so I accept this award on their behalf.

Michael Cherny: I wouldn't be a champion of change unless I felt empowered, supported, and valued. Unless I got the freedom to dream, innovate, experiment, and even fail. So, one takeaway is to embrace the people around you, empower them, and create space for that innovation and their difference. Those are things I've seen Charley do, and I want to congratulate her on winning this award and thank her for her commitment to DEI at Ontario Teachers'. A number of people came up to me this year alone and expressed how they feel completely seen and valued for who they are and for their cultural backgrounds because of her efforts. She'd be the first to say she doesn't deserve this award, but she absolutely does.