Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 14
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THINKIFIC
CANADA’S BEST DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS (2026)
p Vancouver-based learning platform Thinkific Labs hosts quarterly employee forums to discuss diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) initiatives.
Turning strategy into action
“Inclusion champions” provide the human connection
A
t Niagara Health, one of
Canada’s Best Diversity
Employers (2026), Deline
Anthonypillai is quietly
making an impact – as a
quality and patient safety specialist and as
a volunteer champion for diversity, equity
and inclusion (DEI).
“I see my role as a DEI champion as
being both a connector and an amplifier
– translating Niagara Health’s DEI
priorities into everyday actions and
conversations so people feel seen, valued
and supported,” says Anthonypillai.
“Champions help ensure equity and
inclusion isn’t just a program, but an
everyday expectation woven into how
teams work and how patients are cared for.
It’s about making sure everyone has what
they need to truly thrive.”
With 30 DEI champions spread across
departments, conversations about equity
and inclusion feel routine and safe, not
exceptional or risky.
“The human connection is what sparks
the real change,” says Anthonypillai.
“People need a trusted person who
understands those nuances of our
workplace culture and can support them
without judgment. It also allows for
communication from our front lines to
those that create these policies.”
The impact is tangible. For example, by
incorporating assessment tools and
training that recognize how wounds look
on different skin tones, staff can better
identify and treat injuries.
“By embedding DEI into clinical
practice, we’re seeing improved care,” says
Anthonypillai. “We’re reducing harm,
hospital stays and costs.”
Other winners, such as Thinkific Labs,
Inc., a Vancouver-based learning platform,
encourage all employees to be champions
and lead diversity, equity, inclusion and
belonging (DEIB) initiatives. Jeremy Chan,
general counsel and corporate secretary,
says having champions throughout the
organization is critical to bridging the gap
between what’s written and what’s lived.
This matters because people do their
best work when they feel a true sense of
belonging. “It’s walking the talk,” says
Chan, who is also executive champion for
the DEIB Advisory Group which holds
quarterly open employee forums. “From a
governance perspective, an organization
will have policies, but policies alone don’t
create culture.
“Human champions breathe life into
that framework. It’s individuals who really
demonstrate through their behaviours
what it means and why we value DEIB.”
In a widely dispersed organization
where many work virtually, Chan says it’s
essential to be very intentional about how
they communicate, engage and connect
daily beyond transactional meetings.
“I’m passionate about creating opportunities for learning, sharing knowledge and
having open conversations,” says Chan. “I
love to see those ‘Aha’ moments when
people learn something new or listen to a
different perspective or opinion.
“At the very moment when we’re seeing
pushback and erosion of the progress
we’ve made on diversity, it’s even more
important to keep speaking up and
showing, by example, why it matters.”
– Diane Jermyn
