Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 18
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CANADA’S BEST DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS (2025)
Diversity at Bell brings people to their full potential
that we’re not just talking about
diversity. Bell is demonstrating
it through action, providing an
inclusive and equitable work environment where team members of
all backgrounds can succeed.”
Bell Canada embraces diversity, and employees thrive on collaboration and a positive culture.
Y
vonne To went straight
from a university
engineering program
to a customer systems
engineer with Bell Canada. That
was some 20 years ago, and, at the
time, she was the only woman on
a team of 30.
“I’ve seen a big change in terms
of the representation of women
in such roles,” says To, a senior
manager in network technology
services. “Now when I look
around, I see a lot more women
in science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM]
positions.”
That said, Bell is working to
do even more. “We are trying to
close the gender gap particularly
in the network and technology
domains,” To adds.
Ensuring Bell’s workforce at
all levels reflects the diversity
of society at large is crucial for
delivering innovative solutions
that meet the diverse needs of its
customers.
Bell’s drive to employ more
women in tech roles is just one
component of its broader diversity,
equity, inclusion and belonging
(DEIB) strategy. The company
is actively working to increase
representation among visible
minorities, Indigenous peoples
and people with disabilities.
“Ensuring a diverse range
of voices that reflect Canada’s
population is a fundamental
principle at Bell,” says Shalini
Parakulangara, vice president
business intelligence with Bell
business markets. “One of our
strategic areas of focus includes
making our senior leadership
team more representative of our
workforce.”
To that end, Bell has set a target
of at least 35 per cent genderdiverse leaders at the vice
president level and above, and 25
per cent of senior management
positions being filled by Black,
Indigenous or people of colour
(BIPOC) individuals, by 2025.
Parakulangara is the executive
sponsor of DEIB initiatives within
Bell business markets and is
part of Bell’s diversity leadership
council. This council includes
senior leaders from every business
unit working together to promote
and report on plans to increase
representation, retention and
advancement of team members
from underrepresented groups.
“I was recently promoted
to vice-president,” says
Parakulangara. “Seeing someone
like me in leadership goes a
long way toward demonstrating
Ensuring a diverse
range of voices
that reflect
Canada’s population
is a fundamental
principle at Bell.
One of our strategic
areas of focus
includes making our
senior leadership
team more
representative of our
workforce.”
— Shalini Parakulangara
Vice President, Business
Intelligence, Bell Business
Markets
The company supports five
employee resource groups
(ERGs), including Diversability at
Bell, Black Professionals at Bell,
Pride at Bell, Women at Bell and
Pan-Asians at Bell, with the newest
ERG launched in May 2024 during
Asian Heritage Month.
“Since launching, we’ve
seen a 200 per cent increase
in membership,” says To, who
co-chairs Pan-Asians at Bell.
“We have members from across
the country. We’ve got people
from different teams and all
levels, all the way up to senior
vice-president.” The Pan-Asians at
Bell held a number of inaugural
