Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 34
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CANADA’S BEST DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS (2025)
At Loblaw, inclusion is woven into the cultural fabric
rewarding. “Through my
participation on the Embrace Your
Roots employee resource group,
I have found my voice and am
grateful for the opportunity to use
it to advocate for others,” she says.
Leaders from
every business
unit I’ve ever
interacted with put
inclusion values into
everyday action.
It’s one thing for
a company to say
something, it’s
another to see it
actually happening.”
Inclusion is embedded in the culture at Loblaw Companies through its four DEI-related employee resource
groups (ERGs).
A
fter Bernor Camacho
Loaiza, a merchant with
Loblaw Companies
Ltd., graduated, one
of his chief aims was launching
his career in “a good company
culture,” he says. That eventually
led him to Loblaw.
“It was a 180-degree turn from
what I was used to, but I’d heard
good things about it, and when
I started I could see it all around
me, from the mentoring I received
to using diversity, equity and
inclusion (DEI) awareness to make
informed business decisions,” says
Camacho.
“Leaders from every business
unit I’ve ever interacted with
put inclusion values into
everyday action. It’s one thing
for a company to say something,
it’s another to see it actually
happening.”
Embracing diversity is an
ongoing evolution as well, says
Camacho, whose merchant role
involves collaboration with other
merchandising, procurement
and supply chain teams. He cites
what he calls “aha, that’s cool”
moments in his six years with
Loblaw. One was ads at Canadian
airports in languages tied to those
likely to be spoken by passengers
on specific flights. Another was
more personal for the son of Costa
Rican immigrants.
“My mom had to learn English
along with me. And one of her
biggest anxieties was going to the
grocery store because she didn’t
know who or how to ask if she
couldn’t find something. Now, our
stores are introducing language
pins for colleagues to wear and
she could find someone she
knows she can say ‘Hola’ to,” says
Camacho. “It’s a small thing but it
makes such a big impact.”
“I've witnessed our growth as we
commit to recognizing our biases
and embracing new perspectives,"
says Metzi Liau, vice president of
merchandising at Shoppers Drug
Mart.
“Our company is becoming
more reflective of the communities
we serve, and we are hearing
a greater diversity of voices as
leaders share their personal
stories and experiences.”
Liau has found the journey
— Bernor Camacho Loaiza
Merchant
“We have seen first-hand how
inclusion moves beyond corporate
initiatives to become a genuine
reflection of our colleagues’
everyday experiences. When we
foster inclusion and belonging,
our colleagues feel valued, and
that translates to both individual
and organizational success."
Loblaw is committed to
promoting inclusion in the
communities it serves across
Canada, Liau says. “We initiated
a supplier program, where we
invited smaller entrepreneurs
and business owners interested
in working with Loblaw. This
program provides them with
insights on how to navigate
retail, creating mutual benefits
as we welcomed new suppliers to
