Global cities tap Toronto for tips on good governance
On October 1-3, 2012,
Maytree, along with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the
BMW Group, will be hosting delegates from 20 international cities who are coming
to Toronto to learn more about the DiverseCity onBoard program and how to adapt
it to their city context.
The following cities will be represented: Auckland, Atlanta, Barcelona,
Berlin, Birmingham, Boston, Calgary, Cologne, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hamilton,
Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Louisville, Montreal, Oakland, Ottawa, Stuttgart,
Sydney, and Vienna.
facilitates placements of highly qualified candidates on boards of voluntary
organizations and governance bodies of agencies, boards and commissions to
address the lack of diverse leadership in governance positions in the Greater
Toronto Area. In December 2011, the program drew attention from across the world
when it was awarded second prize in the Intercultural Innovation Awards at the
UNAOC Forum in Doha, Qatar.
“Our upcoming Learning Exchange will allow us to share what we’ve learned and
build an international community of practice on good governance,” says Ratna
Omidvar, President of Maytree. “Our global partners recognize that diversity is
a great Canadian export, and when matched with governance the benefits of
diversity are powerful.”
Since the program was launched seven years ago, more than 600 board
appointments have been made and participating organizations have benefited
through better decision-making, increased creativity and improved financial
outcomes as well.
While in Toronto, participants will learn about the DiverseCity onBoard
program, including how they recruit board candidates from diverse communities,
and discuss how the program could be replicated in their city.
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About DiverseCity onBoard
DiverseCity onBoard, a Maytree
program, is part of DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project, a joint
initiative of Maytree and the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance. It connects
qualified candidates from visible minority and under-represented immigrant
communities to the governance bodies of agencies, boards and commissions and
voluntary organizations in the Greater Toronto Area. Over 600 organizations and
over 1,500 pre-screened qualified candidates from visible minority and immigrant
groups are registered on its searchable database.
Media Contact
Markus Stadelmann-Elder, Communications
Manager, Maytree, 416-944-2627 x284, mselder@maytree.com
