Empowering women in business

Studies show that more women senior executives and entrepreneures is a good thing for the economy and for society as a whole.

That is why we have adopted a range of measures at la Caisse designed to increase the participation of women in the financial industry and support various initiatives at the local and international level to increase female representation in business.

Senior management and management

In September 2017, we joined forces with some of the country’s leading pension funds to support the 30% Club.

Launched in 2010, the 30% Club advocates for greater gender balance at every level of business as a means of improving governance and driving performance.

The goal of the 30% Club is to bring the proportion of women represented on Boards to 30% or more through a voluntary approach rather than mandatory quotas. With chapters in nearly a dozen countries, the Club works closely with its member executives to help them achieve their objectives, in addition to implementing various initiatives to fast-track gender diversity.

In line with this commitment, la Caisse signed a joint statement calling upon all S&P/TSX index companies to take decisive action to achieve a minimum of 30% women on the Board and in senior management by 2022.

We are also sponsors and partners of the Association of Québec Women in Finance and CFA Montréal’s Women in Investment Management initiative, dedicated to increasing gender diversity in businesses and investment-related professions. In addition, we are an active participant in a CFA Institute project to create a best practices guide to advance gender diversity in the investment industry.

Women entrepreneures

In 2015, la Caisse implemented a communication and awareness initiative known as Devenir entrepreneure to encourage young people to start their own business. In spring 2018, a province-wide campaign aimed specifically at women was launched to promote female entrepreneurship as an accessible and fulfilling career avenue. Featuring profiles of inspiring women, the Devenir entrepreneure campaign illustrates that entrepreneurship knows no gender.

We also provide support to women entrepreneures in starting up and growing their business through partnerships with Femmessor and the Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec.

Since 2008, la Caisse has presented the Québec Entrepreneurship Index, the province’s largest survey of entrepreneurial intentions. In 2017, the data and analysis focused on the state of female entrepreneurship in Québec.

Following its publication, Michèle Boisvert, Executive Vice-President, Business Outreach, toured several of Québec’s regions to present the highlights of the index. In recent months, she also discussed the challenges women entrepreneures face with local entrepreneures in Saguenay, Québec City, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke and Rouyn-Noranda.

Women at la Caisse

We have devoted considerable effort to do better at recruiting, retaining and supporting women within our organization. Gender diversity at la Caisse is a regular topic of discussion among the Board of Directors’ Human Resources Committee, and the Executive Committee reviews the salaries and career paths of women at la Caisse on an annual basis. Women are interviewed for each open management and investment position, and we actively recruit qualified women for all job postings.

We have also implemented a mentorship program to accelerate the professional development of women identified by the Executive Committee.