MONTREAL, March 28, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been named one of Canada's Best Diversity employers for 2017, the second consecutive year the carrier has been awarded this distinction. In naming Air Canada, Mediacorp Canada Inc. cited the airline's success promoting women, including in non-traditional roles. The award is based on Mediacorp's Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which also included Air Canada for the fourth consecutive year for 2017.
"Diversity is a powerful tool in business. Studies show that diverse groups generate greater creativity and innovation. It is also essential for attracting and retaining the best talent because people value inclusion and the receptive environment diversity creates motivates everyone to do their best work. This is a particularly important attribute for a global airline like Air Canada that competes with other international carriers for both customers and talent from around the world," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada.
"We therefore put a tremendous emphasis on diversity. One example is the prominent roles women occupy throughout our company, from the airport ramp to C-suite offices and the Air Canada boardroom. Today, nearly half of Air Canada's employees are women and more than 40 per cent of middle managers are women. We are pleased that Mediacorp has recognized our efforts to attract more women, particularly for non-traditional roles at the airline."
In citing Air Canada, Mediacorp noted the carrier maintains diversity committees across Canada in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. It cited Air Canada's programs to encourage young women to consider aviation careers and noted that Air Canada hired 30 women pilots in 2016, up from 11 in the prior year. Air Canada reports on its progress with respect to diversity in Citizens of the World, Air Canada's Corporate Sustainability Report available at http://www.aircanada.ca.
Highlights from the most recent report include:
- There are an estimated 60 languages spoken by Air Canada employees and 20 per cent of employees belong to visible minorities;
- Air Canada employs more than 300 individuals self-identified as disabled;
- Since 1993 Air Canada has been a sponsor of The Indspire Awards to recognize indigenous professionals and youth with outstanding career achievements. Recipients are chosen to serve as role models for all indigenous peoples.
- Air Canada has signed the Catalyst Accord, an undertaking sponsored by the internationally-recognized group, Catalyst, committing to increase the number of women on its Board of Directors to 25 per cent, which it did by May 2016.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served close to 45 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 57 in the United States and 91 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,300 airports in 190 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.
SOURCE Air Canada
