When I started working at PwC Canada, I knew that I wanted to help foster a sense of community among my LGBTQ2S+ colleagues and create a more diverse and inclusive environment. This led me to join the Shine inclusion network in Montreal with one of my good friends, Xavier. At the time, there were no women or non-binary people in the Montreal Shine network. I wanted to change that, hoping that maybe if I joined, others would follow suit.
Today, I’m one of the co-chairs of Shine in Montreal, and there’s a better balance of gender identities within our group. Together with our Montreal members, we’ve hosted several events—including lunch-and-learn sessions on pronouns and Pride activities—to help colleagues better understand the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Activities like these help us be our true selves in the workplace, which in turn ensures that we can do our best work for those we serve. I was recently promoted to a manager position and have seen firsthand how having diverse teams of solvers leads to more creative ideas, unique perspectives and, ultimately, the best solutions for our clients. This is just one more reason why I consider myself lucky to work at a place like PwC Canada that encourages us to build community and celebrates people for who they are.
At PwC Canada, I can be myself. But even as we celebrate inclusion and diversity and the rights the LGBTQ2S+ community has achieved at Pride activities across Canada this summer, I believe we need to talk about the gaps we still have to address as well. It’s important to have these discussions and celebrations throughout the year and not just in a given month. At PwC Canada, I feel we’ve come a long way in achieving that and look forward to continuing the journey of building a truly inclusive environment where everyone can feel comfortable being themselves at work.
Ariane has been with PwC Canada since 2018 and is an Assurance Manager on the core audit team. She’s co-chair of the SHINE inclusion network in Montreal.
