John Pershing, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), led the creation of the company’s inaugural Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) department in 2020. Under his leadership, the DIB team, led by Letecia Rose, Vice President, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, provides employees with ongoing opportunities to participate in activities that promote a sense of belonging and support their professional development. John believes in thoughtful action to create authentic, measured, meaningful, and sustainable change. He relies on collaboration and developing connections for continued progress.
John established open, confidential, and ongoing opportunities for employees to provide feedback and share sentiments, collecting and evaluating data to identify improvement areas. He developed learning partnerships with several community organizations to implement programs and initiatives that make life in Canada better for all. One example is the work with the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund, leading to the creation of the first Legacy Space: a safe, welcoming physical place for all employees to learn, reflect and honour Indigenous cultures.