Carolyn Levy

For Carolyn Levy, economic sustainability and DE&I go hand in hand. Many countries do not have the talent to fill jobs of the future — and that’s where DE&I comes in, Levy believes. She feels passionately that the staffing industry has the biggest opportunity to affect the DE&I space and change the future of work.

Levy began to realize the power she had to make a positive change in the world when she started making choices that reflected her personal beliefs about equality for all. “My purpose in life is to spark joy, whether it’s personal or professional,” she says. This purpose anchors her career journey.

Levy’s children also drive her forward as she works to overcome the many arbitrary barriers women in business face, hindering their success. “I have two little girls, and I want them to be able to select anything that they want to do but also to live in a prosperous economy,” she says.

Under Levy’s leadership as chief diversity and inclusion officer at Randstad Canada in 2020, accountability for DE&I shifted from human resources teams to the CEO and C-suite. By going to the company’s top executives, Levy reduced hours spent seeking buy-in and helped redesign the way people thought about DE&I.

The business case [for pursuing DE&I] has already been made. You need to focus on implementation and strategy and how you’ll execute.

When her tenure came to an end two years later, Levy transitioned to managing director and head of Canada for Randstad Digital — and made it a priority to weave DE&I into every aspect of the role. At a recent sales kick-off, for example, the team opted for a women-owned catering company and coffee from an organization that helped support people with disabilities looking for work.

“All these pieces, it’s truly living my intention,” Levy says. Embedding DE&I into her leadership style has been her biggest accomplishment.

Levy encourages people and organizations looking to advance DE&I to look in the mirror. “It has to start with you,” she says. When individuals take the time to reflect and dig deeper to find their own purpose and value, real change blossoms.

Most importantly, Levy says, organizations need to stop seeking out a business case for DE&I advancements. “The business case has already been made. You need to focus on implementation and strategy and how you’ll execute.”