EXCELLENCE AWARDEE: The CCDI Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion

Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

Robin Riddell

Vice-President, Human Resources

Ms. Riddell has more than 30 years of experience with the IESO and its predecessor organizations, and the electricity sector. She holds a degree in social sciences from the University of Western Ontario. Ms. Riddell first joined the organization as a summer student. Over the years she has held several different positions on the way to taking up the role of Vice-President, Human Resources. In this position her responsibilities include supporting the IESO’s strategic and operational plans through effective leadership and management of the human resources function and ensuring a strategic approach to talent planning and management in all its aspects. Areas of particular focus include culture transformation, the employee experience/engagement, and diversity & inclusion.

Vice-President, Human Resources

Robin Riddell

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As an independent, forward-thinking girls’ school we are committed to preparing girls for a lifetime of learning, leadership and engagement in our global community. We believe in girls. At Ruyton Girls’ School we foster the individuality of each girl in a caring and safe environment, nurturing her intellectual, physical, social and emotional qualities that are essential to flourish. Powerful learning is central to the Ruyton culture, building on our strong academic reputation. We focus on advancing the learning of every girl through the engagement of intellectual curiosity, building their knowledge and skills about how to learn, and supporting them to achieve their personal best and be exemplary citizens. We believe in real-world learning beyond the classroom, collaborating with the wider community to promote growth, discovery and sustainability. We empower our girls to lead lives of purpose with courage, character and compassion. Through the development of values and action-focused learning they are inspired to pursue equity and justice for self and others. By embracing diversity and raising their voices, our girls effect positive change and make a difference.

With a core belief that culture and strategy go hand in hand, the IESO is committed to cultivating an open and respectful work environment where over 1,000 employees feel valued for the differences they bring and are given equitable opportunities to thrive. How are they working to achieve that? By embedding EDI in everything they do – from the top down. Last year, IESO executives participated in an Inclusive Leadership 360 feedback program designed to foster equity-promoting behaviours and awareness. After completing an inclusivity self-assessment, executives received feedback from colleagues as well as direct and indirect reports to highlight how they were perceived and how their actions aligned with core values. After pinpointing areas of strength and development – including a commitment to “know and grow” reports from under-represented groups – they also participated in individual coaching sessions to further identify opportunities for awareness and addressing equity-eroding behaviours. The results were impressive with the entire executive leadership team improving in all dimensions over the course of several sessions.

Sue Gagné is the Director of Talent Management for the IESO and is passionate about creating inclusive environments where employees learn, engage, and thrive. Sue works with IESO leaders to build commitment and contribution to vision and strategy through culture change, learning and leadership, organizational development, workforce planning, and employee engagement initiatives that optimize the employee and candidate experiences. Sue has held a variety of leadership roles across multiple sectors, which allows her to implement innovative talent management solutions for IESO’s business context. Sue holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Waterloo and a master of arts in industrial and organizational development psychology from the University of Guelph.

Director, Talent Management

Sue Gagné

“For me personally, the opportunity to have a supportive environment to gain awareness and insights into how to be an inclusive leader is such a gift,” says Robin Riddell, Vice-President, Human Resources. “I am eager to learn how my leadership style supports inclusivity, and even more importantly, how it may not despite best intentions.” In 2022, the IESO also launched Self-ID, an equity analysis that invited employees to share information related to various diversity dimensions. To date, 60 per cent of employees have voluntarily participated in the program, and the IESO boasts 5–18 per cent higher representation across all dimensions, compared to the electricity industry, with the exception of Indigeneity – an area of focus for the IESO as it moves forward on its EDI journey. Other scores show that the vast majority of IESO employees feel included, respected, and fairly treated, and that the organization is taking the right steps in advancing EDI as part of its corporate culture and values. The IESO recognizes that employees are its greatest strength and that everyone has something unique to bring to the table. By making diversity and inclusion a fundamental part of who they are and how they operate, the IESO is building a workplace in which every employee feels safe, seen, and heard. “2023 was filled with exciting achievements, and being recognized as an EDI Awardee only furthers our momentum!” says Robin Riddell, Vice-President, Human Resources. “The IESO's EDI strategy is grounded to remove barriers that could impede a person's entry into, or their success within our organization – our next 5 years will push the EDI space like never before!”