b'Working Towards Greater Diversity, Equity and Inclusionq ALEXANDRA BIRON 11Experienced consultant, writer, and advocate, Alexandra Biron 11 has been making positive changes in the corporate world. Alex is proud of her Anishinaabe/Ojibway identity and is committed to making an impact in Canada for indigenous and non-indigenous people. Alex graduated with a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and then went on to obtaina postgraduate certi\x03icate in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability from St. Michaels College at the University of Toronto.After completing her education and working in various roles, Alex is now Manager, Indigenous at Deloitte, a professional services \x03irm. Alex manages Deloittes Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which is Deloittes pledge to follow a path to reconciliation by fostering meaningful and lasting relationships in working with indigenous peoples, clients and communities. This is the \x03irst RAP released in corporate Canada, which I led the charge on, said Alex. It is a strategic framework that holds our \x03irm accountable to advance reconciliation through tactical commitments and targets under the four pillars of education, employment, inclusion and economic empowerment.One of the key pillars in Deloittes Reconciliation Action Plan is education, and this starts with Deloittes employees. In December 2019, Alex completed her 4 Seasons of Reconciliation certi\x03ication with First Nations University of Canada. Many people have a knowledge gap in terms of understanding the history and the truth of this land, said Alex. In order to help close this gap and understand the truth, we have launched a \x03irm-wide Indigenous awareness course. This three-hour multimedia course, produced in collaboration with First Nations University of Canada, oers a primer on the truths and implications of the historical and contemporary relationship between IndigenousBROOKE ROBINSON 16 mPeoples (First Nations, Mtis and Inuit) and those of us who bene\x03it from their lands. It is our responsibility to understand the truth and history of this land before we canBrooke Robinson 16 is a recent Queens reconcile with Indigenous peoples, said Alex. Commerce graduate. During her time in university, she was one of two marketing Alex stepped into her current role in early 2020 after being part of Deloittes Corporatedirectors for Q+. Responsibility team. There, she helped shape the \x03irms Indigenous Impact, which is illustrated by their 2019 Indigenous Impact Report. This report includes stories,Q+ is an organization that was designed to initiatives and information about Deloittes eorts to support Indigenous communitiesallow the LGBTQ+ communities at the Smith through volunteer work, donations, sponsorships and more. The report stemmed fromSchool of Business to \x03lourish by providing a my capstone report as part of my Diploma in Corporate Responsibility and Sustainabilitysafe and inclusive space, promoting internal at St. Michaels College at University of Toronto, she said. Alex received the Presidentsand external networking, mentorship and Award at St. Michaels College for her capstone by demonstrating signi\x03icant positivedevelopment opportunities.changes in her workplace.Brooke got involved in Q+ because she wanted Alex is also committed to communicating her knowledge more globally. She recentlyto \x03ind a community at Queens where it felt wrote a piece for The Globe and Mail about holding corporations accountable in thelike she could be herself and be surrounded journey to reconciliation with Indigenous people. In this article, Alex outlined ways inby people who were queer. This was my which companies can provide ongoing support to Indigenous communities. In orderfavourite role because I could discuss all things to strengthen Indigenous businesses and communities across Canada, organizationsqueer with my team and we had a mutual could choose to signi\x03icantly boost their annualunderstanding you couldnt necessarily get procurement spend with Indigenous companies,from others outside Q+, said Brooke.Alex wrote. This could see millions of dollars each year \x03lowing to Indigenous-owned businesses,At Q+ Brooke spent most of her time creating improving their sustainability and the potential tosocial media campaigns, developing content hire more Indigenous employees.for social media platforms and helping with the creative needs of the Q+ events. They hosted Although there is still much to be done, Alexevents such as their annual conference, which will continue to strive for positive change inbrought together LGBTQ students and inclusive her workplace and to encourage others to joinemployers. This was a space where students the journey to reconciliation with Indigenouscould \x03ind job opportunities and connect with communities. other queer individuals.You can read more about her work at the links below. If you are queer/an ally and going into the Commerce program at Queens, I highly RAP/Indigenous Impact Report: https://bit.ly/2Z1mC8w recommend getting involved with Q+, The Globe and Mail Article: https://tgam.ca/3hWBz37 said Brooke. 10 evergreen Oct. 2020GRWD206_Evergreen_2020_v5.indd 10 10/9/20 4:32 PM'