Fostering Inclusion from Diverse Suppliers to ERGs

Darrell is an advocate of effecting social change through the economic empowerment of 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs. He is the co-founder and CEO of the CGLCC, Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce, a national not-for-profit organization with a mission to expand the opportunities and advancement of the 2SLGBTQI+ business community in Canada. 

Darrell is a founding member of Supplier Diversity Alliance Canada, a national organization dedicated to the advancement of research, education, and advocacy of supplier diversity in Canada. He sits on the Supplier Advisory Committee (Public Services and Procurement Canada) to provide support in identifying potential improvements to Federal Government procurement.  

He is also the co-founder of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Business Education Foundation and Travel Gay Canada.   

 
Darrell completed his Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of Calgary, and completed his Executive MBA from Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University. 

Letecia Rose is an equity strategist and an award-winning facilitator passionate about creating inclusive spaces and delivering equitable outcomes. Her career has transcended multiple sectors, including sports & entertainment, education, community impact, arts, and social service. As a leader in diversity, social justice, and community engagement for the past seventeen years, Letecia has trained thousands of stakeholders and organizations across Ontario and has created spaces for individuals to have courageous conversations about diversity, inclusion, and inequity. 

As the Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Canadian Tire Corporation, Letecia works to build equitable and inclusive environments where people can feel seen and heard and that they belong. Letecia is also a vital member of the Human Resources Leadership team, where she advises on all aspects of the talent function to deliver long-term sustainable growth for the organization. During her short time within the organization, she has increased diverse representation, created career advancement opportunities, and cultivated a sophisticated network of Employee Resource and Business Integration Groups across the enterprise. 

Before working at Canadian Tire, Letecia was the Principal Consultant for Skill Market, a company she founded to build equity strategies and customized trainings to address organizations’ complex and evolving needs. In this role, she was able to advise government agencies and co-create strategies with industry leaders in the corporate and NGO sectors. Her values-driven approach centred around ‘fostering proximity to promote empathy’ combined with her ability to design people-centred solutions has made her a trusted voice and thought leader in the EDI industry. 

Letecia is a recognized city-builder who has received the United Way Innovation and Creativity Award, a Vital People award from the Toronto Community Foundation, and the NBA Inclusion Innovation Award. She is also a WXN Women’s Executive Leadership Top 100 Leader for 2020 and a recipient of the Mercedes Benz Emerging Leader Award. In recognition of her contributions to cultivating inclusion, Letecia was named one of Canada’s Top 10 Diversity & Inclusion Leaders and Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch for 2023 and 2024.

Within the community, Letecia sits on the CAMH Foundation Board but has also served as an advisory member of several organizations, including the Civic Action Leadership Foundation, RISE Edutainment and was the co-chair of the City of Toronto’s Reaction Task Force and the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN).

Hailing from the Saskatchewan Prairies, Shauna Lenius exuded so much ambition and tenacity as a kid when asked ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ She constantly replied,

“I’m not sure yet, but I know it will be great!” . 

After business school her first ‘great’ put working with the RCMP but her thirst for entrepreneurship and working for herself was a fire inside she couldn’t ignore.  

With an eye for detail and an intrinsic flare for design, it seemed inevitable for Lenius to delve into multimillion dollar residential and commercial markets for clients all over North America 

As Shauna’s reputation in the medical-construction vertical was rapidly spreading across Canada, a repeated question: “Are you really in construction, you don’t look like someone who would be”

Consider this another fire that lit Lenuis soul, motivating her to encourage more women and marginalized communities to enter the trades and be leaders in this industry.

At the beginning of the pandemic Shauna met Mandy Rennehan,CEO and founder of Freshco.ca, a serial advocate for the skilled trades, and construction mogul.

The two have been inseparable ever since, and now known in North America as a powerhouse industry duo.

Shauna is now the President and Shareholder of Freshco (not the grocery store!) and has grown the company exponentially with her knowledge and ability to foster authentic relationships with fortune 500 brands.