BCBusiness

November/December 2021 – She’s Got Game

With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 BCBUSINESS 55 bring them back to the workforce, Sainsbury says, especially if they left due to an unsafe home environment or their refugee status–or started a family and didn't feel comfortable returning. "Ultimately, we haven't really hit equality until 50 percent of the parental leave is taken by men." Sainsbury reveals that she felt intimidated and overwhelmed about returning to the office after her own leave, even though she's married to Briggs. Having female leaders at a company can reduce the stress and stigma for women with children, she argues. "That type of mentality just goes away, because it's seen as being a responsible person who's up for a challenge." Although GeoComply's offices differ culturally, Sainsbury has found that they have one thing in common. "The general feedback that I get from women on our team is that they really wanted to work for a female-led organization, that there's something inherently comfortable in that," she says. "We're treating human beings as individuals who are capable and qualified and insightful, regardless of their age, race or sex." Besides, female employees are good for business. "If I look at our teams, especially working externally and talking with regulators and leg- islators and our clients, I think there's an ability for women to create a lot of trust and vulnerability in a relation- ship," Sainsbury says. "That often uncovers more problems or opportuni- ties for us to solve, and there's a huge benefit for us." Sainsbury also notes that she's talked to other founders and execu- tives who took on larger institutional investors that ended up with board seats. "They had more equality across the organization, and then the board became very male- dominated." As a result, much of the female leadership and founding teams got pushed out, she says. "I always have that at the back of my mind. You're only two steps away from a very different culture that you don't want, so you need to be intentional." –N.R. Building Connections At New Relationship Trust, Jessie Williams takes a holistic approach to supporting Indigenous communities throughout the province Like many of us, Jessie Wil- liams has had to adjust to a new way of working during the pan- demic. She'd never attended an online meeting before COVID hit, and the experience opened her eyes to new possibilities. "I found once I leaned into it and welcomed it, I was able to figure out how to create an environment that still felt per- sonable, even if it was online," says the recently appointed director of business develop- ment and communications for New Relationship Trust ( NRT). "It just took a minute to adjust." The first of its kind in Can- ada, NRT is a nonprofit that pro- vides funding and support to Indigenous communities across B.C. With those people spread far and wide, travelling to them isn't always feasible. For NRT, the rise of virtual meetings dur- ing the pandemic has fostered better communication. "Online is better than just being on the phone," Williams says. "You get to see people, which I think helps with connection." NRT focuses on five main areas of capacity-building: education, governance, language, youth and elders, and economic development. Its latest project is the British Columbia Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative, which backs communities working in that field. NRT works with govern- ment and non-Indigenous partners, alongside Indigenous leaders, to deliver its programs. "We're a non-political organiza- tion," Williams says. "We have connections with B.C. First Nations and a trust- able relationship with different communities across the province." Most of NRT's 10-member team are Indigenous them- selves, and it takes a holistic approach. "It's a Western way to segment—to have different industries, different segments, different age groups," says Williams, who is a member of the Squamish Nation. "A real strong Indigenous perspective is: everything's connected, everything is whole. And I feel like this specific organization has the ability to respond in a holistic way, understanding all those things are intercon- nected. It's just beautiful." Looking forward New Relationship Trust was created in 2006, when the First Nations Leadership Council asked the provincial government to fund an orga- nization that could respond to Indigenous needs. Although COVID didn't affect its abil- ity to provide services, NRT has had fewer applications than pre-pandemic for grants and other support. Williams believes that's because com- munities have shifted human resources to emergency concerns. "We're working on addressing that by doing more engagement," she says, noting that NRT has hired a director of programs and services. Williams is the first to fill her position, which was created this past spring. Before joining NRT, she was SFU's director of Indigenous relations for the faculty of arts and social sciences, where she worked in a similar capacity. "I created strategy there also, focusing on reconciliation and all the different aspects of how the faculty responded to that," she says. " TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission] calls to action and UNDRIP [United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples] and all those amazing documents that help guide us if we nurture them." She stresses the need for flexibility in her role, a quality reflected in her leadership style. "I have a transforma- tional approach, which is all about how do we evolve, grow and respond to identified needs and then help be a sup- porter and a guide." Although the preference is to meet communities in person once it's safe, NRT now has a solid foundation for online outreach, as long as staff can set some boundaries. "You don't have to travel, and so we spend maybe too many hours sitting," Williams says. "I've never had six meetings in a day before, and I'm not sure how sustainable that is." If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that adapta- tion is key—something that resonates with Williams. "I don't focus on status quo or what we've always done," she says. "I look forward." –S.Z. BCBUSINESS.CA

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