Media Advisory – Canadian CEOs to sign BlackNorth Initiative’s CEO Pledge Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism at Inaugural Summit

Canadian business leaders to commit to specific actions and targets designed to end anti-Black systemic racism and create opportunities for all of those in the underrepresented BIPOC community

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism:

What: Signatories of the CEO Pledge will be invited to participate in the BlackNorth Initiative Summit.

At the Summit, Wes Hall, along with his fellow BlackNorth Initiative Co-Chairs —Victor Dodig, President and Chief Executive Officer of CIBC; Prem Watsa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited; and Rola Dagher, President and CEO of Cisco Canada— and special guests will unveil the BlackNorth Initiative’s next steps, including a series of initiatives led by prominent Canadians from across the country, each tasked with identifying barriers and developing concrete action plans to remove them.

Already, an overwhelming number of CEOs have signed the pledge.

Why: To gain support to solve anti-Black systemic racism in Canada via the BlackNorth Initiative pledge.

When: Monday, July 20, 2020

• 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Media interview opportunities
• 2:00 p.m. – Welcome and Opening Remarks from Wes Hall
• 2:15 p.m. – Speakers Evander Kane and Akim Aliu
• 2:40 p.m. – POC Highlighting Personal Stories
• 2:45 p.m. – Deep Dive on Pledge + CEO Roundtable
• 3:20 p.m. – Business Spotlight
• 3:25 p.m. – Guest Speaker
• 3:30 p.m. – Closing remarks
• 3:45 p.m. – Committee Breakout Sessions

Where:

Virtually:
Link for Official Registration: https://www.blacknorth.ca/Register

In-Person: (For interviews with the BlackNorth Initiative Chair, Co-Chairs)
The Great Hall
1087 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H3

Due to Covid-19, we will be maintaining social distance safety protocol and managing the number of attendees onsite. We welcome you onsite to interview the Chair and Co-Chairs and tour the Summit studio space during your scheduled visit.

Who:

• Wes Hall, Executive Chairman and Founder of Kingsdale Advisors
• Victor Dodig, President and Chief Executive Officer of CIBC
• Prem Watsa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited
• Rola Dagher, President and CEO of Cisco Canada

About the BlackNorth Initiative:

The BlackNorth Initiative was created by The Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism to combat anti-Black systemic racism in Corporate Canada. The initiative challenges senior Canadian business leaders to commit their companies to specific actions and targets designed to end anti-Black systemic racism and create opportunities for all of those in the underrepresented BIPOC community.