BURLINGTON, ON, April 20, 2016 /CNW/ - Normand St. Gelais, Sodexo's Director of Diversity and Inclusion, has been named the 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner of the Year by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI).
The award recognizes outstanding individuals who have made great strides in creating respectful cultures that are truly inclusive and allow every person to bring his or her best self to work each day. This category is part of CCDI's annual Awards of Success that recognize individuals who work tirelessly to help make their workplaces, and Canadian society, more inclusive (www.ccdi.ca). Normand is the leader responsible for diversity and inclusiveness initiatives to strengthen Sodexo's culture. He has dedicated himself to developing a respectful workplace culture that allows employees to come together and create new and greater possibilities.
Among Normand's many accomplishments was the design and creation of Sodexo Canada's Diversity Council to drive cultural change through all levels of the organization. He also serves on Sodexo's Global Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.
Normand is passionate about the power for mentoring to inspire best efforts. His work helped lead to the creation of IMPACT, a cross-divisional and cross-functional mentoring initiative designed to develop future leaders. Mentees in the program report that the knowledge and insights gained through exposure to how other divisions operate have proven particularly valuable in advancing their relationship-building and communication skills.
His work has also played an instrumental role in opening Sodexo's culture to the LGBT community. All of these initiatives were designed to support Sodexo's strategic vision of providing its employees with the best possible work/life experience, regardless of age, gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability or culture.
"We are extremely proud of Normand's work to enhance the quality of life and work experience for our people and to advance our capacity for service excellence," says Barry Telford, President and CEO, Sodexo Canada. "His enduring contributions to the quality of our workplace culture reflects our commitment to make diversity flourish. This promise is rooted in the idea that access to the widest range of perspectives, experiences and backgrounds is integral to generating innovative solutions for the diverse organizations we serve."
More information about this comprehensive awards program to recognize and inspire innovation in the field of diversity and inclusiveness is available at www.ccdi.ca.
About Sodexo
Sodexo in Canada
Sodexo has been delivering On-Site Services in Canada for over 40 years. Recognized as a strategic partner, Sodexo Canada has consolidated its position by providing a range of Quality of Life Services for clients, their employees and visitors in the healthcare, corporate, education and remote sites segments. Delivering food and facilities management services for over 200 clients, Sodexo is a market leader in Canada in terms of revenue and consumers served, and has been recognized as a top employer for the past four consecutive years. Sodexo Canada is proud to have created the Sodexo Foundation, an independent charitable organization that has donated more than one million meals to at risk youth in Canada since it was founded in 2000.
SOURCE Sodexo Canada
Image with caption: "Normand St Gelais (CNW Group/Sodexo Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160420_C1163_PHOTO_EN_670610.jpg
Image with caption: "Sodexo (CNW Group/Sodexo Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160420_C1163_PHOTO_EN_670608.jpg
Dave Bennett, Xposure PR, 905.339.2209, [email protected]
Sodexo has been delivering On-Site Services in Canada for over 40 years. Recognized as a strategic partner, Sodexo Canada has consolidated its position by providing a range of Quality of Life Services for clients, their employees and visitors in the corporate, education,...
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