High Road certified by IWSCC as a Diversity Supplier in Canada as disabled veteran-owned business

TORONTO, April 17, 2018 /CNW/ - High Road Human Capital, a Toronto-based strategic talent acquisition company, announced that they're one of the first organizations in the country to become a certified Diversity Supplier by the IWSCC (Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada) as a service-disabled veteran-owned business.

"I've spent more than 20 years working in recruitment," says Jesse Ryan, Founder/President of High Road, a Toronto-based consulting firm specializing in talent solutions ranging from sourcing and recruitment to HR consulting. "But my first career was in the Canadian Armed Forces, and it changed my life in so many ways."

One of the results of Ryan's time in the service was the loss of his hearing. Today, Ryan is functionally deaf, is considered 'disabled', and wears hearing aids.

High Road is now a certified Diversity Supplier: A company owned by a person or people who meet specific criteria around traditionally marginalized groups. Increasingly, Canadian organizations are recognizing that ensuring their supplier base is as diverse as possible is a good way to drive diversity and inclusion in their business. While Supplier Diversity has been growing in the past 10 years, veterans – especially service-disabled veterans – have only recently been made a priority.

"As a disabled veteran working with a wide variety of clients, I knew organizations could benefit from working with Diversity Suppliers. Of course I have a personal interest in the veteran community, and work with organizations like Soldier On, Treble Victor Group and The Career Edge Organization, vCAF Steering Committee, all of which help veterans achieve their full potential. But it's only recently that veterans – and service-disabled veterans in particular – have become a focus of Canadian businesses' supplier diversity programs."

Working in recruitment has made Ryan aware of what he considers a particular problem for vets: The difficulty of transitioning to civilian life after a decade or more in the military. "I've watched these servicemen and -women, who had fantastic skills but were somehow having trouble finding great jobs on civvy street," he says. "I wanted to do something about it."

"Veterans bring a wide array of very valuable skills to the table: Project management on a large scale, team management, and a commitment to delivering results," says Andrew Wilson, Senior Director, Human Relations, for Canada Bread Company, Ltd., one of High Road's clients. But the military also teaches humility, so as job seekers they can be reluctant to put themselves forward or boast of their accomplishments."

Supplier Diversity has the potential to transform organizations for the better. "The rationale for Canadian companies' diversity programs isn't only about being responsible corporate citizens," says Ryan. "It's that they've seen clear evidence that supplier diversity drives business success – and helps them more effectively meet the requirements of an increasingly diverse customer base."

"Businesses often talk about 'entrepreneurial thinking', and that's not necessarily how people perceive veterans," adds Ryan. "But to me, understanding a goal and owning the results – the kinds of skills that servicemen and -women learn in the Forces - is what entrepreneurial thinking is all about."

Though Ryan has worked in recruiting and talent acquisition for more than 20 years, becoming a Certified Diversity Supplier is particularly exciting. "My brothers and sisters from the Forces deserve to have successful post-military careers. I can't think of a better way to give back than to leverage Supplier Diversity programs to help them do that."

About High Road Human Capital
High Road is a consulting firm specializing in talent acquisition and human resources management. Founded in 2017 by Jesse Ryan, long recognized as a leader in the Canadian recruiting industry, High Road is recognized for its commitment to talent acquisition innovations like recruitment process outsourcing and time-based transparent billing. Clients include Canada Bread, RBC, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Mazda Canada, Crosslinx Transit Solutions and Hyundai Capital Canada.
https://www.highroadhr.ca/

SOURCE High Road Human Capital

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