CALGARY, March 25, 2022 - Mainstreet Equity Corp. (Mainstreet), Canada's leading real estate corporation on the TSX (TSX:MEQ), specializing in quality, affordable mid-market apartment buildings in western Canada, are proud to be included as a leader in gender equity in the annual “Women Lead Here” list published by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business (ROB) magazine. This annual editorial benchmark identifies best-in-class executive gender diversity in corporate Canada.
Established in 2020 ROB magazine, the Women Lead Here initiative applies a proprietary research methodology to determine Canadian corporations with the highest degree of gender diversity among executive ranks. This initiative highlights businesses that have made tangible, systemic, organizational progress related to executive gender parity.
For the 2022 ranking, ROB conducted a journalistic analysis of almost 500 large, publicly traded Canadian companies, evaluating the ratio of female-identifying to male-identifying executives in the top three tiers of executive leadership. The resultant data was applied to a weighted formula that also factored in company performance, diversity and year-to-year change.
In total, 74 companies earned the 2022 Women Lead Here seal, with a combined average of 46% of executive roles held by female-identifying individuals.
As leaders in diversity and inclusion, Mainstreet appreciates this external recognition of the values which have driven the company’s success.
“What are you talking to me for?” Mainstreet Founder, President, and CEO Bob Dhillon responded when asked what he thought set Mainstreet apart. “Everybody knows what I think. Talk to the women who have sailed us through the dark and choppy waters of the last few years.”
Mainstreet’s Vice-President of Operations, Sheena Keslick, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Trina Cui, are just two examples of the female leadership who have driven the company’s impressive performance through challenges ranging from 2014’s oil price crash to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these hurdles, the company has continued its twenty-year streak of delivering double-digit year-over-year organic growth.
“Mainstreet doesn’t just have buildings, we have communities. Every property is a unique combination of residents with varied experiences, perspectives, and goals; part of our job is to bring those people together and foster a sense of community to create the best possible home”, Keslick said. “For me, that also means taking a holistic approach and getting involved in the needs of our communities.”
Keslick can often be found on her volunteer shift handing out food to those in need at Calgary’s Drop-In Centre, organizing a clothing and fundraising drive for Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon, or organizing refugee housing assistance in Edmonton.
“Not every company makes giving back to their communities a priority, but we’ve always believed in it strongly at Mainstreet,” CFO Trina Cui said. “The better your performance, the greater your ability and responsibility to give back. Our team, who come from so many different backgrounds, from Banff to Beijing, have delivered under incredibly tough market conditions over the last few years. The diversity of perspective our team provides, combined with our open-door communication policy, enables us to listen to our team and adjust our strategy according to the reality on the ground, instead of the echo in the boardroom.”
Attitudes like theirs, combined with their exceptional financial acumen, it’s no wonder these executives are setting the example for the future of Canadian corporate culture.
The full list of 2022 Women Lead Here honourees can be found in the April issue of Report On Business magazine, distributed with The Globe and Mail on Saturday, March 26, 2022, and online now at tgam.ca/WomenLeadHere.
For media inquiries related to Mainstreet or Bob Dhillon, please contact Jesse Greenwell, Mainstreet Communications.
SOURCE: Mainstreet Equity Corp.
For further information:
Jesse Greenwell
D: +1 (403) 215-6071
100, 305 10 Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0W2 Canada
TSX: MEQ