2 March 2023 In Inclusion, Portraits By URelles

How have diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism shaped Chloé Saintesprit’s career?

The URelles portraits showcase change-makers in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). These portraits are intended to provide ideas and inspiration for SMEs wishing to learn more about DEI!

Chloé Saintesprit is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) professional who has been officially working in this sector for five years. Since 2022, she has been Senior Regional DEI Manager at Plus Company. Passionate about the subject, she agreed to share her story, vision and advice for organizations. Discover her portrait!

URelles: Tell us about your background and how you became attracted to DEI?

Chloé Saintesprit: Born in France to an Afro-descendant mother of Cameroonian origin who became a French citizen, and a French Caucasian father, I find myself at the intersection of two communities, the particularity of métissage. Also neurodivergent, of immigrant background (first generation), born francophone, non-binary gender and single mother, my identity & life experience naturally drew me to DEI. In fact, I wanted to understand why I didn’t fit into any of society’s boxes.

My awareness of DEI and anti-racism has always been present – in the sense – long before DEI existed, since the age of 10. They really accelerated as soon as I entered professional life. I worked for a major marketing agency in Paris, and when we received offers from our customers for product testing, it was clearly stated in the profile search: “No North African names, no blacks”. This was in 2007, and the shock was frontal! I was working in an industry that didn’t accept me. But at the same time, I was becoming aware of my own privileges.

During my twenties in France, I worked in large companies where people belonging to the dominant group (white, well-off, educated men) were in the majority in management positions. As a young graduate in management, administration and communications, motivated and full of hope…my arrival on the job market was an electric shock! I had no role models, and what’s more, I sometimes received sexist and racist comments in the workplace: “Smile, you’re so much prettier”, when male customers asked me to bring them coffee when I was giving a presentation to works council members, unpleasant remarks about my physique (the hypersexualization of black women), or when colleagues instinctively asked me the famous “Where are you from?

My academic path in DEI was surprisingly triggered during my bachelor’s degree in dance at UQAM between 2016 and 2019. I was doing a lot of research to understand why my body didn’t fit the aesthetic criteria of the dances taught in my program. The result of this three-year reflection was this article for the Regroupement québécois de la danse “Enjeux de morphologie dans l’inclusion des afrodescendant.e.s dans les institutions scolaires en danse”.

As for my course at HEC Montréal during my DESS in management and my student involvement as VP Communication of the Diversity Committee or as co-founder of the Comité de l’Histoire des Noir-e-s (2020) and co-president in 2022, these confirmed my desire to expand my knowledge and experience in this field.

In short, I wasn’t interested in DEI and anti-racism, but they were and still are part of my life’s journey. Let’s just say that this evolution into DEI is a logical sequence of events and makes perfect sense! My journey resonates all the more in a context of labour shortage and projections for visible minorities.

According to Statistics Canada, by 2036, 40% of the Canadian population will be from visible minorities. Other under-represented communities (people belonging to indigenous communities, LGBTQIA2+, people with visible and invisible disabilities…) must also be considered in the corporate vision. For example, it’s time to widen our blinkers right from the start: to focus on different CVs from the earliest stages of the employee cycle, to widen our recruitment pools outside the usual patterns, and to start developing “culture add” thinking instead of just “culture fit” thinking to overcome these issues and stay competitive.

URelles: You also have experience in communications, administration and management. How do you reconcile these areas with DEI in your day-to-day work?

Chloé Saintesprit: I’d say DEI is a 360 practice. The idea is to cross-reference all company departments, including all levels of the hierarchy. Understanding the different units that make up a company (private or public) and the different roles they play enables us to have a 360° vision to better implement DEI and anti-racist S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realizable and Timely) practices.

For communication, which is an extremely important tool, especially for DEI, we can think of the impact of inclusive writing both internally and externally (employer brand). Or benevolent communication, or even the use of appropriate concepts to address people from under-represented communities.

On the communications-marketing front, I’d like to share a piece of information that may be of interest to companies working mainly in advertising, but which may also be relevant to other sectors: “All studies, including the one by Deloitte, show that companies with diversity in their marketing and advertising campaigns have a stock market valuation 44% higher than those that are below average”. (Radio Canada, 2021). There is therefore a very strong correlation between brand preference and its diversity index. This means that the more a brand represents society as it is, the more people will want to buy it. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

For management, I could make a close link with inclusive leadership. With the globalization of markets, how can we develop the skills and qualities of an inclusive leader? How can we avoid unconscious biases in an intercultural team, so as to federate a team to achieve a common goal? What is the impact of inclusive leadership on the work environment and, moreover, on employee retention (sense of belonging)?

For management, what would be the relevant performance indicators (qualitative or quantitative) in DEI, based on the company’s awareness, the objectives defined by management and with the pulse of employees. DEI is a “journey” that requires the opinion of all employees, in order to obtain a real diagnosis of the company.

URelles: As a black woman working in DEI, you find yourself in an intersectionality whose issues directly concern certain DEI decisions. Does this have an impact on your role as DEI manager?

Chloé Saintesprit: That’s an excellent question! How can I be impartial in my role as a visible minority? But above all, how can I also protect my mental health as someone who finds herself at the intersection of several identity markers (Kimberle Crenshaw). And who, what’s more, works in a practice that’s indispensable but still often misunderstood because it’s so new? The words “sustainable development” and “ESG” have more resonance, but DEI still has some way to go, despite the fact that DEI is closely linked to sustainable development and ESG.

But let’s not forget that “DEI is an imperative, not a cause” (Cossette). Indeed, according to the Forbes report, “85% of companies agree that diversity leads to more innovative ideas” and “Diverse companies are 35% more likely to outperform others” (McKinsey & Company, 2020). Diversity is wealth, and it’s important to include people from these under-represented communities in our companies.

To answer the question, I’d say that with every issue, I ask myself who the direct and indirect beneficiaries of these measures will be. Personally, I’m a big fan of data. It helps to have a clear vision of the actions to be taken. For example, in Quebec, the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) recommends the use of self-identification questionnaires. Although these questionnaires are not compulsory, they give a rough idea of the angle to tackle when accompanied by an effective communication plan. I love thinking about solutions, but I also love taking action! DEI and anti-racism are a bit like that: raising an issue and taking action to effect change in the short, medium and long term!

“Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone? Are you ready to listen to people from under-represented groups? And are you ready to take risks and pursue your thinking?” – Chloé Saintesprit

URelles: What recommendations would you make to a company wishing to highlight its Black employees during Black History Month?

Chloé Saintesprit: In my opinion, there are several downsides to Black History Month. Firstly, despite the fact that the Association for the Study of African American History (ASALH) launched Negro History Week in the second week of February 1926 (New York Times, 2021), February remains the shortest and coldest month of the year, even though Negro History Week was later extended.

Then, in the subconscious of many Canadians, this month is uniquely dedicated to black communities. But as Jean Augustine, the first black woman to be elected to Canada’s House of Commons and the first black woman to serve in the federal cabinet in 1993, put it, “Black History is not just for Black People – Black History is Canadian history”. This implies that everyone, especially those belonging to the dominant group, should recognize the contribution of black communities to Canadian history. This will position them as allies.

So I’d have more questions for companies who’d like to shine a spotlight on their Afrodescendant employees (and why not their external collaborators?): Is it really relevant and does it fulfill a long-term vision to put these employees in the spotlight once during the month? What about the other days of the year?

If an event is organized in-house, will it be the black employees who have to handle the logistics? What role would allies and sponsors play in these activities? What year-round programs could be put in place to really support black employees, and not just once a month? Has a budget or schedule accommodations been considered in the annual planning to allow for these activations or projects?

URelles: One of your long-term visions is to encourage women from diverse backgrounds to take up governance positions. How do you go about it?

Chloé Saintesprit: As I sit on a number of Boards of Directors in the cultural sector, I encourage and support women from diverse backgrounds to apply to sit on Boards of Directors or apply for management positions (positions they would never have considered because the imposter syndrome, the glass ceiling or the sticky floor prevent them from projecting themselves into these roles). But I also encourage them to take training courses or go back to school if they feel the need to develop new skills.

That’s why, in 2022, I’ve decided to create a scholarship for single mothers from diverse backgrounds who wish to study at the graduate level at HEC Montréal. I believe that female leadership is multi-dimensional and, above all, can be achieved through sharing and mutual support. Last but not least, I help young women from visible minorities to realize their dreams.

But, as they say, there’s strength in numbers, so I don’t hesitate to take part in programs or cohorts such as CMTL’s Groupe des Trente, the Jeune chambre de commerce de Montréal’s first Génération d’Impact cohort, or training courses like Cité ELLES Montréal. It also allows me to meet other women from diverse backgrounds who share the same interests, and who also want to develop a network of extraordinary women who want to change the world! I’d say that cross-disciplinary collaboration is the key word.

URelles: What suggestions would you make to organizations to include more people from diverse backgrounds in decision-making roles?

Chloé Saintesprit: I’d have so many! But first I’d have some questions. My first: is your leadership team predominantly made up of white men? If so, and people recognize that, “It’s a start!”.

Then, here are a few questions that I think are relevant to ask: How big is the company? Are DEI and anti-racist practices part of the company’s vision? How many women are in management positions? How many people from diverse backgrounds hold these same positions? Do you have a pay equity process? Have leaders received training in DEI and anti-racism?

What has been put in place to date to enable people from diverse backgrounds to be promoted? Are these promotion processes sound (avoiding tokenism)? What are the current recruitment pools? Are recruitment teams predominantly white? If so, have they received training in unconscious bias? As have the managers involved in the recruitment process? Above all, is the work environment safe and conducive enough for people from diverse backgrounds to enter, develop and stay in management positions?

To sum up, I’d suggest carrying out a diagnosis of diversity, but also of inclusion processes and employees’ sense of belonging. Surveys are your best friend!

URelles: In your opinion, what is the first EDI action an organization should take?

Chloé Saintesprit : Depending on the size of the company, its structure and other factors such as the field and the level of progress in DEI, I’d say that the first step would be to anonymously survey employees about diversity, equity, inclusion and also a sense of belonging. The responses from the survey or listening tour, depending on the budget, will provide an angle for the organization to take. This step will enable the organization to integrate DEI into its DNA and take concrete, appropriate action.

URelles: You’ve been involved in various organizations throughout your career. If you had three key DEI tips to share with organizations, what would they be?

Chloé Saintesprit : The key tips would be three questions: are you ready to step out of your comfort zone? Are you willing to listen to people from under-represented groups? And are you willing to take risks and keep thinking?

The good news is that if the answer to these three questions is yes, you’re ready to take action!

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