The Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada (IWSCC) announce the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) as its first founding member this week.

The announcement came on Sept. 10 2018 from IWSCC co-founders Jeff Wilson and Deidre Guy, who praised RBC’s support noting the national bank has been instrumental in the creation of IWSCC’s Veteran and Disabled Council, which has allowed the council to move forward with its work with corporate members and augment internal staffing to focus on increasing the number of businesses represented by the organization, and expand the types of services to best assist business owners.

“We are thrilled to have RBC as our first founding member,” Guy said in a statement. “The increased opportunity to help diverse business owners is pretty exciting stuff.”

The Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada was formed as a Canadian non-profit created to allow both veterans and people with disabilities who own businesses to be officially recognized as Diverse Suppliers. It assists business owners through a certification process that can expand their business opportunities to include some of Canada’s leading brands and public sector organizations.

The IWSCC also provides ongoing education and mentoring to assist with the rigours of formal procurement processes. Founded in 1864 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Royal Bank of Canada is among the five largest banks in the nation serving over 16 million clients and has 80,000 employees worldwide. It is also the largest Canadian company by revenue and market capitalization.

“We’re equally proud to partner with IWSCC to support diversity in supply chains,” said RBC Global Head of Procurement Natalie Marchesan. “As a former officer of the Canadian Air Force, it’s especially gratifying to have RBC take a leadership role in supporting veterans and persons with disabilities, opening procurement opportunities to certified suppliers.”

The organization is dedicated to helping Veterans and differently-abled entrepreneurs by creating conditions for equal access and opportunity and highlighting the opportunities and value of relationships with these companies.

With this formal designation of RBC, it assures organizations that procurement opportunities are going to businesses that have been pre-certified as at least 51 per cent owned and operated by veterans or persons with disabilities.