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Equity Impact: Exploring Resume Bias with Dr. Sonia Kang

Wednesday, September 22nd 2021
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Virtual Program, ON

Join WCM and Rotman School of Management for the inaugural Equity Impact event. The Equity Impact series examines pressing issues impacting diversity, equity, and inclusion by featuring leading researchers in the space. WCM's Equity Impact events deliver practical actions that firms and leaders can take to address these critical issues. 

This first edition of Equity Impact features Dr. Sonia Kang of the Rotman School of Management, who will present her research on resume bias and resume whitening. In conversation with Lara Zink, Dr. Kang dissects how firms and leaders are impacted by resume bias and what steps can be taken to attract and retain the best talent.

Agenda:

  • 4:30 - 4:50: Dr. Kang presents research highlighting two key areas
    1. How to attract women to more traditionally male-dominated roles
    2. Mechanisms for reducing the gender gap in promotions
  • 4:50 - 5:10: Fireside chat with Lara Zink and Sonia Kang 
  • 5:10 - 5:30: Q & A from audience

*Student ticket type comes with 1 University Membership to be applied once the event concludes

*To access Member pricing, please log in

Thank you to our event sponsor

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Promotional Partner

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Dr. Sonia K. Kang, PhD

Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion Associate Professor, Organizational Behaviour and HR Management Department of Management, University of Toronto Mississauga Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Dr. Sonia Kang holds the Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the University of Toronto, where she is also a Faculty Research Fellow at the Rotman School of Management’s Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) and Chief Scientist, Organizations in the Behavioural Economics in Action Research Centre at Rotman (BEAR). Sonia earned a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Toronto and completed a SSHRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University.

Sonia’s research explores the challenges and opportunities of identity, diversity, and inclusion. She takes a novel approach by harnessing the power of behavioral insights and organizational design to disrupt systems, processes, and structures that block the path toward diversity and inclusion for individuals, organizations, and society.

Some recent themes investigated in her research include diversity and inclusion in STEM and medicine; using choice architecture to eliminate the gender gap in competition; disclosure of designated group status under the Canadian Employment Equity Act; the effects of high and low power on performance; the interpretation of equality rights under the Canadian Constitution; the effectiveness of pro-diversity statements; and the decision to reveal or conceal race and gender cues when navigating the labor market. Sonia’s research on “resume whitening” won two best paper awards and was recently ranked #3 on Financial Times’ global top 100 list of “business school research with social impact”.

Sonia’s research has been published widely in top-tier academic journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, The Lancet, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, and Annual Review of Psychology, and is frequently featured in media outlets such as The Harvard Business Review, The Financial Times, Forbes, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and on CBC Radio.

Sonia is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and expert commentator with a unique ability to translate complex research findings into actionable and impactful insights. She is the host of For the Love of Work (fortheloveofwork.ca), a podcast that explores practical solutions to today’s workplaces challenges, touching on important and timely topics including resilience, values, diversity and inclusion, and psychological safety. Sonia was recently honored for her work with a 2021 Report on Business Changemakers Award.

Sonia lives in Toronto with her husband and their two young sons.

Lara Zink

President & CEO, WCM

Lara Zink is currently President & CEO of Women in Capital Markets. WCM is the largest network of female professionals in Canadian finance, with initiatives that impact the careers of countless female students and professionals across the country.

Prior to joining WCM, Lara spent 18 months in venture capital. She is an angel investor and a mentor at a startup accelerator called NEXT Canada. NEXT accelerates the growth trajectory of aspiring and scaling entrepreneurs with education, mentorship, funding, and access to Canada’s strongest entrepreneurial network. 

From 1995 to 2019 Lara worked at RBC Capital Markets. She sold North American and European equity research and investment banking products to many of Canada’s largest institutional investors, including pension funds, bank owned mutual funds, and independent fund managers. A lead partner in RBC Women’s Leadership ETF, she has been a strong advocate for ED&I throughout her career and has extensive volunteer experience for social impact. 

Lara holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from UWO, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. Lara is a Governor on the University of Toronto Governing Council, she sits on two Foundation boards, the CAMH Campaign Cabinet, and is a volunteer for the Special Olympics.  Lara has been an active mentor to junior women and men throughout her career. 

What is your reaction to the fact that the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be chaired by a man?