EDC awarded HIO's Employer Excellence Award

OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - March 09, 2016) - Hire Immigrant Ottawa (HIO) today awarded Export Development Canada (EDC) with its 2016 Employer Excellence Award, which recognizes local employers for their innovative workplace policies and practices around the recruitment and integration of skilled immigrant employees.

EDC is Canada's trade finance agency, and the leading provider of financing, insurance and bonding for Canadian companies of all sizes that do business outside of Canada.

"Having a diverse and representative workforce is a strategic business advantage for EDC, especially given our global mandate," says Stephanie Butt-Thibodeau, Senior Vice President, Human Resources. "Diverse and inclusive workplaces don't just happen, they need to be developed through dedicated programs aimed at achieving specific goals. This is something EDC has been working towards, and it will continue to be a priority."

As part of its evaluation of EDC, HIO highlighted a number of workplace features and employee programs that make EDC an Ottawa employer of choice. These include unconscious bias training, a diversity and inclusion committee, and robust communications to increase awareness throughout the organization.

"Increasing the diversity of our employee base and our workplace culture has definitely made EDC a better organization," says Butt-Thibodeau. "The importance of this work is further highlighted when it results in external recognition by an organization like Hire Immigrants Ottawa."

The awards will be presented today, March 9, 2016, at the Employer Council of Champions Summit at the Shaw Centre, 5 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa.

For more information on careers at EDC, visit our jobs page.

About EDC

EDC is Canada's export credit agency, providing financing and insurance solutions locally and around the world to help Canadian companies of any size respond to international business opportunities. As a profitable Crown corporation that operates on commercial principles, EDC works together with private- and public-sector financial institutions to create greater capacity for Canadian companies to engage in trade and investment.

For more information about how EDC can help your company, call us at 1-888-434-8508 or visit www.edc.ca.