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Our Strategic Priorities
Advancing Diversity
Drive opportunities for growth and development to attract and retain diverse top talent
Strengthening Inclusion
Enable an inclusive culture that supports innovation, productivity and well-being
Enabling Economic Inclusion
Influence systemic change through partnerships, products and services
Next Steps on our Diversity & Inclusion Journey
As we continue to deliver on our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Roadmap 2025 and bring our Purpose Framework – Ideas for People and Planet™ to life, RBC remains focused on helping to address widening inequalities, which is important for the well-being of society and the prosperity of the communities where we operate.
In line with our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, in 2023, we committed to hiring independent, third-party consultants to conduct a racial equity assessment of our employment practices, and a racial equity assessment of our commercial and business practices, to identify potential adverse impacts on Black, Indigenous and other people of colour, along with options to consider to help address those issues.
Update: December 2024
- After a comprehensive vendor assessment and due diligence process, WeirFoulds LLP was selected to conduct the independent assessment of our employment practices, and Covington & Burling LLP was selected to conduct the independent assessment of our commercial and business practices.
- The scoping of the employment practices assessment is complete, and the assessment is underway. WeirFoulds informed us that they have met with various stakeholders, including shareholders and employee representatives, to gather feedback during the scoping phase. While we had aimed to complete this assessment by the end of 2024, WeirFoulds has recently requested an extension to complete their work. They have estimated their report to be published during the first half of calendar 2025.
- Work on the scoping of the assessment of our commercial and business practices is underway. Covington and Burling LLP informed us recently that they required some additional time to complete the scoping phase which is now expected to extend into early calendar 2025.
- We anticipate that both independent assessments will be completed in calendar 2025, subject to independent third-party assessors’ request for additional time extensions.
Latest Stories
RBC’s Legacy Space
The 40th floor at RBC’s head office is a space where employees, clients and partners gather as a center of commerce focused on helping people thrive and communities prosper. RBC is committed to building relationships with Indigenous people and communities based on mutual respect and shared values.
Learn more about RBC’s Legacy Space
That Little Voice
Instead of listening to that little voice inside your head that tells you to remain silent when confronted with non-inclusive behaviour, it’s time to find your voice and use it to speak up for inclusion.
Find out moreAccelerating Diversity and Inclusion
D&I Governance & Accountability
Our D&I organizational model reflects our belief that we should embed D&I in every part of our business.
View Governance & AccountabilityAwards & Recognition
It takes a great workplace for people to be their best and we’re proud that our inclusive and diverse culture is consistently recognized as one of the greatest.
View Awards & RecognitionRBC Action Plan Against Systemic Racism
Diversity and inclusion has been a cornerstone of our values for years. We have made progress against some of our goals, but there is more to be done. Today we’re taking direct actions to tackle issues of inequity and systemic bias.
Read RBC’s Action Plan Against Systemic Racism1882
First international branch opens in Hamilton, Bermuda.
1890
First French Canadian employee is hired as a teller at the Montreal West End branch.
1910
Union Bank of Canada (Royal Bank’s merger partner) opens a branch in the trading post village of Hazelton, BC. The branch is relocated to Hagwilget First Nation in 1997.
1917
First woman ledger keeper enters Royal Bank’s service in Barbados at Bridgetown's main branch.
1941
Royal Bank becomes first in Canada to offer banking services at airports. The Dorval branch serves pilots of the Ferry Command and the people on the ground.
1968
Georgette St. Cyr is the first woman to be appointed as a Royal Bank branch manager (Place Longueuil branch, Montreal, Quebec).
1976
Mitzi Dobrin is the first woman appointed to Royal Bank’s Board of Directors.
1979
We establish an equal employment opportunity program, the first of its kind for a Canadian bank.
1987
We conduct the first Employment Equity survey to assess representation of women, visible minorities, people with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples.
1990
RBC Royal Eagles, an Indigenous focused employee resource group, is established to enhance cultural awareness and support Indigenous employees.
1996
We establish the Diversity Business Council, with a mandate to help close the gender representation gap.
2001
We establish the RBC Enterprise Diversity Leadership Council (DLC), chaired by the CEO.
2006
We expand the number of employee resource groups, including PRIDE and REACH.
2009
We publish the first D&I Blueprint, which sets out our forward-looking vision and outlines our priorities and commitments.
2015
RBC Foundation becomes a signatory to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Declaration of Action. We update our Values to include Diversity & Inclusion.
2018
We introduce the Speak up for Inclusion™ video series.
2020
We release the RBC Action Plan Against Systemic Racism in July.
2023
We published the RBC Accessibility Plan
Inclusion Learning Centre
We believe contributing as a thought leader translates into being a catalyst for change inclusion and an enabler of progress.
The Inclusion Learning Centre provides training, inclusion activities and videos to learn how to support diversity and accelerate inclusion in the workplace.
Conversations About Diversity and Inclusion
A collection of videos highlighting honest conversations about inclusion. Each series features individual stories from real people, including RBC employees, sharing what inclusion means to them.
More Talent Untapped Podcast
People with disabilities are talent that we don't regularly see or hear from—Anna-Karina Tabuñar brings us their stories. This podcast, sponsored by RBC, is about strength in difference, diversity and inclusion.
Outsmarting Our
Brains
Steps to overcoming hidden biases to harness the benefits of diversity’s true potential.