Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) Re-Certifies at the EDGE Assess Level
AIMCo shows a five-fold increase in flexible working, 30 percent women on the non-executive board, and notably improved colleague feedback
Edmonton, Alberta – Alberta Investment Management Corporation ("AIMCo"), one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than $160 billion of assets under management, has completed EDGE Assess certification, demonstrating a continued commitment to create a more gender-equal workplace. This is a re-certification following its initial EDGE Certification in 2020 — as Assess Level — and since then the assessment reported that AIMCo has strengthened the effectiveness of policies and practices for recruitment and promotion, flexible working and its organizational culture.
AIMCo has also made the most significant improvements in terms of gender representation at the operational, upper management, and top management levels – and exceeds the EDGE Standard of 30% for the share of women on the non-executive board. Since the last assessment in 2020 AIMCo’s policies and practices has resulted in a five-fold increase from 18% to 75% in the uptake of flexible working.
EDGE is the leading global assessment and business certification for gender and intersectional equity. The certification process involves a rigorous third-party review of representation across the pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of an organization’s culture. As an integral part of the assessment, statistical data is analysed, policies and practices are reviewed, and employees receive a comprehensive survey to assess perceptions of career development opportunities in the workplace.
Krista Pell, Chief Human Resources Officer of AIMCo says the organization is committed to create a more equitable workplace: “We recognize the benefits and immense value of committing to a more gender-balanced workplace,” she says. “EDGE Certification represents a great recognition and opportunity to showcase our strong commitment to fostering an inclusive work culture, based on merit where everyone feels accepted and welcome.”
Following the assessment and the EDGE Certification, AIMCo has committed to a bespoke EDGE action plan that will support continued progress in the future. These commitments include AIMCo setting gender equity targets for each management level; implementing gender bias training for all individuals involved in recruitment, promotions or performance evaluations; developing guidelines for gender diverse candidate pools for all management positions; and implementing an organization-wide policy explicitly mentioning non-discrimination with regards to professional development, which includes gender.
Aniela Unguresan, Founder of EDGE Certified Foundation sees workplace DE&I as a journey that required incremental improvements against a global standard: “AIMCo’s EDGE Assess re-certification signals improvements in terms of representation, the effectiveness of policies and practices, and cultural inclusivity,” she says. “The EDGE action plan will guide the organization on its journey towards even greater workplace gender equity.”
For More Information
Veronica Del Motto
Digital Marketing Manager at EDGE Strategy
veronica.delmotto@edge-strategy.com
AIMCo
About Alberta Investment Management Corporation
AIMCo is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than $160 billion of assets under management. AIMCo was established on January 1, 2008 with a mandate to provide superior long-term investment results for its clients. AIMCo operates at arms-length from the Government of Alberta and invests globally on behalf of 32 pension, endowment and government funds in the Province of Alberta.
About Edge Certification
EDGE is the leading global assessment and business certification for gender and intersectional equity. EDGE Certification involves a rigorous third-party review of representation across the pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of an organization’s culture. As an integral part of the assessment, statistical data is analysed, policies and practices are reviewed and employees’ experiences of career development opportunities in the current workplace are accounted for. Depending on the specific results of each organization, an action plan is formulated, and firm commitments towards its implementation.
EDGE Certification meets organizations where they are in their gender balance journey (EDGE) and in their intersectional equity journey (EDGEplus) through its three levels of certification: Assess, Move and Lead. A certification at the EDGE Assess level recognizes commitment, one at the EDGE Move level showcases progress and a certification at the EDGE Lead level celebrates success in fostering gender equitable workplaces. An EDGEplus certification further recognizing its commitment to analyzing intersectional issues between gender and one or several of the following additional dimensions: gender identity, race/ethnicity, LGBTQI+, working with a disability, nationality and age.
EDGE Certification is built around the independent third-party certification of data and information and is distinguished by its rigour and focus on impact granted by one of the EDGE accredited independent third-party certification bodies – SGS, Intertek or FloCert, it remains valid for a period of two years. EDGE’s current customer base consists of over 200 large organizations in 50 countries across five continents, representing 30 different industries.