Women at OMERS Video Transcript

Rachel Rasminsky:
My journey has involved facing a lot more obstacles than my male colleagues have.

Yewande Onasanya:
I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. We have a culture where I had something to prove because I'm a woman.

Agnieszka Kushniez:
Throughout my career, I experienced quite a bit of challenges. Now, women actually have a voice. Now, women actually are taken seriously

Caroline Abougoush:
Today, it's a much more accepting place for womanhood.

Cindy Zhang:
When I first joined the team, there are definitely more male than female, but then as we grow, I think they were trying to make that balance.

Rachel Rasminsky:
It's only being in the last five years that I've been with Oxford and OMERS, that I've had strong and influential female leaders.

Agnieszka Kushniez:
OMERS is focusing on diverse and inclusive workplace that makes everyone regardless of who they are, feel equally involved.

Yewande Onasanya:
More and more, I'm able to be looked at as smart, I am capable.

Caroline Abougoush:
And everybody just feels like they're equals and there's parody and there's fairness.

Rachel Rasminsky:
We have the employee resource groups that speak to us and our unique circumstances.

Yewande Onasanya:
These communities actually help with getting women's voices heard.

Caroline Abougoush:
You can just meet one person that can change your life. And that's where there's a ripple effect.

Michelle Obama:
Young women are tired of it. They're tired of being undervalued. They're tired of being disregarded. They're tired of their voices not being invested in and heard.

Agnieszka Kushniez:
Inclusion means being valued, being respected, being seen for who I am.

Rachel Rasminsky:
It means we don't say that, "This is a girl's job," or "That's a man's hobby." We say, "This is an opportunity for any individual."

Caroline Abougoush:
OMERS is a remarkable place to work. They really deeply care about the people.

Cindy Zhang:
We work together to achieve the same goal.

Agnieszka Kushniez:
Built friendships, experiences with each other.

Caroline Abougoush:
Being able to see other women rising up this organization, and that's been a huge shift.