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Barb Mason, Scotiabank’s CHRO, receives Catalyst Community Spotlight Award for commitment to workplace inclusion

Barb Mason, group head and chief human resources officer (CHRO) at Scotiabank, has been awarded the Catalyst Community Spotlight Award.

Mason for given the recognition for her contributions to advancing women in the workplace and commitment to creating a working environment that is equitable and inclusive for all, the bank said in a press release.

“Barb has shown unwavering commitment to enabling a workplace culture where all employees can thrive and be their very best selves,” said Scott Thomson, president and CEO, Scotiabank. “Throughout her career, Barb has pushed the organization forward with her invaluable work on gender equity and advancement for women, and her impact will leave a lasting legacy. Congratulations to Barb on this well-deserved recognition.”

Catalyst is a global nonprofit with a mission to build workplaces that work for women, drive equity and inclusion, and accelerate and advance women into leadership. Each year, Catalyst Honours recognizes exceptional role models for their inclusive leadership practices and efforts in advancing women in the workplace.

Mason has been committed to accelerating diversity, equity and inclusion and a driving force for change across her many leadership roles throughout her career at Scotiabank. In her role as group head and CHRO, Barb guided important initiatives to promote gender equity and women’s empowerment in the workplace including:

• Scotiabank became a signatory of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and is implementing a global standard for parental leave and enhanced the offering across the Bank’s global footprint.
• Participation in the UN Global Compact Target Gender Equality Accelerator Program, which sets ambitious targets for women’s representation and leadership.
• Establishing the Bank’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals for 2025 which includes a focus on increasing the representation of women in senior leadership positions. With her support, the representation of women in senior management roles in Canada increased to 43% in 2023.
• And recently, announcing the Global Inclusive Standards of Care for employee benefits to ensure a more consistent experience for employees across the Bank’s footprint. These standards of care will initially focus on health gaps for women and the LGBT+ community.

Over the course of her career, Mason has held leadership positions in Global Wealth Management, Wealth Management in Canada, Marketing and Sales & Service. After a remarkable 41 years at the bank, Mason will retire at the end of the year.