Zabeen Hirji
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Zabeen Hirji | |
|---|---|
 Zabeen Hirji in 2015 | |
| Born | 1960 (age 64–65) |
| Education | MBA, Simon Fraser University |
| Occupation(s) | Chief Human Resources Officer, RBC 2007-2017 |
| Years active | Purposeful Next Act 2018 - present |
| Employer | Royal Bank of Canada |
| Spouse | Dr. Mark Nowaczynski (1986 - 2013) |
| Website | Zabeen Hirji Official Website |
Zabeen Hirji (born 1960)[1] is a former Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and a former member of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Group Executive in Toronto from 2007 to 2017.
A native of Tanzania, she immigrated to Vancouver in 1974 and began working at the RBC as a teller in 1977. Hirji held a variety of positions across different departments and became CHRO in 2007.
Hirji is an advocate and spokesperson for diversity and inclusion in Canadian business.[2][3]
Zabeen Hirji was born in Tanzania to parents of Indian and South Asian origin.[1][4][5] Her father died in an automobile accident. She immigrated with her mother to Vancouver, Canada when she was 14.[6][7][8] She earned her MBA at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia in 1994,[1][8] submitting the thesis, "A Strategic Analysis of a Toronto Family Medicine Practice".[9] In 1997, she completed the Advanced Human Resources Executive Program at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.[6][10]
Career
Hirji began working for the Royal Bank of Canada as a teller while attending university part-time in 1977.[6] Over the next two decades, she advanced in positions in retail banking, training, operations, credit card operations, and human resources.[1]
From 1994 to 1997, she was the Regional Manager of Card Services for Central Canada. In 1997,[1] she was appointed vice president of human resources, and in 2001, she became senior vice president.[6]
In 2007, she was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, giving her global responsibility for nearly 79,000 employees in 50 countries.[6] Along with senior management, she developed initiatives to increase diversity and inclusion in hiring and talent management.[4] She also became responsible for branding, communications, and corporate citizenship.[11]
Diversity advocate
In 2001, Hirji led the founding of the RBC's Diversity Leadership Council, a global initiative that brings together senior business executives from many fields.[12] Hirji introduced a Diversity Dialogues Reciprocal Mentoring Program,[13] which pairs senior managers with junior employees from minority backgrounds for mutual encouragement,[14] as well as "hidden bias" training.[12] According to Hirji, the RBC "actively targets recent immigrants, women entrepreneurs, Canadian Aboriginals, the gay and lesbian community and people with disabilities".[7]
Affiliations
She is a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers,[1] a co-chair of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, director of Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance, director of the Mosaic Institute, and a member of the DiverseCity Steering Committee.[8][12] In 2005, she was named a fellow of Centennial College.[8]