Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; french: Banque royale du Canada) is a Canadian multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 17 million clients and has more than 89,000& ...
(RBC) Group Executive in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
from 2007 - 2017. A native of
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, she immigrated to
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Canada, in 1974 and joined the RBC as a
teller
Teller or telling may refer to:
People
* Teller (surname)
* Teller (magician), one half of the duo Penn & Teller
Places
* Teller, Alaska, United States
** Teller Airport
* Teller County, Colorado, United States
Other uses
* 5006 Teller, a minor ...
in 1977, advancing through various departments until acceding to her position as CHRO in 2007. She is a prominent advocate and spokesperson for diversity and
inclusion
Inclusion or Include may refer to:
Sociology
* Social inclusion, aims to create an environment that supports equal opportunity for individuals and groups that form a society.
** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabilitie ...
in Canadian business, and has received numerous awards for championing the advancement of women and minorities. She was listed in the 2001 edition of ''Who's Who in Canadian Business'' and the 2009 edition of ''
Canadian Who's Who
''Canadian Who's Who'' is a publication containing biographical information about 13,000 notable Canadians. Because of the absence of biographical fact-checking by the publishers (e.g. candidates send in their own biographical details without any ...
''.
Early life and education
Zabeen Hirji was born in Tanzania to parents of Indian and other South Asian origin. Her father died in an automobile accident; she and her mother immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, when she was 14. She earned her MBA at Simon Fraser University,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, in 1994, submitting the thesis, "A Strategic Analysis of a Toronto Family Medicine Practice". In 1997 she completed the Advanced Human Resources Executive Program at the
Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business, also known as Michigan Ross, is the business school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1924, the school is ranked among the best business schools i ...
,
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
.
Career
She began working for the Royal Bank of Canada as a teller while attending university part-time in 1977. Over the next two decades, she advanced in positions in
retail banking
Retail banking, also known as consumer banking or personal banking, is the provision of services by a bank to the general public, rather than to companies, corporations or other banks, which are often described as wholesale banking. Banking servi ...
, training, operations, credit card operations, and
human resources
Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include m ...
. From 1994 to 1997 she was the Regional Manager of Card Services for Central Canada. In 1997 she was appointed Vice President of Human Resources, and in 2001, Senior Vice President. In 2007 she was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, giving her global responsibility for human resources operations and strategies for nearly 79,000 employees in 50 countries. Together with senior management, she conceives and develops strategic initiatives to increase diversity and inclusion in hiring and talent management. She is also in charge of brand, communications, and corporate citizenship. She is a member of the bank's Group Executive, and one of ten executives who determine the RBC's "overall strategy direction".
Diversity advocate
Hirji is an advocate and spokesperson for diversity and inclusion in Canadian business. In 2001 she co-led the founding of the RBC's Diversity Leadership Council, a global initiative that brings together senior business executives from many fields. Among the strategic initiatives Hirji has introduced at the RBC are a Diversity Dialogues Reciprocal Mentoring Program, which pairs senior managers with junior employees from minority backgrounds for mutual encouragement, and "hidden bias" training. According to Hirji, the RBC "actively targets recent immigrants, women entrepreneurs, Canadian Aboriginals, the gay and lesbian community and people with disabilities".
Affiliations
She is a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. She is co-chair of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, director of the
Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance
The Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance (formerly the Toronto City Summit Alliance), commonly known as CivicAction, is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Toronto that attempts to boost civic engagement and address urban challenges i ...
, director of the Mosaic Institute, and a member of the DiverseCity Steering Committee. In 2005 she was named a fellow of Centennial College.
Honors and awards
Hirji was listed in the 2001 edition of ''Who's Who in Canadian Business'' and the 2009 edition of ''
Canadian Who's Who
''Canadian Who's Who'' is a publication containing biographical information about 13,000 notable Canadians. Because of the absence of biographical fact-checking by the publishers (e.g. candidates send in their own biographical details without any ...
''.
In 2017, she received the 2017 Ivey Business School Lifetime Achievement Award in HR Industry – Canadian HR Awards. In 2016 she was recognized with Canada's Meritorious Service Medal for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion and the Outstanding Alumni Award for Professional Achievement from Simon Fraser University.
In 2014 she received the
Catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
Canada honour for championing the advancement of women and minorities in Canadian business.
In 2011 and 2014 she was named one of the Top 25 Women of Influence by the Women of Influence organization. She was inducted into that organization's Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 2010 she was honored as Corporate Executive of the Year by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.