National, May 19, 2023 - BLG is proud to announce Loreli Buenaventura as the new National Director of EDI, People and Culture.
Reporting directly to senior leadership at the firm, Loreli is responsible for ensuring that equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility are embedded across the firm's people and culture practices and policies. Loreli's previous role was with a leading financial institution, and she brings a keen understanding of the disclosure and accountability clients are increasingly demanding of their outside counsel when it comes to EDI.
"It's an honour to lead future-forward talent strategies at a Firm known for its people-centric culture and strong leadership commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion," said Loreli Buenaventura, National Director of EDI, People and Culture at BLG. "By aligning EDI with people and culture in this way, BLG is taking a leadership position in our industry and demonstrating how EDI is core to the firm's overall talent strategy."
Loreli brings more than 15 years of global inclusion, change management and leadership development experience from leading financial and professional services firms. Prior to joining BLG, Loreli was the Head of Learning, Talent and Diversity & Inclusion for HSBC Bank Canada.
"Our people are our firm's greatest strength and having diverse teams and applying a strong EDI lens to all our processes is critical to our success," stated John Murphy, National Managing Partner at BLG. "We have a longstanding commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and with Loreli joining the firm, we can continue to make measurable progress on our longstanding diversity commitments and targets."
As a five-time Top Diversity Employer, BLG strives to ensure that everyone brings their authentic self to work and feels valued, respected and included. Loreli will continue to build on BLG's exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs through new and innovative training and education, tracking and reporting on EDI progress and grassroots action committees focused on achieving measurable results and progress.
BLG is a founding signatory of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network, a national corporate sponsor of Pride at Work Canada, an employer partner of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, a member of Catalyst Canada and a signatory to the Catalyst Accord. BLG's commitment to diversity also extends to its community involvement. BLG supports various community groups and initiatives with a focus on diversity including the following:
- Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
- Pride In Business
- CGLCC
- The Black Business and Professional Association
- See Yourself Here (University of Toronto, Faculty of Law)
- The Black Law Students' Association of Canada
- Out on Bay Street
- Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers
- Internationally Trained Lawyers' Program (University of Toronto)
- BlackNorth Initiative