Diversity and inclusion champion to lead the organization’s internal and external strategies
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment announced today that Teri Dennis-Davies, a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles in human resources which included diversity, inclusion, culture and employee advocacy, will join the organization next month as Senior Vice President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
Dennis-Davies joins MLSE from Royal Bank of Canada where she served 14 years for the company in a variety of senior roles in the Caribbean and Canada, most recently as Vice President, Employee Relations. She is widely respected within the Bank as an active champion and advocate on matters of diversity and inclusion.
“MLSE and our teams are continually focused on bringing people together and representing the best of our community,” said Michael Friisdahl, President and CEO of MLSE. “The social issues that have been brought to the forefront over the past several months, including efforts to combat systemic anti-black racism and highlight the need for social justice, diversity and inclusion are priorities that we must help address as civic leaders. Teri’s breadth of experience and perspective will help further cement our equity, diversity and inclusion efforts as an organization, bringing together the many people and opportunities that will ultimately bring about positive change within our company and the community. We look forward to Teri joining MLSE next month and championing this cause for us.”
At RBC, Dennis-Davies led a global employee relations team responsible for managing workplace issues including diversity, inclusivity and respect, discrimination, harassment, health and safety, accommodations and performance management, while also advancing the company’s conduct and risk culture.
“MLSE has a very strong and influential voice in our community and I am thrilled with the opportunity to join them to help the organization, and its teams, achieve sustainable progress towards its goal of having a positive impact on these important issues,” said Dennis-Davies. “This will require focused leadership to make these changes possible, and I look forward to working with everyone at MLSE to build on some of the strong steps they have already taken to advocate for change.”
During her tenure at RBC, Dennis-Davies launched and chaired the functional Diversity Leadership Council for Human Resources, Corporate Communications, Brand and the Employee Ombudsman where she developed a diversity strategy focused on driving awareness, representation and engagement using metrics and data to measure and report on progress.
Prior to RBC, Dennis-Davies held senior roles in a number of diverse organizations in the USA and the Caribbean including Hyatt Hotels, Merrill Communications, LLC, Fortis Fund Services, and KPMG.
Dennis-Davies will officially join MLSE on October 19, 2020.
Contact:
Dave Haggith, MLSE
Email: dave.haggith@mlse.com
Tel: (416)450-1681