Ivey Business School is honoured to share that it has officially partnered with ICON Talent Partners (ICON) on initiatives to advance Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) representation in Canadian business roles. ICON is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing opportunities for high-achieving BIPOC students to gain access to the most competitive sectors through comprehensive training, mentoring, and support.
Through the partnership, Ivey and ICON plan to develop exceptional BIPOC candidates for careers in management consulting, sales and trading, investment banking, venture capital, asset management, insurance, and technology/innovation as well as to prepare students to pursue entrepreneurship.
“Ivey’s partnership with ICON directly aligns with our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). It will build on our efforts to create a more diverse student body and give our students a broader range of support, training, and employment opportunities. It will also help organizations gain access to the great talent coming out of Ivey,” said Ivey Dean Sharon Hodgson. “We are pleased to support ICON in helping organizations to bolster their talent and create more diversity. A diverse workforce brings new ideas and fosters innovation and can make companies more competitive and profitable.”
The ICON partnership came to Ivey through the Black Students at Ivey Collective (BSIC). Shoshauna Oryema, HBA ’20, co-founder of the student group, said BSIC’s goal with this partnership is to remedy the shortcomings currently faced by Black students in the university-to-professional pipeline.
“It is our firm belief that facilitating access to mentorship and professional networks will increase the visibility of Black university talent and enable fair opportunities for Black students to reach and thrive in the workplace," she said.
ICON Talent Partners was created by Derrick and Marilyn Raphael with the dream to create a not-for-profit to change the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour as it pertains to getting access to competitive careers in Canada. That dream has become reality as several BIPOC undergraduates and young professionals have entered fields such as investment banking and venture capital, amongst others, thanks to ICON support and training.
“To have Ivey join us in this mission means that our efforts can be amplified,” said Derrick Raphael, Co-founder and CEO of ICON. “Thanks to the Ivey leadership team, and especially Dean Sharon Hodgson, for her belief in ICON. We’re looking forward to achieving great things together!”
Ivey students will be made aware of ICON’s programming, scholarships, and summer and full-time employment opportunities in the coming weeks.
Ivey is exploring partnering with Western’s Faculty of Education to also support ICON programming aimed at preparing high school students to compete at top universities in Canada and abroad.
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