Black Canadians seeing progress in the corporate sector but want more senior roles

In a new KPMG poll, Black Canadians say their employers have taken steps to be more inclusive and equitable, but see a lack of representation at the leadership level.

As a woman of colour working in an industry dominated by white men, Polly Watkis is all too familiar with facing surprised looks at high-level meetings.

Watkis, a performance consultant at Cox Automotive, said for years she has suffered from what she called “imposter syndrome” having to justify why she was in the room with other managers or those who held a senior position.

“I’ve dealt with that a lot throughout my career … not being what they expected when I came through the door,” the 46-year-old Toronto resident told Global News.

With more than two decades of experience in the automotive industry, having held managerial roles at various companies, including KIA, Toyota, Tesla and GE Fleet, Watkis’ resume speaks for itself. She has climbed up the corporate ladder and was most recently awarded the president’s award by her current company, Cox Automotive, this year.

While Watkis herself has not faced discrimination at work, she said she has seen it happen to other Black Canadians quite often, with resumes not making it to through the hiring pile.

A new survey conducted by KPMG in Canada released this month showed that 77 per cent of unemployed Black Canadians say their prospects for getting a job have not improved over the past year and a half.

Nearly 40 per cent of Black Canadians also said their prospects for promotion and advancement have not changed much over the last 18 months because of systemic barriers.

However, that same poll showed that nearly seven in 10 Black Canadians feel their employers have made progress on being more inclusive and equitable for Black employees and have also made genuine efforts to hire more Black Canadians.