Innovation Winter 2024.25

P hoto : L ightspring /S hutterstock

D iversity, supported by equity and inclusion, provides strength to an organization. Solutions are more inclusive. Products are more appropriately designed. And, staff retention is better. “There’s no downside to things working better for more people,” says Marcie Cochrane, P.Eng., MBA, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) consultant working with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Cochrane explains that it is the trio of EDI working together that brings positive results; when equity and inclusion are in place, they create an environment where diversity can thrive. “You can’t have diversity without the equity and inclusion pieces,” she says. Cochrane assists organizations in developing and reinforcing their EDI programs. An electrical engineer, she was prompted to pursue EDI work following the research she did for her Master’s degree. Cochrane studied the retention of women in engineering, driven by her curiosity to understand more deeply what she was experiencing in the workplace and why women were leaving engineering at a higher rate.

Innovation Winter 2024/25

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