CIBC Names First Board Member Who Self-Identifies as Indigenous – Connected to Energy Projects – Energy Now
October 11, 2023
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce said prominent Indigenous business leader Mark Podlasly will join its board of directors.The bank confirmed Tuesday that Podlasly will be its first director to self-identify as Indigenous.
Podlasly is chief sustainability officer of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, a collective of 144 Indigenous nations aimed at owning major infrastructure projects such as pipelines.
He also chairs the First Nations Limited Partnership, which includes 16 Indigenous nations engaged in a C$500 million ($368 million) commercial agreement with the Kitimat LNG project in British Columbia. Podlasly, who officially joins the CIBC board on Nov. 1, also sits on the board of Hydro One.
Canadian banks have faced calls to address a lack of diversity in their hiring, including at the board level.
But unlike gender-based goals — often in the range of 30% to 40% of directors — the lenders don’t generally have set targets for their boards on the appointment of people of color, Indigenous people, people with disabilities or those who identify as LGBTQ.
