LifeLabs committed to gender diversity, women in leadership
When Akiko Campbell first went to university in her native Japan, she studied linguistics. It was only when she came to Canada three decades ago that she discovered a skill and a passion for technology. She went on to complete a PhD in computer science and has excelled in her career: she’s the chief information officer at LifeLabs and chief executive officer of Excelleris Technologies, a health technology company and LifeLabs subsidiary.
Campbell’s portfolio is complex: overseeing all aspects of IT, including security and governance, she introduces leading technologies for the organization’s product and service development.
With women remaining outnumbered by men in the tech sector as well as in leadership roles more broadly, Campbell’s is the kind of success story that inspires.
“When I was starting out, I didn’t know I could be in technology, let alone advance my career,” Campbell says. “Canada gave me that opportunity. I realized that I could pursue anything and that nobody will judge me because of my gender.”
Yet even as Canada could be considered fairly progressive when it comes to gender equality, women continue to be under-represented in leadership roles. In fact, very little in the leadership landscape has changed in the past 10 years, according to the Minerva Foundation, which works to advance gender parity in British Columbia. And at the current rate, it will be another 170 years before women can expect professional parity, the World Economic Forum has found.
Canada’s largest diagnostics and digital health innovator, LifeLabs is committed to gender diversity and actively supports women in leadership. Nearly 80 per cent of the entire organization is women, as is 56 per cent of its leadership. In IT, Campbell oversees a team of 200; of its seven directors, two are female, including the most technical title.
Inclusion is more than simply the right thing to do, it’s also a marketplace benefit.
“It’s extremely important to get diverse perspectives and experiences,” Campbell says. “Diversity is a strategic advantage for a company to be successful, especially at the leadership level. When you have diversity, you can only make better decisions.”
With gender parity a key goal, LifeLabs is a signatory to the Minerva Diversity Pledge. This year as in 2017, the organization has pledged to work with the Minerva Foundation to create opportunities that support women’s advancement and leadership internally as well as in the community.
To that end, it has established several community partnerships that speak to the priority it places on parity and inclusion. The organization is a founding member of Bringing Women Together, a sponsor of the Art of Leadership for Women annual conference and the Vancouver Board of Trade’s “We for She” initiative and a supporter of Empire Club of Canada’s Women Who Lead.
“Signing the pledge ensures that it’s understood that diversity is one of the priorities of the company,” Campbell says. “It’s a way of communicating and formalizing our commitment to diversity. It makes sure our commitment to diversity continues.”