No Greatness Without Goodness: Engaging employees with disabilities
Former Senior Vice President
Walgreens
Founder
NOGWOG Disability Initiative
Lunch and Program: 11:45 - 1:45 p.m.
Randy Lewis
Fostering diverse workplaces that include employees with disabilities can improve the capacity of B.C. businesses to compete in the global economy and ensure people with disabilities have the opportunity to contribute to the workforce and to the overall economic growth of the province. It also makes good business sense, especially as our demand for talent increases across most industries and occupations in B.C. People with disabilities make up approximately 20 per cent of the population and they represent an important consumer market for B.C. businesses.
Randy Lewis sparked a leadership movement by asking these challenging questions about hiring a workforce that nobody else would. Hear how he took the "dis" out of disability at Walgreens and elevated his organization from good to great, by hiring the most profitable workforce in the history of the company.
This event will also feature prominent and influential business leaders in British Columbia who champion, advice, learning and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. They will share their perspectives on recruiting, hiring and retaining people with disabilities within their own organizations. If you are the President, CEO or a senior executive in your organization, bring your HR team!
Randy Lewis joined Walgreens in 1992 as a divisional vice president in logistics and planning. Randy will discuss how he led, designed and opened the first distribution facility of its kind to employ a significant number of people with disabilities.
PANELLISTS:
Rick Hansen C.C., O.B.C., CEO, Rick Hansen Foundation
Katy Harandi, CEO, Canucks Autism Network
Tamara Vrooman, President & CEO, Vancity
Moderator: Charmaine Crooks, President and Founder of NGU Consultants Inc., Five-time Canadian Olympian, Member of the Order of Canada, Olympic Silver Medalist
Randy's 2015 TEDx Talk "Why I hired a workforce that nobody else would," and his best-selling book "No Greatness Without Goodness" have garnered international attention.
About the Speaker
Peace Corps volunteer, Arthur Murray dance instructor, Ernst and Young partner, Fortune 50 senior executive and accidental advocate. Before retiring in 2013 as Senior Vice President, Randy Lewis led Walgreens' logistics division for sixteen years as the chain grew from 1,500 to 8,000 stores. He introduced an inclusive hiring model in Walgreens distribution centres that resulted in 10% of its workforce being staffed by people with disabilities across the company – employees held to the same standards as those without disabilities. The model he pioneered increased profitability for the company and resulted in a more inclusive and engaged workforce. His approach, recognized as the "gold standard of disability hiring," sparked an innovative way to look at productivity, efficiency and opportunity for organizations world-wide.
Randy has shared the story across the US, Canada and abroad of how steward leadership can improve performance of the company and benefit the community. Drawing inspiration from his son Austin who has autism, Randy has become a sought-after speaker and has received numerous awards for his volunteer work and advocacy.
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