Every year, we honour a member or members with the Bow Tie Award during our famously festive Holiday Gathering. And no, it’s not for the best dressed attendee! The Bow Tie Award, named after former CSI Executive Director Adil Dhalla’s proclivity for community leadership (and a certain kind of neck adornment), celebrates those who have gone above and beyond in facilitating connection and strengthening community impact. The CSI community submits nominations for this annual award. This year, the Bow Tie Award was given to two members, one individual and one organization. Read on to learn more about why the community selected these two fantastic members as winners!
Andrew Simpson, Ecotone Software
Andrew Simpson is the CEO and founder of Ecotone Software Consulting, a certified B-Corp that empowers clients to turn enterprise data into sustainability solutions. Their services involve combining technology and sustainability perspectives to drive action-based sustainability reporting, from software implementation to dashboard development and business model creation.
What CSI Members had to say…
“Andrew goes above and beyond by contributing to newly-landed immigrants, and their families, as well as his volunteer work doing environmental cleanups.” – CSI Member
“Andrew… is keen to grow community especially around conservation, B corps, and local food. I believe a ton of CSI members would have a great Andrew story.” – CSI Member
Pride at Work Canada
Pride at Work Canada empowers Canadian employers to build workplaces that celebrate all employees regardless of gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation through dialogue, education, and thought leadership. Celebrating their 15th anniversary this year, they work with over 300 private, public and non-profit employers to create safer, more inclusive workplaces that recognize the skills of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Recently, the organization doubled its staff size to continue to meet community needs and offer more impactful programs to its network.
What CSI Members had to say…
“Pride at Work Canada… has been doing amazing work to live in a country where every single person will be celebrated at work regardless of their gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.” – CSI Member
“As a queer organization, they’ve been making an impact not just outside but inside, hiring more queer professionals.” – CSI Member
From Pride at Work Canada:
“It was a big surprise and everyone was extremely happy to receive the Bow Tie Award. This award was one more recognition of the important work that Pride at Work Canada has been doing on the grounds of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace for almost 15 years. The organization has been part of the CSI community since 2014, and it has been contributing to creating a more inclusive space here too. Over the past years, the team has grown to improve and increase our programs and content. It was magical to celebrate the award together and represent those staff members who work remotely and across the country.”
