Matthew Anderson
President and CEO, William Osler Health System
Headquarters: Ontario, Canada
Website: www.williamoslerhc.on.ca
Primary Business: Healthcare
Revenues: $610 million
Employees: 4,958
CEO is Hands-On with Diversity
At Osler, we are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment for all staff, volunteers, physicians, patients, and families. As one of Ontario’s largest hospitals, we serve over 1.3 million people in one of the fastest growing and most diverse regions in Canada.
It has been an extraordinary year for diversity at Osler, with national recognition of our initiatives. In October 2012, as part of the Exemplary Accreditation designation, the organization was awarded the leading practice in ‘Embracing Diverse Practices in Palliative Care.’ This recognition reflects a commitment to diversity and is evidence that we strive to deliver the very best in patient care by working to better understand our community’s unique needs.
In February 2013, Osler was selected as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2013. This recognition is a first for the company, and demonstrates innovation in workplace diversity and inclusiveness, and a commitment to organization-wide integration.
We have been involved in developing and implementing a strong corporate diversity strategy to improve workplace diversity and patient-centered care. Recognizing that unique populations require unique planning, this strategy includes helping to build and foster community and clinical partnerships, as well as providing health promotion and community education in a culturally sensitive way to ensure vulnerable patients and families have equitable access to health information.
Among my passions are data, demographics, and metrics. We have strengthened their application to our diversity strategy to better understand patients, their potential inequities, and the diverse needs of the staff, physicians, and volunteers for a healthier internal community.
We also remain involved with key diversity initiatives including capacity-building, health equity education, and e-learning tools—now much sought after across Ontario. I have also had the privilege to serve as a keynote speaker at the company’s Diversity Forums—with some tough questions and challenging dialogue.
Diversity reports, progress, and recommendations are regularly provided to me and my senior leadership team to ensure Osler is living its vision and values related to diversity.
I am proud of our diversity initiatives and successes. They provide unprecedented opportunities to demonstrate and strengthen our company’s commitment to equity and inclusiveness given our unique internal and external community. This is what attracted me to Osler in the first place!
Education: BA, University of New Brunswick; MS, University of Toronto
First Job: McDonald’s employee
What I’m Reading: Winter of the World, by Ken Follett
My Philosophy: “To whom much is given, much is expected.”
Best Advice: “If things seem under
control, you are not moving fast enough.” – Mario Andretti
Interests: My kids, the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, all things nature/camping
