Vancouver, BC – June 3, 2020 ­­­– University Canada West (UCW) is excited to announce the Women in Leadership MBA Award, an MBA scholarship for women who have shown exceptional potential for success as leaders.

“This is an important initiative for UCW and aligns with our goals to empower women to become business and community leaders,” said Brock Dykeman, UCW President.

“We hope to help develop future leaders through this unique initiative by providing them with the industry-relevant skills that employers are looking for in the fast-changing business and technology landscape.”

UCW recognizes the impact of women on our economy and the importance of equal opportunities in the workplace.

Research shows that communities thrive and grow when women advance in their careers and run their own businesses. If we had greater gender equality in the workplace, global annual GDP could grow an extra $38 trillion by 2025, according to management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Here in Canada alone, that could mean an added $150 billion to our national GDP by 2026.

While Canada is among the global leaders in the push to gender equality, there’s work to do. For instance, women in corporate Canada are still less likely than men to be promoted to the next level at almost every stage of their careers.

Although 53 percent of degree holders here are female, women are a minority of corporate leaders. For instance, only 21.3 percent of corporate directors in Canada are women, which is higher than in the United States, UK, France, Germany or Japan. Globally, only 37 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are women, up from 15 in 2010.

“Now is the time to empower women leaders,” said Cyndi McLeod, Global University Systems (GUS) Canada CEO.

“This scholarship will enable more women to reach their academic, career and personal goals, which is something that’s close to my heart and priority for GUS.”

University Canada West has created this award to help make sure that we all keep moving forward. It’s open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have shown the ability to lead through work experience, volunteering or community involvement.

UCW will be awarding this award throughout 2020 and 2021. The application deadline for the Summer 2020 term is June 12.

For more details, please visit our Awards and Scholarships page.

Sources:

  1. The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Canada (McKinsey & Company)
  2. How gender equality is a growth engine for the global economy (NBC News)
  3. Why the world needs more women CEOs (The Conversation)
  4. Gender, diversity and inclusion statistics (Statistics Canada)

About University Canada West (UCW) 

University Canada West (UCW) is a business and technology-focused university located in the heart downtown Vancouver. Established in 2004, UCW offers a range of career-focused programs including the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication, Associate of Arts and Master of Business Administration. UCW’s MBA and the BCom are ACBSP-accredited. The new UCW Vancouver House campus is opening in July.

About Global University Systems (GUS) Canada

GUS Canada represents five Canadian post-secondary institutions including University Canada West, Toronto School of Management, Trebas Institute, The Language Gallery Canada and Canadian College of Technology and Business.

Contact:

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview contact Bradley Fehr, UCW’s Communications Manager, at [email protected].