Indigenous Leadership Expert
Co-Founder of the Aboriginal Professional Association of Canada
Gabrielle Scrimshaw is an Indigenous professional with a passion for creating social impact. She has an MBA from Stanford and is a Gleitsman Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University. Gabrielle is a regular contributor for Canada’s largest national media outlets and has been profiled by the New York Times, Forbes, Globe & Mail, among others.
Growing up in a town of 800 people, Gabrielle was raised in a single-parent household and is a proud citizen of the Hatchet Lake First Nation. A first-generation student, she was named “One of 3 Young Aboriginal Canadians to Watch” by the Huffington Post. Over the past decade she has studied international business and policy across 6 continents. Gabrielle is the Co-Founder the Aboriginal Professional Association of Canada, a non-profit organization now considered a global thought leader in Indigenous leadership.
Over the past decade Gabrielle has studied international business and policy across 6 continents.
TOPICS
TECHNOLOGY AND RECONCILIATION
In a world with AI, decentralization, and smartphones, what is going to happen with the diverse array of indigenous languages, cultures, and traditional ways of life? Gabrielle Scrimshaw explores the role technology plays for first nations communities in reconciling the past and transforming the future. Technology not only exists for indigenous communities but has also been created by indigenous communities long before the modern era of rapid technological development. Gabrielle shows us how we need to work more collaboratively with indigenous communities in building future technology.
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW: INSPIRING THOSE WHO FOLLOW
Born into a First Nations community, Gabrielle had some daunting numbers stacked against her. She was eleven times more likely to be reported missing and three times more likely to be unemployed. She was more likely to drop out of high school than finish it. In the face of these circumstances, she worked hard and followed her heart. She was the first in her family to complete post-secondary education, became the youngest associate in one of Canada’s most competitive finance programs, travelled to 40 countries on six continents, and started a national organization for Indigenous Professionals. Today, Gabrielle has master’s degrees from Harvard and Stanford University. This inspirational presentation explores how she did it, what motivates her, and why “each step we make is a responsibility to those that follow.”
RECONCILIATION IN THE WORKPLACE
Indigenous inclusion and reconciliation in the private sector have progressed, but still have a long way to go. Achieving this goal is paramount to build an inclusive and just Canada. While many Canadians agree with reconciliation, most don’t know where to start. In this presentation, Gabrielle shares her personal experience to show the importance of getting it right. She will help establish a deeper understanding of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action for the private sector. Gabrielle will explore case studies from companies like Nike and Twitter to show how organizations can be more inclusive of Indigenous voices and successfully collaborate.
