As head of LHH Knightsbridge, a division of The Adecco Group, Jeramy Kaiman leads the executive search and executive interim management teams in Canada. Since he assumed his role as an executive sponsor for North American DE&I initiatives in 2020, Kaiman has devoted himself to creating a more equitable workplace through training, access to DE&I resources and better psychological safety.

In 2021, Kaiman developed a curriculum for managers that includes training on unconscious bias and psychological safety. “Training on unconscious bias helps people understand that we all have biases … we’re not immune from it,” Kaiman says. “We need to learn to recognize when we’re speaking from a place of bias.”

Kaiman also feels strongly about creating a workplace where people feel understood, heard and psychologically safe. “Psychological safety means an environment for colleagues where they feel safe to be authentic and freely speak about things that are important to them,” Kaiman says. “We want to make sure people are being thoughtful and balanced about the diverse celebrations or holidays that they recognize. [It means] being inclusive with language, asking for feedback and recognizing people’s diverse interests.”

"People are afraid to speak on a DE&I topic because they’re afraid it’s too sensitive, but you just need to speak from authenticity, be transparent and kind."

To support leaders in having DE&I discussions with clients, Kaiman created a DE&I toolkit with guidance on how to have DE&I-focused discussions with clients. The toolkit is now available to all Adecco business units throughout North America.

Kaiman also led updates to the client-facing website to include the latest DE&I initiatives, started a monthly newsletter that includes employee spotlights and helped develop a calendar of international holidays paired with guidance to managers on how to acknowledge them.

Besides sparking discussions, Kaiman believes strongly in listening. “When you lead in an open way, you build a reputation for being open to conversations,” he says.

No matter what topic he’s coaching leaders on, Kaiman urges clients to be authentic. “People are afraid to discuss DE&I topics because they’re afraid these topics are too sensitive, but you just need to speak authentically, be transparent, and kind,” he says, adding that compassion and understanding of others helps to transform organizations.

2023 DE&I Influencers List