Kaz Flinn established and led Scotiabank’s global Corporate Social Responsibility function from 2006 to 2016 as the Vice President Corporate Social Responsibility. She was responsible for leading the organization’s global Social Responsibility (SR) strategy and initiatives across governance, community, employment, customer and environmental sectors.
Under her leadership, she created the bank’s SR strategy including an environmental policy and energy savings program; significantly strengthened impacted global community development through microfinance initiatives; responded to HIV/AIDS with a global strategy and extended the Bank’s locally focused philanthropic program to support communities across 55 countries. She was awarded the Clean Tech award in 2013 for her leadership in environmental sustainability. Kaz speaks to audiences on the value and challenges of integrating SR into large organizations.
Kaz is a former member of the Advisory Committee of the Schulich Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business; a past and founding board member of the Canadian Network of the UN Global Compact and she was on the board of directors of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility for six years. She has also been involved with charity fundraising campaigns such as the United Way where she co-chaired the corporate Scotiabank United Way Campaign raising $25 million dollars.
She is currently Chair of the University of St Michaels College at the University of Toronto’s Education Advisory Committee for the SR/ Sustainability Masters Diploma Program and is a contributing lecturer. She completed the Harvard Executive Business School CSR Program, the Schulich Sustainable Enterprise Academy and has been a guest lecturer in CSR in the Commerce program at Queen’s University and Lakehead University.
Kaz was appointed Chair of the Justice of the Peace Appointment Advisory Committee in 2016 by Ontario’s Attorney General.
She joined Scotiabank in 1996 from Rogers Communications where she served as Director of Government Affairs. A gradate of Carleton University in Ottawa, Kaz spent six years working on Parliament Hill including time in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Kaz currently works as a SR/Sustainability Consultant.