For the leaders of Canterbury Consulting, diversity, equity, and inclusion has remained a deeply ingrained part of the organization since our founding, over 35 years ago. We embrace and encourage diversity in all its various forms. We welcome each individual at Canterbury to bring their life experiences, unique skills, and distinct differences to our firm's culture, and we celebrate each employee's contribution to our success.
The principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are closely ingrained into Canterbury Consulting. Over the last 35 years, we have solidified an approach that allows us to foster diversity within our organization, while nurturing the next generation of talent.
We intentionally cultivate an inclusive firm culture that attracts and retains diverse candidates.
This has been consistently validated by third-party surveys, which show that 100% of our employees believe Canterbury “does not differentiate based on backgrounds,
beliefs, or identities.”*
*Orange County Business Journal, 2022 Best Places to Work Survey
Our partnerships with several Southern California schools with diverse student populations have allowed us to immerse ourselves in the education process and support diverse students' career opportunities in the investment consulting industry.
We actively participate in financial literacy training programs to teach underserved youth the fundamentals of savings and investing. We hope to provide the knowledge and skills to improve the next generation's personal financial health as well as spark an interest in an education plan that leads to investment consulting.
Our leadership and employees actively engage with, support, and participate on boards of nonprofits that serve underrepresented communities. Collectively, Canterbury shareholders and employees are involved with many non-profit organizations that focus on DEI initiatives.
We have worked hard to create the type of environment where everyone can be successful.
We are 100% employee-owned. Any Canterbury employee may be eligible for the opportunity to become a shareholder. We strongly believe that this structure contributes to an openness to diverse thought, resulting in a better workplace, and materially better experiences for our clients.
Retaining and developing talent that brings the diversity of thought and perspective to the table is vital. In addition to continuing education opportunities for all employees,we invest in professional development with financial support and paid study time for Professional Certification programs.
Canterbury Consulting has long offered family leave to our valued employees. This includes maternity and paternity leave, and specialized schedule accommodations to care for elderly family members.
We trust our employees to structure their schedules in a way that allows them to be most productive, while balancing personal passions and obligations. All employees are offered a flexible or hybrid work schedule, splitting time between their own homes and offices.
We work closely with a variety of local colleges and universities to give students prestigious on-the-job experiences. Since 2019-2022, 27% of these interns were offered a full-time position, and 67% identified as part of a minority group.* As of 12/31/2022
We encourage our team to invest time with community organizations they care about, including financial literacy programs for underserved youth and organizations to empower women in the institutional investment community.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion is not an isolated initiative. It is an integral aspect of our day-to-day business.
We foster an open environment where everyone feels valued and respected, allowing our team to share thoughts and ideas freely.
Not only does this benefit our company culture, it has a direct and beneficial impact on our clients.
As a result, we deliver well-aligned advice to our clients through the open exchange of diverse perspectives.”
DEBASHIS CHOWDHURY, CFA
President
Canterbury Consulting supports diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in our industry and beyond by aligning with these organizations:
Canterbury Consulting sponsors the organization and members of Women in Institutional Investment Network (WIIIN) to facilitate a dialogue to advance and empower women in the institutional investment community through educational and philanthropic endeavors.
Canterbury Consulting is a founding member of the IIDC, formed to increase data and transparency around diversity in the asset management industry.
Canterbury Consulting employees share their professional expertise to provide high school students from underserved communities financial literacy education and vital life skills.
Canterbury Consulting is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and actively incorporates ESG parameters into policies and practices across the firm.