Pursuing our potential

With the foundational progress underway and a world-class team forming, we are excited by the choices articulated through our inaugural strategy. Those choices reflect our vision to be a best in-class solution and the trusted pension plan for the university sector.

Our 2022–2025 organizational strategy serves as a critical beacon in our build, defined through six key imperatives:

STRATEGIC PILLARS

Serve our members

Deliver proactive, digitally enabled services that exceed member expectations

Invest for the future

Design a dynamic, purpose-driven investment program with pension security at the core

Realize sector growth

Build trust and transparency with the diverse university community and welcome new Plan participants

END-TO-END FOUNDATIONS

Build for Resilience

Future-proof operations and technology while responsibly managing costs

Lean Into ESG¹

Foster a financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable future for members in all we do

Foster our culture

Build an intentional, thriving culture underpinned by our purpose-driven people

¹ Environmental, social and governance factors

Fostering our culture

Our people are the heart of our organization

Working at UPP means working toward a secure and sustainable future for our members. Together, our talented people are creating a purpose-driven and inclusive workplace focused on a culture of teamwork, collaboration, and respect — for one another and the world around us. It’s why Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation, and Leaning Into ESG are bedrocks of both our organizational strategy and intentional culture.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation (EDIR)

EDIR is the umbrella term for the programs, policies, strategies, and practices underpinning our mission to create and sustain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment – no matter anyone’s ethnicity; sexual orientation; gender identity; physical, cognitive, or mental ability; religion; age; marital status; socioeconomic status; national origin; or other identities.

EDIR is not just a core value at UPP; it’s a business imperative. Diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace. Our EDIR program and three-year roadmap are the blueprints for our inclusive, respectful working environment and our way of honouring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #92.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #92: We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and
resources.

We believe in the power of bringing our whole selves to work and will work tirelessly to create a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization where all voices are heard and all employees are embraced with dignity and respect.

Omo Akintan Chief People Officer

EDIR strategic objectives

Make everyone accountable

Establish EDIR as an essential element in individual goal-setting and the Board evaluation scorecard, set UPP’s leadership pledge.

Build team diversity

Define EDIR together and create individual accountability, introduce selfidentification to measure and enhance diversity representation, invest in internships and next-gen programs targeting underrepresented groups, establish partnerships with organizations to help diversify candidate pools.

Equip and promote inclusive leadership

Embed inclusive leadership behaviours in performance management, create feedback and dialogue mechanisms and act on outcomes, include equity and inclusion in Board and leadership development programming.

Create an equitable, bias-free, and inclusive culture

Position EDIR as a cornerstone of our people programs and policies, including all recruitment, onboarding, integration, promotion, and pay practices

Leverage EDIR to enhance performance

Invest in diversely owned funds, develop an inclusive procurement policy and approach, and create an executive-sponsored employee resource group.

What success looks like

UPP reflects the population we serve at all levels within our organization

UPP employees of all identities feel embraced and empowered to thrive at UPP

All UPP members receive fully accessible and excellent services that meet their needs

Our investment portfolio and procurement partnerships reflect our EDIR values

Our company

Member resources

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