For one tech company, Indigenous values are central to hiring, projects and strategy

“We know that if we focus on those teachings … that’s our best bet to have a successful outcome or a positive impact over those generations.”

Animikii, which now has about 30 employees, made its first full-time hire in 2015. Around the same time, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was coming to a close. Ward, who was a statement-gatherer for the commission, says he started to feel there was an opportunity for Animikii and its social impact to grow.Article content

Among Animikii’s remote workers is chief impact and communications officer Ian Capstick, who calls himself a white settler and lives in Montreal. Everyone can benefit from remote work, he said, but he believes it’s even more important in an Indigenous context because it allows people to stay in their communities instead of having to relocate.

Ward says it can be challenging to balance these values with running a business. There have been years where the company was more focused on its social impact, to the detriment of potential profits, he said. And there have been years where the focus was too much on profits. The company tries to be transparent with employees when it comes to trying to maintain this balance, said Ward.

Working within these values also means saying no to some clients. Ward says he’s had to turn down a lot of projects over the years that would have boosted Animikii’s bank account, which was especially difficult in the company’s early days. Animikii mandates that at least half the members of its board of directors be Indigenous and half be women or non-binary, which also limits potential investors looking for a seat, Ward said. But he sees that as a positive.

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