How can we get companies to hire more people from diverse backgrounds and not just include it as a percentage of the workforce to be achieved in their HR policies?

First of all, a human is a human, regardless of their origin or gender! This is obvious, but ignorance and fear too often take precedence over skills. What's more, a person from elsewhere probably already has an interesting background, simply because they carry a baggage of different cultures and ideas or have had to go through challenges. They are stronger and more resilient employees. Diversity is a wealth, a plurality of visions.

Studies and jobs previously obtained abroad are often dismissed out of hand because they are neither known nor recognized. This is a mistake. I have trouble understanding how, for the same job when I left university, I was offered $18,000 in Quebec and $60,000 in Europe two months later? Recruiters need to do a simple mathematical equation by adding up skills, experiences, studies, languages, jobs and talents. It is simply a matter of putting points on acquired skills and employing according to a true meritocracy and not hiring a certain percentage of people from diverse backgrounds to have a nice team photo in color!

You talk about education, but Quebec is often described as open and multicultural. What is your point of view on the issue?

Quebec is still a young society. History, geography and general culture allow for a real open-mindedness about differences. When a white person goes to Africa, all the children crowd around him and ask him questions. The opposite is not true. The king of the rainbow nation, Nelson Mandela, said that education was the most formidable weapon for changing the world. And it is true. I am talking here about a fundamental and multidimensional notion, which concerns school as much as behaviors and attitudes in society. It would take a 101 course to better understand others, not be afraid of difference and see the planet as the great home of humanity, no matter where it is.

So what should diverse people do to better promote themselves?

Responsibility is shared, indeed. It is a very important concept. The message I would send is this: do not waste intellectual resources, highlight your knowledge, dare to display your talents! Change is one step at a time, forward. We must realize the potential we have to be able to better define ourselves and "sell ourselves" to employers, at our true value.

How to regain confidence?

You have to know how to surround yourself with people who believe in you, who understand that your journey is rich. I have been working with coaches and mentors twice a month for years to work on my leadership. I speak five languages, I have managed hundreds of employees around the world and earned immeasurable salaries with bonuses and paid plane tickets, I have tripled turnover.

Everywhere, I asked to be trained to continue to move forward. To educate myself, to remain humble without being afraid to say that I am a leader. Today, my goal is to grow businesses and the humans who interact with them, to be responsible, through my ecological footprint and by participating in the community. Success is everyone's business. There are not enough credible leaders who inspire the younger generations. I am ready to make my voice heard. My conscience is sharp and I have the responsibility, even the duty, to show the way for the minority that I represent.

Indira Moudi's 5 tips for making diversity shine

● Understanding that diversity is a wealth through basic education

● Surround yourself with people who understand your journey and see your potential

● Regain confidence, define yourself and dare to assert yourself while celebrating the successes of diversity

● Be supported by coaches, mentors, patrons, inspiring leaders

● Continue to train, work on your leadership and structure your success

Phenomenal woman at #SIFN

The fourth edition of the Salon international de la femme noire , presented by Audace au féminin , will take place from May 28 to 30 in virtual mode. On the menu, panels and workshops on the power of impact, the power of the pivot, intersectional ecology, the intergenerational vision of social engagement and racism. Among the guests of honor, let us mention the presence of Assa Traoré, activist and Time Magazine personality of the year, Alexandra Bastiany, the first black woman interventional cardiologist in Canada, Bernadette Clément, the first black woman mayor in Ontario and Maryse Alcindor, the first black woman deputy minister in the Quebec public administration. For more information: sifn-montreal.com