About bci

Our Story

bhasin consulting inc. (bci) was founded in 2010 by Ritu Bhasin, after spending ten years in the legal profession — first practicing law and then as an HR leader at a prominent global law firm. After years of examining why organizations face inclusion-related challenges, Ritu knew there was a need for a new type of DEI consultant — one who’s driven by the principles of equity, authenticity, belonging, and intersectionality, and with a commitment to real change. This is what led her to launch her own DEI consulting firm, and bci was born! 

Close up of Ritu Bhasin in 2014 presenting a keynote speech on a conference room

Since then, Ritu has won numerous awards for her work in creating impactful change and bci has become a global leader in providing DEI programming and advisory services. We have now worked with hundreds of renowned organizations across industries, and our team continues to expand their depth of expertise across DEI topics. We are committed to pushing the envelope and creating meaningful change within organizations. We are particularly known for our in-depth work with senior leadership teams, empowering professionals from equity-seeking communities, our inspiring and thought-provoking keynotes, and highly practical strategic advisory guidance.

What Sets Us Apart

  • We provide customized strategic guidance on how to launch your DEI strategy or take it to the next level
  • We deliver targeted DEI programming for senior leadership teams
  • We’re known for our in-depth empowerment and leadership programming for equity-seeking communities
  • We’re unparalleled in our excellence in delivering keynotes for large events and retreats
  • We’ve developed niche content and expertise in a range of DEI areas

Our Values

2
4
1
5

Excellence

We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality work and infusing excellence into every aspect of our business

Innovation

We are always learning and developing cutting-edge DEI frameworks and concepts for our clients

Disruption

We strive to break down the institutional, structural, and systemic barriers that prevent the creation of inclusive workplaces

Belonging

We are fierce advocates for unlocking belonging in the workplace, through authenticity, psychological safety, and trust

Personalization

We don’t believe in “off the shelf” experiences – we customize all of our programming to meet the needs of each client and their teams

Professionalism

We pride ourselves on our reliability, responsiveness, and unwavering commitment to our clients and partners

2
4
1

Excellence

We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality work and infusing excellence into every aspect of our business

Innovation

We are always learning and developing cutting-edge DEI frameworks and concepts for our clients

Disruption

We strive to break down the institutional, structural and systemic barriers that prevent the creation of inclusive workplaces

5

Authenticity

We are fierce advocates for authenticity, psychological safety, trust and belonging in the workplace

Focus

We don’t believe in “off the shelf” experiences – we customize all of our programming to meet the needs of each client and their teams

Professionalism

We pride ourselves on our reliability, responsiveness and unwavering commitment to our clients and partners

2

Excellence

We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality work and infusing excellence into every aspect of our business

4

Innovation

We are always learning and developing cutting-edge DEI frameworks and concepts for our clients

1

Disruption

We strive to break down the institutional, structural and systemic barriers that prevent the creation of inclusive workplaces

Authenticity

We are fierce advocates for authenticity, psychological safety, trust and belonging in the workplace

Focus

We don’t believe in “off the shelf” experiences – we customize all of our programming to meet the needs of each client and their teams

5

Professionalism

We pride ourselves on our reliability, responsiveness and unwavering commitment to our clients and partners

Our Founder

Ritu Bhasin, LL.B. MBA, (she/her) is the CEO and Founder of bci. Recognized globally for her DEI and leadership expertise, Ritu has received numerous awards and distinctions for her work.
ABOUT RITU
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Ritu Bhasin standing with her arms crossed and smiling on a navy background

Our Team

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Dr. Summer Allen

she/her

DEI & Leadership Coach

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Dr. Komal Bhasin

she/her

Senior DEI Consultant
Mental Health Expert-in-Residence

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Joanna Kirke

she/her

DEI Coach & Speaker

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Alyse Runyan

she/her

Director of Operations

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Silvia Li

she/her

Client Relations Associate

Ashley Gerling

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she/her

Senior Manager of Digital Marketing & Communications

CONTACT US

Our Clients

INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRMS

  • Baker McKenzie
  • Hogan Lovells
  • Kirkland & Ellis
  • Paul, Weiss
  • Skadden

GLOBAL BANKS

  • Bank of Montreal
  • National Australia Bank
  • Scotiabank
  • Capital One

INSURANCE

  • Manulife
  • RenaissanceRe
  • Sun Life Financial
  • Liberty Mutual

HEALTH CARE

  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Pfizer
  • Novo Nordisk
  • CAMH

TECHNOLOGY

  • Salesforce
  • Google
  • Microsoft
  • Medidata

PUBLIC SECTOR

  • City of Toronto
  • Government of Ontario
  • Employment and Social Development Canada

INVESTMENT FIRMS

  • Summit Rock Advisors
  • Wellington Management
  • Fidelity Investments
  • Research Affiliates

MANUFACTURING

  • Ferrero
  • Labatt
  • Weston Foods
  • BASF

ARTS & MEDIA

  • National Geographic
  • Penguin Random House
  • Scholastic
  • Universal Music Canada

RETAIL

  • Knix
  • Canadian Tire
  • Sephora

ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

  • University of Toronto
  • University of Regina
  • Ohio State University

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FIRMS

  • Accenture
  • LexisNexis
  • KPMG
  • Ernst & Young

NON-PROFITS, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & UNIONS

  • World Wildlife Fund
  • Yoga Alliance
  • United Steelworkers
  • Association of Corporate Counsel
  • Canadian Media Producers Association

AND MORE

Ritu and team really took the time to get to know our organization prior to our workshop, learning about our employees, customers, culture and shareholder impacts, to customize the content, making it both specific and relevant. She created a safe environment, where we felt open to asking questions that we might otherwise have not raised. The bci team has a unique way of impacting both minds and hearts of participants.

Megan Jones

Vice President Card Product Development and Benefits Strategy,
CIBC and Former Vice President Financial Products & Services,
Canadian Tire Financial Services

Komal brought a logical yet compassionate perspective and was spot on in engaging the audience. Our leaders walked away with practical skills that can be applied and shared across their teams. We love working with bci, they always bring an authentic view to important topics.

Mahreen Rashid

Executive Vice President, People Services, Excella Consulting

“Ritu is a memorable, timely, and high-impact partner to work with for any organization looking to start or continue the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging conversation.”

Amanda Stewart

Fortitude Re, SVP, Head of Employee Experience and CHRO
bci logo

bhasin consulting inc. is a world-renowned full service DEI consulting firm dedicated to driving organizational change.

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AREAS OF EXPERTISE

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The bci team primarily works from lands that are part of the Dish With One Spoon Territory, a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that brought these communities together to share, serve and protect these lands.

bci is deeply committed to honoring the spirit of this treaty, and we recognize our privilege in enjoying the benefits of these lands, which supports all that we do. We’re passionately focused on undertaking our DEI work in alignment with the values of Truth and Reconciliation, and we actively seek to decolonize societal and workplace systems, as well as our individual behaviors.

Ritu Bhasin, LL.B. MBA

Ritu is an award-winning speaker, consultant, author, and internationally recognized
expert in DEI, leadership, belonging, anti-racism, and empowerment. Since 2010, Ritu has worked with hundreds of top organizations and senior leadership teams around the world and, as a professional speaker, she has presented to hundreds of thousands of people globally.

She is a certified cultural competence coach and a certified neuroscience strategies coach who has personally coached over a thousand people, as well as a yoga and mindfulness teacher and practitioner, and very shortly she will complete a trauma professional certification program.

Before founding bci, Ritu spent ten years in the legal profession – first as a civil litigator and then as the director of legal talent for the preeminent Canadian law firm, Stikeman Elliott LLP. Ritu also served as an instructor in the Executive Programs at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto for three years. She regularly appears on national television and radio in the U.S. and Canada as an expert on DEI, belonging, leadership, and empowerment.

Ritu’s personal experiences with adversity and her desire to help others have led her to work as a social activist for over twenty-five years, volunteering with dozens of organizations and mentoring dozens of youths and young professionals. She has won numerous awards and distinctions for her work, including: Success Magazine’s Woman of Influence, The Women’s Center Leadership Award, the South Asian Bar Association Diversity Award, the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce Female Professional of the Year Award, the City of Toronto’s William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations, and Western University’s Young Alumni of the Year Award.

Ritu has written two bestselling books: We’ve Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging (2023), and The Authenticity Principle: Resist Conformity, Embrace Differences, and Transform How You Live, Work, and Lead (2017).

Ritu lives in Toronto, Canada. When she is not working, you’ll find her traveling around the world to eat, swim, hike, dance, and chill.

To explore Ritu’s empowerment tools and resources for individuals, visit her personal empowerment blog, ritubhasin.com.

Education:

  • MBA, Rotman School of Management (Executive Program), University of Toronto
  • LL.B. (With Distinction), University of Western Ontario
  • B.A. (With Distinction), University of Toronto
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Dr. Summer Allen, PhD

Summer is an executive level leadership coach, speaker, and consultant with over 15 years of experience in improving organizational and employee performance through her expertise in DEI, organizational change, emotional intelligence, and leadership development. She has her doctorate in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California.

Summer is passionate about working with leaders to deeply understand their individual and organizational development needs in order to build cultures that are rooted in DEI, emotional intelligence, empathy, and belonging. Summer holds a range of facilitation designations and coaching certifications, including being a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).

Summer has provided one-on-one coaching to hundreds of senior leaders across a range of industries and globally renowned organizations. She is known for her thoughtful, dynamic, and inviting coaching style, and for cultivating meaningful learning experiences around challenging DEI areas like unconscious bias, cultural competence, allyship, authenticity, belonging, and more.

When Summer isn’t working, you’ll find her writing, watching Investigation Discovery, or playing with her dog Coco.

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Dr. Komal Bhasin, MSW, MHSc, DocSocSci

Komal is bci’s Senior DEI Consultant and Mental Health Expert-in-Residence and an accomplished DEI facilitator, coach, and strategist. Komal has over 20 years of experience in providing strategic and advisory guidance and program development across a range of sectors, with a particular concentration in mental health and racial inclusion. Komal is also the founder of Insayva Inc., a social enterprise focused on providing accessible DEI and health equity support to charities and non-profit organizations.

Komal has extensive experience in creating and delivering programming in a range of DEI areas, including unconscious bias, cultural competence, mental health inclusion, psychological safety, and allyship. She is passionate about driving transformational change in workplaces and has worked closely with bci clients — corporations, professional services firms, health care providers, and educational institutions — to embed cultures of DEI within their organizations.

Komal has provided one-on-one inclusion coaching to hundreds of senior leaders and brings a unique approach that is informed by her background as a therapist. She is able to expertly handle sensitive conversations and situations and works with leaders to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to advance racial/ethnocultural, gender, and mental health-related equity across teams and organizations. Komal also offers a performance coaching program designed specifically for BIPOC leaders. This program aims to help BIPOC leaders harness their place, position, and identity to thrive in the workplace and beyond. Komal is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).

As bci’s Mental Health Expert-in-Residence, Komal offers tremendous expertise around workplace mental health. As a doctoral trained mental health clinician, certified health executive, and registered social worker, Komal has assisted organizations looking to advance employee mental health inclusion and well-being through offering programming on inclusive dialogue, anti-stigma, burnout prevention, psychological safety, resilience, and self-care. Komal is committed to advancing mental health and wellness across the life course; she currently serves on the board of the Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario and previously served on the board of Children’s Mental Health Ontario and the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

When Komal is not working, you’ll find her painting, cooking or snuggling with her cat.

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Joanna Kirke, MBA

Joanna Kirke, is a coach, facilitator, and consultant and has over 20 years of talent management, diversity and inclusion, leadership consulting, and executive coaching experience. Joanna is experienced in developing and delivering high impact workshops and coaching programming for a range of sectors including financial services, law firms, consulting, retail, telecommunications, mining, education, and not-for-profits, and across a spectrum of areas including leadership, diversity and inclusion, cultural competence, and women’s advancement.

Joanna has coached hundreds of leaders in global organizations in several areas including inclusion and cultural competence. She is able to quickly gain trust and build rapport with her coaching clients in order to create greater accountability, behavioral change, and personal growth.

Joanna is qualified to administer the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory (ICS). Joanna is also qualified to administer several leadership assessment tools including: EQ-i 2.0 Assessment, Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, and ExperienceChange Simulation.

When Joanna isn’t working, you’ll find her volunteering in the community with organizations including Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, and the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

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Alyse Runyan

Alyse is responsible for overseeing bci’s day-to-day business operations, including client and partner relationships, and team management. She is also involved in strategic decision making and managing special projects. She holds a Masters in International Studies from Oxford Brookes University. When she is not working, Alyse is typically running after her kids or reading in a rare quiet moment.

Silvia Li

Silvia is responsible for managing all of bci’s business development inquiries and is our client’s main point of contact. Silvia also manages the entire life cycle of all of our client engagements, providing logistical support and ensuring the successful completion of our engagements. She holds a Master’s degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. When she is not working, Silvia can be found enjoying a coffee/brunch date with a friend or family member, taking care of her house plants or thrift shopping.

Ashley Gerling

Ashley is responsible for developing and executing bci’s marketing and communications strategies. She holds an MA from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. When she is not working, you’ll find Ashley visiting art galleries, trying new recipes or going on road trips.

We'd Love to Hear from You!

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