Synclusiv: How Cultivating an Inclusive Workplace Fuels Business Growth

RBC has a long history of recognizing leaders who transform industries and communities. This International Women’s Day, we’re featuring Nicole Piggott – founder of Synclusiv and an RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards finalist – whose work helps organizations turn inclusion into measurable performance and long-term resilience.

Nicole Piggott often describes herself as a reluctant entrepreneur.

Throughout her 30-year HR career, her personal priority was advancing and supporting the professional success of women. But while helping a friend and colleague launch the Gender Parity Certification at Women in Governance, she asked her team to develop a visual mosaic of women in senior roles across corporate Canada. What it revealed was unsettling. Despite the focus on gender parity, the mosaic reflected a striking lack of racial and cultural diversity.

“At that moment, I knew something needed to change,” says Piggott. “The conversation about advancing women was unintentionally narrowing the scope rather than broadening the landscape.”

She realized she couldn’t ignore what she was seeing. “I felt a call to action. I couldn’t leave a legacy that erased the potential of people who look like me – people with incredible talent who weren’t being given the opportunity to shine.”

Drawing on her HR experience, a deep network and a strong industry reputation, Piggott founded Synclusiv to help organizations build the tools, systems and cultures required to achieve, sustain and reap the benefits of enduring inclusion.

Named an RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards finalist, Piggott was recognized for building a company that proves inclusion and performance go hand in hand.

The impact of inclusion in the workplace

When Piggott launched Synclusiv, growth was steady from the start.

“We never had that typical struggle period at the beginning,” she says. “In fact, we were almost victims of our own success – we were growing a bit faster than we could keep up with.”

Demand for the firm’s work was so strong that Piggott made a deliberate choice early on – Synclusiv would not work with every organization that came calling. Instead, the firm interviews prospective clients, selecting only those ready to take meaningful steps forward.

“We work with organizations that are truly committed to inclusion,” she explains. “Sometimes that means telling companies they have some to do work before coming back to us.”

For Piggott, a deep level of commitment is the starting point for any meaningful progress.

Why inclusion efforts often stall

One of the most common challenges Piggott sees among companies is a one-size-fits-all approach to diversity and inclusion. Organizations often adopt general frameworks or public commitments, but fail to embed them in their leadership practices and systems.

“When a company isn’t fully committed, we see a lot of fluctuation,” explains Piggott. “They’ll have a strong year, then a weaker year, and wonder why they can’t sustain the shift.”

Many organizations also believe they are further along than they really are. But when baseline data is reviewed – whether it’s pay equity, representation or advancement rates – the gaps can be eye-opening.

Meeting clients where they stand helps translate intention into lasting business impact.

A model built on people, systems and culture

To create lasting inclusion, Synclusiv focuses on a three-legged framework: people, systems and culture. All three must work together.

• People – shaping mindset and behaviour: Leaders and employees need to understand why inclusion matters to the organization’s success. Without personal commitment, even well-designed programs can fall flat.

• Systems – aligning structures with stated values: If hiring, promotion and compensation processes remain unchanged, results won’t change either. Systems must reinforce the behaviours the organization says it values.

• Culture – embedding inclusion into everyday practice: Inclusion needs to be entrenched and ingrained in the workplace. It can’t simply live in a policy document.

“We’re able to show organizations that they can achieve significant impact with less financial investment,” says Piggott. “But it takes a lot more personal commitment from a leadership perspective.”

What the data says about inclusion and performance

The connection between inclusion and business performance is no longer anecdotal. A growing body of research shows clear links between diverse leadership and stronger financial results.

For Piggott, the data reinforces what she has seen throughout her career. When organizations broaden who is heard and how decisions are made, performance follows.

But representation alone does not guarantee results. “There is a difference between people who look different or wear different labels and a culture that actually allows those people to bring their differences to the workplace,” shares Piggott.

Navigating a shift in the conversation

After several years of steady growth, Synclusiv faced a new challenge.

As geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and shifting regulatory climates began influencing boardroom priorities, many organizations reassessed how and where they were investing. Diversity and inclusion initiatives were not immune to that scrutiny.

“Last year was pivotal for us,” says Piggott. “We hadn’t experienced those typical early entrepreneurial struggles. Then suddenly, leaders were focused on risk management and protecting their businesses. There were moments of real uncertainty.”

Contracts that once felt secure were reconsidered. Engagements that did move forward did so at a smaller scope than originally discussed. For the first time, Piggott found herself navigating the kind of volatility many founders face much earlier in their journey.

Advice for entrepreneurs navigating uncertainty

Rather than retreat, Piggott reassessed – and offers practical guidance for entrepreneurs facing similar uncertainty.

• Don’t panic. Acknowledge vulnerability, but resist reactive decisions. Recognize where you’re exposed and find ways to adapt.

• Use slower periods strategically. When growth is strong, there is little time to step back and rethink the business. Synclusiv used its pause to restructure for greater agility and long-term scalability.

• Restructure with your team, not in isolation. Piggott brought her leadership team together to redesign the organization for flexibility. “We restructured the entire organization so we’re much more agile and built for growth.”

• Right-size your overhead. She reduced fixed costs and built a network of experts, allowing the firm to scale services up or down as needed.

Building a legacy by bringing others forward

Piggott’s commitment to inclusion is rooted in her own family history.

Her mother was a pioneer for women, serving as a deputy chief of her division at the IMF and World Bank in Washington. She later founded the Black Academic Scholarship Fund, which has awarded over 350 scholarships over the last three decades. Her father was the first Black dean at McGill University.

“She showed me what’s possible,” says Piggott of her mother. “And she believed you’re not done until you’re bringing someone else along.”

That philosophy continues to shape her work. One of her daughters now works alongside her at Synclusiv, offering perspective on what the next generation of leadership expects and values.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme, Give to Gain, resonates deeply with Piggott. Progress, she believes, isn’t measured by personal achievement, but by how leaders create space for others to rise.

“My legacy will be the pipeline,” Piggott says. “Who is the next generation of leaders, and how are we growing them?”

As an RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards finalist, Piggott was recognized for building a company that proves inclusion and performance go hand in hand. For her, the recognition is meaningful, but the real measure of success is whether more women, from more backgrounds, are stepping confidently into leadership.