Aayaz Pira’s favourite moments from his two-month parental leave are snuggling with his children, playing sports with his son and making home-cooked dinners with his wife.
Reflecting on his time away from the office, Aayaz has learned a few things he says he'll carry forward. “I’ve learned to be present, active and engaged. It’s important to spend quality time with the people you love and to simply enjoy the moment. It’s essential to take ‘me time’ to have a healthy mind, body and soul. If you don’t take time for yourself, you'll do yourself, your family and the people around you a disservice.”
As a father to a baby girl, Aayaz is even more passionate about continuing to be a strong voice and advocate for the advancement of women in the workplace. He's an executive sponsor of CIBC’s Women’s Network and an adviser to #movethedial, an organization that CIBC partners with to help grow the pipeline of women in tech.
Aayaz believes men play a pivotal role in advancing gender equality and says, “Inclusion and diversity are everyone’s accountability, but it's the role of our leaders, both men and women, to set the tone at the top and become advocates and change agents in making workplaces more inclusive. At CIBC, we're focused on creating an inclusive workplace by taking proactive steps to disrupt unconscious bias and encourage leaders to develop new habits and make better, more informed decisions.”
Aayaz has made a conscious effort to make sure his own team is diverse and his leaders feel equipped to disrupt bias and lead with inclusion.