After 12 years of practicing law at a national corporate law firm in Canada, Jaimie never imagined that she would work at a bank. Her practice focused on advancing Indigenous rights and financial sovereignty – due to legal and regulatory barriers, Indigenous peoples do not have equitable access to banking products and financial services. The more Jaimie did to work through these legal barriers, the more she saw the deep need for support in the finance sector, so at conferences and other events she regularly spoke about the need for more young Indigenous people to pursue careers in finance.

CIBC heard her call and responded by asking her to lead their Indigenous Markets business line. Jaimie pointed out that she had no experience in the banking industry, to which CIBC responded that it employed plenty of bankers; what they needed was an expert in the legal and regulatory issues Indigenous communities faced. Jaimie accepted the offer, and just over two years into her tenure, was promoted to Senior Vice President.

Today, Jaimie chairs CIBC’s Reconciliation Action Committee (RAC) and sits on its Inclusion Leadership Council. Since she runs a business line, she is able to integrate the inclusion of Indigenous peoples not only into internal talent practices but also into how clients are served. Due to the regulations banks face, her work is not simply to identify opportunity gaps for Indigenous peoples and then close them, because sometimes the legal regime and regulatory framework themselves create the gaps. Jaimie educates government entities as to why and how those regulations harm Indigenous communities, and advocates for changes so that Indigenous peoples can have equitable access to financial products and services. Through the RAC, Jaimie has been able to foster momentum for this work and gain support at the highest levels of CIBC. She also works through the RAC to evaluate talent processes across all lines of business. “When I recruit, I can do so with authenticity, because I believe in what we’re doing,” Jaimie says. “I have no hesitation about recommending clients and contacts to work with CIBC versus any other institution.”

Jaimie is excited to see the increase in the inclusion of women in CIBC’s commercial banking team. When she joined the Bank in 2020, she was the only woman executive in the commercial bank, but today she is one of three – a huge change in only a few years. She is also proud to see many women ascending to executive roles across the bank, including CIBC’s newly appointed Senior Executive Vice President and Group Head of Commercial Banking and Wealth Management.

Jaimie Lickers, Senior Vice-President, Indigenous Markets, CIBC

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