About

Brainstorm Strategy Group

We envision a time when all students will confidently pursue their best-fit educational opportunities, access the career exploration and development support they need, and easily transition into the right opportunity to launch their careers.

Our mission, therefore, is to eliminate friction, inefficiencies, and misinformation from the student recruitment, career development, and hiring processes.

We do this by providing strategic consulting, actionable research and information, and effective training to the employers that hire students and the institutions that educate them and support their development.

Founded in 2003 by Graham Donald, Brainstorm has advised many of the country’s largest employers, universities, and colleges. These include KPMG, TD Bank, McGill University, Wilfrid Laurier University, Bell, PwC, University of British Columbia, Wilfrid Laurier University, Bank of Canada, Kraft, University of Toronto, Rutgers University, RBC, IBM, George Brown College, Carleton University, RCMP, CIBC, and many others.

Brainstorm has organized and led well over sixty conferences and training programs, and conducted quantitative and qualitative research with more than 200,000 post-secondary students and recent grads.

Our Commitment to Equity and Inclusion

We’re dedicated to creating a space where everyone – no matter their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, age, religion, or socio-economic background – feels valued and empowered to share their unique perspectives. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are cornerstones of innovation and organizational excellence.

As an organization that partners with employers and post-secondary education professionals to support students, we understand the diversity of student experiences and the importance of developing inclusive solutions that address their unique challenges and create more equitable pathways to success.

Much of our work involves hosting conferences, training programs, and community interactions that are intended to create change and progress for organizations and individuals. We believe we hold a responsibility to ensure these activities represent and create space for diverse voices and views.

We strive to:

Build a Culture of Belonging: We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment where all voices are heard and respected.
Provide Equal Opportunities: We respect and value everyone for their contribution, celebrating people’s differences, and aim to provide equal opportunities for all; amplifying excluded voices, stories, and perspectives whenever possible.
Empower Community Collaboration: We value diverse perspectives and seek to partner with communities and organizations that share our commitment to equity.
Practice Transparent Communication: We encourage and practice transparent communication in all interactions. Our work culture values accountability, kindness, and openness.
Dismantle Inequities: We acknowledge and aim to dismantle inequities within our programs and services that may be identified by anyone within or external to the organization and to do our best to ensure that all events, reports, surveys, and training program language reflect current equity practices.

We know that equity is a continuous journey. We are dedicated to learning, evolving, and taking actionable steps to ensure a more just and inclusive future for our team, clients, and the broader community.

We also know that we will experience bumps along the way. As a client-informed organization, we welcome and value input and guidance from all members of our community as we pursue this journey.

Subscribe to the weekly STAT

The weekly STAT, a brief email featuring new content each week, gives insight into Canadian students’ thoughts on future employers, career services, and recruitment practices. It includes important discussion questions for employers and educators to consider. It also highlights new employment opportunities for campus recruiters and post-secondary professionals.