Zabeen Hirji, the former chief human resources officer at Royal Bank of Canada and founder of the Purposeful Third Act (P3A) Movement, has been named to the Order of Ontario for 2025.
Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont announced 30 new appointments to the Order of Ontario, which recognizes distinguished service and extraordinary achievements that have helped build a stronger Ontario and Canada.
Hirji will be invested at a ceremony in Toronto in 2026.
A landmark career in HR
Hirji spent 40 years at RBC, rising from retail branch banking roles to become the bank’s CHRO, a position she held from 2007 to 2017. In that role, she oversaw people strategy for one of Canada’s largest employers, with roughly 80,000 employees serving 16 million clients across 40 countries.
She is recognized as the first South Asian woman to serve in the C-suite of a TSX 100 company. During her tenure at RBC, she worked to embed values and purpose into corporate strategy and made measurable gains in the representation of visible-minority and women executives.
Life after the C-suite
Since leaving RBC, Hirji has built a broad portfolio of advisory and governance roles. She serves as executive advisor on future of work at Deloitte, executive in residence at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, and executive advisor to the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario. She also holds a visiting professorship at King’s College London, where she advises on the advancement of women in leadership.
In 2023, she founded the Purposeful Third Act movement, which encourages people to treat post-career life as a time of social purpose rather than a period of winding down.
Broader contributions
Hirji currently serves on several boards and advisory bodies, including JA Worldwide, the Public Policy Forum, and the Canadian Club Toronto. She is a member of Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s Economic Action Team and a special adviser to the Clerk of the Privy Council on public service renewal and equity, diversity and inclusion — a role she has held since 2018.
“The 2025 Order of Ontario appointees represent the very best of our province,” Dumont said. “Through their exceptional dedication and achievements, they have made profound contributions that have touched lives across Ontario and beyond.”
