CORPORATE SUPPORT comprises Global Technology and Operations (GTO) and Global Functions. Together, these teams contribute to achieving enterprise and business objectives by enabling the strategies of each business platform, and by driving innovative process and technology improvements, enhancing client service, executing against RBC’s risk and compliance objectives, and ensuring the safety and soundness of our organization.

For financial highlights related to Corporate Support, please see page 74 of the MD&A.

 

 
 

GTO provides the processes and technology for a secure, flexible, reliable and convenient client experience. We develop and manage the essential information technology and operations foundation, the processing and fulfillment support, as well as the contact centre-delivered customer sales and service that support our diverse business activities.

Global Functions provides value-added services and advice to support business growth as well as the critical controls, systems and expertise necessary to meet regulatory and financial reporting, balance sheet management and corporate funding requirements. Global Functions also provides leadership related to the management of critical enterprise assets, including our people, corporate reputation, capital base, debt ratings, and enterprise strategy.
   
  Business achievements in 2008
•  In a year of extreme turbulence in the world’s financial markets, RBC continued to be a source of stability and strength for our clients. Our enterprise risk management framework underpins our strength and stability and is at the core of our continued success under extremely adverse business conditions. We are disciplined and proactive in managing our risk profile within our risk appetite.
•  Our treasury management team has skillfully and successfully maintained our liquidity position and accessed funding at relatively attractive rates from sources around the world in an environment where other financial institutions have struggled to access debt and capital.
•  We safely and securely completed more than 300 million ATM transactions, 118 million client calls, 140 million online banking transactions, 600 million point-of-sale transactions and 230 million equity transactions on behalf of our clients.
•  We were the Private Sector Winner of the Conference Board of Canada/Spencer Stuart 2008 National Awards in Governance in recognition of innovation in performance management for creating a framework that facilitates the more accurate and timely assessment of the implementation of strategic initiatives.
• The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants presented RBC for the second consecutive year with the Award of Excellence for Corporate Reporting in Financial Services, giving us the highest average ranking among Canadian financial industry competitors for our financial reporting, corporate governance disclosure, electronic disclosure and sustainable development reporting.
• We achieved Best Overall Score in the Forrester Research, Inc. 2008 Canadian Bank Secure Web Site Rankings.
• IR Magazine presented RBC with the 2008 Best Retail Investor Communications Award.
• RBC was once again included in two Dow Jones Sustainability indices for 2009 (the World Index and the North American Index).
• RBC was declared one of Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2008 (Waterstone Human Capital).
  The following rankings recognized the strength of the RBC brand in 2008:
• Canada’s Top 50 Brands published in Canadian Business magazine gave the RBC brand top place with an A+ rating
• BrandZ Top 100 Most Powerful Brands made RBC the first Canadian company to be named to its global list.
   
   
  2009 and beyond
•  Our Corporate Support teams will continue to strive to effectively and efficiently deliver value-added services and advice necessary to support the achievement of our strategic and performance goals.
• GTO will work in alignment with the strategic priorities of our businesses to make it easier for clients to do business with us, while enhancing client services, contributing to our risk and compliance objectives, and ensuring the safety and soundness of our infrastructure.
•  Global Functions will contribute to RBC’s financial performance by working to maintain a strong balance sheet, sound credit quality and capital ratios; effectively managing our tax position; and implementing cost-saving initiatives, while improving the alignment of business strategies and risk exposures.
•  Global Functions will support business growth by executing strategies to attract, retain and motivate talented employees; by maintaining strong risk, governance and compliance regimes; and by promoting a relevant and customer-centric brand strategy, a clear and compelling enterprise strategy, and solid relationships with investors, credit rating agencies, regulators and other stakeholders.