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The Catalyst Canada Honours Celebrates Four Business Leaders
as 2012 Champions of Women's Advancement in Corporate Canada
TORONTO, November 5, 2012 - Catalyst
Canada will pay tribute to this year's recipients of The
Catalyst Canada Honours - Gordon
M. Nixon, President & CEO, RBC; Anne-Marie Hubert,
Managing Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young; Jane
Allen, Partner & Chief Diversity Officer, Deloitte Canada;
and Claude Dussault, Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Intact Financial Corporation-at a gala dinner tonight at The
Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. For the first time,
the celebration will also include a luncheon and half-day
conference at the Toronto head office of CIBC.
With a mission to create visible role models for Canada's
current and future leaders, The Catalyst Canada Honours recognizes
a Company/Firm Leader (Mr. Nixon), a Business Leader (Ms.
Hubert), and a Human Resources/Diversity Leader (Ms. Allen)
who demonstrate exceptional leadership by advancing women
in their organizations, industries, and communities.
Mr. Dussault will receive Special Recognition as Board Diversity
Champion for his work advancing women to board leadership.
For the first time, The Catalyst Canada Honours is including
this special recognition to underscore the significant role
of corporate boards in achieving gender diversity in business
leadership.
"We salute the extraordinary leadership of this year's
Champions. They remind us that recognizing and advancing talent
requires intentional action, and that the discipline and skills
required to manage a diverse team are hallmarks of successful
leaders," said Deborah Gillis, Senior Vice President,
Membership & Global Operations, Catalyst.
"They understand that when women succeed, men succeed,
and so do families, communities, businesses and economies-a
remarkable model for growth."
"As leaders, we have a responsibility to our customers,
to our shareholders and to our employees to ensure that talent
and ability are the only things that define success in our
organizations," said Bill Downe, President & CEO,
BMO Financial Group. "Promoting diversity, working at
it, and ensuring that performance is the only predictor of
success come from a personal conviction that what is fair
is right and what is right is good for business. Thank you
to each of this year's champions for getting us one step closer.
We celebrate their excellence with the recognition that they
and all of us at BMO share a conviction: that success has
no limits."
"As leaders, our early support can provide important
momentum to the career development of highly talented individuals,"
said Rick Waugh, President and CEO of Scotiabank and Chair
of the Catalyst Canada Advisory Board. "I can personally
attest to the significant contribution and leadership that
women have provided to Scotiabank. Great leaders propel us
forward and we congratulate tonight's honourees for the contribution
they have made in developing Canada's future business leaders."
Important achievements of this year's Champions include:
- Shortly after Gordon M. Nixon's appointment as President
and Chief Executive Officer of RBC, he established the Diversity
Leadership Council, which is responsible for overseeing
the bank's diversity and inclusion strategy, key goals and
results, and he has chaired the Council ever since. Mr.
Nixon has personally sponsored the development of many women
at RBC, and during his tenure as CEO, many have achieved
senior leadership positions.
- Ms. Hubert has been an energetic, dedicated leader of
Ernst & Young's gender equality initiatives. She established
the national gender and minority leadership program Career
Watch and has been widely recognized for her contributions
to the advancement of women in the Americas.
- Ms. Allen, Deloitte Canada's first Chief Diversity Officer,
has demonstrated the importance of senior sponsorship in
advancing talented women and underrepresented groups. Her
work to improve management accountability for achieving
diversity goals has led to a significant increase in the
proportion of women partners admitted to the firm.
- Mr. Dussault is an active champion of women's representation
on boards and advancement to leadership roles. Under his
leadership as Intact's Chairman of the Board and, previously,
as its President and CEO, Intact has demonstrated its commitment
to diversity through the work of its Diversity Council and
other workplace diversity initiatives. Mr. Dussault set
a new standard when Intact became public by inviting three
women to join the Board, and he directly supports women's
advancement through his involvement with the WomenOnBoardTM
Mentoring Program.
Catalyst Canada created The Catalyst Canada Honours to inspire
a robust pipeline of women and men leaders who will sponsor,
champion, and promote the advancement of women in Canadian
business, contributing to the overall sustainability and well-being
of corporate Canada.
About Catalyst
Founded in 1962, Catalyst
is the leading nonprofit membership organization expanding
opportunities for women and business. With offices in the
United States, Canada, Europe, and India, and more than 500
preeminent corporations as members, Catalyst is the trusted
resource for research, information, and advice about women
at work..
About the Catalyst Canada Honours
The
Catalyst Canada Honours shares the rigour and prestige
of the Catalyst
Award, which Catalyst has presented since 1987 to business
initiatives dedicated to advancing women's progress in the
corporate world. The Catalyst Canada Honours celebrates individual
champions of women in business. Recognizing that what's good
for women is good for business, these exceptional individuals
are personally and visibly committed to the advancement of
women and serve as powerful role models for Canadian corporate
leaders.
Champions are nominated and once applications are received,
Catalyst Canada looks for clear indications of championship
through leadership behaviours that have had a visible impact
on the advancement of women both inside and outside their
organization. The nomination process is supported by interviews
with the nominees and references.
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For more information:
Susan Nierenberg,
Catalyst,
+1 646 388 7744, (New York)
Paula Morrison
MAVERICK Public Relations
+1 416 640 5525, ext 234 (Toronto)
Ariane
Tremblay, Girafe
+1 514 861 1330 (Quebec)
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