Catalyst Announces The Catalyst Canada Honours 2012 Champions of Women in Business

TORONTO (June 18, 2012)?Catalyst Canada announced today that it will honour Gordon M. Nixon, President & CEO, RBC; Anne-Marie Hubert, Managing Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young; and Jane Allen, Partner & Chief Diversity Officer, Deloitte Canada, with The Catalyst Canada Honours, which recognizes a Company/Firm Leader, a Business Leader and a Human Resources/Diversity Leader?individuals who exemplify exceptional leadership around advancing women in their organizations, industries, and communities.

?The Catalyst Canada Honours recognizes leaders who have demonstrated the level of personal commitment and passion that is driving women?s advancement in corporate Canada,? said Deborah Gillis, Senior Vice President, Membership & Global Operations, Catalyst. ?Gord Nixon, Anne-Marie Hubert, and Jane Allen give real meaning to the word ?champion.? Our hope is that their courage, vision, and dedication will inspire leaders from coast to coast to step up and become champions and catalysts for women?s advancement.?

"Being in business carries with it responsibilities to the people who choose to work with us. BMO became one of Catalyst?s earliest members not only because of a shared conviction that workplaces must provide opportunities for everyone but also to serve as a constant reminder of the standard to which we hold ourselves as a company,? said Bill Downe, President and CEO of BMO Financial Group and Chair of The Catalyst Canada Honours dinner. "The Catalyst Canada Honours recognizes individuals who are setting the bar higher and understand the very important relationship between the success of their workforce, the success of their customers and the success of corporate Canada. Congratulations to Catalyst Canada's 2012 honourees for their exceptional leadership; I hope that these celebrations inspire more and more champions.?

The Catalyst Canada Honours 2012 Champions

CEO:? Championing the business value of diversity and inclusion is one of the hallmarks of Gordon M. Nixon?s leadership. He credits great mentors for helping him understand the business value of diversity, especially as it relates to human capital, and has in turn worked to create a positive and supportive environment for RBC employees. Shortly after Mr. Nixon was appointed President and CEO of RBC 11 years ago, he established the bank?s Diversity Leadership Council, which oversees the bank?s diversity and inclusion strategy. During his tenure, he has directly influenced the growth of the company?s pipeline of diverse talent by establishing specific staffing protocols and personally sponsoring the development of promising women and visible minorities to help them achieve senior leadership positions and external board memberships. RBC has consistently shown leadership across all industries in the representation of women and visible minorities at senior levels. Today, over 65 percent of RBC?s Canadian workforce is made up of women and 37 percent of executive roles are held by women. Additionally, RBC has increased the representation of women on its board (five of 16 directors are women).? Mr. Nixon?s approach also includes participation in RBC?s Diversity Dialogues Program?a mentoring initiative which matches senior leaders and executives with mid-level employees drawn from RBC?s diverse population.? Mr. Nixon has been a strong advocate for the Catalyst Accord and serves on the Catalyst Canada Advisory Board. He also chairs the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), which helps improve employment outcomes for new immigrants, including women.

Business Leader:? For over 20 years, Anne-Marie Hubert?s primary objective has been attracting, developing, and helping people achieve their full potential. As Managing Partner, Advisory Services, at Ernst & Young, she has been a dedicated mentor and sponsor, working to ensure that all employees are represented fairly both internally and with clients. While leading Ernst & Young?s gender equality initiatives, Ms. Hubert designed and implemented Career Watch, a national program that pairs senior leaders with high-potential women and visible minorities. She also guided the implementation of a review program for partners that ties diversity ratings to performance and compensation, which significantly reduced gender gap in ratings at all levels and increased the proportion of women promoted to senior positions. Ms. Hubert champions diversity and inclusion not only at Ernst & Young but also in the marketplace, serving on the boards of the F?d?ration des chambres de commerce du Qu?bec (FCCQ) and of the Public Policy Forum. She has been publicly recognized for her contributions to the advancement of women in the Americas, and in 2009 she supported Quebec legislation for parity on boards of selected Crown corporations by penning an opinion letter published in La Presse, the largest French daily newspaper in Canada.

Human Resources/Diversity Leader: In 2008, Deloitte Canada appointed Jane Allen as its first Chief Diversity Officer, becoming one of the first organizations in the country to put the spotlight on diversity and inclusion. As a member of the leadership team, Ms. Allen has been instrumental in transforming Deloitte Canada?s culture by focusing on awareness building, advocacy, and accountability. She has encouraged her peers to advocate for diversity and inclusion and has demonstrated the importance of senior sponsorship in advancing talented women and underrepresented groups. Her efforts to improve management accountability for achieving diversity goals have led to a significant increase in the proportion of women admitted to partnership. Ms. Allen champions diversity not only at Deloitte but in the broader Canadian business community by working to move diversity discussions from awareness-building to action. She represents Deloitte as a founding sponsor of the Canadian Board Diversity Council, and she established a Women in Energy networking program to facilitate women?s career development in the energy industry. Earlier in her career, Ms. Allen was co-founder of the Canadian Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The Catalyst Canada Honours

The selection process for The Canada Catalyst Honours is extremely rigorous. Champions are nominated and, once their applications are received, Catalyst looks for clear indications of leadership and sponsorship behaviours that have had a visible impact on the advancement of women both inside and outside their organizations. The nomination process is supported by interviews with the nominated individual and references.?

This year's champions will be celebrated at The Catalyst Canada Honours dinner on Monday, November 5, 2012, at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.? For the first time, The Catalyst Canada Honours will host a half-day conference on the same day held at CIBC?s Toronto office.? The conference will kick off with a luncheon beginning at 12:00 p.m.

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 celebrates champions of women in Canadian 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.

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