Bill Morris, President of Accenture in Canada, Named 2017 Inclusion Vanguard Award Winner by Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100

TORONTO, Nov. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 has named Bill Morris, president of Accenture's business in Canada, as the 2017 Inclusion Vanguard Award winner.

The gender-neutral Inclusion Vanguard award category, presented by Deloitte, was first introduced in 2016 and recognizes an individual, male or female, who has made an impact on the diversity and inclusion landscape of the workforce.

"Inclusion is about recognizing that every individual is unique, and has something unique to contribute.  This takes us beyond counting and comparing our differences and extends far beyond the concept of 'fitting in,'" said Miyo Yamashita, managing partner, Talent & Workplace and chief transformation officer at Deloitte. "As a company, Deloitte believes that the future belongs to firms that can harness the power to participate. The Inclusion Vanguard Award celebrates the achievements of individuals who understand the power of participation, and not just the creation of a diverse workforce".

"We are proud to honour the achievement of Bill Morris, president of Accenture's business in Canada. The Inclusion Vanguard Award is meant to celebrate the beauty and strength of his accomplishments with respect to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and beyond. And, of course, to inspire more of it," said Sherri Stevens, president and CEO of PhaseNyne (parent company of Women's Executive Network - WXN, Canadian Board Diversity Council – CBDC, and Stevens Resource Group - SRG). "Morris was selected for his role as a champion for change, having demonstrated outstanding commitment to a broader diversity agenda within his organization."

The Inclusion Vanguard Award will be presented to Morris at the annual Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Gala in Toronto on November 23, 2017. 

"It is an honour to be named the 2017 Inclusion Vanguard award winner, and I am especially proud of Accenture's continuous commitment to inclusion and diversity, including our organization's goal to reach gender parity by 2025," Morris said. "We will continue to create a work environment where everyone feels that they belong, grounded by the underlying belief that inclusion and diversity are real drivers for innovation in our business and our clients' businesses."

In addition to the Inclusion Vanguard Award, the Top 100 Award Gala will honour 100 remarkable women in business, the public sector, within professional associations, the arts and communications arena, entrepreneurs, future leaders and trailblazers breaking new ground. The full list of 2017 winners will be announced on November 22, 2017, one day prior to the Awards Gala.

About the Award Winner, Bill Morris

Bill Morris is a senior managing director at Accenture and president of the company's business in Canada.  Under his leadership, Accenture has been named among Canada's Top 100 Employers, Canada's Best Diversity Employers, Greater Toronto's Top Employers and Canada's Top Employers for Young People and is ranked second on Pride at Work Canada's LGBT Inclusion Index.

Bill champions Accenture's diverse leaders, successfully sponsoring two of Accenture's female executives to be named among Canada's Top 100: Most Powerful Women. Bill also co-chairs Accenture's Canadian Diversity Council, which is comprised of senior leaders who drive accountability for inclusion and diversity, including modelling inclusive behavior, and setting diversity goals.

In the spirit of creating discussion around diversity, Bill began implementing "diversity moments" at the beginning of his leadership meetings. In this forum, Accenture leaders raise topics and questions around diversity, with the goal of starting conversations—sometimes uncomfortable ones—to effect change and ensure that Accenture is the most diverse and inclusive company in Canada. Bill is leading Accenture's efforts to reach and sustain overall gender parity in Canada by the year 2025. Bill grew up in Halifax, is an outdoorsman and has a passion for music.  He is married with three grown children.

About Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100

Co-presented by KPMG, the Top 100 Awards span the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, with recipients selected by an independent advisory board. To date, 939 powerful women have been given this prestigious award, which will be updated to 1005 powerful women as of November 23^rd. The list of Award Winners is revealed the day prior to the Leadership Summit and Awards Gala, which will take place Thursday, November 23, 2017. Previous Award winners include Margaret Atwood, Dr. Roberta Bondar, Arlene Dickinson, Christine Magee, Michaëlle Jean, Heather Reisman and Kathleen Taylor.

SOURCE PhaseNyne Inc.

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with Sherri Stevens, please contact: Sean Hemraj, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing, WXN, 416-361-1475 ext. 216, [email protected]