Catalyst announces 2016 Catalyst Canada Honours Champions

Newly Expanded Program Recognizes Extraordinary Champions, Emerging Leaders Working to Advance Women and Inclusive Workplaces

TORONTO, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, Catalyst announced the 2016 Catalyst Canada Honours Champions—four exceptional corporate leaders who have made transformational contributions to advancing women and championing inclusion in the workplace. Catalyst is also recognizing for the first time three "Emerging Leaders"—inspiring non-executives whose intentional leadership has contributed to meaningful progress for inclusion within their organization and community. The Emerging Leaders category is part of Catalyst's newly expanded Catalyst Canada Honours program.

The 2016 Champions are:

• Company/Firm Leader: Frank Vettese, Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Deloitte Canada
• Business Leader: Philip Grosch, Partner, National Digital Services Leader, PwC Canada
• Business Leader: Carol Osler, SVP, Financial Crimes & Fraud Management Group, TD Bank Group
• Business Leader: Anna Tudela, Vice President, Diversity, Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Secretary, Goldcorp Inc.

The 2016 Emerging Leaders are:

• Lara Di Gregorio, Manager, Acquisitions & Asset Management, Crestpoint Real Estate Investments
• Shilpa Mandhan, Former Associate Director, Client Services, Precima (A LoyaltyOne Company)
• Jenn Ocampo-King, Director, Prime Brokerage, TD Securities

"These incredible Champions and Emerging Leaders are exceptional role models in Canadian business, sharing a conviction that inclusion is vital for business success and our economic future," says Deborah Gillis, President and CEO, Catalyst. "As we honour these trailblazers, we also thank them for creating workplaces where diversity and inclusion are a priority, and inspiring others to follow their lead."

"Congratulations to Catalyst Canada's 2016 Champions, inspiring leaders who are disrupting the status quo and proving that inclusion is a business imperative," says Dave McKay, President & CEO of RBC and Catalyst Canada Honours Dinner Chair. "Great leaders like these act on the insight that success depends on a combination of different backgrounds and points of view. We thank the Catalyst Canada Honours Champions for leading the way, moving beyond good talent practices to driving success through inclusion."

The Catalyst Canada Honours annually celebrates champions who advance women and inclusive workplaces in Canadian business. Nominees are evaluated in a rigorous process, and this year's Champions have been named in two categories: Company/Firm Leader and Business Leader. The 2016 Emerging Leaders, while not senior executives, are recognized for outstanding leadership in diversity and inclusion initiatives that have yielded tangible results. Catalyst research reinforces the benefits of inclusive workplaces and shows that inclusion is linked to innovation and team citizenship, overall team productivity and stronger business results.

ABOUT THE 2016 CATALYST CANADA HONOURS CHAMPIONS

• Frank Vettese (Company/Firm Leader Champion) is a transformational leader with a passionate, long-standing commitment to advancing women and inclusive workplaces. Under his leadership Deloitte has advanced bold initiatives to support and grow diverse employee resource groups, accelerated programs to promote women at all levels, and created a sustainable pipeline of women leaders. Today, 47% of Deloitte Canada's managers and 45% of its senior managers are women, and the firm has committed to hiring women equally to men at all levels. In 2015, Mr. Vettese became the first Canadian CEO to be recognized by the United Nations for his commitment to the advancement of women. His visionary and unwavering efforts to foster inclusive workplaces make him a role model for business leaders everywhere.
• Philip Grosch (Business Leader Champion) is a long-time advocate for the advancement of women through workplace inclusion, and the impact of his efforts has been felt keenly at PwC.  As co-creator of the firm's Women in Leadership (WiL) program, Mr. Grosch helped establish a unique nation-wide initiative to support women's professional growth and development that has now graduated more than 150 women. He currently serves as PwC Canada's HeForShe role model — just one of four worldwide—and is a strong champion for veterans, receiving a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and a commendation from the Canadian Minister of Veteran Affairs' for his work in this area.
• Carol Osler (Business Leader Champion) is a trailblazer who has broken down barriers for women in a traditionally male-saturated sector. As head of the Financial Crimes and Fraud Management Group at TD Bank Group, her leadership has been transformational.  As a result of the many deliberate steps Ms. Osler has taken to increase diversity, the male-dominated team she inherited has now grown to a group of 700 people, and 60% of them are women. Ms. Osler serves on TD's Women in Leadership Committee and created the Women in Leadership Corporate Shared Services chapter to promote the development of women in security and investigations. She also sits on TD's LGBT Committee.
• Anna Tudela (Business Leader Champion) is one of the few women senior leaders in Canada's mining industry. A passionate advocate for women's advancement, Ms. Tudela founded Goldcorp's Creating Choices program, a training, development and mentoring program for women at all levels of the organization. To date, the program has been translated into three languages and delivered at Goldcorp mining sites and offices across the Americas. More than 1,500 women have graduated from the program and its follow up, Growing Choices. Ms. Tudela is also the chair of Goldcorp's Diversity Committee, where she encourages others to embrace diversity and inclusion.

ABOUT THE 2016 CATALYST CANADA HONOURS EMERGING LEADERS

• Lara Di Gregorio (Emerging Leader) is a passionate advocate for inclusive workplaces, blazing a trail in the traditionally male-dominated commercial real estate sector. Recognizing a need to support young women in the industry, Ms. Di Gregorio co-founded Women in Real Estate Drinks (WiRED), an ever-growing forum for women to network and discuss the unique challenges they face.  As an outspoken LGBT ally, she has also been active in the creation of an LGBT employee resource group (Building Pride).
• Shilpa Mandhan (Emerging Leader) is a highly regarded leader committed to advancing women in corporate Canada. As the advisor for Precima's Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI), LoyaltyOne's women's employee resource group (ERG), she is credited with leading the group's revitalization, which involved refreshing objectives and goals and expanding the ERG internationally to the UK operations. In 2015, Ms. Mandhan was recognized with the prestigious President's Circle Award, one of the highest honours at LoyaltyOne. Currently Ms. Mandhan is a Project Leader at Tulip Retail Inc., a fast-growing retail technology company.
• Jenn Ocampo-King (Emerging Leader) is a life-long advocate of inclusion in the workplace and beyond. At TD Securities, she co-founded the TD Securities Women in Leadership (WIL) Champion Network, secured executive sponsorship, has planned many mentor/mentee events, and co-manages a virtual community on the TD Intranet with nearly 200 members. Ms. Ocampo-King also serves as the Toronto board member for 100 Women in Hedge Funds, a global organization of more than 13,000 members committed to making a difference in their industries and communities.

The 2016 Catalyst Canada Honours Champions and Emerging Leaders will be presented with their awards at the 2016 Catalyst Canada Honours Dinner on Monday, November 7, at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The dinner will follow the Catalyst Canada Honours Conference, a unique and dynamic opportunity for business leaders across the country to discuss best practices in inclusive leadership initiatives and learn strategies to advance sustainable change in corporate Canada.

ABOUT CATALYST
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit organization accelerating progress for women through workplace inclusion. With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, and Japan, and more than 800 supporting organizations, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work.

SOURCE Catalyst Canada

CONTACTS: Francine Beck, [phone], [email protected]; Tia T. Gordon, Catalyst, [phone], [email protected]