Media Advisory - Kathleen Taylor to Headline Women of Influence Luncheon

Topics to include Breaking Gender Barriers by becoming the first woman to Chair RBC, and the story of her global career

TORONTO, April 24, 2014 /CNW/ - Kathleen Taylor will be headlining the Deloitte Women of Influence Luncheon Series on April 30, 2014. The first woman to Chair the Board of one of Canada's big banks will discuss a wide range of topics including breaking gender barriers and her inspiring global career. 

Women of Influence's prestigious Luncheon Series celebrates the accomplishments of extraordinary professional women along their journey to success. Over the last two decades the series has showcased over 300 notable female leaders from all walks of life, including Ariana Huffington (co-founder of The Huffington Post), Heather Reisman (Founder and CEO of Indigo Books and Music), Margaret Atwood (Author), Cassie Campbell-Pascall (captain of the Olympic gold medal–winning Canadian women's ice hockey team), Roberta Bondar (physician, scientist, and astronaut), and Venus Williams (professional tennis player).

Kathleen (Katie) Taylor is chair of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and chair of its corporate governance and public policy committee. She has served on the RBC board since 2001, and has been a member of the audit, risk and human resources committees (having also served as chair of the human resources committee for four years). She is also a director of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and a member of its audit committee.

Katie is the former president and chief executive officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where she served for almost 25 years – playing an instrumental role in establishing the company's global portfolio of luxury properties and ensuring the brand's international success. In that period, Four Seasons quadrupled in size – growing to 90 locations operating in almost 40 countries – while at the same time earning more consumer and industry awards than any other luxury hospitality brand in history.

With welcome remarks from Carolyn Lawrence (president & CEO of Women of Influence) and Ms. Taylor's introduction by Jane Kinney (Managing Partner, Quality and Risk, Deloitte) the event will last two hours (see details below.) During her keynote address, Taylor will cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Lessons learned during her global career, including doing business internationally in Europe, Asia, the   Middle East, and Central and South America
• Hallmarks of successful in today's changing business environment
• Executive and board diversity dynamics
• Personal recipes for work-life integration

Luncheon guests are welcome to participate in an open Q&A with Ms. Taylor after her keynote address.

Who:		Kathleen Taylor, Chair, Royal Bank of Canada
What:		Deloitte Women of Influence Luncheon Series
When:		Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Where:		Hilton Toronto – 145 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2L2
Registration:		11:15am – 12:00pm
Lunch:		12:00pm – 2:00pm
Keynote:		12:25pm – 1:00pm
Q&A:		1:40pm – 1:50pm

Registration: To register to attend this event, please visit womenofinfluence.ca or call 416.923.1688

ABOUT WOMEN OF INFLUENCE:
Women of Influence Inc. is North America's leading organization dedicated to the professional advancement of women. Celebrating its flagship 20th year in 2014, Women of Influence continues to offer a menu of solutions through corporate consulting on Gender Intelligence, professional coaching, events, and content — both online and through a quarterly magazine. Renowned events include the Deloitte Women of Influence Luncheon Series and the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. Women of Influence has a community and reach of over 120,000 in nine cities across North America including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Waterloo, Ottawa, Montreal, New York City and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit womenofinfluence.ca.

SOURCE: Women of Influence Inc.

For more information or Media inquiries, please contact: Elizabeth Heggie, Women of Influence, Mobile: [phone], [email protected]