National Business Book Award Announces Finalists

BMO Financial Group and Bennett Jones LLP to award $30,000 prize

TORONTO, Aug. 28, 2018 /CNW/ - The finalists for the National Business Book Award, one of Canada's most prestigious literary awards, were announced today by co-sponsors BMO Financial Group and Bennett Jones LLP.  The finalist authors will vie for a $30,000 prize that will be awarded on October 2, 2018 to the author of the most outstanding Canadian business-related book published in 2017.

The finalist authors for the National Business Book Award are:

• Patricia Meredith and James L. Darroch, Stumbling Giants: Transforming Canada's Banks for the Information Age, published by Rotman – UTP Publishing.  Meredith and Darroch explore the global, competitive and regulatory challenges facing Canada's banking sector.  In providing historical context for the structure of the industry, the authors question whether it is sustainable in an era of technological disruption and consider the implications – and possible solutions – for Canada and its economy.
  
  
• Jennifer Riel and Roger L. Martin, Creating Great Choices: A Leader's Guide to Integrative Thinking, published by Harvard Business Review Press.  In this practical guide to integrative thinking, Riel and Martin unpack accepted wisdom and ingrained habits when it comes to decision making.  Rather than evaluating options and making trade-offs, they urge a creative approach to foster solutions and improve outcomes.
  
  
• Donald J. Savoie, Looking for Bootstraps: Economic Development in the Maritimes, published by Nimbus Publishing.  With a distinguished career as one of Canada's leading political economists and academics and as a life-long resident of New Brunswick, Savoie tackles the topic of eastern Canada's chronic economic underperformance and the federal and provincial policies that have failed to address it for decades.  The author does not shy away from hard truths, but also makes recommendations for a sustainable future.
  
  
• Chris Turner, The Patch: The People, Pipelines, and Politics of the Oil Sands, published by Simon & Schuster.  Turner provides a balanced perspective on the often-polarizing national debate about the development of Canada's oil sands.  With two conflicting world views – one of industrial triumph, the other of environmental concerns in the age of climate change – Turner explains the history, science and context surrounding one of the world's largest engineering projects and its significance for all Canadians.

The prestigious and independent jury evaluates eligible nominations based on five key criteria including originality, relevance, excellence of writing, thoroughness of research and depth of analysis.

The National Business Book Award jury is chaired by Peter Mansbridge, former Chief Correspondent, CBC Television News. Other jurors include: Deirdre McMurdy, adjudicator; David Denison, corporate director; author and publisher Anna Porter; The Honourable Pamela Wallin and Leonard Waverman, Dean of DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University.

The National Business Book Award is an annual celebration of Canadian authors of outstanding non-fiction business-related books. It continues to gain attention from not only the Canadian business world, but also publishers, authors, journalists, academics, economists and business leaders internationally.

Supporting partners for the National Business Book Award are DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University and Toronto Region Board of Trade. 

Last year's National Business Book Award winner was Daniel Levitin for his book A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age. 

About BMO Financial Group

Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider – the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America.  With total assets of $744 billion as of April 30, 2018, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets. www.bmo.com.

About Bennett Jones

Bennett Jones is one of Canada's premier business law firms and home to 400 lawyers and business advisors.  With deep experience in complex transactions and litigation matters, the firm is well equipped to advise foreign businesses and investors with Canadian ventures, and connect Canadian businesses and investors with opportunities around the world.  Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.bennettjones.com.

Follow us on Twitter @NBBAward and visit www.nbbaward.com for more information.

SOURCE National Business Book Award

To arrange interviews please contact: Mary Ann Freedman, Freedman & Associates Inc. for the National Business Book Award, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]