Pollard Banknote Recognized by The Globe and Mail's Women Lead Here Benchmark of Executive Gender Diversity

WINNIPEG, MB, March 30, 2021 /CNW/ - Pollard Banknote Limited (TSX: PBL) ("Pollard Banknote") is pleased to announce that it has earned a spot on the 2021 Report on Business Women Lead Here list, an annual list that identifies Canadian companies at the forefront of gender diversity, as determined by female representation in executive roles.

The Women Lead Here initiative was established in 2020 by Report on Business magazine, published by The Globe and Mail, to identify companies that have achieved, or are nearing gender parity in executive positions, ultimately inspiring meaningful transformations in the business landscape. The program applies a proprietary research methodology to determine Canadian corporations with the highest degree of gender diversity among executive ranks, including CEO, C-suite, and Executive or Senior Vice President levels. In 2020, more than 40% of Pollard Banknote's Vice President leadership roles and above across all departments were held by women, making it one of the honourees of the program.

Pollard Banknote's female executives have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the lottery industry that helped propel its growth and success. For instance, Jennifer Westbury, Executive Vice President, Sales & Customer Development, was inducted into the Public Gaming Research Institute's Lottery Industry Hall of Fame, recognizing her strategic direction and leadership as a member of the executive committee. Jennifer has been at the forefront of Pollard Banknote's sixteenfold growth during her 30 years with the company. Further, Riva Richard, Executive Vice President, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary, was recently shortlisted for In-House Counsel/Legal Team of the Year at the VIXIO GamblingCompliance Global Regulatory Awards 2020 for her contributions to the iLottery industry. Margaret Proven, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, is the newest addition to Pollard Banknote's executive team. Margaret is responsible for building and coaching teams with a focus on driving performance and creating an intuitive and productive workplace.

"We are honoured to be recognized by The Globe and Mail on its Women Lead Here benchmark report," said Doug Pollard, Co–Chief Executive Officer of Pollard Banknote. "As a company that has always been committed to maintaining a diverse workforce, we take great pride in celebrating the women in leadership positions across Pollard Banknote who have been instrumental in accelerating our evolution and growth curve throughout the years."

To determine the 2021 Women Lead Here ranking, Report on Business conducted a journalistic analysis of nearly 500 large publicly traded Canadian companies. Each company has been evaluated for its ratio of female-identifying to male-identifying executives in the top three tiers of executive leadership. The resultant data was then applied to a weighted formula and combined with other factors such as company performance, diversity, and year-to-year change.

A total of 71 companies earned the 2021 Women Lead Here seal, with a combined average of 44% of executive roles held by female-identifying individuals.

The full list of 2021 Women Lead Here honourees can be found in the April issue of Report on Business magazine, online now at tgam.ca/WomenLeadHere.

About Pollard Banknote

Pollard Banknote is a leading lottery partner to more than 60 lotteries worldwide, providing high quality instant ticket products, licensed games, Schafer Systems and Fastrak retail merchandising solutions, and a full suite of digital offerings, ranging from world-class mkodo game apps to comprehensive player engagement and iLottery solutions, including strategic marketing and management services. The company is a proven innovator and has decades of experience helping lotteries to maximize player engagement, sales, and proceeds for good causes. Pollard Banknote also provides pull-tab tickets, bingo paper, and its Diamond Game and Compliant Gaming electronic games and devices to charitable and other gaming markets in North America.  Established in 1907, Pollard Banknote is owned approximately 64.3% by the Pollard family and 35.7% by public shareholders, and is publicly traded on the TSX (PBL). For more information, please visit our website at www.pollardbanknote.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking" statements and information, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this document, such statements include such words as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "plan," and other similar terminology. These statements reflect management's current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this document. There should not be an expectation that such information will in all circumstances be updated, supplemented, or revised whether as a result of new information, changing circumstances, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Pollard Banknote Limited

Doug Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer, E-mail: [email protected]; Rob Rose, Chief Financial Officer, E-mail: [email protected]; John Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer, E-mail: [email protected]; Pollard Banknote Limited, Telephone: [phone]

Related Links

www.pollardbanknote.com