TORONTO, March 13, 2012 /CNW/ - Colleen Johnston, Group Head Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of TD Bank Group has been selected as Canada's CFO of the Year ™ for 2012. Canada's CFO of the Year Award is presented annually by Financial Executives International Canada (FEI Canada), PwC and Robert Half International. The award honours and recognizes the quality, insight, direction and leadership of Canada's senior financial executives.
"Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Canada's CFO of the Year Award recognizes a financial leader who demonstrated an outstanding fiscal performance in a complex business environment and exemplary contributions. Colleen Johnston is a true testament to this," says Michael Conway, Chief Executive and National President, FEI Canada. "Ms. Johnston truly epitomizes the modern CFO by applying a strategic approach to the opportunities and challenges that arise while making significant contributions to her community. This makes her one of Canada's top financial leaders."
Ms. Johnston was named Canada's CFO of the Year by an independent committee, chaired by Peter Dey, Chairman of Paradigm Capital, and composed of some of Canada's most prominent business leaders. The judging criteria are as follows: vision and leadership; corporate reporting and performance; social responsibility; innovation and business complexity. Award candidates from a wide range of business sectors were nominated by CEOs, members of boards of directors, financial analysts and other senior executives.
Ms. Johnston first joined TD Bank Group in March of 2004 as Executive Vice-President, Finance Operations, after spending 15 years with Scotiabank in various senior positions. She was later appointed to TD's top financial post in November 2005. After her appointment to CFO, Ms. Johnston restructured TD Bank Group's entire finance department, seeking to focus less on numbers, more on playing key decision-making roles in the bank's most important initiatives, including TD's expansion into the U.S.
"The CFO of the Year Award honours an industry leader in the finance sector that has demonstrated an exceptional amount of professionalism, passion and integrity within a business environment," says Gino Scapillati, National Managing Partner, Markets, PwC. "We applaud Ms. Johnston on her remarkable achievements and positioning her company for continued success."
David King, Canadian Director of Robert Half Management Resources, adds, "The CFO of a company is a multifaceted role within an evolving business landscape. This award recognizes a financial leader that exhibits the capacity to not only bring corporate governance and superior financial management skills to the table, but also encourages ethical business conduct throughout an entire organization."
Previous recipients of Canada's CFO of the Year Award include:
2011: Gordon Maron, Chief Financial Officer, PCL Construction Holdings Ltd. (PCL)
2010: Cynthia Devine, Chief Financial Officer, Tim Hortons Inc.
2010: Richard Bird, Executive Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Development, Enbridge Inc. *2010 had two winners
2009: David Garofalo, Senior Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd.
2008: Bruce Waterman, Senior Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Agrium Inc.
2007: Marvin Romanow, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Nexen Inc.
2006: Karen Maidment, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of BMO Financial Group
2005: Claude Mongeau, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of CN
2004: Peter Rubenovitch, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Manulife Financial Group
2003: Peter W. Currie, Vice-Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of RBC Financial Group
Canada's CFO of the Year Award 2012 is also sponsored by American Express, Invest New Brunswick, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), Lerners LLP, Sherrard Kuzz LLP, and The Ritz-Carlton. The media sponsor is The Globe and Mail. Presentation technology for the gala dinner is provided by AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions.
Ms. Johnston will be honoured at a gala dinner on May 3, 2012 in Toronto, ON. Media are invited to cover the gala, beginning at 6:00 p.m., at The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto. To indicate your attendance and arrange for interviews and camera space, please contact Abby Yung, 416-687-8644 or [email protected].
For more information or to submit your nomination for the next Canada's CFO of the Year, please visit www.cfoy.ca.
About Financial Executives International Canada (FEI Canada)
FEI Canada is the all-industry professional membership association for senior financial executives. With eleven chapters across Canada and 2,000 members, FEI Canada provides professional development, thought leadership and advocacy services to its members. The association membership, which consists of Chief Financial Officers, Audit Committee Directors and senior executives in the Finance, Controller, Treasury and Taxation functions, represents a significant number of Canada's leading and most influential corporations. Further information can be found at www.feicanada.org.
About PwC Canada
PwC Canada helps organizations and individuals create the value they're looking for. More than 5,700 partners and staff in offices across the country are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax, consulting and deals services. PwC Canada is a member of the PwC network of firms with close to 169,000 people in 158 countries. Find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/ca.
© 2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership. All rights reserved.
PwC refers to the Canadian member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.
About Robert Half International
Founded in 1948, Robert Half International (RHI) is the world's first and largest specialized financial recruitment service and member of the S&P 500. With over 360 locations worldwide including 22 in Canada, we have an unparalleled track record helping companies hire highly skilled accounting and finance professionals. From project consulting to permanent recruitment to executive search solutions, we provide clients with access to Canada's top talent. For more information, call (800) 474-4253 or visit www.roberthalf.ca.
For FEI Canada:
Christian Bellavance, 416.366.8007 ext. 5114, [email protected]
For PwC:
Abby Yung, 416.687.8644, [email protected]
For Robert Half International:
Giselle Jones, 416.350.2330, [email protected]
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