Tracey Riley of PwC Canada named a WXN 2016 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner

First woman to join PwC's Canadian leadership team now joins community of Canada's most iconic women leaders

TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2016 /CNW/ - PwC Canada is pleased to announce Tracey Riley, Managing Partner of Assurance for Canada and Asia-Pacific Americas at PwC, has been named a Women's Executive Network (WXN) 2016 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner.

Launched in 2003, the Top 100 Awards celebrate the incredible accomplishments of Canada's top female executive talent as well as their organizations and networks. Tracey, who will receive the WXN KPMG Professionals award in recognition of her career achievements and dedication to helping women succeed in business, will be honoured during a gala celebration at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on November 24.

Tracey joined PwC Canada as a co-op student nearly 30 years ago and since then has had the opportunity to take on various new roles and challenges both in Canada and around the world. Her most profound impact as a business leader has been on the Assurance business in Canada, the largest line of service in the Canadian firm where through her visionary approach and collaborative leadership the business is being transformed through the use of technology and new business priorities. 

"Becoming the first female to reach such a level of accomplishment in the organization is a great privilege. It speaks to a focus on diversity and how it is part of PwC's DNA," says Tracey Riley, Managing Partner of Assurance for Canada and Asia-Pacific Americas, PwC. "At PwC the culture is values-based versus rules-based. This helps build a trusting and inclusive environment and one in which I love to work. Finding a company with which your values align allows you to bring your whole self to work every day and, in doing so, become fully engaged."

As a proud supporter of women in leadership, PwC Canada works to create the necessary conditions and opportunities for women like Tracey to thrive and succeed. In addition to being an IMPACT 10x10x10 Champion for UN Women's HeForShe program – making PwC one of the first global organizations to commit to taking bold steps to achieve gender equality – PwC Canada has also established the award-winning Women in Leadership (WiL) program. Established in 2013, the program is designed to support women in their career planning, provide coaching and mentoring, build networks and to help move women through to the partnership track. The program has already seen more than 150 graduates throughout the Canadian firm and continues to grow.

PwC Canada has also committed to achieving 50/50 gender parity for new partners by the year 2020.

"I am very proud of Tracey and all of her professional accomplishments - and offer her my congratulations on this well-deserved recognition," says Bill McFarland, CEO and Senior Partner, PwC Canada. "I've had the privilege of working closely with Tracey for over 15 years, the past 6 as a key executive on my Canadian Leadership Team. Tracey is an inspirational leader that is well respected for her teamwork and collaborative approach both within PwC and with clients. Tracey is also known for her excellent coaching and mentoring, and is a great role model to others in the firm and business community by helping people develop and grow to their full potential."

The Top 100 Awards serve to recognize talented leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors and to inspire the current and next generation to push the boundaries of what's possible.

"Women are not just leading companies, headlines and new deals, we're doing so in record numbers. In addition to closing the gender gap for participation in post-secondary education and the workforce, we're excelling at the top levels of every sector," says WXN Owner and CEO, Sherri Stevens. "When WXN created Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards, part of the purpose was celebration. By recognizing a community of now 939 remarkable women, we get the opportunity to look back and appreciate the hard work and hurdle jumping it took to get here."

Tracey Riley joins a prestigious community of past Award Winners, including Canada's most iconic women trailblazers: Margaret Atwood, best-selling author; Dr. Roberta Bondar, astronaut; Arlene Dickinson, chief executive officer, Venture Communications; Christine Magee, president, Sleep Country Canada; Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada; Heather Reisman, founder and chief executive officer, Indigo Books & Music; and, Kathleen Taylor, chair of the board, Royal Bank of Canada.

The full list of WXN's 2016 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners can be found at https://www.wxnetwork.com/top-100/top-100-winners/.

About Tracey Riley
Tracey Riley is the Managing Partner of our Assurance practice and the Asia Pacific America Assurance Leader. Working out of PwC's Toronto office, Tracey has more than 30 years of experience advising clients across all sectors in Canada, the US and the UK. Tracey began her career with PwC in the Audit practice in Toronto and transferred to the UK firm in 1989. While in the UK, Tracey led our Risk & Controls practice for North of England and was responsible for establishing and growing our Assurance services around large scale projects. In 1996 Tracey returned to Canada in the Consulting practice and in 2000 she was appointed to lead the Technology, Information, Communication and Entertainment (TICE) industry for Consulting. Tracey continued to lead this practice for IBM when PwC sold its consulting business to IBM in 1992. She was ultimately asked to take on the Americas leadership of IBM's Telecommunications Industry covering the US, Canada and Latin America. Tracey continued in this role until she rejoined PwC in January of 2006 with a focus on Risk & Controls. In 2007, Tracey shifted her focus to drive Business Transformation Consulting services, and in 2008 took on leadership of our National TICE business before she was appointed National Leader, Consulting & Deals in May 2010. In 2014, Tracey was asked to take on the role of Managing Partner, Assurance, where she creates and drives the strategy for the firm's Assurance services, including operations, growth and the delivery of quality client services. For more on Tracey Riley, her education and community work please visit www.pwc.com/ca/en/contacts/t/tracey-riley.html.

About PwC Canada
At PwC Canada, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. More than 6,500 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 more than 208,000 people in 157 countries. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com/ca.

© 2016 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.

Follow PwC on Twitter at @PwC_Canada_LLP and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pwccanada.

About the Women's Executive Network (WXN)
At WXN, we inspire smart women to lead. WXN delivers innovative networking, mentoring, professional and personal development to inform, inspire, connect and recognize our global community of more than 22,000 women, men and their organizations. WXN enables our partners and corporate members to become and to be recognized as employers of choice and leaders in the advancement of women.

Founded in 1997, WXN is Canada's leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. WXN is led by CEO Sherri Stevens, owner of the award-winning, multi-million dollar Workforce Management Company Stevens Resource Group Inc., which she established in 1990. In 2008, WXN launched in Ireland, followed by London, UK in 2015, creating an international community of female leaders.

More information and details are available at www.wxnetwork.com or www.top100women.ca. 

SOURCE PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with Tracey Riley, Managing Partner of Assurance for Canada and Asia-Pacific Americas at PwC or WXN Owner and CEO Sherri Stevens, please contact: David Gollom, PwC Canada, Senior Manager, National Public Relations & Social Media, T: [phone], [email protected]; Samantha Detwiler, Harbinger Communications, 416-960-5100 ext. 246, [email protected]; Gabi Eliasoph, Harbinger Communications, 416-960-5100 ext. 287, [email protected]