United Way Announces Bharat Masrani as 2020 Campaign Chair and Joanna Rotenberg as 2020 Major Individual Giving Cabinet Chair

• Record number of GTA corporate, community and labour leaders join United Way to support our region's social safety net
• United Way's fundraising campaign is already in high gear

TORONTO, June 5, 2020 /CNW/ - United Way Greater Toronto announces Bharat Masrani, Group President and CEO of TD Bank Group, as its 2020 Campaign Chair. As lead United Way volunteer, Mr. Masrani has mobilized leaders from across sectors, corporate, community, labour and government, to join United Way's fundraising campaign and build the resilience of United Way's network of agencies across Peel, Toronto and York Region for the long-term. Joanna Rotenberg, Group Head, BMO Wealth Management, BMO Financial Group joins Mr. Masrani to lead the Major Individual Giving Cabinet to engage our region's philanthropic leaders. Mr. Masrani and Ms. Rotenberg lead a fundraising campaign with one aim—to ensure our region's social safety net will be there for our neighbours and their families when they need it most, today and tomorrow.

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes just how vital United Way's social infrastructure is, as frontline agencies work in new ways to meet unprecedented demands for food security, shelter, and connection, during a time of physical distancing. The effects of this unprecedented global crisis will linger for all of us, and disproportionately affect vulnerable individuals and families, and those living in poverty. Our social safety net—the network of agencies people visit, call and rely on every day—needs support as the demand for programs and services grows. 

Recognizing the need to support the community now and over the longer-term, Mr. Masrani and Ms. Rotenberg have activated the largest ever collective of United Way champions to support the 2020 Campaign Cabinet, including former Cabinet and Board Chairs, donors and senior volunteers. Together, they are supporting the biggest United Way campaign in the world to drive non-governmental investment in social services in the Greater Toronto Area. 

QUOTES:

"I am honoured to serve as Chair of the 2020 United Way Cabinet, especially at a time when COVID-19 has impacted us all. Years from now, when the world reflects on how our country and how our society responded to this collective crisis, people will look to how we came together to support our communities and those most in need. In times of change and upheaval, there exists a great opportunity to do good by supporting the heroes in our communities who are lending a helping hand." -- Bharat Masrani, Group President and CEO of TD Bank Group

"As Chair of the Major Individual Giving Cabinet, I stand with the 97-strong community leaders who are part of this team to engage people across this city and region who want to make a difference. By supporting United Way, I believe we can come together to build local communities where everyone—regardless of their background and circumstance—can thrive. This has never been more important." -- Joanna Rotenberg, Group Head, BMO Wealth Management, BMO Financial Group

"We never could have predicted the size, scope and scale of the global crisis that unfolded in real-time in neighbourhoods and communities around the world—and across the GTA—as a result of COVID-19. But we always knew that United Way agencies would be there to help, no matter what. Throughout this crisis, the sustaining truth that we have seen in action is that community matters. We are so grateful that Bharat and Joanna have stepped up to lead this campaign that people in neighbourhoods across Peel, Toronto and York rely on every day. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, United Way's frontline community agencies did so much for our friends and neighbours—now it's our turn to ensure this vital social infrastructure is here to continue helping us in the months and years to come." -- Daniele Zanotti, President & CEO, United Way Greater Toronto

About Bharat Masrani:
Bharat Masrani was appointed Group President and Chief Executive Officer of TD Bank Group in 2014. Masrani has more than 30 years of banking experience and is a member of the TD Bank Group Board of Directors. Prior to his current role, Masrani served as Chief Operating Officer for TD Bank Group and has held many senior executive roles across the bank. He began his banking career with TD Bank Group in 1987 as a Commercial Lending Trainee. For his achievements in business and the community, Masrani was awarded Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from both the Schulich School of Business in 2017 and Mount Allison University in 2018. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and the boards of the Bank Policy Institute and the International Monetary Conference.

About Joanna Rotenberg:
As Group Head, BMO Wealth Management, Joanna Rotenberg leads BMO's global asset and wealth management business, serving individual and institutional clients across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia. Prior to assuming this role in 2016, she was BMO's Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Strategy. Joanna is a member of BMO's Executive Committee and the executive sponsor for BMO for Women, a program helping women business owners achieve their full potential. Before joining BMO in 2010, Joanna was a partner with McKinsey & Company and a leader in their North American financial services practice. In 2017, Joanna was named one of Canada's Most Powerful Women by the Women's Executive Network. She was recognized in 2018 as a "Women in Capital Markets Champion of Change" for her leadership in advancing women in financial services. Joanna serves on the Sinai Health System Board of Directors and on the Dean's Advisory Board at the Rotman School of Business.

About United Way Greater Toronto:
As the largest non-government funder of community services in the GTA, United Way Greater Toronto reinforces a crucial community safety net. United Way's network of agencies and initiatives in neighbourhoods across Peel, Toronto and York Region works to ensure that everyone has access to the programs and services they need to thrive today. Mobilizing the network and other community support, United Way tackles #UNIGNORABLE issues linked to poverty. United Way's work is rooted in ground-breaking research, strategic leadership, local advocacy and cross-sectoral partnerships committed to building lasting solutions to the GTA's greatest challenges. unitedwaygt.org

SOURCE United Way Greater Toronto

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