Toronto, December 7, 2020 – The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has pledged an additional $250,000 over three years to the Sustainable Finance Project at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management following a successful pilot last year. The gift was made by the RBC Foundation in collaboration with RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) and RBC Future Launch.
“We are thrilled that the Rotman Sustainable Finance Project had a successful first year,” said Andrew Sweeney, Vice President and Institutional Portfolio Manager, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. “As a leader in responsible investment, we believe it is RBC GAM’s duty to promote and advance sustainable investment principles. Collaborations such as this play an important role in raising the level of awareness around sustainability for Canada’s future leaders, and we look forward to continuing our engagement with Rotman students on this important initiative.”
The RBC x Rotman Sustainable Finance Project helps prepare the next generation of investment professionals to successfully manage the challenges and opportunities of sustainable finance. The Rotman School’s interest in sustainability is driven by interest from students as well as employers and markets.
"There's been a huge shift in the capital markets towards 'sustainable finance' - to manage environmental and social risks and seek new opportunities. Working with RBC, we're preparing the next generation to be ready for this shift," says Prof. Kenneth S. Corts, Interim Dean, Rotman School of Management and Academic Director of the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship.
Last year, RBC’s investment supported a range of sustainable finance activities at Rotman including:
- A new MBA course on sustainable finance;
- A new Sustainable Finance Case Competition for Canadian MBA students;
- A range of speaker events, mentorship and networking opportunities, such as the School’s Sustainability Week, including events such as the Rotman Sustainable Finance Research Roundtable; and
- Continued support for student-led sustainability and sustainable finance related activities, such as the Rotman Net Impact Sustainability Conference.
RBC also provided a range of seasoned and new professionals for Rotman School student events as judges, mentors, and speakers.
The program was initiated and hosted by the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship, a research centre at the Rotman School that helps current and future business leaders integrate sustainability into business strategy and practices by developing and disseminating research, tools and curricula.
In the coming years, the RBC x Rotman Sustainable Finance Project will build on its previous success to provide enhanced educational and career development opportunities for Rotman students about sustainable finance, including how finance can address grand societal challenges like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Rotman
The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada’s commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 86,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.
We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.
About RBC Global Asset Management
RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and includes money managers BlueBay Asset Management and Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. RBC GAM is a provider of global investment management services and solutions to institutional, high-net-worth and individual investors through separate accounts, pooled funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange-traded funds and specialty investment strategies. The RBC GAM group of companies manage approximately $520 billion in assets and have approximately 1,400 employees located across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.