News Release

MINNEAPOLIS (October 9, 2013) –The RBC Wealth Management-U.S. Diversity Leadership Council has been chosen as one of 2013’s Top 25 U.S. Employee Resource Groups / Diversity Councils. The firm was recognized by the Association of Diversity Councils, a practice group of PRISM International, Inc., for demonstrating diversity and inclusion efforts in the workforce, workplace and marketplace.

The Diversity Council Honors Award™ recognizes and awards the outstanding contributions and achievements of U.S. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Diversity Councils that lead organizational diversity processes. RBC Wealth Management-U.S. was one of 25 companies recognized at the fifth annual award dinner ceremony at the 2013 Diversity Council Conference held on October 2 in Alexandria, Va. Award recipients included a diverse combination of corporations, federal government agencies, non profits, municipalities and higher education representing all sectors, geographies and sizes.

“Diversity and inclusion are a part of our culture and business at RBC. This honor recognizes not only our company values but also the people who work tirelessly as champions of the company’s diversity initiatives,” said John Taft, CEO, RBC Wealth Management-U.S. and executive sponsor of the company’s Gay, Lesbian, Allied and Diverse Employees’ Group (GLADE).

The RBC Wealth Management-U.S. Diversity Leadership Council (DLC) is a strategic, cross-functional group of 20 leaders who are responsible for promoting RBC diversity initiatives, heightening awareness and driving diversity within their respective areas. In recent years, the DLC has advanced diversity policies and benefits, modified the non-discrimination policy to include gender identity and gender expression, and added transgender medical benefits as well as benefits for employees’ same and opposite sex domestic partners. As a result of these efforts, the firm achieved its third 100 percent rating on the 2013 Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and recognition as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.”

The Diversity Council Honors Award is part of the annual Diversity Council Conference presented by diversity and inclusion training and consulting firm PRISM International, Inc., and its practice group the Association of ERGs & Councils.

For more information about the ERG & Council Conference or ERG & Council Honors Award, visit ERGCouncilConference.com.

About RBC Wealth Management – U.S.
In the United States, RBC Wealth Management operates as a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC. Founded in 1909, RBC Capital Markets, LLC. is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and other major securities exchanges. RBC Wealth Management has more than $250 billion of assets under administration and nearly 2,000 financial advisors operating in 200 locations in 42 states. Recently RBC Wealth Management was ranked “Highest in Investor Satisfaction With Full Service Brokerage Firms” in the J.D. Power & Associates 2013 Full Service Investor Satisfaction Study^SM. For more information, visit jdpower.com.

For more information please contact:
Ann Wasik, RBC Wealth Management, 612-313-1275, ann.wasik@rbc.com  

Important disclosure information about Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and RBC Capital Markets, LLC