Rotman Sustainable Finance Project for students receives an investment from RBC

TORONTO, December 16, 2019 - To help business students prepare for careers in financial institutions increasingly focused on sustainability, the RBC Foundation has made a $75,000 gift to the Sustainable Finance Project at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management in collaboration with RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) and RBC Future Launch.

RBC is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance, and creating value for clients and communities. As the market for sustainable finance evolves, RBC is committed to providing $100 billion in sustainable finance by 2025.

“Sustainable finance is an exciting opportunity for RBC GAM and our clients,” said Andrew Sweeney, Vice-President and Institutional Portfolio Manager, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. “We’re delighted to engage with bright young business students in this conversation, accelerating the development of future leaders who will have to find solutions that are both sustainable and generate strong returns in an increasingly complex market.”

Responding to the groundswell of interest in the markets and by students, the Rotman School has developed the Social Finance Project to prepare the next generation of investment professionals to successfully manage the challenges and opportunities of sustainable finance.

“To realize Canada's economic and environmental aspirations, sustainable finance needs to go mainstream. We’re grateful to RBC for joining with us to help engage students – and Canadian markets – to achieve this goal,” said Dean Tiff Macklem of the Rotman School who recently chaired the Federal Government’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance.

RBC’s investment will help the Rotman School develop and deliver a range of sustainable finance activities, through:

• A new MBA course on sustainable finance;
• A range of speaker events, mentorship and networking opportunities; and,
• A new, marquee Sustainable Finance Case Competition for Canadian MBA students.

The program was initiated by RBC and 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.

“We’re inspired to be working with Rotman to deliver on the promise of RBC Future Launch,” said Valerie Chort, Vice-President, Corporate Citizenship, RBC. “RBC Future Launch is a decade-long commitment to helping Canadian youth prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. We are committed to acting as a catalyst for change, bringing government, educators, public sector and not-for-profits together to co-create solutions to help young people better prepare for the future of the work.”

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 85,000+ employees who 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 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.