Congratulations to the Royal Bank of Canada’s Jacquie Ryan, who recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication, support and contribution to the Paralympic Movement.
Jacquie was Director of Olympic Marketing at RBC when the bank first began to actively support the Canadian Paralympic Committee in 2006. Henry Storgaard, CEO and Secretary General of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, presented Jacquie with the award at a RBC staff meeting in Toronto last month.
“Through the work of Jacquie Ryan, her colleagues and her predecessors, Canadians know of RBC’s long-standing support of Canada’s athletes,” said Storgaard. “It was thanks to Jacquie’s vision that RBC began to sponsor the Canadian Paralympic Committee, a partnership that now has a strong five-year history.”
The RBC Olympians program, launched in 2002 with Jacquie at the helm, is an inspiring example of a corporation providing flexible, career-oriented work experience that accommodates athletes’ training and competition schedules. Currently, six Paralympic athletes are in the 2011 RBC Olympians program: alpine skier Josh Dueck, swimmer Benoît Huot, sledge hockey players, Greg Westlake and Benoit St-Amand, wheelchair rugby player Jared Funk, and long jumper Andrea Holmes.
“Including Paralympians in this initiative speaks volumes to RBC’s commitment not just to sports and athletes, but also about major social issues like inclusion and accessibility in the workplace,” noted Storgaard.
Jacquie also spearheaded the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay –the first Paralympic Torch Relay ever held in Canada – involving some 600 torchbearers, including many Paralympians and Canadians dedicated to the Paralympic movement.
As Jacquie moves in to a new role at RBC as Director, Corporate Donations, she will be greatly missed and appreciated for all that she has done for the sporting community. We look forward to continuing to work with RBC to advance Paralympic sport in Canada as we look ahead to London 2012 and beyond. Thank you, Jacquie, and best of luck in your new role!
