Toronto – A new gift from Manulife will support Back to Work, a specialized learning program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management for women who are returning to the labour market after an extended period of absence.
Manulife’s support will increase access to the three-month modular program by ensuring financial barriers to participants are greatly mitigated in 2018. The program, part of the Initiative for Women in Business at Rotman, enables up to 35 participants to gain practical insights on business culture, hiring practices, leadership and career goal-setting to increase confidence and resiliency.
“We all are striving for more women in senior management and decision-making positions. This requires a healthy talent pipeline – and the most forward-thinking companies have come to realize that they can tap into incredibly experienced women who seek to return to work,” says Professor Beatrix Dart, Executive Director, Rotman Initiative for Women in Business. “Having gender diverse teams correlates to higher economic performance. The Back to Work program prepares women to hit the ground running while providing them with diverse experience and knowledge companies require in order to be competitive.”
The one-year commitment from Manulife to support women returning to their careers is but one step towards greater diversity and inclusion progress in Canada.
“Manulife has built a culture where diversity is encouraged and embraced. We are committed to providing our employees with the opportunity to learn from one another and create an environment where people can be themselves,” says Mary Desjardins-Therrien, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Citizenship & Sponsorship at Manulife. “We are excited to support the Back to Work program and encourage more Canadian women to re-enter the workforce with the confidence and tools they need to succeed in their careers.”
Since the inception of the Back to Work program, more than 250 women have graduated, supporting their return to rewarding careers and gained economic independence. Companies are addressing their talent pipeline issues through matching talented smart women to vital positions in their organization increasing their competitiveness and commitment to inclusion.
About the Rotman Initiative for Women in Business
The Rotman School of Management remains the only business school in Canada to have an Initiative dedicated to strengthening the female talent pipeline. Incidentally, this marks our ten-year anniversary as a formalized Initiative. From the classroom to the boardroom, the Rotman Initiative provides leadership development opportunities, new ways of thinking and vital connections with like-minded professionals.
For more information about the Back to Work program, visit www.rotmanexecutive.com/backtowork.
About the Rotman School of Management
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 Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2017, we had approximately 34,000 employees, 73,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving more than 26 million customers. As of December 31, 2017, we had over $1.04 trillion (US$829.4 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $26.7 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.
For further information on Manulife, please visit www.manulife.com.
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For more information:
Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
Voice 416.946.3818
E-mail mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca