KATHLEEN TAYLOR

Chair of the Board

RBC

Kathleen Taylor is the first woman to lead a major chartered bank in Canada. She is the former president and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, where she helped grow the firm’s global portfolio, brand and success.

“I’m most proud of being asked to chair the board of RBC, Canada’s largest bank, where the client-focused culture that helps employees be their best is consistent with my focus over 25 years at Four Seasons.”

“Growing up in Oshawa, we didn’t have many examples of strong, confident female leaders, and certainly none in business. And so our inspiration often came from role models, on TV or in the movies. In particular, and this may seem odd to some, but I remember being so inspired by the character of Mary Poppins. I was struck by her confidence, her tenacity in sticking to what she believed was right and her ability to change the world around her. I started to believe that I, too, could change things. To this day, I look for leaders who lead by example and are guided by their values.”

“When I recently spoke to a room of female business graduates, the majority said they could see themselves sitting in a corporate board, but only a few of them could picture themselves as CEO of an organization or head of a major division. This was surprising for me because it’s important for women to have business leadership experience in order to strive for those board directorship roles. From a board perspective, it’s important to set priorities for increasing the number of women. At RBC, for example, the board established a goal that at least 25% of its board members should be women. Today, the bank has surpassed that, at 33%. It’s important to have a ‘critical mass’ in place that still ensures good decision making while promoting diversity.”