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Institute for Gender and the Economy Launched at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

September 19, 2016

Toronto – A new research institute has been established at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management which will work to uncover business, career and investment opportunities in finance, management, entrepreneurship and the economy by promoting gender analysis in research and education.

A leading researcher from the Rotman School, Prof. Sarah Kaplan, will be the inaugural director of the Institute. 

“There are still many unanswered questions about the causes and consequences of gender dynamics in the economy. The research agenda will look at understanding these questions using rigorous scholarly research but it will also identify practical solutions which can be beneficial to business and society,” says Prof. Kaplan.

Kaplan is the Distinguished Professor of Gender & the Economy and Professor of Strategic Management at the Rotman School. Her research explores how organizations participate in and respond to the emergence of new fields and technologies, with a particular focus on the role of interpretive practices. Her studies examine biotechnology, communications, financial services, nanotechnology and most recently, the field emerging at the nexus of gender and finance. She is the author of the best-selling book, Creative Destruction, regularly publishes in the leading academic journals and is a frequent public speaker and contributor to the media including Quartz, TVO and The Toronto Star.  

Vanessa Iarocci has also joined the Rotman School as an Executive-in-Residence and will be working closely with Prof. Kaplan at the Institute. She has previously spent close to two decades in progressively senior roles spanning corporate finance, strategy and operations at PwC and TD Bank. As a member of TD Wealth’s Leadership team, Vanessa worked alongside global experts, including the University of Toronto and The Sauder Business Families Centre, on a bank-wide initiative to position TD as the leading personal finance destination for women. Iarocci holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and a Chartered Accountant designation. She is active in the community and participates in a number of organizations that support the advancement of women and girls.

A primary focus of the Institute will be to translate scholarly research for practitioners in order to support change in their practices. The Institute will also engage students in the School’s degree programs through research projects, curriculum development, and internship opportunities. The work of the Institute will be conducted in close collaboration with corporate, governmental and NGO partners.

For further information on the Institute, including upcoming events and new research, please visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca/GenderEconomy.

The Rotman School of Management is located in the heart of Canada’s commercial and cultural capital and is part of the University of Toronto, one of the world’s top 20 research universities. The Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables our graduates to tackle today’s global business and societal challenges.  For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.

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For more information:

Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
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E-mail mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca
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