RBC Financial voted most respected corporation: survey

RBC Financial Group was named Canada’s Most Respected Corporation for 2005 in a survey of 250 Canadian chief executives.

It’s the fourth year in a row is that the bank has topped the survey, and its sixth win in the survey’s history.

RBC came in first in five of the eight categories measured by the survey — best long term investment, human resources management, financial performance, corporate social responsibility, and corporate governance.

These are the findings of the 11th annual survey of Canada’s Most Respected Corporations, conducted by Ipsos Reid and sponsored by KPMG, which asks 250 of Canada’s leading CEOs to indicate which corporations they most respect in eight categories. The 250 CEOs participating for 2005, named RBC Financial Group as the most respected corporation in Canada overall.

Succeeding RBC Financial Group for the second year in a row is Research in Motion, who came in first under the categories of ‘innovation and product/service development’ as well as ‘provides a high quality service/[roduct’. In third place this year is EnCana Corp., who moved up nine places from a rank of 12th place in 2004, bumping WestJet Airlines down a notch to fourth place this year.

“It is no surprise that EnCana has made impressive gains this year,” said John Wright, senior vp, Ipsos Reid. “In addition we have witnessed some other organizations that have made some significant progress since the issuance of last year’s results.”

Among other major movers in the survey: