Toronto, February 1st: The 5th Annual Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ Awards Gala, founded and presented by Waterstone Human Capital, will be held tonight at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™ of 2009, as well as the four special category recipient organizations from 2009, will be receiving their awards this evening. In addition, five organizations will be inducted into the inaugural Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™ Hall of Fame.

At 480 attendees, the event is sold-out.

“Tonight we are recognizing the importance of great workplaces, but more importantly – great workplaces where culture impacts performance. That’s what sets this award apart,” says Marty Parker, the managing director of Waterstone Human Capital, a leading executive search, professional recruitment and human resource consulting services firm that founded the Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™ program in 2005.

“Strong corporate cultures drive performance and our winning organizations understand this, from the core. Culture is perhaps the most valuable asset an organization can have”, says Parker.

Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™ of 2009:

Acklands-Grainger Inc.
Aviva Insurance Company of Canada
Ceridian Canada Ltd.
Corus Entertainment
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
GoodLife Fitness
Medavie Blue Cross
Starbucks Coffee Canada
Telus
Walmart Canada

The 2009 special category award recipients:

Mount Sinai Hospital (Most Admired Corporate Culture – Public Sector)
Enbridge Inc. (Most Admired Corporate Culture – Energy and Natural Resources)
Workopolis (Most Admired Corporate Culture – Best Emerging Organization)
Whole Foods Market (Most Admired Corporate Culture – The Green Award)

Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™ Hall of Fame:

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
RBC
Tim Hortons
WestJet
Yellow Pages Group

In order to qualify for the hall of fame, organizations must have been named to the Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures program four times. The inductees on the inaugural list were honoured in 2005 – 2008, inclusive.

The awards gala is being preceded by the 2nd Annual Corporate Culture Institute, an afternoon session where representatives from the winning executive teams will meet to talk about how an outstanding culture defines workplaces, impacts corporate performance and, ultimately, becomes an organization’s most valuable asset. 

About Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™:

Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™ is founded and presented by Waterstone Human Capital, a leading professional recruitment, executive search and human resource consulting services firm based in Toronto. Since 2005, the Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures ™ program has recognized some of this country’s top organizations for having a culture that has helped them enhance performance and sustain a competitive advantage. This popular program begins in the spring of each year with the Canadian Corporate Culture Study ™ and culminates in an annual awards gala. www.canadasmostadmired.com www.waterstonehc.com

For more information: Jennifer Mondoux, Waterstone Human Capital, 416 408 4545 x273.