Janice Fukakusa

Most people believe Canada withstood the world-wide financial crisis in 2008-2009 better than most countries because of the stability of our financial institutions. Janice Fukakusa is someone who helped us stay the course.

When she was Chief Administrative Officer and CFO of the Royal Bank of Canada, the country’s largest financial institution, Fukakusa was one of eight executives responsible for setting the overall strategic direction of RBC. Now, she is the chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank, a crown corporation that attracts private sector and institutional investment to new revenue-generating infrastructure projects that are in the public interest.

Janice graduated from in 1976 with a BA in Political Science from Victoria College before obtaining her MBA from the Schulich School of Business. She joined RBC in 1985 and in 2007 was inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame before retiring in 2017.

While at RBC, Janice believed that diversity and inclusion provided an advantage in attracting, developing and retaining top talent while ensuring RBC’s continued growth in Canada and around the world. 

She once spoke to these qualities: "Diversity and inclusion is something we want to get right. A diverse workforce is able to create innovative and effective solutions that enable us to better respond to the needs of our increasingly multiethnic, multilingual client base – many of whom are women who today play an important role in financial decision-making. It’s the right thing but also the smart thing to do."

Fukakusa, who is also a board member of the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, said the role her parents played in her upbringing led to her success. “My dad had a strong work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit and a dedication to creating his own success.”

Published Nov. 28, 2013