IIAC introduces judges for Top Under 40 Award
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Women in Capital Markets (WCM) has announced the eight winners of its annual WCM Return to Bay Street Award, now in its seventh consecutive year.

The Toronto-based non-profit advocacy organization developed the award to help professional women with senior-level experience in the financial sector return to the industry after an extended leave.

The award recipients this year have each won a minimum four-month contract with a participating firm. Recipients also receive a $5,000 educational grant, a one-day workshop to help prepare them for the industry, an interviewing skills workshop, a WCM mentor and a one-year WCM membership.

The 2017 award recipients and their participating firms are:

> Claire Blessing (RBC Capital Markets)
> Kimberly Berman (BMO Capital Markets)
> Christine Darling (Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets)
> Lina Dihay (National Bank Financial Markets)
> Hannah Green (TD Asset Management)
> Carol Lee (BMO Capital Markets)
> Amandeep Minhas (BMO Capital Markets)
> Christine Sauriol (RBC Capital Markets)

“We are proud to recognize these eight senior-level professional women who were chosen for the Return to Bay Street program this year,” says Jeannie Collins-Ardern, WCM’s interim CEO and president, in a statement.

“These women are prime examples of experienced professionals who have made an immediate contribution to the firms they joined,” she adds. “As they are approaching the end of their contracts, we at WCM offer our congratulations to each of them and are excited to follow their careers and impact on the industry.”

To date, 42 women have received the Return to Bay Street Award and a large majority of winners have turned their short contracts into permanent roles in the financial services sector, the organization says.