Honorary degree citation - Allan R. Taylor
By: Steven H. Appelbaum, June 1988
Mr. Chancellor, I have the honour to present to you Allan Richard Taylor, an individual whose outstanding management career has gained him the respect of national and international business communities, and whose bluntly stated views on the social responsibilities of corporate citizens have made of him a force to be reckoned with by all those who take an interest in the well being of Canada.
Allan R. Taylor joined the Royal Bank of Canada in his hometown, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, at the age of seventeen, and will celebrate next year his fortieth anniversary with that major banking institution. His postings have taken him to Toronto, Hamilton, New York, and Montreal, and have involved him in both the domestic and international operations of the Bank. By 1977, he had been appointed head of the International Division, a year later became executive vice-president, and in 1983 was installed as president and chief operating officer. In June, 1986 he was elected to his present position, that of chairman and chief executive officer.
A member of the board of directors of a large number of corporations, Allan R. Taylor nonetheless has created the time to assist in the strengthening of relations between the academic and business communities. He is a founding director of the Corporate Higher Education Forum, a national organization with special ties to Concorida that brings together 27 university presidents and 35 corporate executives to discuss and act upon issues of mutual interest, is a member of the Advisory Committee of the School of Business Administration at the University of Western Ontario, and has served on the Rector's Advisory Board at Concordia University.
Mr. Taylor's commitment to fostering interaction between universities and the business community is but one element of a larger vision which places industry and commerce within society rather than apart from it. When he says, as he did to La Chambre de commerce de Montréal earlier this year "We're not strangers passing in the night. We're committed to Canada and to its communities for the long haul. Our customers live here. Our shareholders live here. Our employees live here. We live here" - he challenges the business leaders of today and offers sage counsel to those of tomorrow.
Mr. Chancellor, it is a privilege to present to you, on behalf of the Senate and by the authority of the Board of Governors, Allan Richard Taylor, so that you may confer on him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
