Peter Aceto, President and Chief Executive Officer of ING Direct, has been recognized as the 2010 Communicator of the Year (COTY) by the Toronto Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
The COTY award is presented to a Toronto-area leader who demonstrates excellence in communications. Since becoming President and CEO in 2008, Aceto has established himself as one of Canada's most social CEO's, by embracing social media to engage with clients and employees.
"The foundation of our business and our corporate culture is based on trust and authenticity, so finding ways to build a meaningful connection with ING Direct's employees and clients is a priority for me," said Aceto.
"I believe that I need to be where our stakeholders are - whether that's in the lunch room with employees casually talking about our business or directly responding to our clients' questions on Twitter. I'm passionate about communication because I see the impact of it in building relationships, which is what connects us to one another and helps us appreciate different points of view."
Aceto invites employees from across the organization to a "brown bag lunch" where they discuss the business and get to know each other in an informal setting. These weekly lunches have successfully facilitated employee interaction with senior executives, breaking down the barriers that employees typically feel in corporate environments.
Also, ING Direct recently engaged in a community outreach they call "Orange in the Community", where more than 500 employees gathered to revitalize the outdoor spaces of an east end Toronto Community Housing high-rise.
"It is refreshing to have a CEO who spends so much time connecting with people," said Jonathan Meisenheimer, an employee at ING Direct.
"After my first brown bag lunch with Peter, I had a better understanding of who he is, and why he is passionate about our business as well as the priorities and goals of our organization. This made me reflect on why I love working at ING Direct and made me feel empowered to work harder to help the company achieve its goals."
The COTY award is presented to a Toronto-area leader who demonstrates excellence in communications. Since becoming President and CEO in 2008, Aceto has established himself as one of Canada's most social CEO's, by embracing social media to engage with clients and employees.
"The foundation of our business and our corporate culture is based on trust and authenticity, so finding ways to build a meaningful connection with ING Direct's employees and clients is a priority for me," said Aceto.
"I believe that I need to be where our stakeholders are - whether that's in the lunch room with employees casually talking about our business or directly responding to our clients' questions on Twitter. I'm passionate about communication because I see the impact of it in building relationships, which is what connects us to one another and helps us appreciate different points of view."
Aceto invites employees from across the organization to a "brown bag lunch" where they discuss the business and get to know each other in an informal setting. These weekly lunches have successfully facilitated employee interaction with senior executives, breaking down the barriers that employees typically feel in corporate environments.
Also, ING Direct recently engaged in a community outreach they call "Orange in the Community", where more than 500 employees gathered to revitalize the outdoor spaces of an east end Toronto Community Housing high-rise.
"It is refreshing to have a CEO who spends so much time connecting with people," said Jonathan Meisenheimer, an employee at ING Direct.
"After my first brown bag lunch with Peter, I had a better understanding of who he is, and why he is passionate about our business as well as the priorities and goals of our organization. This made me reflect on why I love working at ING Direct and made me feel empowered to work harder to help the company achieve its goals."
