Hill & Knowlton Canada (H&K) is pleased to announce that, for the eighth time, it has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp. The firm has also been named one of Greater Toronto's Top 90 Employers for the third consecutive year.  With Mediacorp’s focus this year on stability, Hill & Knowlton fared well with its continued commitment  to the firm’s staff, workplace, and culture, including  flexible job options, national and international transfer opportunities, and subsidized health club memberships.

 

This annual ranking assesses organizations’ workplace environments for employees based on key areas such as: physical workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial & family benefits; employee communications; performance management; as well as training and skills development.

 

“This year, we were  put to the test by a challenging economy,” observed Mike Coates, president and chief executive officer of Hill & Knowlton Canada.  “We are proud to say we responded by stepping up to increase the quality of our services to clients, and in continuing to keep our commitment to a culture and work environment that supported our professionals.  Maintaining our place on this list in this context demonstrates that a focus on employees is truly part of who we are – at any time.”

 

With full service offices from coast to coast, Hill & Knowlton is able to provide both strong national service, and unique offerings that respond  to the specific needs of  local markets.  In 2009 for example, Vancouver is enjoying a plethora of Olympic-related activity around sponsorships and local Olympic-related clients, while Toronto has been experiencing a boom in marketing communications, and Calgary is meeting the needs of a range of energy and oil and gas clients. While Quebec managed a number of issue-management assignments, Ottawa work this year was weighted heavily towards infrastructure.

 

“Our employees love the opportunity to contribute their unique skill set in new ways to national programs as part of a diverse team.  At the same time the experience exposes our consultants to new areas of expertise and helps them grow professionally,” noted Ruth Clark, Senior Vice President, Human Resources Canada.  “This year against the backdrop of a tougher business climate, this ability to work together across specialties and geographies to deliver extraordinary results was all the more critical for our clients and for H&K.”

 

About Hill & Knowlton Canada With eight offices across the country, Hill & Knowlton Canada (www.hillandknowlton.ca) is Canada’s industry leader in public relations, public affairs and strategic communications. The company specializes in corporate, crisis, consumer marketing, technology, natural resources, healthcare, digital communications, public affairs, and financial and investor relations. Hill & Knowlton Canada is a recipient of “Gold” Level IV Certification and the Canada Award for Excellence from the National Quality Institute, and has been recognized as both a Top 100 Employer, and a Best Workplace in Canada for 2009. Its parent company, Hill & Knowlton, Inc, is a world leader in public relations and public affairs, with 81 offices in 43 countries, and is a member of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY) (www.wpp.com), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.