VANCOUVER — Telus CEO Darren Entwistle has been named the gold winner of the CEO Achiever – Champion of the Year Award in the eighth annual 2020 CEO World Awards, a global recognition program honouring CEOs from organizations in every industry and of every size.
The award is honouring Entwistle for his leadership in leveraging Telus’ technology, human and financial resources to support Canadians, particularly the country’s most vulnerable citizens, as they grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, says the Telus news release.
“Darren’s leadership during the public health crisis reflects his 20-year legacy of supporting his team, and the communities in which Telus lives, works, and serves. As a global leader in social capitalism, Telus believes that good business and doing good are mutually inclusive. That’s why the Telus team has contributed $1.3 billion in value, time, and financial support to Canadian charities and grassroots organizations since 2000, including 736 million and 1.4 million days of volunteerism, making Telus one of the most giving companies in the world,” reads the company release.
In support of healthcare workers on the frontlines, Entwistle donated his salary for the second quarter of 2020 to fund initiatives aiding the fight against Covid-19 across the country. In addition, the Entwistle Family Foundation matched this donation to double the positive impact.
Since March, Telus has committed $150 million to support citizens in Canada and globally during the pandemic, including $20 million to purchase medical technology and equipment, as well as support for food security, outreach to isolated seniors, virtual education programs and mental health initiatives.
To date, this funding includes:
- Through its Mobility for Good program, Telus donated more than 14,000 free mobile devices and $0 rated mobility plans, valued at more than $8.75 million, to hundreds of organizations across the country, keeping Canada’s most vulnerable citizens connected, including seniors in long-term care homes.
- The Telus Friendly Future Foundation committed to donating $10 million to strengthen the capacity of the public healthcare system. This includes a $500,000 donation to support world-leading research to develop antiviral treatments for Covid-19, a $250,000 donation to a number of community healthcare organizations to support their pandemic response for homeless and marginalized citizens across Canada, and $200,000 to support youth transitioning out of foster care into independence.
- Selling Telus critter masks with all proceeds going to the Telus Friendly Future Foundation. Since June, the Telus critter masks have raised more than $200,000 for the foundation’s Covid-19 relief efforts.
- Partnering with school boards to offer high-speed Internet at $9.95 per month to families and students in need.
