Charles (Charlie) S. Coffey, O.C.

Champions’ Co-Chair, Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada (ahrdcc) and retired Executive Vice President, Government and Community Affairs President, RBC Financial Group

In October 2006, Charlie Coffey retired from RBC Financial Group after 44 years of dedicated service to RBC and the nation it serves. On December 12, 2006, Charlie will step aside as Co-Chair of AHRDCC after serving in this role since the early inception of the organization in 1998.

In 2003, Charlie S. Coffey was appointed to the Order of Canada for his extraordinary contribution to society through community leadership. He is also a proud Honourary Chief.

Charlie Coffey has hope and concern for the fate of humanity in terms of building a strong and inclusive Canada. His commitment and leadership role to this cause has had a profound impact AHRDCC, Canadian business and the lives of many Aboriginal people from coast, to coast, to coast.

Charlie Coffey is a native of Woodstock, New Brunswick where he started his career with RBC Financial Group.

Mr. Coffey also headed RBC’s business banking in Canada for five years and led three regional headquarters: Manitoba, Metro Toronto and Ontario.

Charlie Coffey’s leadership, proven record and reputation in private, public and not-for-profit sectors across the country, has resulted in several additional appointments and special honours.

In addition to his Co-Chair role with AHRDCC, he has been recently active as chair, Council for Early Child Development; chair, national advisory council, Canadian Museum for Human Rights; executive committee member, National Aboriginal Economic Development Board; past co-chair, Commission on Early Learning and Child Care for the City of Toronto; governor, The Canadian Council of Christians and Jews and a director of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation and the Canadian Journalism Foundation.

Mr. Coffey accepted the Canadian Women’s International Business Initiative Award from the Canadian Embassy in the United States for RBC’s outstanding support of businesswomen. He received the Award of Distinction from the Public Affairs Association of Canada and the Humanitarian Award for Community Service from Yorktown Family Services (Toronto). ORT Toronto presented Coffey with its first annual "local hero in a global village" award in 2005. An Honourary Doctor of Laws degree was conferred upon Mr. Coffey by Trent University for his "extraordinary contributions to society through community leadership.”

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