National Bank yesterday announced the winners of its Women in Financial Markets Scholarship Program, now in its third year. Ricardo Pascoe, Co-President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of National Bank Financial and Executive Vice-President - Financial Markets, awarded $10,000 to Nondini Chakrabarti who will be doing an MBA at Western University's Richard Ivey School of Business in London.

"This initiative is the only one of its kind in the Canadian banking industry and a way for National Bank to recognize talented and ambitious women looking to pursue graduate studies in a field related to capital markets while giving them an inside look at a major financial institution," said Mr. Pascoe. More than 50 women submitted applications this year.

In addition to receiving the scholarship, Nondini will be paired with Marjorie Nadeau, Director - Risk Management Solutions Group at National Bank Financial, a senior professional in the Bank's Financial Markets sector who will mentor her during her studies.

The two other winners of this year's bursaries are:

Karina Kanouni Simone, who has a Bachelor's degree in Science with a major in Mathematics and a double minor in Finance and Computer Science from McGill University. She will be undertaking a Master of Science in Administration (Finance program) at Concordia University's John Molson School of Business in Montreal;
Sandy Lam, who has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Co-op option) from University of Toronto. She will continue her studies in the Master of Finance program at the Rotman School of Management.

This scholarship program along with other initiatives confirms National Bank's commitment to integrating and promoting women at every level of the organization. In addition, in May 2012, it created the Women's Leadership Network, for women pursuing their careers at National Bank who wish to move up within the organization. The Bank's goal, through this Network, is to increase the representation of women in management positions.

About National Bank of Canada

With $180 billion in assets as at July 31, 2012, National Bank of Canada ([ www.nbc.ca ]), together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading integrated financial groups, and was named among the five strongest banks in the world by Bloomberg Markets. The Bank has more than 20,000 employees and is widely recognized as a top employer. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:NA). Follow the Bank's activities via social media and learn more about its extensive community involvement at [ clearfacts.ca ] and [ commitment.nationalbank.ca ].

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Winner of a National Bank's Women in Financial Markets Scholarship

Nondini Chakrabarti from Western University: Winner of a National Bank's Women in Financial Markets Scholarship