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RBC leverages stories of innovation to give businesses a pandemic recovery roadmap In the past year, an African proverb has continually resonated with RBC Royal Bank's Shawn MacDonald. "It says, 'tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.' While this situation continues to evolve, there are things that we can be doing to prepare for the unknowns of tomorrow," says MacDonald, Regional Vice President of Business Financial Services for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Western Ontario for RBC Royal Bank. MacDonald says RBC recognized early on how a community learns, trades, heals, shops, shares, works and travels would be forever changed by our experiences through this pandemic. To help people and businesses prepare for economic recovery, it leveraged data and insights to look at trends in its report, 8 Ways COVID is Transforming Economies and Disrupting Businesses. It also released Small Business, Big Pivot: A devastating downturn, and how Canadian enterprises can transition to discuss how the pandemic could impact different industries and position them for the long game. The podcast series RBC Disruptors continues to feature thought-provoking conversations with Canadian business and innovation leaders on approaches to reemergence. MacDonald says one of the key learnings for RBC through this period of uncertainty is the resiliency of Canadians and Winnipeggers. "We have seen how some businesses have reimagined themselves moving from brewery to sanitizer producers, or fashion houses to PPE production specialists. Winnipeggers are willing to stand on the edge of tomorrow and ask perhaps the most important question - what if? We have heard incredible stories of businesses and leaders throughout our 150-year history who have asked that question and found incredible success in the answer," says MacDonald. While the world is still learning how this situation will unfold, MacDonald says it is our resilience and drive to be real change makers that will position us to be stronger together, even apart. RBC ROYAL BANK Courtesy of RBC Royal Bank 36 TH E WINNIPEG INVE STOR