Media Release - February 8, 2007

Ivey Opens New Campus in Downtown Toronto

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(Toronto, Ontario) - The Richard Ivey School of Business is being honoured with $3.5 million in donations for the School’s new campus in downtown Toronto, including ING’s lead gift of $2.5 million. To mark this generous gift, the campus will be named the ING Leadership Centre. This opening signifies a new phase in Ivey’s history as part of the School’s ongoing commitment to a strong presence in the heart of Canada’s financial community.

The ING Leadership Centre will be home to Ivey’s top-ranked Executive MBA Program; offer a range of Executive Development programs; become a key location for MBA and HBA student recruitment and alumni activities; and provide businesses with a first-class location to host corporate meetings and events.

“ING and Ivey are well aligned. Like ING, Ivey is a leader in establishing new business models, anticipating and managing change, and constantly innovating – most recently, with the launch of Cross-Enterprise Leadership. ING’s business model transcends banking, insurance and investment management. Both organizations are unique which makes this an excellent fit,” said Arkadi Kuhlmann, Chairman, President & CEO, ING Direct USA.

Carol Stephenson, Dean, Richard Ivey School of Business, said Ivey’s new Toronto Campus reinforces Ivey’s long history with business in Canada and the School’s commitment to a strong presence in Canada’s financial hub.

“This strengthens our strong bond with ING which includes philanthropy, student recruitment and executive involvement. Arkadi Kuhlmann, HBA ’71, MBA ’72, has been a member of our Advisory Board for almost ten years and now serves as Chair, bringing a wealth of strategic leadership to the School,” said Dean Stephenson.

“This partnership is a natural evolution for ING and Ivey,” said Johanne Brossard (MBA ’06), President and CEO of ING Bank Canada. “Many members of our leadership team have attended Ivey programs and the School’s move to Toronto is a logical next step in attracting other top executives.”

“My experience at Ivey left me two invaluable life-lessons,” said Kuhlmann. “First, Ivey challenged my thinking to make me more curious and willing to look at things differently, and how to do things better. Second, I realized the value and importance of the network of friends and acquaintances I met while I was there. Those connections have been very significant to me in my career and I’ve made it a priority to stay connected and involved with Ivey.”

The Greater Toronto Area is home to more than 6,500 Ivey graduates – almost 40% of Ivey’s 17,000 alumni. With 80% of Executive MBA participants coming from the GTA the new Toronto Campus will make it more convenient for EMBA students to work and study at the same time.

The Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario (www.ivey.uwo.ca) offers full-time undergraduate (HBA) and graduate degree programs (MBA and PhD), and Executive MBA programs in addition to non-degree programs in Entrepreneurship and Executive Development. Ivey has campuses in London (Ontario), Toronto, and Hong Kong, where it was the first North American business school to establish a campus in Asia.

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For more information please contact:

Marisa Kanas
Richard Ivey School of Business
519-850-2536
mkanas@ivey.ca

Mary Weil
Richard Ivey School of Business
416-970-1906
mweil@ivey.ca