ING DIRECT one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures

TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - ING DIRECT has been named one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures by Waterstone Human Capital, a leading executive search and professional recruitment firm. The award program, now in its seventh year, annually recognizes best-in-class Canadian organizations for having a culture that has helped them enhance performance and sustain a competitive advantage.

"This award validates the importance we have placed on culture since day one at ING DIRECT. Our business was built on the concept that a strong and distinct culture could drive a more engaged workforce and increase business results", said Peter Aceto, President and CEO, ING DIRECT.

"The most successful businesses of the future will be those that prioritize the culture of their organizations, and let the culture drive the experiences their customers have with their brand," added Aceto. "Knowing our culture is one that is revered in Canada is a very rewarding honour and makes us proud."

Employees at ING DIRECT can take advantage of several unique corporate programs and initiatives, including:

• My Orange Discovery - Employees who complete their 10^th year at ING DIRECT are given a fully paid six week sabbatical, and are encouraged to take time to travel, do research, volunteer, learn a new skill, rejuvenate their soul, or fulfill a lifelong dream.
• Orange Spark - An online forum where employees share ideas on everything from product enhancements, to service and process improvements and new corporate concepts.
• My Orange Rotation - A leadership development program where participants have the opportunity to work in four different departments across ING DIRECT over a two year period.
• Orange in the Community - Employees are given opportunities and time away from work throughout the year to volunteer with various charitable organizations and community projects. ING DIRECT also offers a Corporate Matching Donation program, where the Bank matches the charitable donations of individual employees and departments within the organization.

ING DIRECT was one of over 400 Canadian organizations nominated for Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures. Winners were selected based on submissions and nominee interviews.

About ING DIRECT
ING DIRECT is Canada's leading direct bank with over 1.7 million Clients and more than $37.6 billion in total assets. ING DIRECT gives the power of saving to all Canadians by offering high-value, simple products such as high interest savings accounts with no fees or service charges, low rates on mortgages and a no-fee daily chequing account that actually pays interest. Low cost, index based mutual funds are sold through ING DIRECT Funds Limited. ING DIRECT has been operating in Canada since 1997 and paid more than $5 billion in interest to Clients. ING DIRECT is open for banking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at ingdirect.ca, on mobile devices at m.ingdirect.ca or by calling 1-800 ING DIRECT (1-800-464-3743).

About Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures
Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures is founded and presented by Waterstone Human Capital, a leading retained executive search firm specializing in recruiting for fit and in cultural assessment. This national program, now in its seventh year, annually recognizes best-in-class Canadian organizations for having a culture that has helped them enhance performance and sustain a competitive advantage. Canada's 10 is Waterstone's R&D Lab: through an annual Canadian Corporate Culture Study, the hundreds of program submissions, the nominee interviews, as well as through a Corporate Culture Summit, regional events, and a national gala, Waterstone is at the forefront of best practices in culture and fit - practices shared with clients, to help them recruit for fit, conduct cultural assessments and build great organizations. canadasmostadmired.com

SOURCE ING DIRECT