Royal Bank of Canada has appointed Heather Munroe-Blum and Bridget van Kralingen to its board of directors.

Dr Munroe-Blum is a member of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council of Canada as well as the committee on research universities of the National Research Council in America. She is the principal and vice chancellor of Montreal-based McGill University, and a director of several organizations. In addition, Dr Munroe-Blum is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Van Kralingen is the general manager of North America, IBM Corporation in New York, responsible for strategy, execution, business results and client satisfaction for IBM's businesses in Canada and the US. She is also a member of the advisory board of Catalyst, the non-profit organization which aims to increase business opportunities for women. Van Kralingen is a former managing partner of Deloitte Consulting, where she worked in the financial services division in the US as well as the strategy and organizational development practice in South Africa.