Exciting New Market Opportunities for Women Owned Businesses in Canada

WEConnect International in Canada's Power the Economy Conference

TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - WEConnect International is hosting its annual Power the Economy Conference on November 30, 2017, at the Beanfield Centre in Toronto. This signature event will offer powerful business connections, targeted training for women business owners seeking to grow their companies, and a rich environment for corporations interested in learning how to buy more from women suppliers. 

The Power the Economy Conference brings together world leaders in supplier diversity and inclusion, successful women business owners, business support organizations, government officials and procurement professionals.

Highlights for this year's conference include keynotes by BDC President and CEO, Michael Denham, and Susan Muigai, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Walmart Canada. As well as, interactive discussions on what buyers are looking for, access to finance, design thinking, creating cohesive teams, transforming the art and science of marketing into customer growth, and positioning your brand for global expansion.

"BDC is proud of its association with WEConnect: together, we can do more. Together, we can have a greater impact on more women entrepreneurs and lead the way for other organizations", says Michael Denham, BDC's President and CEO.

"Three years ago, we committed to increasing our support to women entrepreneurs to $700 million. We have surpassed this amount 6 months in advance by $100 million. This is reflection of the incredible dynamism we see among women entrepreneurs and credit to their ambition to build and grow great companies", added Denham.

"The Walmart Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) initiative brings business and philanthropy together to create opportunities for women in product supply chains around the world. WEConnect International helps us identify women owned businesses for our global supply chain. We believe increasing sourcing from women-owned businesses is the right thing to do and will make us a better retailer by providing more products and services which align to the needs of our customers. WEConnect International's Power the Economy Conference is a great opportunity for us to meet Canadian women owned businesses." says Jenny Grieser , Senior Director Women's Economic Empowerment Walmart

Women-owned businesses certified by WEConnect International will also be able to participate in corporate roundtables to meet face-to-face with WEConnect International corporate member representatives from a wide the spectrum of industries.

"This annual conference promises to offer unique opportunities for women-owned business to connect with each other and with corporations, powerful insights into how to grow a business, and important tips on how to expand globally," says WEConnect International CEO and Co-founder, Elizabeth Vazquez, who will also be speaking at the event.

Note that space for the event is limited and is expected to sell out quickly, so please take advantage of the opportunity to buy your ticket now at the early bird rate!

About WEConnect International  

WEConnect International is a global corporate-led non-profit created by multinational corporations committed to supplier diversity and inclusion and to expanding market opportunities for women-owned businesses. Annually, its corporate members purchase over $1 trillion in goods and services, of which less than 1% goes to women-owned businesses, and WEConnect International was created to address this gap.

Established in 2009 WEConnect International connects member buyers with women-owned businesses ready to compete in global value chains, supports members with developing and growing their global inclusive sourcing efforts, builds the capacity of women-owned businesses to compete, links women-owned businesses based in over 100 countries to one another for international opportunities, and upholds the global standard and international certification verifying that a business is truly women-owned. This certification is recognized in the U.S. and 21 other countries as the leading mechanism for companies, consumers, investors, and governments to verify that a business is at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women.

About BDC
BDC is the only bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs. It promotes Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses. With its 118 business centres from coast to coast, BDC provides businesses in all industries with financing and advisory services. Its investment arm, BDC Capital, offers equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions. BDC is also the first financial institution in Canada to receive B Corp certification. To find out more, visit bdc.ca.
 

SOURCE Business Development Bank of Canada