WBE Canada Magazine - Issue 5

Issue 5 | March 2022

THE FUTURE OF GLOBALIZATION WBE OUTLOOK DIVERSIFYING SUPPLY CHAINS TAKES COMMITMENT AND CONTINUED LEARNING LEVERAGING PROCUREMENT TO ADVANCE DIVERSE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

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IN THIS ISSUE March 2022 Writers & Editors Judy Carswell, Michelle De Guia Contributing Writers Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS)/Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Selsey Brown, Dr. Wendy Cukier, Kristen Malek, Melanie Travers Designers Grassick Graphic Communications www.GrassickGraphic.com WBE Canada Contact Details Editorial queries and submissions marketing@wbecanada.ca General queries - concierge@wbecanada.ca WBE Certification certification@wbecanada.ca Corporate Membership membership@wbecanada.ca Partnerships - partner@wbecanada.ca ISSN 2564-4491 ©️WBE Canada, March 2022 https://wbecanada.ca The WBE Canada Magazine is a quarterly magazine designed to connect our communities, empower Canadian women entrepreneurs and inspire Canada’s corporate and government organizations in their supplier diversity initiatives.

To subscribe to the WBE Canada Magazine, click here.

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT THE FUTURE OF GLOBALIZATION WBE Outlook THE TRADE COMMISSIONER SERVICE: Helping Canadian Companies Succeed Abroad for 127 Years and Counting DIVERSIFYING SUPPLY CHAINS TAKES COMMITMENT AND CONTINUED LEARNING THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF SUPPLIER DIVERSITY THE FUTURE OF WOMENOWNED BUSINESSES AND SUPPLIER DIVERSITY IN CANADA CELEBRATING THE WINNERS: Meet WBE Canada’s 2021 Excellence Award Winners LEVERAGING PROCUREMENT TO ADVANCE DIVERSE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS MEET OUR 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHO'S WHO AT WBE CANADA 2022 SAC UPCOMING EVENTS

Message from the President

As we enter the third year of the global pandemic, it is abundantly clear that Covid-19 magnified many challenges in our business lives, including logistical nightmares driving supply chains to a halt. The silver lining from this period is the influx of local sourcing and purchasing from corporations and government organizations. Those in buying power understand the potential impact supply chains can have on sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

On behalf of Canadian WBEs, I hope that the conversations surrounding on-shoring commodities and bringing manufacturing back to North America will be realized, ending our dependence on global imports and creating new opportunities for domestic economies. I do hope to see Canadian womenowned businesses lead or support these initiatives in the near future.

Let’s have a closer look at my favourite topic related to supply chains - diversity and inclusion. We’ve recognized the inequities for years, but the past two years have been a wake up call like no other there is much work to be done in ensuring women in business have equal opportunity in supply chains and that equality is key to economic recovery and growth. Inc. Magazine recently published an article looking at the Lack of Diversity in Government Contracts: A Way Forward. Reading statistics from South of the border, and taking into account the more than 50 years of supplier diversity efforts in the USA, made me pause and look at the Canadian market.

IT IS TIME TO REMOVE BARRIERS WBES STILL FACE IN SUPPLY CHAINS The reality is that while we celebrate the accomplishments of some women-owned businesses, the majority of business women still face difficulties as they navigate complexity, red tape and biases in supply chains across the industries.

Stereotypes are alive and well with women-owned businesses facing more scrutiny, harsher judgments and in some cases even unfair treatment. It is time to identify and remove barriers like unnecessarily lengthy procurement processes, overcomplicated contract language, unreasonable insurance requirements and many others and open supply chains across the industry sectors to women.

IT IS TIME TO DEVELOP AND IMPROVE SUPPLIER DIVERSITY INITIATIVES ACROSS CANADA While not all supplier diversity strategies are equal and every company is at a different stage of the journey, in general, supplier diversity creates new opportunities where these wouldn’t normally exist.

Having diversity spend embedded into leadership performance reviews or requesting Tier II diversity spend reporting encourages individuals and companies to commit to evaluating their efforts and results which leads to new opportunities for female business owners.

While our supplier diversity efforts are much newer (WBE Canada is only 12 years old), we have lots of work ahead of us. Of course, we are grateful that more and more organizations are committing to diversity and inclusion in their supply chains, yet, there is still so much great potential for our corporations and governments to realize. I want to highlight three which I hope will inspire our readers to action.

With the majority Canadian companies still showing less than 1% spend with women-owned businesses, it is important for supplier diversity strategies to be implemented sooner rather than later. The time to start is now.

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IT IS TIME TO BECOME MENTORS AND CHAMPIONS OF WBES Empowering women with knowledge is just the beginning of a long journey to business success.

In business, no one is an island. Women need mentors and champions to guide them through large corporate and government supply chains that can be fraught with red tape and barriers. While such support requires time and energy, it is crucial to ensuring the growth of women-owned businesses.

WBE Canada will be happy to have your support.

SO WHERE ARE WE AS A COUNTRY? In 2021, WBE Canada saw tremendous growth in the number of crown corporations, large and mid-size corporations and municipalities joining as members, recognizing that supplier diversity is key to economic recovery and growth. We are bolstered by their commitment to develop and expand their supplier diversity programs, improving their strategies, increasing the volume of opportunities

and including more and more WBEs in their supply chains, creating the much-needed ripple effect of employment, community impact and purchasing power across Canada. We look forward to even greater growth in 2022 as we push through and overcome the enormous challenges we have faced over the past two plus years.

What is my wish as we celebrate 2022 International Women’s Day? It is to see Canada play a bigger role in how we support our Women Business Enterprises.

And the best way to support women-owned businesses is to BUY from them through increased opportunities. I’m excited for what lays ahead and we will continue our work to make sure womenowned businesses in Canada are not left behind. Get ready!

There is much to celebrate as we look forward.

Happy Women’s Day! SILVIA PENCAK President & CEO, WBE Canada

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THE FUTURE OF GLOBALIZATION WBE OUTLOOK Women-owned businesses are a key driver of economic growth in Canada. The past two years, controlled by the global pandemic, have resulted in massive shifts in traditional women-owned enterprises, many of whom are smaller in scale and therefore have experienced greater disruptions to both their business and personal life than traditional male-owned businesses.

As global disruptions caused by the pandemic resulted in border closures and supply chain interruptions, there is a growing group of Canadian women entrepreneurs who are charging ahead, finding international opportunities for their goods and services, adapting to the challenges they face, and finding success.

We reached out to a few of our certified WBEs to find out how they are not just facing the challenges inherent in exporting, but growing the opportunities and creating success even during these unprecedented times.

KIM THIARA PRESIDENT, ACETRONIC INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS INC.

MARGARET COONS FOUNDER, NUTS FOR CHEESE Founded by vegan chef Margaret Coons, Nuts For Cheese is a London, Ontario based, artisan vegan dairy manufacturer specializing in artisanal, organic, dairy free vegan cheeses and butters.

Since launching at a farmer’s market stand in 2015, Nuts For Cheese has enjoyed explosive growth as the Canadian category leader in artisan plant-based cheese manufacturing, with innovative flavours like Un-Brie-Lievable, Super Blue and Black Garlic. In 2021 Nuts For Cheese became Canada’s first artisan vegan cheese producer to launch into the US market with products now available at 1,000+ US stores including chains like Whole Foods, National Coop Grocers and Natural Grocers Vitamin Cottage

Established in 1983, AceTronic Industrial Controls Inc’s vision has been to provide the utmost in customer service and to offer solutions based upon its in-house technical knowledge as they work alongside a variety of plastic related manufacturers. Their products include Industrial Controls, Hot Runner Products, Aerosols, Cleaners and Disinfectants, Mold Components and MRO. AceTronics services a wide variety of industries including automotive, construction, consumables, food packaging, medical, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and retail.

WBE Canada: What challenges did you face as you entered the US market during the pandemic?

Kim: My position over the past 25+ with AceTronic has been about attaining new business, essentially business development. Whether that was setting up sales calls/meetings , attending trade conferences, industry shows/events, etc.

All of these activities involved face to face opportunities, where you were able to foster and develop a relationship. I enjoyed prospecting and the challenge of “converting” a prospect into a customer . The pandemic brought about an absolute HALT to any of these opportunities and with it my sense of purpose for my day to day activity. Ultimately, sales activity is needed to feed the manufacturing/production pipeline for AceTronic.

WBE Canada: What challenges have you faced during the pandemic in terms of operations?

Margaret: Launching into a foreign market in the absence of international travel, trade shows, and demos has certainly posed some hurdles, especially because sampling is key to our sales strategy. We've been both humbled and surprised by our accomplishments over Zoom and the phone. Within 1 year of launch, we've expanded into 35+ states across 9 regions, and we haven't even been to the US market!

WBE Canada: What advice do you have for other women-owned businesses trying to expand into the US?

WBE Canada: What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who have a new product or service that doesn’t seem to be gaining as much interest as they would like?

Margaret: Do your research and prepare a solid plan for market entry - the US market is a force to be reckoned with! Seek out advice from your mentors, and don't be afraid to fail.

Kim: A few things come to mind…

• Be persistent, and consistent in your messaging. Don’t expect something major to occur after you have just marketed your product or service.

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THE FUTURE OF GLOBALIZATION continued...

WBE Canada: What challenges have you faced during the pandemic in terms of operations?

• Think outside of the box as well as outside of your comfort zone. There is never growth when one sits in a state of comfort. I recently stepped into a complete state of discomfort by experimenting with video. What’s the worse thing that could happen….they don’t reach out to me ?

• It’s also important to remember that we are ALL in a state of transition - moving from the old way of doing business to the Post COVID world of conducting business. Many of the folks we are trying to reach are also in a state of flux, just like us. At Acetronics, our customers are predominantly manufacturers. They are dealing with staff shortages, increased production demands, lack of a skilled workforce, exorbitant delays due to logistical issues, their own sense of safety, and a host of other issues. It is important to be cognizant and respectful of these factors when trying to “sell” Hence, being persistent and consistent with your marketing strategies is important, so that when the time comes for you to be of use to them, they will remember you.

CONNIE STACEY FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, GROWING GREENER INNOVATIONS Growing Greener Innovations is an award-winning Canadian clean-energy technology company whose mission is to end global energy poverty by providing world-class battery energy storage solutions for community, commercial and residential use. Growing Greener Innovation’s engineers have developed an industry-leading Smart Switch control system that monitors, optimizes and organizes grid-tie and off-grid renewable energy generation systems.

Their innovations cut greenhouse gas emissions, significantly cut energy costs, and promote greater use of renewables. To date, GGI’s technology is deployed across Canada, Africa and The U.S., with upcoming work in India, the Middle East and South America.

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Connie: LOTS! Like everyone, the constantly changing nature of the pandemic has created lots of challenges, but also lots of new learnings and successes. Our biggest challenge came in the postponement of our first major demonstration project. This was scheduled to be a multi-million dollar demonstration that would have really showcased our technology, unfortunately the customer had to postpone due to restrictions related to the pandemic response. While the customer is still keen to move ahead sometime late 2022, this interruption was a major hit for us.

Thankfully the team worked hard to generate new opportunities, which included two small contracts with the Canadian Department of Defence. The challenges have definitely been there over the last two years of pandemic pandemonium, but that gave our team the opportunity to show prospective clients the importance of backup, redundancy, and grid independence as a necessary part of the future of all businesses.

WBE Canada: Aside from extreme weather events and climate change pushing consumers to become more self-sufficient in their energy supply, what other types of communities are looking to create their own power grid structures?

Connie: Again, LOTS! One of the biggest areas of interest for us is the replacement of large diesel generators in temporary work sites, refugee camps, remote communities, and more. Diesel generators are horrific polluters, but for temporary work sites it has never made sense to bring in renewables given the lengthy planning and setup for renewables. By contrast, our GRENGINE™ Power System can be up and running within hours - just ask the Department of Defence who will be getting a live demonstration in October!

VIVIENNE OJALA BROCK SOLUTIONS Brock Solutions is a global industrial automation, engineering software, and professional services company with industry expertise in Manufacturing, Transportation, and Utilities. Our solutions empower customers to access data, transform operations, and drive performance and efficiency, while reducing costs and risk.

WBE Canada: What challenges have you faced during the pandemic in terms of operations?

Vivienne: Undoubtedly, the global pandemic was one of the biggest obstacles we experienced over the last couple of years. The majority of our projects require our employees to travel all over North America, and in many cases overseas as well, so there has been no shortage of obstacles and challenges navigating through this very complicated ordeal including Covid-19 testing, supply chain issues, food shortages, travel restrictions and vaccination status.

With tremendous cooperation and support from our employees, we navigated through such

obstacles by having people temporarily move to some of our site locations instead of travelling back and forth, and building up teams that work extremely well together and support each other to contribute to the success of our projects with a continued focus on customers’ wants and needs.

In addition to this, we helped our customers navigate through their own financial challenges, and various operational obstacles by working with them from a financial perspective, and offering options of delayed payment terms, lowering costs wherever possible, and being patient and understanding of their own business challenges that resulted from the pandemic.

WBE Canada: How has WBE certification helped in your securing international contracts, especially with government funded projects?

Vivienne: We have many active government contracts in primarily US jurisdictions via other WBE Certifications. As part of our broader WBE certifications, WBE Canada certification has benefited our business by offering credibility with large private and government organizations in Canada and validating the diversity mandate that exists within these respective organizations.

These women leveraged their resources and relationships to accommodate the changing landscape commerce and breaking into the realm of globalization. Their common goal was similar: growth. WBE Canada’s Toolbox offers the tools and resources needed to help women-owned businesses scale up and grow their business with a primary focus to help WBEs understand supply chains, and helps businesses maximize certification, navigate supplier diversity events and opportunities and get their businesses ready for large contracts.

Learn more about WBE Certification and how to get access to the toolbox. Our team is here to give you the answers you need, reach out to us at certification@wbecanada.ca

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

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Strengthening our economy Strengthening ourdiversity economy through supplier through supplier diversity Inclusive procurement practices strengthen local economies, forge new business opportunities and create value for communities. That’s why we Inclusive procurement practices strengthen local forge new Diversity Program ineconomies, 2004. developed the RBC® Supplier business opportunities and create value for communities. That’s why we Our goal is the to advance equality of opportunity Diversity Programfor in women, 2004. BIPOC, LGBT+, developed RBC® Supplier people with disabilities, service-disabled and veteran-owned businesses Our goal is to advance equality ofchain opportunity for women, BIPOC,field LGBT+, by promoting an inclusive supply and levelling the playing for people disabilities, service-disabled and veteran-owned businesses diversewith suppliers. by promoting an inclusive supply chain and levelling the playing field for diverse suppliers.

Learn about our Supplier Diversity Program at rbc.com/sourcing/supplierdiversity Learn about our Supplier Diversity Program at rbc.com/sourcing/supplierdiversity ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada.

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THE TRADE COMMISSIONER SERVICE: Helping Canadian

Companies Succeed Abroad for 127 Years and Counting Authored by Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) / Global Affairs Canada (GAC) The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) is a Government of Canada organization that helps Canadian companies grow and sell their products and services abroad. It does so by connecting them with its funding and support programs, international opportunities, and its network of over 1,000 Trade Commissioners in more than 160 cities across Canada and worldwide. The TCS provides services and support to small, medium and large-sized exporters, while at the same time supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in trade through a number of initiatives.

In terms of results, compared to non-clients, Canadian companies that use TCS services: • export to 24.8% more markets; • export 11.2% more product varieties; and • earn 19.8% more value.

The TCS network: Trade Commissioners in the TCS’s regional offices across Canada can provide advice to help sharpen your export plan and begin your international expansion. This could include working with your company to decide on a target market, collecting market and industry information and improving your international business strategy. Each regional office in Canada has dedicated Inclusive Trade Champions, who are available to provide specific support and services to women-owned and led businesses, including introductions to business women’s associations within Canada and advising on upcoming events and initiatives for women entrepreneurs.

Since Canada’s first Trade Commissioner was posted to Australia in 1895, the TCS has grown significantly and gained 127 years of experience helping Canadian companies do business abroad and succeed in international markets. Today, the TCS has access to an extensive network of international contacts with privileged access to foreign governments, business leaders and decision makers. It currently works with over 10,000 Canadian businesses every fiscal year, mainly through the work of individual employees in Canadian trade and diplomatic offices around the world who provide those businesses with tailored services, information, advice and funding.

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

Trade Commissioners around the world provide advice and industry contacts to help with your market entry. They offer up-to-date information on foreign markets. They can inform Canadian companies about barriers and regulations associated with entering a specific region; provide an overview of the competitive landscape and practical advice on such areas as navigating business and cultural practices; share knowledge about upcoming opportunities or emerging trends; and identify upcoming events such as trade fairs, conferences, partnering seminars or trade missions.

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THE TRADE COMMISSIONER SERVICE continued...

TCS program and services:

• Canadian International Innovation Program, which helps Canadian companies pursue international research and development projects with a foreign partner.

The TCS also offers funding and support programs to help Canadian businesses and organizations pursue new business opportunities abroad, connect with foreign partners, and attract foreign investment into Canadian communities.

• Trade Missions and events that are advertised online, including initiatives specific to womenowned and led companies. A number of initiatives and resources are also promoted in the TCS’s official magazine, CanadExport, which you can subscribe to today to get the latest trade related insights, events, stories, and opportunities that can help you make better business decisions delivered right to your inbox.

These include: • CanExport programs that provide funding for small and medium-sized enterprises, innovators, associations and communities.

Regional Office Champions are available to provide additional support and advice to women-owned and led companies who wish to complete a CanExport funding application.

Additionally, CanExport has recently begun accepting annual supplier diversity certification costs (including through WBE Canada) as an eligible funding expense.

The TCS also recently launched a free new service for Canadian businesses looking to quickly resolve urgent export problems. Exporter Solutions offers both direct, on-the-ground assistance from TCS offices around the world, as well as troubleshooting and proactive support for a wide range of export and international-business related topics. The goal is to help Canadian exporters manage risk, save time and reduce costs, maintain relationships with clients, and get their business back up and running in no time.

• Canadian Technology Accelerators (CTAs) that help Canadian companies that have an existing technology or product find opportunities and expand into key foreign technology hubs.

Programs tailored specifically for womenowned and led companies are offered with varying deadlines throughout the year.

Companies are advised to consult the CTA website for a comprehensive list of upcoming programs.

You’re ready to grow. We’re ready to help. Visit the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service for more information, and find additional resources for women-owned companies on the TCS’s Business Women in International Trade webpage.

The Trade Commissioner Service helps Canadian businesses grow by connecting them with its funding and support programs, international opportunities, and its network of Trade Commissioners in more than 160 cities across Canada and worldwide. Visit tradecommissioner. gc.ca to get started today, and feel free to contact a Trade Commissioner with any questions.

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Making it possible.

Every day, Magna works to make the impossible possible – on the roads and in our communities. We are dedicated to supporting programs and organizations that make a difference in people’s lives and the world around us.

We are proud to sponsor WBE Canada dedicated to creating networking, training and promotional opportunities for Canadian women-owned businesses, buyers and leaders from large corporate and government organizations.

Together we can make it possible.

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D R I V E N BY D I V E R S I T Y

At ventureLAB, we value diversity, inclusion, and respect.

Diverse experience, perspectives, and backgrounds bring great ideas and create stronger teams — we embrace it, because we know that by including everyone, we all thrive.

Lear n about how we' r e bui l di ng an equi t abl e t ech sect or .

www.venturelab.ca

Toyota’s diverse suppliers — and their inclusive perspectives and progressive capabilities — are essential to our story of creating Mobility for All. O N E TOYOTASUP P LI E R D I V E R SI T Y.COM

Diversifying Supply Chains Takes Commitment and Continued Learning

By Melanie Travers, Director of Sourcing and Supplier Management at Export Development Canada

The decision to establish a supplier diversity program at Export Development Canada (EDC) was an easy one. Getting it off the ground, on the other hand, has brought along challenges and learnings. Still, we’ve never once questioned whether it was the right thing to do.

The concept of a supplier diversity program dovetails perfectly with our mandate and 10-year corporate strategy: to improve Canada’s international trade performance, with strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles at the core of all we do.

Moreover, there’s the potential to help address economic inequality in Canada and to lower our operating costs and supply chain risk, while increasing innovation and getting a better return on investment. It’s a win-win, for EDC and for our suppliers.

In 2021, EDC’s Learning & Development team worked diligently to find the right supplier to provide the welcome kits we send to new hires. They ultimately selected “Ethical Swag”, a WBE certified- and B-corp Certified, Nova Scotia-based, woman-owned and operated business, which uses eco-friendly packaging, audits their suppliers on social compliance, environmental impact, product safety, supply chain security and product quality.

From Ethical Swag’s perspective, the experience has also been a win.

“We’re growing our company and impact as a result of working with organizations like EDC,” said founder and CEO Tara Milburn. “The welcome kits were assembled by residents of an organization that supports individuals of varying abilities, helping the residents gain vital skills and connection to the community. We are able to impact lives through meaningful work by harnessing the buying power of EDC.” The goal of a supplier diversity program is clear: foster greater participation of diverse suppliers (companies majority owned, operated and controlled by those from equity-seeking groups such as women, LGBTQ2+, Indigenous, persons with disabilities, minority,

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and veteran-owned businesses) in our procurement processes by ensuring fair and equitable access for all, and in doing so, sign new contracts with diverse suppliers that help to build their capacity, experience, and ability to scale.

To get there, we first had to establish the foundations of the program, by becoming corporate members of five advocacy organizations that certify companies as “diverse” (including WBE Canada), learning from the experiences of organizations with established programs, and identifying a supplier diversity champion in our Procurement team.

and the sooner you start, the sooner you begin to make incremental change and create impact.

Melanie Travers is the Director of Sourcing and Supplier Management at EDC, responsible for EDC’s procurement and vendor management functions. A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with over 21 years’ experience in financial management and management consulting, her areas of expertise are target operating model design and business process improvement.

Next, we updated our Supplier Registration Form to identify which of our new suppliers are diverse, leveraged the events organized by certifying councils to meet with diverse suppliers, and leveraged our corporate memberships to obtain coaching with the development of our program.

Along the way, we learned that we needed time to familiarize ourselves with the service offerings of diverse suppliers and make connections between suppliers and our internal buyers, and to examine our procurement processes to identify and remove potential barriers. Thinking of this endeavour as more of a strategy than a program has helped myself and my team understand this is not something we’re going to finish in one year.

Since announcing our intention to create more opportunities for equity-seeking businesses through our supply chain in 2020, we’ve created a registry of diverse suppliers (existing and new), confirmed an executive champion for the program, and signed a number of new contracts with diverse suppliers.

IBM and Supplier Diversity Celebrating 50 years and counting Find out more: ibm.biz/GlobalSupplierDiversity

This year, some of our objectives include updating our Procurement Policy to include requirements related to supplier diversity, organizing a matchmaking event between diverse suppliers and our internal buyers, continuing to build our database of diverse suppliers, and identifying supplier diversity champions within EDC’s lines of business.

Ensuring our procurement processes foster a higher participation rate among diverse suppliers is a longterm commitment and learning experience. But that shouldn’t scare off any organizations that haven’t yet started work in this space. There are countless supports and partners to help guide us through this,

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

IBM, its logo and ibm.com are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. See current list at ibm.com/trademark. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. ©International Business Machines Corp. 2020. B33748

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF SUPPLIER DIVERSITY

By Kristin Malek, Director of Business Diversity, CDW

Over the last two years, the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on businesses, communities and families has laid the foundation for an unprecedented reassessment of how we live and work. That reassessment presents us with an enormous opportunity to advance our diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

I lead the Business Diversity Program for CDW, a Fortune 500 company that provides technology products and services for businesses, government and education.

Since its formal launch in 2007, CDW’s Business Diversity Program has grown to become a cornerstone of our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In 2021, we facilitated around $3 billion in spending with diverse partners, bringing CDW’s total legacy spend with small, women and minority-owned businesses to more than $20 billion. That number is impressive by any standard, but it’s the “multiplier” effect it has produced by supporting job creation,

increasing wages and boosting local economies that has been truly transformative.

At a grassroots level, when a company partners with a small, woman or minority-owned business from an under-served community, it means that more Moms and Dads are earning, household income increases and they can afford a better education for their kids. That better education, in turn, serves as a talent incubator and means we’re planting generational seeds that will give us a richer, deeper and much more diverse slate of talent to hire from in 1015 years’ time.

While every one of us has faced unprecedented challenges in the last two years, there is no denying the fact that women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic’s economic and social fallout. The good news is that we are seeing more companies than ever before actively revisiting their diversity and gender equality goals. Many of these companies are looking to their supplier pool to help meet those goals – and that presents a significant opportunity for WBEs.

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

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What gets measured gets managed and targets for hiring, promotion and executive participation will continue to be a critical tool for companies who want to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces and communities. But the economic multiplier effect means that businesses who factor suppliers into their diversity and inclusion efforts have the opportunity to make real and lasting progress towards our shared goal of creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable world.

Kristin Malek is the Director of Business Diversity for CDW, a Fortune 500 company that provides technology products and services for businesses, government and education. In 2021, CDW’s Business Diversity Program facilitated over $3 billion in spending with diverse partners, bringing its total legacy spend with small, women and minority-owned businesses to more than $20 billion.

Equality drives innovation Equality is a powerful multiplier of innovation and growth.

It inspires creativity and a sense of belonging. At Accenture we’re committed to championing a culture of equality where our people are empowered to be their best, professionally and personally. Because as equals, anything is possible.

Learn more at accenture.com/equality

THE FUTURE OF WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES AND SUPPLIER DIVERSITY IN CANADA

By Selsey Brown, North America Supplier Inclusion & Diversity Manager, Accenture

Since 2006, we have put our commitment to supplier inclusion and diversity into action by mentoring diverse suppliers across the globe through our intensive 18-month Global Diverse Supplier Development Program (DSDP) initiative.

This program matches senior Accenture executives with diverse supplier companies for holistic mentoring. This year we evolved the program by expanding the mentorship pool to include clientmentors, in addition to our Accenture experts. In order to graduate, our DSDP mentees must attend monthly meetings with their mentor/sponsors and participate in online training sessions.

They must also demonstrate their progress as a diverse supplier by completing business health assessments and quarterly progress reports throughout the 18-month program.

At Accenture, we believe inclusive procurement creates long term value for our clients and our communities and helps us run a responsible business. At the same time, these practices help our suppliers grow their representation and influence in their own markets, contributing to our collective shared success.

Our Supplier Inclusion & Sustainability Program is global; to drive a more inclusive marketplace, we reached 21 countries in fiscal 2021 and plan to expand into more countries in fiscal 2022. The program also works closely with our Accessibility Center of Excellence to establish sufficient accessibility roadmaps for our webbased technology. We categorize diverse suppliers as minority, women, small- and medium-sized, service-disabled veteran, veteran, historically underutilized, people with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) enterprises.

In early 2021, we set a new DSDP goal: by the end of fiscal 2023, we will graduate 250 diverse suppliers. As of the end of fiscal 2021, a total of 196 have graduated. In fiscal 2021, DSDP graduated 19 suppliers in South Africa and seven in India (our first virtual class, which is looking forward to an in-person ceremony in fiscal 2022).

In fiscal 2022, we launched our program in Australia; and we began our seventh class in the United States, which helped mark our 15th DSDP anniversary.

We monitor our diverse spend most consistently within the United States and Canada. In fiscal 2021, our U.S. diverse spend increased from 31% in fiscal 2020 to 32%, while our Canadian spend was 25%, an increase from 19% in fiscal 2020.

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

This past fiscal year, we unveiled the DSDP Sustainability pilot program, a new sustainabilityfocused program based on the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the

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THE FUTURE OF WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES continued...

17 Sustainable Development Goals. The DSDP Sustainability program will help suppliers accelerate their transition toward building their own responsible business models. These models help suppliers deliver the right products and services for their customers, contributing to improving their overall sustainability performance and demonstrating their commitment to climate action and human rights.

At Accenture, our goal is to create a culture of sharing learnings, experiences, and resources to drive collaborative successes. Each year, we continue to evolve our DSDP program. In fiscal 2021, we successfully launched a digital tool to give small and medium-sized enterprises easier access to information and opportunities for diverse partners. Developed by a DSDP graduate in South Africa, the digital ecosystem simplifies interactions

between diverse suppliers and businesses to drive growth and sustainability through development, commercial opportunities, and tools to thrive in the Information and digital age. To date, the tool has allowed us to host all DSDP programming virtually since November 2020.

Sesley Brown is the North America Supplier Inclusion & Diversity Manager, leading the award winning Global Diverse Supplier Development Program (DSDP) workstream.

CELEBRATING THE WINNERS: Meet W WBE Canada’s Excellence Awards showcase and celebrate achievements in supplier diversity amongst our certified WBE community and our corporate and government organizations. We are pleased to share with you our 2021 winners and their thoughts on the future of women-owned businesses in supplier diversity in Canada.

LORENA DIAZ TOP VOLUNTEER AWARD As Ventures and Acquisitions Program & Project Management Manager at Accenture, Lorena Diaz has been a volunteer on WBE Canada committees since 2018. She is highly engaged, willing to step into whatever role is necessary, is always prepared with creative insights to tackle whatever she takes on, earning the respect of her peers and those she works with on the WBE Canada Team. Lorena’s commitment to WBE Canada and her eagerness to work with others while representing Accenture, one of WBE Canada’s founding corporate members, is incredibly valued by all who have the privilege to know and work with her.

WBE Canada: Why is volunteering for WBE Canada important to you? And what impact does volunteering have on your role at Accenture?

Lorena:

Volunteering and participating on committees at WBE Canada is important because it represents and promotes unity among member corporations who are all working together to benefit women-owned businesses.

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My active participation in WBE Canada helps me realize the hard work WBE Canada is doing to support women-owned businesses and definitely helps me in my role at Accenture.

Accenture is a founding member of WBE Canada so it’s very rewarding to be a part of and see the results from their commitment to supplier diversity and WBEs.

THE ROUNDTABLE 2021 RISING STAR Founded in 2007, the Roundtable has operated as a women-owned business since that time.

Headquartered in Toronto, the Roundtable helps leaders build the mindsets they need to navigate change, disruption and growth. A recognized team and group coaching authority, the Roundtable’s innovative group coaching programs deliver learning that is entirely relevant to today’s workplaces and empowers leaders to coach each other. Over the course of the last two years, the Roundtable has experienced tremendous business growth, doubling its business year over year. A notable portion of this growth has come from a significant project with two WBE Corporate members.

WBE Canada: 2021 was an incredible year for the Roundtable. What would you say was your key pivotal moment?

WBE Canada’s 2021 Excellence Award Winners the Roundtable:

The key pivotal moment for us was when we had a large client (and WBE member) reach out to ask us to bid on a leadership program that they were hoping to launch in the Fall of 2020 and run through 2021.

After several incredibly difficult months, it was amazing when we won that project. It re-energized our team and was the first of a series of programs that started to flood in through the Fall and into 2021. We had been speaking with that client for close to two years about their leadership needs and it was just fabulous timing that they were ready to launch just when we were most in need of a boost.

BELL 2021 MOST IMPROVED SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAM During 2021, Bell further enhanced their Supplier Diversity Program by leveraging all of WBE Canada’s tools and resources at their disposal as a Corporate Member. From implementation of key strategies, through augmented internal communications, Bell championed Supplier Diversity across all departments internally with the result that full time staff is dedicated to manage their SD Program including tracking and reporting.

Bell: Bell’s supplier diversity program was established in 2014 and since the beginning, our motto has always been "every action matters".

Over the years, we have continued to refine and push forward our business case for supplier diversity – keeping aligned with Bell’s DEI values and initiations. Our continual investments have helped evolve our program, step-by-step. Corporate memberships, sponsorship & participation at industry events, new tools and resources, and enhanced communications are all things that have helped us get to a point where we have a stable, structured program. We are thrilled to have launched our Tier 2 reporting program in 2021 with a select group of suppliers to push the conversation further.

ANN GOMEZ 2021 WBE LEADER Ann Gomez is passionate about contributing to the diverse community. She is committed to both learning and driving positive change, doing her part to promote diversity within her community and in parallel with her work. As the owner of Clear Concept Inc., a training company, Ann is always coming forward to lead workshops with empowering messages and practical support, helping her fellow women entrepreneurs grow and succeed together.

WBE Canada: What advice do you have for newly certified WBEs in order to succeed within the WBE community as well as in their businesses?

WBE Canada: How did the pandemic and the ongoing disruptions to corporations like Bell, affect your commitment to solidifying your supplier diversity program?

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

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Ann:

WBE Canada: What advice do you have for women-owned businesses trying to break through in a male-dominated industry?

My biggest piece of advice is to build connections across Mandy: Excellent products and services will speak for themselves… as long as the market knows of this incredible community. them! Networking to make new contacts on a Invest the time to get to know weekly basis will help you generate new leads and people. Consider how you can innovative ideas for your company. get involved and contribute to Within your own operations, this community. make sure that you are Also, be clear on what you are selling and who improving diversity, equity your target market is. This will help your supplier and inclusion internally, and diversity partners at corporations and government organizations help you navigate through their review your own supply chain organization. Finally, persistence is important. to make sure that you are Relationships are built over time. Keep showing up, keep adding value, keep exploring opportunities providing opportunities to and business will come your way. diverse vendors.

MANDY LUNN 2021 WBE LEADER

MICHÈLE LEDUC 2021 WBE LEADER

In her role as VP Strategic Sustainability and Innovations at Universal Geomatics Solutions Corporation, Mandy has taken the company from passive to passionate in its approach to D&I. Acting as a role model in a traditionally male dominated industry, and with her support, influence and encouragement, Universal Geomatics Solutions Corporation became a majority female-owned organization with two thirds of its executive team being women - a statistic previously unheard of in the land survey industry in Canada.

As President, Creative Director and Strategist of Zipcom Communications based in Montreal, Michèle is a true champion of women-owned businesses, offering support and thought leadership through her participation at WBE Canada events, offering workshops and providing advice and input to WBEs through the many challenges they face, especially during the past year. Is it her one on one relationship with fellow WBEs that has earned her immense respect not just amongst her fellow WBEs but as a contributing and insightful member of the WBE Canada Board.

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WBE Canada: The Pandemic has resulted in different approaches in how Brands communicate.

What do you see as the key to creative communication as we enter year three of the pandemic? How do brands maintain engagement with their clients?

Michèle: Covid has changed everything. From the way we live to the way we shop. In the first wave, many communication campaigns and media plans had to be revised and, in some instances, cancelled. Suddenly, it was no longer about enjoying fresh lobster but rather how to buy lobster while minimizing contamination or how to return your rental in a safe way or how to buy clothes when fitting rooms were closed. Consumers moved to digital in an unprecedented way and brands

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responded in turn. They maintained engagement with their clients by being attentive to their needs and adapting to changing consumer culture. Now in year three of the pandemic, we are still not out of the woods. And so, brands that continue building trust through transparency about safety measures and aligning with their client concerns will be successful in maintaining engagement with their clients.

LISA ROSS 2021 SUPPLIER DIVERSITY LEADER Lisa Ross, Supplier Diversity Manager at Magna, is consistent and diligent in her commitment to the actions she will take on behalf of WBE's. She is passionate about advancing Supplier Diversity within her organization. She leads with poise, honesty, and authenticity. She is focused on helping suppliers better understand their relationship with Magna and its customers and the importance of being a quality WBE supplier. Lisa was heavily engaged with WBE Canada in 2021 - actively participating in events and providing insights to other Corporates around developing SD programs WBE Canada: You engage WBE suppliers of all sizes; what is the most important quality womenowned businesses need to have in order to be successful in working with corporations like Magna?

And how much importance do you place on WBEs attending networking events such as WBE Canada Roundtables?

Lisa: It’s difficult to pinpoint just one so I’ll provide some advice from one of our Indirect Commodity Managers.

Start Your Journey Today!

Be professional and upfront about your strengths, and honest if your business isn’t capable of meeting our current needs. Be proactive and learn ways to improve so you are ready for the next opportunity.

I think it’s very important to attend the various networking events because it keeps a familiar face in front of people and because you never know when an opportunity is going to come up for their product or services. Contacts change at companies so it allows you to keep your information updated and also gives you the chance to re-engage with companies.

ROBINSON GLOBAL MANAGEMENT INC. 2021 TOP WBE SUPPLIER Robinson Global Management Inc. is a multidisciplinary management consulting firm specializing in public sector procurement, dispute resolution, process risk review, negotiation and contract management. RGM has enjoyed incredible growth over the past 3 years in part due to increased customer and shareholder value through the development of new business lines external to the Canadian region, in the US and Caribbean which focuses on innovative, ethical and sustainable procurement. Extending their offerings outside of their core services for SMEs, including many other WBEs, is designed to increase focus on womenowned businesses seeking to pivot or add public sector procurement into their portfolios.

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

WBE Canada: If you could pinpoint the one attribute RGM has that has led to your on-going success, what would it be and how has WBE Canada contributed to that success?

Andrea: One word - DYNAMIC. – Our team has shown that we are able to be both responsive to the changing needs and opportunities of our consulting industry while being efficient and creative in our offerings and approach over the last two (2) years.

WBE Canada supported RGM when it had just completed its first year in existence by providing a network of common-minded, determined women to lean on and leverage to gain a better understanding of how to build and market the business successfully for the long term. However, of all the many contributors to RGM’s continued success that WBE Canada has provided, it is the repeated access to pitch coaching for improvement, and the partnered access to potential government and corporate buyers that the WBE Canada team tirelessly creates on a regular basis for its WBE community that played the biggest part.

It is one thing to know that you have a great idea, service or product to change or improve your chosen industry, or a way to better support the broader community through your offerings, but it is the access to the buyers and industry leaders that allows those ideas to become fully realized. This has been and continues to be WBE Canada’s impact on RGM. 25

BMO 2021 TOP CORPORATION As one of WBE Canada’s founding corporations, BMO continues to demonstrate their core values of diversity through their commitment in expanding their supplier diversity program across the bank.

BMO has had a long-standing, established supplier diversity program in which they provide opportunities to and network with certified diverse businesses, hold their large non-diverse suppliers accountable for supplier diversity, and embed supplier diversity into the procurement sourcing process. In 2021, BMO embarked on several aggressive growth initiatives that included expanding the supplier diversity council to have an enterprise focus and enhanced level of leadership with executives from each line of business and several functional areas; setting supplier diversity goals at the line of business level, and launching BMO’s firstever diverse business development program - BMO Elevate. Working with diverse suppliers is an integral part of the bank’s commitment to meeting the needs of their stakeholders, customers and communities BMO serves..

WBE Canada: What are the continuing challenges women-owned businesses face in this coming year and what advice can you give as they go forward in 2022?

BMO: Women-owned businesses, and small and diverse businesses, are no strangers to demonstrating courage and resilience and the pandemic will continue to cause significant impact and challenges to many, both personally and professionally. Leading through the global pandemic has become a test of agility and endurance, while being conscious of the understandable anxiety and fatigue affecting our employees, our clients and ourselves. Managing beyond the current environment to build back better

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will be a key focus for women-owned businesses this year as they navigate return to work, continued supply chain issues, sales impacts, staffing and resource challenges.

As we go forward it’s important to first reflect and draw strength from what you’ve accomplished these past couple of years to fuel hope and confidence for the future. Secondly, commit to carving out time for your own mental health and wellness. We’ve seen how critically important this is to our overall health and ability to perform - to give our best, we must be at our best. Then, as you focus on evolving and future-proofing your business, research, collaboration and communication are key.

Being present and in tune with your clients is imperative, now more than ever. Learn what keeps them up at night, what challenges they are facing and may continue to face. The more you listen and learn about their shifting challenges, the more strategic you can be in tailoring your approach and solutions, the more you become their trusted advisor and partner.

BDC 2021 WBE CANADA CHAMPION BDC has been a supporter of WBE Canada for many years and in 2019, became a corporate member.

BDC recognizes the impact supplier diversity has on Canadian women-owned businesses, and has been excited to share the work of WBE Canada with women-owned businesses who might benefit from WBE certification or organizations with buying power and potential to impact the growth of Canadian women-owned businesses.

WBE Canada: What would you say was the biggest influence and the biggest challenge for womenowned businesses as a result of the Pandemic in 2020 and 2021?

BDC: The pandemic continues to have a staggering impact on Canadian business owners. It’s not been an easy journey navigating lock-downs and new regulations but it’s inspiring to see entrepreneurs’ resilience, perseverance, and innovation, as they have adapted to the challenges - particularly women entrepreneurs.

financial and cash flow projections, as well as the creative focus on adapting to the digital marketplace. Women are building a stronger foundation for their business that will serve them well into the future.

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NETWORKING – The one piece of advice every woman entrepreneur we speak to can agree on, is the value of their network – and the power of human connections in our new virtual world is critical. We continue to see women coming together in very creative ways, to support one another.

RESILIENCE. Probably the biggest driver of success over the past year is the business owner’s desire to survive and thrive. They

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PLANNING AHEAD – Women are used to juggling a lot of balls and the pandemic has instilled a new level of planning in many women business owners. Just over a year later, we are blown away at the fore-thought going into business and contingency planning,

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

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continue to work hard despite taking more steps backward than forward. So many business owners have achieved the impossible over the past two years which has undoubtedly made them stronger.

MELISSA SIMMONS 2021 PRESIDENT’S AWARD As CEO and Publisher of Diversity Professional, an interactive international magazine, Melissa has been integral in directing and highlighting the focus on issues that impact employment, entrepreneurship, business, social trends and all aspects of the diversity space. Together with her team, Melissa has generously and continuously supported WBE Canada’s work and the advancement of womenowned businesses and supplier diversity in Canada by sharing our events and updates with a much larger audience.

WBE Canada: What was the most inspirational story you covered in 2021?

Melissa: Without a doubt, it was our profile of Shay Gillespie, business development manager at World Wide Technology and founder of Color Coded Kids.

The reason is simple: inspirational stories like Shay’s connect with our readers’ hearts.

They help us discover their “why,” what motivates them to do what they do. And they show us the challenges they faced – and overcame.

Shay was searching for coding and other STEM classes for one of her sons. Finding few options in her predominantly African American neighborhood, she took matters into her own hands and in 2016 launched Color Coded Kids (CCK) in her home basement. The organization is now helping school

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districts across the country teach programming to under-resourced children as young as seven and instill an early interest in technology-related careers.

CCK never would have happened without Shay's leadership.

Balancing three full-time careers – working at a tech company, launching a tech startup, and being a mom to two teenage sons, one of whom has Down Syndrome – wasn’t enough of a challenge. In 2021, Shay became a professional bodybuilder. Her fitness journey started with a family history of diabetes and understanding that she can't help others without taking care of herself. High-intensity sports like bodybuilding adds to her joy which, as she shared with our readers, helps her focus on doing something that motivates her to become the best version of herself – mind, body, spirit and soul.

ANNE-MARIE DESLAURIERS 2021 PRESIDENT’S AWARD Anne-Marie Deslauriers, President of DELAN, has worked tirelessly to ensure the growth of her IT Recruitment company, quadrupling her team over the past five years, while remaining a predominantly female team. Thanks to this growth and diversity, she has made a real impact in her industry by creating jobs in Quebec, with more than 240 permanent candidates hired in the last two and half years, helping companies find concrete solutions to overcome the labor shortage in the province. Committed to encouraging companies to recruit more women in the IT industry, she actively participates in networking and training activities, organizes conferences on the IT workforce shortage as well as on best practices in recruiting and attracting talent.

WBE Canada’s Excellence Awards, while applauding those who have shown outstanding contributions to our communities, are truly a shoutout to all our WBEs, Corporate and Government Members and Partners who are impacting Canada’s economic recovery and growth and amplifying the supplier diversity conversation.

WBE Canada: What do you see as the future of women-owned businesses in IT in Canada in the coming year?

Anne-Marie: I think the future is more than bright for women-owned IT companies in Canada, and the coming year will be a good time for them to grow and prosper.

The pandemic has not slowed down the growth of the IT sector, quite the contrary.

With remote work, automation of tasks, modernization of systems, adoption of new technologies and the expansion of online commerce, IT companies in Canada are at the forefront of growth.

Currently technology is even more important than ever since it contributes to the growth of all sectors of the economy.

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

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Leveraging Procurement to Advance Diverse Women Entrepreneurs

By Dr. Wendy Cukier, Diversity Institute Founder, Academic Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and Research Lead of the Future Skills Centre Governments and corporations are among the largest buyers of goods and services in Canada.

Public procurement alone represents more than $200 billion in economic activity across the country every year.

and large corporations need to put their money behind their good intentions, establish real targets and simplify processes to ensure that women and diverse suppliers can actually fulfill them. The processes for a $200,000 contract should not be as cumbersome as those for a $1B project.

Recognizing many women-owned businesses are small and new, ensuring expectations for diversity are established for tier 1 suppliers can help women gain experience and grow their businesses through subcontracts. It is one thing to publish a target, but quite another thing to meet it. More transparency and accountability is needed on how governments and other large organizations actually spend their money.

But women and diverse entrepreneurs continue to struggle to attain their fair share. According to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub’s State of Women Entrepreneurship in Canada 2021 report, while many large Canadian organizations have diversity and inclusion strategies, these often ignore diversity procurement policies and mechanisms. Where large organizations have formal commitments and incorporate gender and diversity criteria into their procurement, they do not provide any data on how they actually spend their funding.

Many women entrepreneurs are not fully aware of the large procurement opportunities presented by government and large business and often they are not part of the usual supply

WEKH research suggests that this is a challenge on both supply and demand sides: Government WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

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LEVERAGING PROCUREMENT continued... chain networks. Procurement processes, even for relatively small contracts, are often unnecessarily complicated, labour intensive, and complex and many women entrepreneurs do not have the resources, experience or supports they need to navigate them. There are also inconsistencies in definitions of what is meant by a women-owned business. Some programs targeting women have had loopholes that certification processes, such as those provided by WEConnect International and WBE, aim to address.

advance opportunities for Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs and are exploring opportunities for entrepreneurs who are LGBTQ2+. Its Supplier Diversity Action Plan is an important step in moving the agenda forward.

WEKH continues to lead evidence-based approaches to build capacity. The WEKH Procurement Resource Guide defines key terminology and houses an informative webinar series, research on perceptions of supplier diversity, and resources to support diverse women entrepreneurs seeking and competing for procurement opportunities.

While considerable attention has been focused on increasing access to financing and loans for women entrepreneurs, helping them access and grow markets is fundamental to supporting their success.

The Canadian government has made a commitment to increase the participation of women-owned and led businesses in federal procurement from 10% to 15% by 2023 but more is needed to ensure this goal is realized. Other programs aim to

Dr. Wendy Cukier is the Diversity Institute Founder, Academic Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and Research Lead of the Future Skills Centre, and one of Canada’s leading experts in disruptive technologies, innovation processes, and diversity and inclusion. The Diversity Institute works with partners on projects aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion in leadership, entrepreneurship, and future skills. Wendy leads the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, funded by the Government of Canada which promotes inclusive supports for women and other diverse entrepreneurs. She has helped create and grow several successful startups and social ventures including Flybits, Think2Thing, the Madeleine Collective, and Growing North (now Green Iglu).

Wendy received many awards including a YWCA Women of Distinction Award, WXN most powerful women and, most recently was named one of the International Women’s Forum 2020 Women Who Make a Difference. She has an MA, MBA, PhD and two honorary doctorates.

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Meet our 2022 Board of Directors WBE Canada is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors representing the Corporate Members and Certified WBEs (Women Business Entreprises) community. Our Board of Directors is instrumental in charting the strategic direction of WBE Canada.

Support for Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) Support for Corporate & Government Supplier Diversity initiatives Creating strong Partnerships

CHRISTINE CANNING Managing Director, Supplier Relationship Management BMO Financial Group

DAELAN BURGESS Assistant Director of Global Supplier Recovery General Motors LLC

MARYSE BENHOFF Chair, SAC President, BG Communications International Inc. WBE Representative

MICHAEL BOURNE Senior Manager, Procurement Business Opportunities, Policies, Controls, Supplier Diversity and Ombudsman IBM Canada

Transforming procurement and supply chain operations.

TELUS is focused on strengthening our strategic relationships with suppliers while innovating to improve our product and service offerings to enhance the customer experience.

We continue to launch programs to provide equal access to a supply base reflecting the diversity where we live, work and serve.

For more information please visit telus.com/procurement or email us at supplierdiversity@telus.com

© 2019 TELUS. 19-0564

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MADELEINE BAKER Board Chair Chair, Nomination Committee Director, Products and Services Telus

MICHAEL PACHOLOK Board Vice-Chair Vice-Chair, Business Development Committee Chief Purchasing Officer City of Toronto

ANDY THOMPSON Board Treasurer VP, Network Infrastructure Transformation Nokia

LAURA DIDYK Board Secretary VP, Client Diversity Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)

JANICE TEE Senior Manager, Global Human Resources and Talent Management Magna

JEN MCAVOY Chair, Certification Committee VP, Client Engagement Cotton Candy

JENNIFER COOKE Corporate Lead/Women in Trade Export Development Canada (EDC)

MARTIN GRENIER VP, Procurement Cogeco

*Information as of February 2022.

For recent updates, click here.

PAULINE MACDONALD Head of Procurement and Supply Management Babcock Canada

STEPHANIE KHURANA President, Netchem WBE Representative

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

MEGAN QUITIN Senior Director, Global Procurement RBC

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Who’s Who at WBE Canada WBE Canada is excited to introduce the Supplier Advisory Committee (SAC) for 2022. The SAC consists of volunteer, certified Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) who provide feedback on our outreach and engagement activities, as well as contribute to the development of WBE Canada.

MARYSE BENHOFF Chair SAC + Chair Nomination Subcommittee (SC) President, BG Communications International Inc.

MARTE BELISLE Chair Programming SC President, SommEvents

STEPHANIE KHURANA Vice-Chair SAC + Engagement SC President, Netchem

MICHÈLE LEDUC Chair Engagement SC President, ZIP Communication

ASHLEE FROESE Engagement SC Founder, Froese Law

PAMELA SMITH Engagement SC + Nomination SC Owner-General Manager, TCBS

JENNIFER MÉNARD-SHAND Engagement SC + Programming SC CEO, Staff Shop Inc.

PAULE GRENIER Engagement SC + Programming SC President, ELAM

KATIA DEDOVIC Programming SC President, SCKD Inc.

PHYLLIS REID-JARVIS Engagement SC + Programming SC CEO, Ultimate Potentials Corporation

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UPCOMING EVENTS WBE MEETUP

and suppliers together in the Tech & Telecommunications industry. Certified WBEs with products or services of interest to our attending buyers who have expressed interest in meeting with WBEs offering a number of products and services listed here. Spots are limited, so register today!

MARCH 15 | 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET This session will be led by Jennifer MénardShand, Founder & CEO, Staff Shop Inc. who will focus on “Dealing with Staff Shortages Across Canada”. Come ready to participate, bring your challenges, experiences, questions, and advice for what will surely be a robust conversation!

CERTIFIED WBE ORIENTATION

APRIL 13 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET This orientation is for newly certified WBEs to learn how to leverage your certification and the tools available to you in WBE Canada. This is also a great opportunity for existing certified WBEs to introduce your new team members to new or hidden opportunities available to your business.

AUTOMOTIVE AND INDUSTRIAL ROUNDTABLES

MARCH 16 | 2:00 - 5:00 PM ET A must-attend event to bring buyers and suppliers together in the Automotive and Industrial sectors. Certified WBEs with products or services of interest to our attending buyers who have expressed interest in meeting with WBEs offering a number of products and services listed here. Spots are limited, so register today!

SUPPORTING WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES IN QUEBEC

APRIL 20 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET Save the date! This event is open to all Canadian women-owned businesses (WBE certification not required). For more information check our Events Calendar.

MEET THE BUYER: OPG

MARCH 17 | 12:00 - 1:30 PM ET This LIVE virtual event is for Certified WBEs who want to learn about how to do business with “big” business. Join us on March 17, 2022 to learn more about Ontario Generation Power (OPG), one of our Corporate Members.

Bring your questions, we’ll have line open for conversations. This 1.5-hour online webinar is an excellent way for Certified WBEs to learn more about corporations they may be targeting with products and services. Register here.

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY ACCELERATOR: PRIMER WORKSHOP

APRIL 27 | 1:00 - 4:00 PM ET Save the date! Closed-door event for WBE Canada Member organizations enrolled in the Accelerator program. For more information check our Events Calendar.

MEET THE BUYER: RBC

MAY 12 AT 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET Save the date! Calling all Certified WBEs who want to do business with RBC. Join us to learn about their supplier diversity program, supplier registration process, requirements and much more.

For more information check our Events Calendar.

TECH & TELECOMMUNICATIONS ROUNDTABLES APRIL 5 | 2:00 - 5:00 PM ET A must-attend event to bring buyers

WBE Canada Magazine | Issue 5 | March 2022

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IS YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE? Is Your Organization...

READY

INTERESTED

EAGER

to include Canadian Women Business Enterprises in its supply chain?

in developing your own supplier diversity program in the upcoming 12 months?

to benefit from resources and support to streamline and shorten the implementation process?

Inclusion of women-owned businesses in your supply chain is a smart business choice!

Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) EARN LESS THAN HALF the revenue of comparable male-owned businesses.

OPEN your procurement opportunities for Canadian WBEs and be part of the solution

BECOME A MEMBER