BDC wins WBE Canada President’s Award for its commitment to women entrepreneurs and supplier diversity
Toronto, Nov 15, 2019—Last night, BDC received the WBE Canada 2019 President’s Award in Toronto. The award recognizes an individual or organization who has demonstrated significant contribution in supplier diversity benefiting or promoting Canadian women-owned businesses in 2019.
“As Canada’s bank for entrepreneurs, supporting women-owned and led businesses is a priority for us, so we are so proud to be recognized by WBE Canada for our efforts,” said Laura Didyk, Vice President and National Lead, Women Entrepreneurs, BDC. “We know our economy is stronger when we have more female entrepreneurs and we want to help them unleash that potential. From providing them financing and advice, to creating an inclusive supply chain and procurement process that increases visibility for diverse suppliers across the bank and across the country.”
Over the past three years, BDC has already doubled the number of women entrepreneurs it finances. In 2018, the bank committed to lending $1.4 billion to women-led businesses by 2021. That same year, BDC almost tripled the size of its Women in Technology Venture Fund to $200 million, making it the world’s largest venture fund investing solely in women in tech. In addition, the bank hosts and sponsors many events across the country, provides countless free resources on its website, and partners with like-minded organizations, like WBE Canada, to help women succeed in Canada and abroad.
In February 2019, with the support of WBE Canada, BDC successfully launched a national supplier diversity program. The program encourages more than 60,000 clients, and diverse suppliers to register for procurement opportunities at BDC, while educating staff who lead purchasing decisions about the value of supplier diversity.
Maude Pariseau, Director of Procurement at BDC added: “We believe that sourcing products and services from under-represented communities and diverse suppliers creates a win-win scenario for Canadian entrepreneurs, diverse suppliers and BDC. Diverse suppliers and clients benefit from increased visibility on business opportunities and BDC benefits from competitive offerings and greater innovation that allows us to deliver the best value to our clients.”
BDC purchases a wide variety of goods and services and encourages clients, certified diverse suppliers, and B-Corp certified organizations to register or find more information at bdc.ca/supplier. BDC always strives to lead by example and is also proud to be named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers annually since 2012.
About BDC Capital
BDC Capital is the investment arm of BDC, the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs. With over $3 billion under management, BDC Capital serves as a strategic partner to the country’s most innovative firms. It offers businesses a full spectrum of capital, from seed investments to growth equity, supporting Canadian entrepreneurs who have the ambition to stand out on the world stage. Visit bdc.ca/capital.
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