New partnership opens doors for women-owned businesses in Canada TORONTO – June 10, 2020 – For entrepreneurs in Canada, one of the challenges of growing business throughout North America is connecting with supply chain leaders in the corporate and government sectors. To help open those doors in the corporate sectors and support supply chain diversity, CHEP Canada recently joined WBE… Read More

There’s no doubt – COVID 19 hit the business community with tornado strength. Since mid-March, businesses have had to re-organize, shift priorities, pivot how they do business, re-tool to answer the call for necessary equipment, sadly lay off staff, make wage cuts and for many, multi-task as they spend their days at home with children, managing at-home learning while managing… Read More

On March 26th  WBE Canada held its first virtual Automotive Industry event  connecting certified Canadian women-owned businesses with select OEMs and their Tier 1 suppliers. Due to the on-going COVID-19 situation, WBE Canada transformed its traditional Breakfast with BrandsTM: Automotive Industry event, originally planned to be hosted in Windsor, ON, to an on-line event. Twenty-eight certified women-owned businesses were able… Read More

Last update: July 7, 2020 WBE Canada is collecting important resources for Canadian WBEs to support you during the COVID-19 crisis. Check back as this list will be updated on an ongoing basis.  Outline Procurement Opportunities Online Learning Tips & Resources (including resources for the reopening) Financial Support Taxes 1.Procurement Opportunities Government of Canada – Call for medical suppliers –… Read More

Thursday March 5th WBE Canada hosted the first  “Lunch and Learn” event specifically designed for Corporate and Government organizations. “Lunch and Learn: How to Start your Supplier Diversity Program hosted corporations interested in learning more about developing and growing a supplier diversity program within their organization. Led by WBE Canada Business Development Committee, represented by Kiruba Sankar, RBC and Michelle… Read More

On March 5th  WBE Canada held its first “Breakfast with Brands” event of 2020 by bringing  together certified women-owned businesses and buyers from WBE Canada Corporate Member organizations in the Financial sector and their Tier 1 suppliers. Breakfast With Brands: Financial Industry was hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and sponsored by RBC. WBE Canada’s Breakfast with Brands events… Read More

By Silvia Pencak When Canadian Press released their analysis of D&I initiatives at the top Canada’s corporations in August 2018, many of us were in shock realizing that corporations might be going  backwards. If you missed their article, their findings were that “despite pressure to improve gender equality in Canadian workplaces – and a myriad of initiatives and corporate pledges… Read More

Kiruba Sankar is a highly regarded leader in the Canadian supplier diversity space. As a Global Leader, CSR on RBC’s Global Procurement team, he oversees the development of strategy and execution for RBC’s Global Supplier Diversity program, which is responsible for procurement practices and community involvement activities in their supply chain. Working with his global team of procurement professionals, Kiruba… Read More

By Silvia Pencak Supplier diversity is one of the untapped resources for Canadian women-owned businesses. It is a very important tool that opens the door for women founders to large corporate and government supply chains. Let’s have a closer look at what it is and how it can benefit your business.  In the USA, the supplier diversity journey began over… Read More

Selling to large supply chains can be time consuming. Competition is fierce and stakes are high for both sides. Let’s look at the top 5 biggest challenges every salesperson faces and how you can overcome them to close more deals in the upcoming year.  1. Sales cycle is too long This is perhaps the biggest challenge SMEs face when selling… Read More