A letter from the President

March 27, 2018

It’s my honor to join WBE Canada as its new President. As an immigrant to this wonderful country, I appreciate the trust and support of the Board of Directors as I look forward to making supplier diversity in Canada work like it never has before.

We live in exciting times as the Canadian government has decided to bridge the gap between promises and action and put its support and finances where they are needed – in the empowerment and advancement of women. This is a great time for women business leaders across the country to stop playing small, claim their seat at the table and get certified to show large corporate buyers that they mean business.

During my two years of being part of WBE Canada as a CEO of a WBE certified business, I met amazing women business leaders with great talent and supportive corporate & government representatives willing to go above and beyond to help them succeed.

The only problem is – despite having amazing leaders in the supplier diversity field, women-led firms are still under-represented as suppliers to corporate Canada… with less than 5% of corporate and government contracts being awarded to women business enterprises. As a result, only 37% of majority female-owned businesses are categorized as high-growth, compared to 63% of majority male-owned firms.

It is time for corporations and government organizations across the country to stop talking about supporting women and start taking action – to actually start buying from women owned businesses and supporting economic growth in our country.

Under my leadership, WBE Canada will be focusing on 3 key areas:

  • Corporate members – WBE Canada will be supporting existing and new supplier diversity initiatives and help organizations across Canada to increase their spend with women owned businesses and meet their targets.
  • Women owned businesses – WBE Canada certifies women owned businesses and helps them to be ready for corporate contracts and connect with decision makers inside the corporations, fast-tracking success of women owned businesses and significantly improving economic growth. We will go East, West and Central, North and South, helping women businesses land corporate contracts.
  • Regional partners – Since its beginnings, WBE Canada developed strong ties with women organizations across Canada and US. We will continue growing these partnerships and make them even stronger and more meaningful.

This is not an easy task. But after spending 12 years in this wonderful country I believe that Canadians have what it takes to support their own women as they pursue their dreams, grow their businesses, sell high-quality products and services and make impact in organizations and communities across Canada.

If you are a woman owned business ready to sell to large corporate and government buyers, learn more about our certification here. We would love to help you connect with buyers in large corporations.

If you are a leader in corporation or government, eager to buy from WBE’s (women owned businesses), contact us today to discuss your next steps.

Let’s help women succeed in business!

Sincerely,

Silvia Pencak
President, WBE Canada

WBE Canada is the leading organization certifying women owned businesses and facilitating opportunities for them to do business with corporate and government buyers. Silvia Pencak is a President of WBE Canada and she is a passionate advocate for women owned businesses. She has a proven track record of trailblazing innovative ideas and turning them into powerful results.

Posted in Media Release, President's Message