Media Release – WBE Canada Announces New Board Members

WBE Canada is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors, bringing its total to 12.

“We are pleased to welcome three new members this year,” said Catherine Grosz, Chair of the Board “and we believe that their experiences and contribution will help the organization in its further development and growth.”

Michelle Albanese joined WBE Canada’s Board in June, followed by Lesley Lawrence and Alan Roberts who were added this September. “We look forward to their contributions and support of WBE Canada’s mission to advance economic growth across Canada through certification, promotion and development of women-owned businesses,” added Catherine Grosz.

Michelle Albanese, Manager, Responsible Sourcing and Supplier Diversity, TD Bank Group

Michelle Albanese is head of TD’s Responsible Sourcing and Supplier Diversity Programs, as part of TD’s Ready Commitment.

In this role, Ms. Albanese leads TD’s Responsible Sourcing program which assesses and engages suppliers to adopt best practices for environmental, social and ethical corporate responsibility.  Ms. Albanese is also responsible for leading TD’s Supplier Diversity program which encourages the inclusion of diverse suppliers to support Canadian and US operations.

Prior to working at TD, her previous experience includes working in the consulting, non-profit and government sectors.  Ms. Albanese has over 22 years of experience in the environmental and sustainability fields; a Master of Science from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph.  She also holds a Certificate in Professional Communications and Public Relations from Western University.

Lesley Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Financing & Consulting – Ontario, BDC

Lesley Lawrence was appointed Senior Vice President, Financing and Consulting, Ontario in October 2016. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing BDC’s lending and consulting services in Ontario. She is also the national sponsor for the Bank’s Women Entrepreneur initiative.

Ms. Lawrence has over 25 years of experience in the financial services sector. Since joining BDC in 2000, she has held several senior management positions including Vice President, Financing and Consulting for GTA North and GTA West, and Vice President and Area Manager for Toronto East.

Lesley leads a passionate team that is proud to promote BDC’s role as a development bank. Prior to assuming her current role, Ms. Lawrence was Senior Vice President, Financing and Consulting, BC & North Region, where she was also responsible for the Aboriginal Banking Unit.

Ms. Lawrence is actively involved in the community, with a focus on advancing entrepreneurship. She has been a member of the board of directors for Junior Achievement British Columbia and the Mississauga Board of Trade.

Ms. Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and has completed an executive leadership program at the Helios Executive Institute.

Alan Roberts, Senior Vice President, Operations, DCM

Alan Roberts is a highly respected industry leader with an extensive background in digital production, publishing and marketing communications.

He began his career at The Printing House Ltd in management and developed his career within that organization to both Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Roberts played a significant role in rapid expansion of their branch network and establishing TPH as retail leader in digital printing. In addition, Mr. Roberts held positions as General Manager for Patient News Publishing a recognized leader in dental newsletters in North America and with Xerox Canada where he was the Program Manager for Communication and Marketing Services as part of Xerox Global Services.

At DATA, Mr. Roberts is responsible for all Operations in Canada and the United States. He leads a group of General Managers who are responsible for plant operations and an operations support group in Engineering, Strategic Sourcing, Operations Technology, and Logistics who support the business. Mr. Roberts is leading the operations transformational change in the business and is responsible for developing and implementing new capabilities that contributes to top line revenue growth and profitability for the company.

Mr. Roberts studied Marketing Management at the Richard Ivey School of Business.

About WBE Canada

WBE Canada certifies majority-owned, managed, and controlled women’s businesses and facilitates opportunities for them to meet buyers and get access to corporate and government contracts as part of supplier diversity programs.

In addition to certifying Women Business Enterprises (WBEs), WBE Canada provides a range of programs and services to assist WBEs in better accessing business opportunities with major corporations. This includes training and education, through an annual conference, workshops and webinars; mentoring programs and networking events with like-minded businesswomen and corporate members. WBE Canada also provides its corporate members with forums, tools and techniques to broaden and achieve their goals.

You can view current list of WBE Canada Board Members here.