WBE Canada Announces 2020 Board of Directors

December 18, 2019

At its Annual Member Meeting held Friday November 15, 2019,  WBE Canada Members named Dora Silva-Bolanos their new Board Chair effective January 1, 2020.

Dora replaces Catherine Grosz who has served on the Board since 2015, as Chair since 2017 and will continue serving as WBE Canada’s Board Member as well as the Nominations Committee Member. 

Dora Silva is Senior Manager of Accenture’s Global Supplier Inclusion and Sustainability Team. In this role she is responsible for leading and promoting Accenture’s well-established efforts to maximize procurement opportunities with diverse businesses as suppliers and subcontractors within Canada and the US. Dora will also be responsible for growing Accenture’s Mentoring Program of diverse suppliers globally. The Diverse Supplier Development Program (DSDP) is currently operating in four geographies (US, Canada, UK & South Africa).

Prior to this role she was the Regional Contractor Exchange Operations Manager for the Americas.  Dora was responsible for the delivery of Contractor Exchange services in the Americas region, including management of onshore and offshore delivery teams, setting and implementing strategies for expansion of services and supporting sales opportunities.  

She has many years of experience in the areas of Supply Chain Management, Strategic Sourcing, Sourcing & Category Management and Supplier Diversity & Inclusion.

Dora was born in El Salvador and immigrated to Canada with her family in 1988. She holds a Degree in Sociology from York University in Toronto and a Social Work diploma from Humber College.

“I am honoured to be the new Chair of WBE Canada, an organization that supports and empowers women business owners to be bold and innovative in order to do business with one another and with Corporations. I am looking forward to working with Silvia and team in this new capacity and with the rest of my Corporate colleagues who believe that supply chains should be reflective of a company’s diverse customer base and the business community.” ~ Dora Silva-Bolanos

WBE Canada Board Members are instrumental in charting the strategic direction of WBE Canada.  

2020 Board of Directors

Executive Committee – Officers

  • Dora Silva-Bolanos, Accenture, Board Chair
  • Catherine Grosz, BMO Financial Group, Past Chair
  • Andy Thompson, Nokia, Board Treasurer
  • Madeleine Baker, TELUS, Chair, Nomination Committee
  • Michael Pacholok, City of Toronto
  • Michelle Bianchi, WBE Canada, Secretary, Ex-Officio
  • Silvia Pencak, WBE Canada, President, Ex-Officio

Directors

  • Lesley Lawrence, BDC
  • Jen McAvoy, Cotton Candy, Chair, Certification Committee
  • Michael Bourne, IBM Canada
  • Kiruba Sankar, RBC, Chair, Business Development Committee
  • Michelle Albanese, TD Bank Group
  • Certified WBE Representative, Chair, Supplier Advisory Committee – to be elected in January 2020

Learn more about the WBE Canada Board of Directors here.

“I am looking forward to the great support of WBE Canada by our Corporate Members as all of the above listed Board Members decided to extend their involvement and contribution  to the organization. WBE Canada Board member role is a voluntary position and Members continue to be a sounding board, providing strategic advice and necessary support to the organization. I personally appreciate the leadership and commitment of each individual. I want to thank Catherine Grosz for her support during my onboarding as President in 2018 and commitment to the success of WBE Canada and Canadian WBEs (Women Business Enterprises). Having Dora Silva as Chair of the Board is exciting. Dora has been with WBE Canada as a Board Member since the very beginning and her organizational knowledge and expertise in supplier diversity will be an important asset  in the upcoming years.” ~ Silvia Pencak

WBE Canada also wants to recognize Julie Kaye, President of TBD Telecom By Design, who was the first WBE representative to represent Certified WBEs on the Board. Under her leadership Supplier Advisory Committee facilitated the first ever WBE session at the Annual Conference in 2018, WBE Survey and Meetups in Ontario, BC, Nova Scotia and Quebec in 2019. Supplier Advisory Committee will elect its new Chair in January 2020.

About WBE Canada

WBE Canada (Women Business Enterprises Canada Council) is a Canadian nonprofit organization founded by corporations committed to supporting Canadian women-owned businesses through their supply chains. WBE Canada works closely with corporations and government organizations looking to include women in their supply chains, providing WBE (Women Business Enterprise) certification services to confirm that businesses are majority owned, managed and controlled by women, organizing events to connect buyers with suppliers and providing training and mentorship opportunities for Certified WBE community. Learn more about WBE Canada here.

Media Contact
Silvia Pencak
President, WBE Canada
416-646-6233
concierge@wbecanada.ca

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