Description
Presented by:
Join the Women's Leadership Collective as we discuss Community, Capital and Opportunities.
The Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce and Scotiabank's Women's Initiative would like to invite you to attend a conversation focused on the current business climate in our community.
We will welcome guest speakers:
Gretchen Ferguson- Senior Program Manager from The Forum
Melanie Rupp- Senior Director, Loans and Advisory services WeBC
Courtney Steeksma- Senior Manager, The Scotiabank Women's Initiative- BC and Yukon
Brianna Blaney- Pocketed Grant Platform
Nicole Read- General Manager- Community Futures South Fraser
The topics we are looking to cover:
- Challenges the Businesses are facing currently
- Access to Capital options or funding options that women don't always think of or know about
- Growing or diversifying your business (online, exporting, collaborating etc)
- How to be a successful small business in today's climate
This will be a moderated panel discussion in which each guest will share who they are, what they do, their area of expertise and ways they can support Business owners followed by a Q&A, moderated by Nicole Read.
It will be a fantastic evening with light refreshments, beverages and great conversation.
Panelist Bios:
Courtney Steeksma
Courtney is the Regional Lead of the Scotiabank Women Initiative for BC & Yukon. With over 10 years of experience in the finance industry holding various roles in Retail, Agriculture and Commercial banking. Courtney is passionate about working with women to pursue their best professional and financial futures. She is committed to being engaged with her community through volunteer work & fundraising. Courtney is an active board member of the Risk Management Association Fraser Valley Chapter and Chair?s the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation Gala and sits as a Board of Director for the Association of Women in Finance.
The Scotiabank Women Initiative is a signature program designed to increase economic opportunity for individuals who identify as women or non-binary to be successful, now and in the future. This unique offering helps women pursue their best professional and financial figures by providing unbiased access to capital and tailored solutions, bespoke specialized education, holistic advisory services, and mentorship. Courtney works closely with The Bank?s National Strategy to support Women-owned & Women-Led businesses while leading the program across BC & Yukon.
Melanie Rupp
Melanie Rupp is the Senior Director, Loans & Advisory Services for WeBC, a not-for-profit organization primarily funded by the federal government to provide support for women business owners in BC, including business loans and advisory support, training and other resources, and mentoring to help their businesses grow and thrive.
Melanie specializes in working with women to find the right mix of funding to start, scale or purchase a business. As a former commercial lender she understands the challenges women experience in accessing capital, and is committed to working with traditional and alternative lenders to help them understand the unique funding needs of women, and the business potential in supporting this growing market. This includes exploring new models that have the potential to increase access to funding without materially increasing the risk to lenders, raising awareness to broaden eligibility criteria, and modernizing the application process. Melanie is also an active investor through Women?s Equity Lab (Vancouver).
Gretchen Ferguson
Gretchen (she/her) leads the AFIA DEI Index, a First of its Kind nationwide initiative to Accelerate Financial Inclusion and Access to business capital for women entrepreneurs in all their diversity. AFIA provides funders with a package of evidence-based resources and services to assess, accelerate and amplify Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and Reconciliation in business funding.
Gretchen has 20+ years experience in post-secondary and non-profit settings, leading local and internationally engaged education, training, and social impact programs and projects. She is an experienced adult educator in the fields of community development, sustainability, political economy, and planning. Prior to her role at The Forum, Gretchen held the positions of Director, Global Engagement; Associate Director, Community Engagement, and Program Director, Sustainable Development at SFU. Her expertise spans social entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and accessibility, social impact, DEI, and funding for women entrepreneurs.
Brianna Blaney
Money is a leading barrier to innovation and entrepreneurship, especially for women and equity-deserving groups. As an experienced founder, Brianna has lived this pain. She co-founded Pocketed to level the playing field, helping Canadian businesses easily access over $5.9B annually in grants, tax credits, and incentives. Since 2021, more than 12,000 companies have used Pocketed to access over $100M. Together with her team, Brianna is on a mission to eliminate financial barriers for businesses.
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