BDC promotes Laura Didyk to Senior Vice President, Prairies
Montreal, May 18, 2023 – BDC today announced the promotion of BDC veteran Laura Didyk as Senior Vice President, Prairies. Having lived and worked in Calgary for over twenty years, Laura will lead an experienced team of development bankers with in-depth knowledge of the Prairie markets and today’s business challenges.
Western Canada is a priority market for BDC, and Laura’s primary objective will be to deepen the bank’s support in the region. “I am eager to work with my team and our partners on developing untapped business potential in the Prairies”, says Laura Didyk. “Working in partnership with others to support more entrepreneurs in the Prairies is a cornerstone of our strategy. As their trusted advisors, we will aim to make a true difference in their growth plans”.
Since joining BDC in 1994 as an Account Manager in Winnipeg, Laura has had an impressive career and track record, holding various positions of increasing responsibility, ranging from Business Centre Manager to Vice President for Alberta South. Laura was appointed to the new role of Vice President and National Lead, Women Entrepreneurs in 2018. Under her leadership, BDC successfully brought together cross-functional teams, rallied a national champions network, and made significant inroads in increasing BDC’s support for majority-owned women businesses.
To increase its role in supporting more underserved and diverse communities, such as Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, veterans, and newcomers, BDC extended Laura’s role and appointed her as Vice President, Client Diversity in 2021. Since then, Laura has enabled BDC to evolve its offer and be more integrated in its efforts to help diverse businesses grow.
“Laura has a compelling vision for how BDC can grow its support to Prairies’ entrepreneurs”, says Véronique Dorval, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer, BDC. “Her proven ability to mobilize and nurture teams as well as her extensive collaboration with our external partners has significantly heightened BDC’s contribution to women and diverse entrepreneurship”.
Under Laura’s leadership, BDC will work closely with regional partners to deliver the financing, advice and tools the Prairies’ business owners need to achieve their ambitions. “We strongly believe Laura’s entrepreneurial thinking will bring many business development opportunities to fruition”, adds Dorval.
A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Laura Didyk holds a Business degree from the University of Manitoba. She is also a graduate of the Ivey Executive Program of the University of Western Ontario.
About BDC
As Canada’s bank for entrepreneurs, BDC is a partner of choice for all entrepreneurs looking to access the financing and advice they need to build their businesses and tackle the big challenges of our time. Our investment arm, BDC Capital, offers a wide range of risk capital solutions to help grow the country’s most innovative firms. We are one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. For more information on BDC’s products and services and to consult free tools, templates and articles, visit bdc.ca or join BDC on social media.
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