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BDC welcomes three new Board members

August 13, 2019, Montreal—BDC, Canada’s bank for entrepreneurs, is pleased to welcome three diverse and experienced leaders from Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and British Columbia to its Board of Directors.

Cathy Bennett, Entrepreneur and Board Member, SheEO (NL), Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director, DMZ (ON) and Suzanne Trottier, Director of Capacity Development and Intervention, First Nations Financial Management Board (BC), will bring a diverse range of perspectives that will help BDC respond to entrepreneurs’ goals and aspirations.

“We look forward to these members’ guidance, stewardship and leadership in continuing to deliver on our purpose—helping entrepreneurs succeed. Their experience as entrepreneurs, innovators, drivers of growth and champions of diversity and inclusion will add to our existing mix of skills and competencies at the board level”, says Mike Pedersen, Chairperson of the Board, BDC.

About these new members of the Board of Directors:

  • Cathy Bennett, Entrepreneur / Board Member, SheEO—St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Ms. Bennett brings to BDC’s Board of Directors more than 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, business executive, and innovator in restaurant operations, virtual office services, real estate and commercial construction. She is currently the majority joint venture partner of Rosewood Spa in St. John’s and the founder of The Business Suit(es) in Newfoundland. She was also Member of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador from 2014 to 2018, as well as Minister of Finance and the Status of Women. Involved in her community, Cathy was the Co-Chair of the Atlantic sub-chapter of the International Women’s Forum.
  • Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director, DMZ—Toronto, Ontario. The DMZ is a leading tech accelerator that helps high-potential startups grow on a global scale. Prior to joining the DMZ, Mr. Snobar held roles at Ryerson University, the Canadian Armed Forces, Fairmont and Marriott Hotels and Resorts and co-founded a not-for-profit foundation in Kenya. He is also an avid community builder with a longstanding history of working with youth and underserved communities.
  • Suzanne Trottier, Director of Capacity Development and Intervention, First Nations Financial Management Board (FMB)—Vancouver, British Columbia. Ms. Trottier has an extensive experience as a senior leader in the Indigenous not-for-profit sector. She currently leads a team responsible for supporting more than 200 First Nations governments across Canada build their financial management with the FMB. She has also served on the boards of various indigenous organizations and is a member of the National Indigenous Financial Literacy Working Group.

Other members of the BDC Board of Directors are:

  • Mike Pedersen, Chairperson of the Board, BDC
  • Michael Denham, President and Chief Executive Officer, BDC
  • Sandra Bosela, Co-Head Private Markets Group, Managing Director and Global Head of Private Equity, OPTrust Private Markets Group
  • Michael Calyniuk, President, MEC Dynamics Inc.
  • Shahir Guindi, National Co-Chair, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
  • Vijay Kanwar, Founder, KMH Cardiology and Diagnostic Centres Inc.; Founder, President, Lambardar Inc.
  • Brian O’Neil, Managing Partner, A Faire Aujourd’hui Inc.
  • Robert H. Pitfield, Executive Chairman of the Board, TravelEdge Group
  • Tracey Scarlett, Corporate Director
  • Mary Alice Vuicic, Chief People Officer, Thomson Reuters

Together, with its new members, the board of directors will continue to oversee the implementation of BDC’s priorities and its unique mission of helping Canadian entrepreneurs grow and succeed.

BDC is a self-financing Crown corporation that reports to Parliament through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. It is governed by an independent Board of Directors, which ensures the highest standard of corporate governance practices.

About BDC

BDC is the only bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs. It promotes Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses. With its 123 business centres from coast to coast, BDC provides businesses in all industries with financing and advisory services. Its investment arm, BDC Capital, offers equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions. BDC is also the first financial institution in Canada to receive B Corp certification. To find out more, visit bdc.ca.

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