Top student leaders and entrepreneurs coming together to build a better Canada
For Immediate Release
November 6, 2007
Toronto - Today's youth are bringing new
perspectives and approaches to business that will improve Canada's
competitiveness in the global economy. Influential business leaders and
entrepreneurs are getting a first-hand glimpse at some of Canada's future
leaders at this year's Impact Leadership Conference presented by the Business
Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Impact will be hosting 500 student leaders
and young entrepreneurs from over 70 high schools, colleges and universities
from across Canada in Toronto on November 9th and 10th.
"Today's businesses compete in an increasingly complex environment, where
many of the challenges of the global marketplace, including technological
advances, emerging economies, and access to skilled labour, can also represent
significant opportunities," says Michel Bergeron, Vice-President Corporate
Relations of BDC. "Supporting Impact is a natural fit for BDC. Encouraging
entrepreneurship to youth early will lead to a more knowledge-based and
innovation-driven environment in Canada".
Internationally renowned entrepreneurs, such as Michael Lee-Chin,
Chairman of Portland Holdings and recent $30 million donor to the Royal
Ontario Museum, will be sharing their time, experiences and advice with this
esteemed group of student leaders. Today's youth acknowledge their
responsibility to give back and are starting early. The event is supporting
Free The Children through a charity auction and social entrepreneurship will
be the theme of Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Free The Children founder Craig
Kielburger's talk.
"We are pleased to partner with BDC to host this year's conference, where
student leaders and young entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to network,
learn and share ideas on how to better position themselves and their ventures
to succeed in the future", says Kunal Gupta, Founder and Chair of the Impact
Entrepreneurship Group. "The conference is one of many programs run by Impact,
which has grown into one of Canada's largest student entrepreneurship
organizations in a few short years".
BDC is the Title Partner for the event. The conference is also being
supported by: the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, Deloitte, the Government
of Ontario, IBM, Infusion Development, MasterCard, the Ontario Centres of
Excellence, Research In Motion and the University of Waterloo.
About the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
BDC is a financial institution wholly owned by the Government of Canada.
BDC actively supports the development and growth of Canadian small and
medium-sized businesses through its complementary financial, investment and
consulting solutions.
About the Impact Entrepreneurship Group
Impact is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to encouraging
an entrepreneurial spirit amongst youth in Canada and becoming a starting
point for youth interested in learning about entrepreneurship. More
information is available online, www.impact.org.
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Contact:
Terri Oswald
Media Relations
Portland Holdings
905-331-4242