Regional Finalists Revealed for the BDC Mentorship Award

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Canadian Business Youth Foundation (CYBF) today announced the regional finalists of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award. The annual award aims to raise awareness about the importance of mentorship and the role mentors play in the development of their mentees’ professional skills and abilities.

“From coast to coast to coast, we received over a hundred nominations for this inaugural edition of BDC Mentorship Award,” said the BDC’s Michel Bergeron. “It has been great to see so many mentors and mentees from across the country join us in helping raise awareness about the importance of mentorship and the invaluable support and encouragement it provides entrepreneurs, both young and old.”

the CYBF’s Julia Deans added that it’s thrilled by how much interest the new award generated in Canada. “Our research shows that mentors make a profound and lasting difference in cultivating an entrepreneurs’ confidence, and also become strong advocates for their business and success,” she said. “We’re pleased to recognize and celebrate their work with this award.”

The regional finalists of the 2014 BDC Mentorship Award are:

  • Ellen Farrell
     Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • Ken Leblanc
     Moncton, New Brunswick
  • Christiane Bélanger
     Quebec City, Quebec
  • Vicky Saunders
     Toronto, Ontario
  • Ryan Jackson
     Medicine Hat, Alberta
  • Gary Bizzo
     Vancouver, British Columbia

The winner of the award will be announced at CYBF’s Action Entrepreneurship: Growing Young Enterprise Canadian Summit in Toronto on May 14, 2014. It’s one of four new entrepreneurship awards launched by BDC that promote and recognize Canadian entrepreneurs in four areas: mentorship, innovation, resiliency and serial entrepreneurship.

These awards are in addition to the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award, a contest where entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 are invited to present a turning point their company has reached and the solution they propose to take their business to the next level.

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