Energizing and Advancing Black Entrepreneurship in Canada

Date : 30th November - 1st December 2023 | Location : Carleton University

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Agenda

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Overview

This 2023, The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (BEKH) will be hosting its 2nd annual research symposium. Under the theme, ‘Energizing and Advancing Black Entrepreneurship in Canada’, we invite you to join us for two engaging days of insightful discussions, learning, sharing and networking opportunities.

Goals

Participants in the conference will benefit in the following ways:

Engage in identifying and discussing the challenges and opportunities for energizing and advancing Black entrepreneurship in Canada.
Share and learn from the lived experiences of both entrepreneurs and organizations serving them about how to build and sustain successful businesses.
Expose academics (including graduate students) to the complexities of developing (or acquiring) and growing successful businesses so that they can effectively problematize and compose effective research questions to guide impactful future research on Black entrepreneurship.
Explore and debate policy options and directions that would better support the Black entrepreneurial ecosystem going forward.
Provide a safe, collegial, and supportive environment for dialog and debate among practitioners, academics, and policy makers to tackle to extra-ordinary and vexing challenges in advancing Black entrepreneurship in the Canadian economy.
Build virtuous and sustainable networks of relationships among participants
Engage in active co-production of the Black entrepreneurial ecosystem maps through facilitated, hands-on working sessions.

Speakers & Remarks

Gerald Grant, PhD

Co-Lead and Principal Investigator, BEKH
Opening Remarks
Isaac Olowolafe Jr.

Co-Lead, BEKH
Opening Remarks
David Hornsby

Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic) Carleton University
Remarks and Introduction of Keynote
Bryan May

MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and to the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Keynote Speaker
Tiffany Callender

CEO & Co-Founder, The Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE) Coalition
Panelist
Obed Boateng

Regional Manager, Black Community Business Development, TD Bank
Panelist
Olu Ibilola

Senior Account Manager, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
Panelist
Oluwagbemiga Oyinlola

McGill University
Presenter
Bassirou Gueye

Statistics Canada
Presenter
Bunmi Obateru

Chiu School of Business, Bow Valley College
Presenter
Dr. Liza Arnason

Ase Community Foundation for Canadians with Disabilities
Presenter
Mohamed Elmi

Diversity Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University and Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH)
Presenter
Graham Wong

Founder & CEO, Lauft
Moderator
Susan Namulindwa

Founder, Africa Trade Desk
Panelist
Chamirai Charles Nyabeze

Executive Director and Founder, Northern Ontario Black Economic Empowerment Program NOBEEP
Panelist
Dominira Saul

Founder and Principal, DFFRNT
Panelist
Donna Williams

CFO, Mosaic Group
Panelist
Peter Pulsifer, PhD

Carleton University
Facilitator
Deborah Allotey

Carleton University
Facilitator
Dr. Muna Osman

University of Ottawa
Facilitator
Erick Arwa

Carleton University
Moderator
Prateeksha Pathak

York University
Presenter
Dr. Joanne Collins-Gonsalves

Managing Director & Founder, Historical Research International Inc.
Presenter
Chancie Romain

Senior Manager, Diversified Segments, National Industry Programs, CIBC
Panelist
Dr. Jared Wesley

University of Alberta
Facilitator
Shamim Shabani

Carleton University
Facilitator
Dr. Philomina Okeke-Ihejirika

University of Alberta
Presenter
Benjamin N’Goran

Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Black Entrepreneurs Startup Program
Facilitator
Sam Asirifi Jr

Project Coordinator, Dream Legacy Foundation
Facilitator
Dr. Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba

Assistant Professor, Institute of African Studies, Carleton University
Moderator