Sneak Peek at EXCELerate Conference 2020

EXCELerate 2020 is Open for Registration!

MAY 27-29, 2020 | Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver

EXCELerate 2020: GroYourBiz with the Speed of Collaboration is excited to once again bring an incredible range of diverse speakers who are championing change and making a difference in their communities and the world.

LISA LISSON

President of FedEx Express Canada

A truly incredible leader, Lisa is recognized not only as being the first woman and first Canadian president in FedEx Express Canada history, but also about her own story of “Resilience” sharing the sudden passing of her husband at a young age, and raising their four children as a single mother, while building a successful career has enabled Lisa to acquire many insights and advice that she shares with her audiences with openness and frankness.

BETTY HINES

CEO, Women Elevating Women

Known as a “Strategic Business Connector”, she is an extraordinaire — being the first to launch “Women of Color Recognition in Baltimore, Maryland”, and the founding architect of “Women of Color Achievement Awards” hosted by the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. Along with several honors, recognitions and awards, her new venture “Women Elevating Women” is a platform for multicultural women executives and entrepreneurs to come together to reach new heights in their business and personal lives.

ALYSE NELSON

Co-Founder, President & CEO

Vital Voices Global Partnership

As Co-Founder of Vital Voices with former First Lady Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s and Melanne Verveer, Alyse has been featured in international and national media, including the Washington Post, Financial Times, the Miami Herald, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Reuters, and has appeared on BBC, PBS, CNN, NPR, FOX News, and CNBC. Alyse was named one of “Ten Women to Watch” by Washingtonian Magazine and featured in Newsweek as one of ”150 Women Shaking the World" .

Lieutenant Colonel (ret’d) Susan Beharriell , O.M.M., CD is often referred to as Canada’s RBG! Just like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Beharriell was the FIRST woman in many impressive and leadership roles for the Canadian Forces! From Basic Officer Training, Intelligence Branch, to operational and strategic levels in Norad, Nato, to the Privy Council — the men certainly met their match with this women leader.

AMANDA ELLIS

Executive Director, Hawaii and Asia Pacific, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability

Now a leader for Global & UN Sustainable Development Goals, her influence is worldwide. From leading a poverty reduction programme for the World Bank to being New Zealand’s Ambassador to the UN and the PM’s Special Envoy to Francophone Africa, to the first woman to head the New Zealand Aid Programme, Amanda is a champion for gender equality and women's financial knowledge and freedom, having developed the first lines of credit for women entrepreneurs in Africa. She is also the author of two best-selling Random House books, Women’s Business, Women’s Wealth and Woman 2 Woman .

DARRELL SCHUURMAN

CEO of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

As the CEO and Co-Founder of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Darrrel is an advocate of effecting social change through the economic empowerment of LGBT+ entrepreneurs. CGLCC is the first national not-for-profit with a mission to expand the opportunities and advancement of LGBT+ business community in Canada.

SHAMANTSUT (AMANDA) NAHANEE

First Nations Ambassador

A prominent member of the Squamish Nation culturally, interpersonally and publicly, Shamantsut has extensive knowledge of Squamish lands history, and resources, with strong written and oral proficiency of Squamish language, mythology, geology, history, music, and ceremonies. As the First Nations Ambassador since 1992, she has represented the connections between ideas and potential outcomes locally, nationally, internationally .

MONIQUE MAISSON

Founder & CEO

Vision Textiles and Waste2Wear

Winner of the EY (Ernst & Young) Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 award, Monique is a world leader in her commitment to sustainable innovation using textile products made from recycled plastic. Her innovations have been acknowledged through awards such as the Sustainability Award from the European Economic and Sustainability Committee in 2014; the Women Economic Forum’s Outstanding Women for the Advance of Sustainability award in 2017, The #1 Business Women Of Middle East award in Egypt in 2018, and the She Rockers MyEO Women SDG Award 2019.

We are proud to partner with OWIT International

to support global women in business.

The Organization of Women In International Trade (OWIT) with over 2000+ plus members helps women entrepreneurs develop professionally and expand their business globally. Featuring OWIT Board of Directors — Frida Owinga and Angela Hofmann.

FRIDA OWINGA

Founder, PassionProfit

Founder of PassionProfit in Nairobi, Kenya, Frida is a leader in building thriving businesses to reduce poverty and create employment and economic growth. Through practical mentoring and coaching sessions, PassionProfit provides small and growing business the skills and tools to create, manage and grow successful world class organizations so that they can create jobs and reduce poverty. Featured in a candid book about women doing business in Kenya, Frida offers insight in differences between the USA and Africa.

ANGELA MARSHALL HOFMANN

President, World Strategies

A champion for Global Trade and the Farmers, Small Businesses and Supply Chains that depend on it, Angela is a global government affairs, trade policy and corporate social responsibility executive with 20+ years experience and a proven track record of developing innovative government, media and community engagement programs around retail, ecommerce and consumer goods imperatives. She is passionate about building strategic alliances among corporations, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to catalyse change and improve communities around the world.

EXCELerate 2020 is your unique chance to connect with Canada's leading brands in diverse supplier procurement!

Achieving true equality means supporting ALL realms of diversity. We are proud to include the leading Councils in Canada who are certifying and supporting supplier diversity in the procurement process, giving YOU a unique chance to connect.

Learn more about the organizations who certify diverse businesses.