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Past Event Summaries - 2008
September 2008
Two exceptional women in exporting accepted the Woman Exporter of the Year Award, added this year to the Awards Gala to recognize an outstanding Ontario-based woman exporter who is successful in more than one international market. Samantha Kane, founder and principal of technology consulting firm Kane-MacKay & Associates Ltd., and Sabine Schleese, Managing Director, Schleese Saddlery Service Ltd., a manufacturer of customized English riding saddles, were each awarded with the honour. OWIT hopes to recognize the efforts of business students in upcoming years with the introduction of a Student of International Trade Award. Other highlights of the evening included speaker Astrid Pregel of WEConnect Canada, a new independent non-profit that delivers the leading international certification standard for women-owned businesses that will help boost them into the supply chain of multinational corporations. Pregel emphasized the recruitment of women in business as being economically beneficial, noting that supplier diversity is a fundamental business strategy for improvement and efficiency in the strengthening of a supplier base.
A special thanks to our Award sponsors – Cassels Brock, Export Development Canada (EDC), Hodgson Russ LLP, Parcel Design Inc and Ministry of Economic Development & Trade – for their support. We’d also like to thank our door prize donors: GoodLife Fitness, Foxy Originals, Forum for International Trade Training and Ministry of Economic Development & Trade.
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Toronto, ON -- Mary Anderson, President of the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters (I.E.Canada), is the 2008 recipient of the JoAnna Townsend Award, presented by the Organization of Women in International Trade. Anderson, the first woman president to be appointed in the 75-year history of I.E.Canada, is a leader in the international trade community. This long-time supporter and mentor of women in international business is known for her generosity of spirit, her launching of trade missions for women entrepreneurs, regular speaking engagements to teach students about international business, and board positions on government advisory boards, among several others. Her efforts make her an outstanding recipient of the award, launched several years ago in memory of JoAnna Townsend, a tireless champion of women exporters who died in 2004 after a courageous battle with cancer. 
Townsend’s daughter Genevieve Friesen attended the 5 th Annual Awards Gala in Toronto in September to present the award. She noted that the evening was one her mother would have loved, both for the networking opportunities to build strong relationships and provide women in business with a multitude of resources, and for the honouring of women exporters. 
Keynote speaker Isabel Alexander, CEO of Phancorp Inc., a global chemical wholesaler, presented her philosophy: “Wake up and smell the maple syrup, Canada,” encouraging Canadian businesswomen to be part of the economic force to position Canada on the global stage. “Listen to client’s needs, be willing to change and grow…into the next person, or even the next country. Women should expand, generate new business opportunities, and take a leadership role in the strength of the Canadian economy—and they should do it all in three-inch heels.” 
Alexander’s personal anecdotes focused on the importance of integrity above all else, advising those starting out in business that keeping promises and maintaining business relationships is prized over market savvy or even knowledge of products. From humble beginnings on a small farm in rural Quebec, she went on to lead her company to become one of the fastest growing in Canada and was named one of Profit Magazine’s top 100 Women Entrepreneurs. Her advice? Network. Fostering relationships and creating resources by surrounding yourself with the positive influence of other women entrepreneurs is exactly what OWIT is about. 