Canada’s Leading Young Entrepreneurs Attend Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Australia

July 17, 2014

Young Canadian business leaders to promote entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment at G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (YEA) Summit in Sydney

TORONTO (July 17, 2014) –  A delegation of 13 young entrepreneurs from across Canada will contribute their ideas, insights and expertise to the G20 YEA Summit in Sydney, Australia, from July 18-22, 2014. The G20 YEA is a global network of entrepreneurially-minded organizations representing the G20 countries that promotes youth entrepreneurship as a powerful driver of economic growth, job creation, innovation and social change.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for a young Canadian entrepreneur,” says Rebecca Palmer, founder of Simcoe North Fixtures and Packaging in Barrie, Ontario. “Connecting with young entrepreneurs from around the world to strategize and address global economic issues is truly a career highlight. I look forward to the experience and to seeing the results of our work.”

The delegation of young Canadian business owners and Futurpreneur Canada representatives will work with other G20 YEA leaders to drive youth employment and entrepreneurship opportunities as a means of reducing unemployment. Delegates will encourage G20 leaders to adopt job creation, youth employment and growth strategies to reduce youth unemployment below 10% by 2030 and to embed youth entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment in the post-2015 United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The group will draw on their own professional experiences as well as the input of more than 1,000 Canadian entrepreneurs and leaders who participated in Futurpreneur Canada’s recent Action Entrepreneurship: Growing Young Enterprise initiative, which is soon to release a national action plan to advance youth entrepreneurship in Canada.

“Canada’s young entrepreneurs are the key drivers of a healthy and sustainable economic future,” said Julia Deans, Chief Executive Officer, Futurpreneur Canada and Co-President, G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation. “Their practical skills and innovative thinking, along with Futurpreneur Canada’s solid research and Action Plan, will bring an informed, strategic voice to this international forum.”

The annual G20 YEA global conference brings together more than 700 inspiring young entrepreneurs, thought leaders and leading entrepreneur-focused organizations from around the globe to identify issues, opportunities and strategies that will drive sustainable, global economic growth. Recommendations from the G20 YEA Summit will be shared at the G20 Leaders Summit in Australia in November. Work is currently underway with the B20 (Business 20) leaders as well to set priorities for sustainable growth, stimulating jobs, and investment across all G20 countries.

The Canadian delegation’s packed agenda kicks off on July 17,  2014, with presentations by members of Australia’s business community and meetings with Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service in Sydney, ATP Innovations ( Australia’s leading business incubator), with The Honourable Edward Fast, Canada’s Minister of International Trade. The four-day Summit consists of keynote presentations by young international entrepreneurs, panels, and concurrent workshops covering a range of global topics. The delegates will connect with their international counterparts at receptions, dinners and networking events. The full program can be accessed at http://www.g20yeasummit.com/program-highlights/

This year’s Summit is hosted by the Enterprise Network for Young Australians (ENYA) and will draw on recent studies and reports from the G20 YEA’s knowledge partners including EY, Accenture and the G20 Research Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

The G20 YEA Canadian delegates are:

Leadership from Futurpreneur Canada includes:

  • Olivier Letard, past President of PCO Innovation, member of Futurpreneur Canada’s Board of Directors, and Co-President of the G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation
  • Marsha Josephs, Director, Government Relations at Futurpreneur Canada and Sherpa of the G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation

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Futurpreneur Canada (formerly the Canadian Youth Business Foundation or CYBF) has been fuelling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprise for nearly two decades. We are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Our internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,800 volunteer mentors.

Futurpreneur Canada is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, the Canadian member of The Prince’s Youth Business International, and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week. staging.futurpreneur.ca. Facebook: Futurpreneur Twitter: @Futurpreneur 

About the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Sydney, Australia

The G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Summit in Sydney, Australia, is a gathering of young entrepreneurs aged 18-40 and entrepreneurship-focused organizations from the G20 countries. Hosted by the Enterprise Network for Young Australians (ENYA), it provides valuable input to government leaders to assist in driving sustainable global economic growth, to exchange ideas and to foster international partnerships and collaboration. The G20 YEA Summit is an official program of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance. For more information, visit www.g20yeasummit.com.

Futurpreneur Canada and Canadian Delegation Media contact:
Dorenda McNeil
416-961-5898 ext. 216 or dmcneil@counselpr.ca