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Black Business Initiatives: 25 Years and Beyond (Webinar)

Black Business Community has been an integral part of Nova Scotia’s economic and social fabric for over 200 years. Despite enormous struggles and challenges over the years, many successful Black-owned businesses in the region only demonstrate the resilience and tenacity of Black Nova Scotians. Over the years, Saint Mary’s University and the Sobey School of Business have contributed to the progress of the Black Community by graduating hundreds of Black students from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Black Nova Scotian community who went on to establish successful businesses. To strengthen this partnership and to celebrate the contribution of Black Businesses in Nova Scotia, the Sobey School of Business is launching a series of conversations with the Black Business Community, first, to highlight and celebrate the contribution of Black Businesses in our region’s economy and, second, to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities to foster resiliency of Black Businesses in the post-COVID economic landscape.

The first in this series is a conversation joined by Dr. Rustum Southwell DCL’18, CEO of the Black Business Initiative (BBI), the premier business development organization supporting Black businesses in Nova Scotia, and Ms. Cynthia Dorrington, the President of Vale & Associates Human Resource Management and Consulting Inc. The conversation will focus on lessons learned from 25 years of Black Business advocacy, including many challenges inherent to Black Canadians that constitute an impediment to business startups and continued growth and scaling. Furthermore, the conversation will touch on how we can mobilize support programs and initiatives for Black Businesses so that the community can emerge stronger and more prosperous in the post-COVID environment.

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About Dr. Rustum Southwell DCL’18 (presenter):

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Dr. Rustum Southwell is a passionate leader who has invested heavily in his community – locally and globally – working tirelessly as an advocate for economic diversity and capacity building. Originally from the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies, Rustum has called Nova Scotia home for more than four decades. Dr Southwell holds honorary degrees in law from Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie Universities, and an honorary diploma from the School of Business at the Nova Scotia Community College. He started breaking barriers by becoming one of the first Black franchise operators in Nova Scotia, therefore understanding and appreciating the entrepreneurial landscape of this province, and has worked diligently over many years to guide many a budding and established entrepreneurs through their arduous journeys of business ownership. 

Rustum is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Black Business Initiative (BBI), a business development initiative that addresses the unique needs of the African Nova Scotian business community which he, with his “it can be done” attitude, has led to become the strong, vibrant, and well respected standard bearer organization that it is today. As leader of the BBI, his quietly innovative and highly effective management style was instrumental in enhancing the credibility and success of Nova Scotia’s growing Black business community in the past, and under his guardianship, BBI will have a strong voice and solid hand as it strategically positions to be an effective support and pertinent resource for Black and minority entrepreneurs of Nova Scotia for the next two decades. In his tenure, he has overseen the creation and expansion of hundreds of Black businesses, not only within the province and parts of Canada, but also globally across the U.S., the Caribbean and beyond. 

About Cynthia Dorrington (presenter):

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Cynthia Dorrington is the President of Vale & Associates Human Resource Management and Consulting Inc. Established in 2004, Vale & Associates is a boutique consulting firm specializing in providing strategy and advisory services as well as customized training and development for organizations. As President, Cynthia does consulting work with small to medium-sized organizations across various industry sectors from start-ups, to businesses undergoing growth, to mergers/acquisitions with an emphasis on strategic positioning of its human resources and managing change. Expertise in areas such as organizational strategy, people strategy, equity, diversity and inclusion, supplier diversity, change management, governance, performance management, as well as HR advisory services has allowed Vale & Associates the opportunity to provide consulting services to a number of clients locally, nationally and internationally. 

Aside from her Canadian business endeavours, Cynthia is a principal partner in an Australian business venture and balances her time strategically between her global work commitments and her various board commitments. Cynthia currently is the Chair of the Black Business Enterprise and Chairs of HR, Governance & Nominations Committees for Africville Heritage Trust, Halifax Hospice and Canadian Urban Institute. She is a member of the Governance and Finance and Audit Committees for VON Canada. Cynthia is a Commissioner on the board of the Nova Scotia Human Rights. Having recently completed her term as the Past Chair of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Cynthia has become a Life-Time Member of the Board of Governors for the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. 

Earlier Event: February 17
The Future of Higher Education (Webinar)
Later Event: April 23
Faculty In Residence Coaching Sessions - Dr. Claudia De Fuentes

Executive-In-Residence

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Ian D. Smith | Chief Executive Officer

Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership

Ian D. Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of Clearwater Seafoods.  Mr. Smith joined Clearwater in May 2010 and has over 33 years of international experience in the food and consumer products industry.  Prior to joining Clearwater, Mr. Smith held senior leadership positions at the Campbell Soup Company within Canada, the United States and China.  Prior to his time at Campbell’s, Mr. Smith held various marketing, sales and international business development positions with Allergan, Colgate-Palmolive and the Gillette Company.

Mr. Smith currently participates as a director on a number of boards and advisory councils focused on international trade and public policy including; The Business Council of Canada and the Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council of the Asia Pacific Foundation.  He is a graduate of McGill University (BA Economics, MBA), a former Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve and currently serves as Honorary Colonel of 36 Canadian Engineer Regiment located in the Province of Nova Scotia.

Alumni-In-Residence

Wendy Luther | President and Chief Executive Officer

Halifax Partnership

Wendy Luther Proud Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University. EMBA’08

Wendy Luther is a leader in economic and export development, with vast experience promoting Nova Scotia and its assets globally. Halifax Partnership is Halifax’s public-private economic development

organization. Wendy joined as President & CEO in 2019. In 2023, Halifax

Partnership was honoured with four Excellence in Economic Development

Awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC)

including Gold for Economic Development Organization of the Year. Prior to joining Halifax Partnership, Wendy was President & CEO of EduNova, a co-operative association of public and private-sector education providers committed to promoting Nova Scotia’s knowledge economy internationally. Under her leadership, EduNova was honoured with the prestigious international PIEoneer Association of the Year Award in 2017. Earlier in her career, Wendy worked in export development with the Atlantic Canada World Trade Centre and Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) where she led trade missions to over twenty countries and has mentored and advised hundreds of Nova Scotian exporters on how to be competitive in international markets. At NSBI, through her role as Nova Scotia’s first Private Sector Liaison Officer (PSLO), she was appointed by the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank to connect entrepreneurs and institutions to opportunities funded by International Financial Institutions. Wendy has served on and led numerous boards and committees including advisory boards for two private sector companies (Canada and U.S. based). Currently, Wendy serves on the Board of Directors and the Management Resources and Compensation Committee of Canadian-owned LED Roadway Lighting; the Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the Governance Committee of Mitacs, a national not-for-profit organization focused on increasing Canada’s innovation competitiveness; and is Membership Chair on the Executive Committee of the International Women's Forum (IWF) Atlantic Chapter. Born in Vancouver, Wendy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University. She holds a Certified International Trade Professional designation (CITP) and is an alumna of the Caribbean Canada Emerging Leaders Dialogue and Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Leaders at Sea (CLaS) Program. In November 2023, she attained her ICD.D designation through the Institute of Corporate Directors, Director Education Program and is really geeking out on governance! In March 2023 Wendy was honoured with Atlantic Canada's 25 Most Powerful Women in Business award.