Wildeboer Dellelce LLP Founding Partner of New Board Diversity Network Program

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Canadian corporate law firm, Wildeboer Dellelce LLP, announced today that it has partnered with two leading board governance experts in the creation of Board Diversity Network, a networking and board-readiness educational program to prepare diverse executives to become more sought-after board candidates.

The Board Diversity Network and Wildeboer Dellelce's inaugural event to celebrate the launch of the program and celebrate Black Excellence and Diverse Leadership in the Community took place on February 21st. More than 100 attendees from a range of corporate, not-for-profit, educational and other sectors joined Wildeboer Dellelce, and the two program founders, Lori-Ann Beausoleil and Oliver Jordan, for the launch at Wildeboer Dellelce Place.

Perry Dellelce, the firm's Managing Partner, states, "The faces and voices of the communities that corporate Canada serves today are changing. It is imperative that to remain relevant, organizations embody the lived experiences of their clients, vendors and employees. To govern these organizations, boards need to be diverse. We see advancing board diversity as a business opportunity, and that is why Wildeboer Dellelce is a Founding Partner of the Board Diversity Network program. We want to assist diverse candidates become meaningful and effective board members. This effort will also provide organizations access to a network of diverse board-ready candidates. We are excited about this program and believe that the Board Diversity Network will bring about real change in the boardroom and throughout corporate Canada."

Says Lori-Ann, "At Board Diversity Network, we believe in an inclusive and diverse boardroom and in turn, we have created a program and network to support diverse professionals who are passionate about becoming board members. Diversity brings new thinking, insights and perspectives about consumers, markets, risk, vendors, employees and business practices. Boards that are too homogenous can wind up with blind spots or unconscious bias and miss important cues and trends about culture, markets, or internal human capital issues. This is why a diverse board is so critical, particularly today, when businesses are facing unprecedented disruption. We believe bringing diversity into the boardroom creates outstanding business outcomes."

About Lori-Ann Beausoleil

As a retired partner from PwC Canada, she brings over 36 years of governance, finance, risk, audit, compliance and ethics experience to the Board Diversity Network program. Lori-Ann is a Board Director in both Canada and the US and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Apartment Properties REIT, Brookfield Real Estate Income Trust Inc., Metro Inc., and Slate Office REIT. She is also a Director, and Chair of the Financial Advisory Committee, for the NEO Exchange. Lori was recognized by Directors & Boards as one of the top 20 "Directors to Watch in 2022."

Lori-Ann is also a member of the Dean's Council at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University and is the Chair of the Accounting Program at George Brown College. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and was designated a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA) of Ontario in recognition of her exceptional service to the accounting profession and community.

About Oliver Jordan

Oliver Jordan is a Corporate Director who after a 30-year global career working in a variety of countries is excited to be one of the founders of the Board Diversity Network. Oliver brings a diverse perspective to the boardroom from his strategic advisory work in both Canada and the Caribbean. He is the Chair of the Board of the Financial Services Commission of Barbados which is the regulator for all insurance companies, credit unions, pension plans and mutual funds. He is also a Director of the Caribbean Corporate Governance Institute, as well as a member of the Governing Council and Chair of the Audit Committee for the University of the West Indies.

A retired Advisory partner from PwC in the Caribbean, he holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors of Canada and was designated a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA) in Ontario in 2020 in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the accounting profession both in Canada and the Caribbean. He also holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

ABOUT WILDEBOER DELLELCE LLP AND THE WD GROUP OF COMPANIES

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Wildeboer Dellelce LLP (wildlaw.ca) is one of Canada's premier corporate, securities and business transactions law firms offering clients expertise in the areas of Corporate Finance; Securities; M&A; Corporate Governance; Corporate Commercial; Debt; Asset Management and Investment Funds; Commercial Real Estate; and Tax across all industries including agribusiness; food and beverage; automotive; cannabis; financial services; fintech; industrial and consumer goods; life sciences; healthcare; pet care and pharmaceuticals; mining, energy and natural resources; technology; sports; media; and entertainment. The firm is ranked by Chambers Canada as highly regarded for corporate commercial work and recognized by Canadian Lawyer as one of Canada's Top 10 corporate boutique law firms.

Wildeboer Dellelce is part of the WD Group of Companies which also includes WD Capital Markets Inc. (wdcapital.ca), a boutique M&A advisory firm; WD Numeric Corporate Services (wdnumeric.ca), an established corporate services and bookkeeping company; and WD Sports & Entertainment (wdagencies.com), a sports and talent management agency for athletes, entertainment and media personalities.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Diana Lawrence
Director of Marketing and Business Development
Wildeboer Dellelce LLP
dlawrence@wildlaw.ca
416 847 6911

Maryam Aziz
Program Coordinator
Board Diversity Network Inc.
365 Bay Street | Suite 800 | Toronto, ON | M5H 2V1
maryam@boarddiversitynetwork.ca
info@boarddiversitynetwork.ca
www.boarddiversitynetwork.ca

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