Learning, networking and scaling-up: New program will enable SME growth across Canada
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It takes more than an idea to turn an emerging business into a thriving enterprise. While technical knowledge and a drive to create play a large role, so do leadership abilities, business acumen, and access to capital needed to scale up operations.
Protein Industries Canada and Ivey Business School at Western University are launching the Accelerate: Leadership Program to support entrepreneurs and SMEs in Canada’s plant-based food, feed and ingredients sector with the skills and talent development they need to succeed. Being offered to two cohorts of companies, the Accelerate: Leadership Program will focus on five key areas of leadership and business acumen development:
- Culture and Strategy and Communications
- Talent and Performance
- Teams and Finance
- Teams and Information Systems
- Driving Change
“Canada’s SMEs are a driving force in our plant-based food and ingredients sector, propelling innovation forward,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “With the Accelerate program, we can help them grow and go further. Proper leadership and business acumen skills are essential to making a business successful, and essential to helping our sector meet the growing demand for plant-based food and ingredients. I look forward to working with Ivey Business School to launch the first set of courses through the program.”
The eight-month course, designed for employees in management and senior leadership positions at Canadian companies looking to scale up their operations, will take place both online and in person, allowing for flexible delivery of both learning and networking opportunities. By focusing on knowledge upgrades in areas often seen as overlooked in education offered to the plant-based food and ingredients sector, the Accelerate program will enable SMEs to grow their businesses and market footprint more easily and more quickly, strengthening Canada’s plant-based foods and ingredients sector. At the same time, the in-person portions of the program—including real-world case discussions and a roundtable session—will give participating companies an opportunity to network with potential investors.
“Access to capital is an integral part of a company’s ability to scale up and meet the growing demand for plant-based food and ingredients, but many SMEs face significant barriers in accessing the level of capital they need,” Greuel said. “The roundtable and other networking opportunities in the Accelerate program will give our SMEs the skills and networking opportunities they need to increase their ability to attract investors, increasing not only their own competitiveness, but that of our country as a whole. Both are essential in reaching Canada’s goals related to supplying consumers around the world with high-quality, sustainable plant-based foods and ingredients.”
This enhanced leadership ability and business acumen will increase the competitiveness and investor appeal of the SMEs who take part in the program, and set them up on a path for growth and scale-up. Only by growing together will Canada’s plant-based food and ingredients sector increase its competitiveness and increase its ability to be a global leader in the supply of plant-based food, feed and ingredients.