Keynote Speaker
Fatiha Senhaji, Vice President, Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
Fatiha is a trilingual, seasoned and award-winning business development leader with exceptional knowledge of innovative business strategies, risk management, continuous improvement, and inclusive entrepreneurship.
She joined BDC in June 2023, and as Vice President, Inclusive Entrepreneurship, she leads the bank’s national strategy to break down barriers and to meet the needs of underserved and diverse clients. Supported by a team of DEI+A (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) regional managers across the country, Fatiha’s Inclusive Entrepreneurship team focuses on doing more, and better, to help entrepreneurs who consistently face common challenges—from unconscious bias and discrimination to the lack of funds and networks they need to succeed with their business. The team’s mission is to strengthen support for diverse entrepreneurs, as well as to offer the right opportunities to help them overcome barriers to thrive and grow their businesses.
Fatiha has always been passionate about entrepreneurship and helping companies succeed in business. She was formerly National Director, Industry and Zero Barriers to Business Programs at BMO Financial Group, and previously Vice President, Treasury and Payment Solutions, and Vice President, Business Banking and Bank Manager, at BMO.
As a first generation Canadian of Moroccan descent, Fatiha has a distinctive perspective on bias and the experiences of underrepresented groups across Canada. She is a passionate ambassador for diversity and is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in Canada’s entrepreneurial communities and ensuring equal access to financing and advice for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
About BDC’s commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship
BDC’s long-standing support for diverse entrepreneurs also includes a Virtual Business Centre for Inclusive Entrepreneurship, as well as a $50 million Inclusive Entrepreneurship financing and training program, and an investment of $200 million in Indigenous and Black-led businesses with BDC Capital. To date, BDC has committed over 8 billion dollars to underserved business owners directly through programs like the Indigenous Entrepreneur Loan and Thrive Fund, and indirectly through partners like Futurpreneur, FACE, NACCA, BKR Capital, and Raven Capital. Hundreds of free education resources are also available at bdc.ca.