Barb Stegemann, Top Game Changer on CBC’s Dragon’s Den to speak at Biz2Biz Expo

The following news release is courtesy of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present Barb Stegemann, CEO and Founder of The 7 Virtues Beauty, as the keynote speaker at the 11th annual Biz2Biz Expo on October 20, 2016. The keynote address will take place at 3pm at the Eastlink Trade Centre and is sponsored by Honibe.

Stegemann became known to millions of Canadians when she became the first woman from Atlantic Canada to land a venture-capital deal on the CBC TV show Dragons’ Den for The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc. She went on to become the "Top Game Changer" in the history of the show for her social enterprise, and was named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.

Stegemann founded her fragrance company, The 7 Virtues Beauty, after her best friend, Captain Trevor Greene – a soldier – was severely wounded in Afghanistan. She understood that supporting Afghanistan’s economy was a key factor in building stability for its people, but knew she needed her own way of igniting change. This inspired her vision to source organic oils from countries experiencing turmoil – including Afghanistan, Haiti and Rwanda – to encourage change and to reverse effects of war and poverty.

“I love sharing our made in Atlantic Canada story of global trade and development supporting nation rebuilding with my fellow SMEs in the region,” says Stegemann, “Our shared sense of service to others here, at home, and in our global village is the foundation for success for small to medium enterprise.

Later in September, a documentary entitled Perfume War, chronicling Barb’s story, will launch at the Atlantic Film Festival. Stegemann is also the author of the bestselling book, The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen.

“We’re honoured to have Barb join us as the keynote speaker at this year’s Biz2Biz Expo,” said Pam Williams, Chamber President. “An innovative entrepreneur, her sense of humour and her incredible story of bravery will inspire and create important dialogue about living and leading in business today.”

“The annual Biz2Biz Expo is a great showcase for Island businesses in a professional trade show environment during Canada’s Small Business Week. The Government of Canada is pleased to support the 2016 Biz2Biz Expo with a $25,000 investment to support marketing and programming costs related to the event,” said Sean Casey, Member of Parliament for Charlottetown on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Science, Innovation and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

"Entrepreneurship is important to the economy and to our province, and events like Biz2Biz provide a great opportunity, not only for networking, but for professional development," said Heath MacDonald, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "The opportunity to learn from experiences like those of Canadian social business innovator, Barbara Stegemann, and hear about her business journey, will be a great addition to this year's program."

The 11th annual Biz2Biz Expo, co-sponsored by Corkum/Arsenault/Crozier and Stewart McKelvey, is Atlantic Canada’s premiere business to business tradeshow. The Expo brings together over 2,500 attendees and 125 exhibitors on October 20 from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Eastlink Trade Centre in Charlottetown.

Media contact:
Sheila Kerry
Senior Communications Officer
Department of Economic Development and Tourism
slkerry@gov
902-620-3688