Small Business Week: Economic Update with BDC: It’s a two-speed world now—fast or finished
October 22, 2026 (12:00 PM - 2:00 PM) (PDT)
Description
The speed of business is accelerating, and entrepreneurs are shifting from resilience to action. Join us to celebrate Canadian entrepreneurship and discover how entrepreneurs are responding to rising competition, embracing artificial intelligence and pursuing growth despite ongoing uncertainty.
Who should attend and why?
- Gain practical insights, fresh economic perspectives and real-world takeaways that can help you identify new opportunities to get your business to fast, faster.
- This interactive session will provide companies with direct access to BDC’s Senior Economist and Chief Operating Officer who will address your specific questions.
- This session is best suited for established business leaders with employees looking to survive and thrive in the current economic environment.
About Our Presenters
Jovanka Charbonneau
Senior Economist, BDC
Jovanka Charbonneau is a Senior Economist at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), where she oversees the organization's macroeconomic monitoring, forecasting, and the Monthly Economic Newsletter. She holds a master's degree in economics from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a certification in big data and machine learning applied to economics and finance. A trusted voice in Canadian economic analysis, Jovanka has spent over a decade helping entrepreneurs and business leaders navigate evolving risks and seize new opportunities — from interest rate shifts and inflation dynamics to U.S. trade policy and emerging sector trends.
Véronique Dorval
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, BDC
Véronique Dorval was named BDC’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in August 2022. In this role, she oversees the Financing, Growth & Transition Capital, and Advisory Services business lines, ensuring BDC’s solutions are integrated, effective and efficient for maximum impact on Canadian business owners. Véronique brings an impressive 23-year career as a strategic business leader with a track record for driving growth, delivering ambitious transformations and creating a digitally-enabled operating model that is always client focused. Before joining BDC, Veronique served as Senior Vice President and Chief Client Experience Officer at Sun Life Financial and Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company, leading management consulting mandates for large North American financial institutions and other clients.
About BDC:
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) focuses on small- and medium-sized business owners, providing them financing, investment, and advice. As Canada’s development bank, we also support entrepreneurs who don’t fit the traditional mold working with a network of partners and help develop underserved markets to unlock economic potential. Our mission is to build strong, resilient businesses that drive Canada’s economic growth. BDC is a perennial Canada’s Top 100 Employer and B Corp certified. Learn more at bdc.ca or connect with us on social media.
Partners
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