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TORONTO, CANADA, October 4, 2019 — Today, more than 20 women business owners in Canada joined a select group of graduates from the “Financing Your Growing Business” Training Boot Camp. The Training Program is implemented in partnership with WEConnect International and Moody’s Corporation through the Reshape TomorrowTM initiative.
This partnership aimed to further the mission of Reshape TomorrowTM by building the capacity of women business owners around the globe to access capital, scale their enterprise and contribute to the sustainable prosperity of their communities. Today’s event marked the second training program of three in 2019 – pilot cities are Lagos, Nigeria; Toronto, Canada; and Frankfurt, Germany.
“Our partnership with Moody’s Foundation connects two critical challenges to growth faced by women-owned businesses—access to markets and access to capital. Together, we are looking to bridge these gaps holistically, providing immediate resources to empower women entrepreneurs through financial knowledge while investing in gender-inclusive sourcing practices and pioneering research to explore how to better address these linkages in the long-term.”— Elizabeth A. Vazquez, CEO & Co-Founder, WEConnect International
The two-day, in-depth training focused on credit — why it’s important to business owners and how to secure the financing needed to grow a business. Participants learned about different sources of financing, how to analyze their businesses’ internal capacity to receive that finance and, ultimately, how to bring it all together in a capital plan.
“Empowering women with the financial knowledge, skills and confidence they need to access capital and scale their businesses, fuels economic inclusion and creates opportunities for their communities,” said Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, Global Head of CSR at Moody’s and Council Chair. “Our Reshape Tomorrow initiative builds on our core expertise in serving the global capital markets to help enterprises in underserved communities with untapped potential thrive.”
The curriculum was delivered and supported by several of Moody’s own employees who serve as subject matter experts throughout the two days. WEConnect International’s implementing partner CanWCC and corporate members BDC and TD Bank were also in attendance to help facilitate several training sessions and provide valuable networks and industry expertise.
Learn more about WEConnect International’s partnership with Moody’s Foundation.
About WEConnect International
WEConnect International helps women-owned businesses succeed in global value chains. It identifies, educates and certifies women’s business enterprises based outside of the U.S. that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by one or more women, and then connects them with member buyers. WEConnect International members represent more than US$1 trillion in annual purchasing power and a commitment to supplier development and inclusive sourcing. The result is a network of member buyers working with women business owners based in more than 115 countries that are learning, collaborating and winning new business.
About Moody’s Corporation
Moody’s is an essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools, and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is the parent company of Moody’s Investors Service, which provides credit ratings and research covering debt instruments and securities, and Moody’s Analytics, which offers leading-edge software, advisory services, and research for credit and economic analysis and financial risk management. The corporation, which reported revenue of $4.4 billion in 2018, employs approximately 13,200 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 44 countries. Further information is available at https://www.moodys.com/.
Moody’s believes in a world where more people have access to opportunity, and where everyone has what they need to grow and thrive. We are committed to opening the door to a better future through our global corporate social responsibility programs empowering people around the world with the knowledge, resources, and confidence they need to succeed. For more information visit moodys.com/csr.
For media inquiries please contact:
Angela Walker | VP of Marketing and Communications | WEConnect International | awalker@weconnectinternational.org
Lara Schuler | Corporate Communications | Moody’s Corporation | lara.schuler@moodys.com
