Recipients of the 2019 Women in Manufacturing Scholarship announced at CME’s Annual Manufacturing Conference

OTTAWA (October 17, 2019)– Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) and Fiera Foods proudly announced the recipients of the 2019 Women in Manufacturing Scholarship at CME’s Annual Manufacturing Conference.

This year’s recipients are:

  • Tanya Forde is an Industrial Electrician apprentice at Tenaris Algoma Tubes from Thessalon, ON.
  • Laurence Dandurand, from Chambly, Quebec, studying Mechanical engineering at l’École de technologie supérieure.
  • Katie Neilson of Burnaby B.C who is a 4th year welding apprectice at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)
  • Autumn Quenville from the Whitesand First Nation, taking the Mechanical Engineering Technician course at Confederation College.

Each woman was flown into Toronto to receive their award at CME’s Annual General Meeting and Manufacturing Conference, where Carmela Serebryany, on behalf of her father Boris Serebryany and Fiera Foods, presented each winner with their $4,000 scholarship.

The women in manufacturing scholarship was created to help support the education of women pursuing a career in manufacturing.  A total of ten scholarships will be awarded beginning this year through to 2020, to help attract more women to the manufacturing industry. The scholarship is part of CME’s Women in manufacturing initiative which aims to increase female representation in manufacturing by 100,000 in 5 years.

“This manufacturing scholarship is just the first step in beginning to bridge the gender gap in the industry.  We need to celebrate the success of women in manufacturing so that the next wave can see the high-value opportunities open to them in the sector.  These four women are helping to create the next generation of role models for women to help them succeed.”– Dennis Darby, President and CEO of CME.

“Canadian manufacturing benefits greatly from increased female participation and needs even more female leaders to meet its full potential. We are proud to support growth opportunities for women within our organization and through this scholarship to play our part in addressing an ongoing and widespread challenge across the industry. On behalf of all of us at Fiera Foods, I am so proud to collaborate with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters to provide this scholarship to such talented and deserving young women.” — Boris Serebryany, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fiera Foods.

ABOUT CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS & EXPORTERS

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) advocates for and represents 2,500 leading manufacturers that operate across Canada. Manufacturing moves Canada and is the engine of the economy. Canadian manufacturers collectively employ 1.7 million Canadians and is responsible for two-thirds of Canada’s export sales. The sector is growing rapidly. In 2018, the sector reached a new all-time high of $685 billion in sales. CME advocates policies that will allow Canadian manufacturers to compete effectively in the global economy.

ABOUT WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters’ (CME) Women in Manufacturing Working Group was launched by National Board of Directors Chair Rhonda Barnet in March 2017. The Working Group was created in response to a key recommendation from CME’s Industrie 2030 initiative regarding the need to attract more women to manufacturing to help address chronic labour and skills shortages in the sector. The Working Group includes women and men representing CME member companies from a wide range of sizes and industries. The Working Group is dedicated to supporting, promoting and inspiring women to pursue careers in manufacturing.

ABOUT FIERA FOODS

Fiera Foods is a Toronto-based baked goods manufacturer supplying its wares to many of the largest grocers and restaurant chains in North America. Founded by two refugees in 1987, Fiera Foods has been committed to perpetually innovating and adapting to serve its valued customers for over three decades. Providing opportunities to underrepresented groups like women, refugees and recent immigrants is at the heart of Fiera Foods’ DNA. Its strong employee base has helped make it a leader in quality, innovation, customer service and food safety. Company information at www.fierafoods.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Stefi Proulx
Director of Communications
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
C:  613-292-6070 | stefi.proulx@cme-mec.ca | @CME_MEC