PLENARY SESSION “THE SOCIAL INNOVATION AND SOCIAL FINANCE STRATEGY”
Tuesday, September 25
Francine is the founder of Whiteduck Resources Inc., a company with national and international reach through a network of joint initiatives, project partnerships, and associates. WRI works in business, economic, education and social development disciplines with a particular emphasis in women’s development, and on projects that apply an impact investing mission-critical lens.Since beginning, WRI and its partners have supported and led projects with broad social and environmental purposes such as the 2008-2013 gender mainstreaming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) SME Women and Trade Initiative Pilot designed to ensure inclusion of rural, remote and indigenous women in trade and in the development of export markets. Recently, Francine started Breakthrough Growth Accelerator, a project designed to engage organizations and support youth and others in intentional social and environmental enterprise pursuits that disrupt long-standing systemic barriers.Francine currently serves as a Prosper Canada board member, a non-profit with a focus on developing financial empowerment and literacy for Canadians, and has served as a member of the Employment Services Development Canada Social Innovation Social Finance Steering Group. She is board governance ICD.d certified through the Institute of Corporate Directors.In 2009, Francine was awarded the World of Difference Award by The International Alliance of Women for her contributions to the economic advancement of women, and in 2017 was honoured with the Bank of Montreal Award for Community Development and Charitable Giving.Francine is Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg.
