b'BUSINESS LEADERSINVESTING IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP:DAWN MADAHBEE LEACHDawn Madahbee Leach is the long-time general manager of Waubetek Business Development Corporation (WBDC), a BDC that oversees millions of dollars of investments in Indigenous businesses in Northeastern Ontario. She is the first Indigenous woman in Canada to helm a regional lending institution, and is also vice chair of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, as well as the 2020 Indspire Award recipient for Business and Commerce.As it happens, Madahbee Leach is not the first woman in her family to win the award. Her aunt, Lillian McGregor, received the Indspire Lifetime Award in 2011 for her work with the Friendship Centre movement. When she was notified, I was very close to her, and she said, Someday youll be receiving this too, says Madahbee Leach. Its quite an honour.While this anecdote speaks volumes about McGregors faith in her nieces abilities, it also illustrates how important it is for each generation to support the next. The entrepreneur-ship mindset seems to be replicated in the next generation and thats why I like supporting Indigenous women in busi-ness, says Madahbee Leach, a member of the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation. Mentors and those sorts of supportsYet obstacles remain for Indigenous women aspiring to build really help. Women helping women and having some placesuccessful careers, and one of the most oppressive, says to go for advice are great ways to build self-esteem. I alwaysMadahbee Leach, is the lack of sufficient equity. Indigenous had a great support system around me of advisors and Elderswomen are often at the lower income level, so to access equity who encouraged me along the way, and my family circle hasis very difficult. always been strong. Yet a growing number of Indigenous women are getting involved in businesssomething Madahbee Leach sees firsthand through her work with the WBDC. Over the last two years, more than 50 per cent of the entrepreneurs that weve invested in have been women, and Indigenous women are less likely to default on their loans, she says.Madahbee Leach points to Indigenous women in both urban and remote locations streaming into web-based businesses, developing their own apps or online sales portals, and even moving into traditionally male-dominated fields like construc-tion, heavy equipment operation and mining. Theyre in every-thing; their creativity is amazing and boundless, she says. Theyve been able to develop problem-solving skills to be able to do things differently. I think thats part of their survival skills.Survival skills have certainly come into play since the begin-ning of the COVID-19 pandemic last springIve been on 637 Zoom meetings since the middle of March, says Madahbee Leach. She has also been involved in numerous advisory groups and committees mobilizing to support Indigenous businesses. Some of these businesses, such as construction companies and lumber suppliers, have benefited from an uptick in building, as have local grocery stores that took advantage of reduced competition when the borders closed.Thats not the case for all Indigenous companies. We also have a lot of businesses that were really struggling because they didnt have good connectivity to do online business, says Madahbee Leach. At least, she adds, the pandemic has brought a renewed energy and focus on the need for improved broad-band connectivity in Indigenous communities. If that happens, I can see many of our businesses doing business online.12A CCAB PUBLICATION2020'