TANcouver
When Deborah Bastow, Founder of TANcouver, first moved from Ireland to Vancouver, B.C., she was shocked to see that it was nearly impossible to find sunless tan lotions in stores. Knowing that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, and also the most preventable, she decided to take matters into her own hands and opened her own spray tan salon.
As Deborah explains, “My mission is to promote the use of sunless products to combat skin cancer, prevent premature aging, and help people feel great about themselves. After only two years, Tancouver won the Consumer Choice Awards’ top spray tan salon in Vancouver and has gained over 500 five-star reviews. I’ve also created my own line of self tanner, became qualified in mole detection, and now educate other estheticians on how to become spray tan artists and voice the dangers of UV tanning.”
Deborah’s unwavering drive to increase the availability of sunless tanning options comes from a place of great loss. She says, “I lost my family but I found myself. My brother and father passed away from cancer, and my sister has had breast cancer twice. Due to this, many years ago we had to get genetic testing to see why all of my family were becoming ill. It turns out we have a rare gene that is affected through UV. All of this has shaped my passion in becoming THE CHANGE in a city where really no one was a spray tan artist, or ever knew quite how natural spray tans (done right) can be. There is nothing more harmful or dangerous to our skin than UV. Every person who comes to me and tells me because of me they are now using SPF, are more mindful of their sun exposure, and are embracing sunless tanning makes me feel like this is truly what I was supposed to do in my life.”
To build upon her success, Deborah has enrolled in The Forum E-Series Presented by RBC, and aims to activate and access wisdom, community, and financial capital to achieve continued growth and success.
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Africa Trade Desk
Africa Trade Desk (ATD) is a one-stop consulting firm for Canadian and international companies, investors, and entrepreneurs who are looking to do business in Africa. Founded by Susan Namulindwa, ATD is dedicated to increasing trade between Canada and Africa, while also boosting intra-African trade. From helping clients find the perfect international business partner to creating international export strategies, Africa Trade Desk is there to support them in realizing their goals.
As Susan’s team explains, “The majority of ATD's clients are Black, women-owned and operated businesses. We especially work with companies that work in the supply of clean water, clean energy, ethical supply chain management, and climate change adaptation so as to ensure the longevity of not only these companies, but the communities in which they operate.”
Having grown up as a Ugandan refugee in Kenya before coming to Canada, Susan has also founded two charities, GirlsRunPeriod, which is fighting period poverty in Kenya (and has received the support of the country’s First Lady), and Maama Watali, which supports Canadian Black women with the aim to eradicate gender-based violence.
A powerful changemaker, Susan is continuously looking for ways to make the world a better place, despite the systemic and personal barriers that have stood in her path. She’s grown her impactful business and non-profits while acting as an advisor to the federal government on their engagement with the African diaspora, and to Black Canadians where she’s provided guidance on the Africa Strategy that is currently being designed by the federal government to help increase access to affordable housing in Ottawa.
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Suzanne Barr Food
Suzanne Barr Food is “a global village committed to building connections, advocating food justice, and creating global culinary experiences.”
A former photographer, stylist, filmmaker, producer, and personal chef, Founder Suzanne Barr lasered her focus on her love for cooking when she turned 30–and later went on to become a two-time restaurateur, chef-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, and a judge on Food Network Canada’s Wall of Chefs.
Her love for cooking started when she was a child–but when her mother sadly passed from pancreatic cancer, she found herself again in the connection between her family’s rich cultural history, the memories she shared with her mother, and the healing power of food.
As Suzanne explains, “From our kitchen, we are joined in celebrating the worldly flavors by defining their origins, cooking with love and intention, expanding our diasporic appreciation, and advocating for cultural legacy. Together, we reshape our community by sharing traditions, discovering new customs, understanding the importance of sourcing ethical ingredients and recipe preservation techniques that disband culinary biases and realign connections to our cultural foodways. From enriching online classes to handpicked recipes, how-to videos, and inclusive events, our vibrant community invites you to embrace the power of food, love, and connection.”
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