Le groupe “Women of Influence” a devoilé les lauréates des Prix canadiens de l’entrepreneuriat feminin RBC 2011 lors d’une cérémonie à l’hotel Royal York de Toronto. Les six lauréates, représentant toutes les régions du Canada, on été honorées pour leur contributions dans les économies locales, canadiennes et globales.

“Je suis honorée d’avoir mon nom sur une liste incluant tellement d’entrepreneures distinguées. Etre choisie lauréate est certainement un des moments les plus importants de ma carrière de près de trente ans”, a dit Kim Rudd.

La cérémonie anuelle, maintenant dans sa 19e année, a été animée par Diane Francis, éditrice au journal National Post.

“Passion, innovation et determination sont les pierres angulaires des Prix canadiens de l’entrepreneuriat féminin RBC” a offert Carolyn Lawrence, Présidente et CEO du groupe “Women of Influence”. “Chaque lauréate est un exemple de ces caractéristiques et est une source d’inspiration pour les femmes professionelles partout au pays”.

A successful entrepreneur is not a micro-manager. Kim Rudd

Source: http://bit.ly/rPqLyf

Kim Rudd makes RBC awards shortlist

COBOURG — A Cobourg businesswoman has made the shortlist for an esteemed national entrepreneur award.

Kim Rudd, owner of Cobourg’s Willis College, is one of two finalists for HKMB Hub Impact Award, part of the 2011 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. According to RBC, the HKMB Hub Impact Award salutes an entrepreneur’s impact on the local economy through such things as creating jobs, encouraging others in the community to do the same and or encouraging the economic prosperity and development of local citizens. Award finalists were announced on Oct. 26 and the winners will be unveiled during a black-tie gala at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Nov. 28.

Ms. Rudd said it is quite an honour to make the shortlist out of 20,000 nominees from across the country. She said passion is an easy word to describe what drives her quest to succeed.

“But it’s more than that,” said Ms. Rudd. “It’s a driving need to create something, to find your limits and then push yourself beyond them.”

Acting as a mentor to her staff, helping them grow, empowering them to take on challenges and find solutions has played a huge role in the success of her business, a private career college with courses in business, police foundations, esthetics, network administration, social services, and more, she said.

“A successful entrepreneur is not a micro-manager,” she said. “Although it takes quite a while, if you mentor staff successfully, if you pass on the skills needed to both create new ideas and grow the business, it’s good for everybody. Staff become excited about helping to create something new and are capable of carrying on even when the boss is not there.”â?¨ That was the case earlier this year, when Ms. Rudd handed over the day-to-day operation of Willis College to what she referred to as a “fabulous staff”in order to devote all her time and energy as the Liberal candidate in the May 2 federal election. She had complete confidence in college staff, “they didn’t need me,” to carry on while she campaigned, albeit unsuccessfully, to unseat the Conservative incumbent.

She added her amazing staff also allows her the freedom to engage in community volunteer work such as chairwomen of the area physician recruitment committee, the Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce, and as a Cobourg Rotary Club member, among others. Ms. Rudd said, without the close-knit relationship of family and Willis College staff, she would never be able to follow her passion to create a more entrepreneur-friendly environment across Northumberland.

The time-honoured adage that states, “If you want something done, ask a busy person,” is a fair description of Ms. Rudd. To this end, she said she will put her name in the hat for the Liberal Party’s national executive board’s national membership secretary position at a party convention slated for mid-January.

“I’ve been an advocate for entrepreneurship my whole life and we (Northumberland County) have a major problem with unemployment,” she said. “We need to be more creative in the area of job creation and I want to be part of a government and a movement that makes it happen.”

For more information on the 2011 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, visit www.theawards.ca. For more information on Willis College, Cobourg Campus, visit www.williscollegecobourg.com.