Arlene Dickinson

Speaker Bio

Dickinson is a serial entrepreneur and General Partner of District Ventures Capital, a venture capital fund focused on helping market, fund and grow entrepreneurs and their companies, in the food and health space. Best known to Canadians as a star of CBC’s award-winning series Dragons’ Den for over 12 seasons, Dickinson is also a podcaster, renowned speaker, and the author of three bestselling books: Persuasion, All In, and her most recent, Reinvention.

Dickinson’s success and leadership has been recognized with multiple honours and awards, including Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame and the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. She is also an inductee in the Marketing Hall of Legends, and has been honoured with PROFIT and Chatelaine magazine’s TOP 100 Women Business Owners Awards.

In 2012, Dickinson was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.

Dickinson is an honourary captain of the Royal Canadian Navy and the recipient of four honourary degrees from Mount Saint Vincent University, Concordia University, Saint Mary’s University, and NAIT. She also sits on several public and private boards and is actively involved in supporting her community and country.

Arlene Dickinson Topics

Reinvention

Lessons from the Den: Succeeding at Business and Being an Entrepreneur

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Every one of us will feel stuck at some point in our lives. One day, you recognize that you have followed a path — personal or professional — that suddenly seems closed off or unfulfilling. Whether it’s a relationship that doesn’t connect in the way it used to or a job that started out being exciting but now feels unrewarding, suddenly you look up from your life and realize there is something else you want to do or be. You’re ready for a reinvention.

In this talk, one of Canada’s most high profile businesswoman distills a lifetime of experience to reveal everything you need to know — and do — to start, to run, and to grow a great business. (A customized clip from the hit show Dragons’ Den provides buzz; though that’s just a starting point.)
On stage, as on the small screen, Arlene Dickinson displays a palpable and infectious belief in the entrepreneurial spirit; she reminds us of the major contributions Canadians have made to international business and the entrepreneurial tradition.

Arlene Dickinson

Stories of my life

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Testimonials

Words for
Arlene Dickinson

Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut

“If you want to make something more of yourself, your company—or your life—read this book. Arlene provides a rare set of clear instructions on how to reinvent yourself, and her advice is bang-on.”

Masai Ujiri, Toronto Raptors

“Reinventing yourself is like reinventing a team: it takes a bold plan, faith in your own judgment, and rock-solid determination. Reinvention shows you how to get all three.”

"Dragon", CBC's Dragons’ Den

Arlene Dickinson

Arlene Dickinson