NSB Logo Arlene Dickinson Arlene Dickinson

Arlene Dickinson

Speaker

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

On Leadership, Marketing & Business success: "Dragon" on CBC's Dragons’ Den & General Partner of District Ventures Capital

Arlene Dickinson is the 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. She is a three-time best-selling author, leader, and accomplished public speaker. Dickinson is widely recognized for her role as a Dragon/Venture Capitalist for over 12 seasons on the multi-award-winning television series, Dragons Den.

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
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Reinvention

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 to be. You’re ready for a reinvention.

Applying business principles to her personal life helped Dickinson  figure out very quickly where she wanted to go and how to get there. Having a clear set of practical steps to follow kept her on track when emotions threatened to derail her progress.

In Reinvention, Dickinson shares her blueprint for:

  • locating your sense of purpose
  • realistically evaluating your strengths
  • assessing opportunities outside your comfort zone
  • charting a bold new path

Whether you have a big career dream to achieve, or you need to rebuild after a personal setback, this step-by-step plan for reinvention will help you change your own life—for the better.

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

Can anyone be an entrepreneur? Arlene’s emphatic answer is “Yes.” In this talk, one of Canada’s most high profile business women distills a lifetime of experience to reveal everything you need to know—and do—to start, to run, and to grow a great business. On stage, she 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.

 

Marketing Yourself

Success is often taken for granted; few stop to think about where it came from, what shaped it, what trials were involved. In this talk, Arlene tells her story, providing a rare look into the making of one of Canada’s most powerful business women. Filled with the key lessons Arlene has learned throughout her journey, this talk is underscored by modesty, grit, and enormous heart.

Leadership and Strategic Marketing

Marketing plays a fundamental role in all businesses—yet it is seldom held accountable the way other departments are. A superstar marketer driven by corporate objectives, Arlene shows us why marketing must be a top concern of leadership, and why creativity and accountability must go hand in hand. Otherwise, why bother with marketing at all? She will help decision-makers grasp the essential strategic function of marketing in an insightful, accessible and frank talk, anchored squarely to the bottom line..

Audience reviews:

  • Arlene Dickinson's personal story was a wonderful way to start the day and her emphasis on dimensions of character that are not often discussed, such as humanity and humility was particularly powerful… In a business school it is important to have great female role models with our speakers and she delivered that in spades.

    - Ivey Business School

Speaker Biography

Arlene Dickinson 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.

She is a three-time best-selling author, podcaster and accomplished public speaker. Dickinson is widely recognized for her role as a Dragon/Venture Capitalist for over more than a dozen seasons on the multi-award-winning CBC television series, Dragons Den.

Arlene’s leadership has been recognized many times, including Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame, the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, as well as PROFIT and Chatelaine’s Top 100 Women Business Owners. She is a Marketing Hall of Legends inductee and a proud recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award. Arlene has served for many years as an Honourary Captain in the Royal Canadian Navy.

Arlene is the recipient of honorary degrees from Mount Saint Vincent University, Saint Mary’s University and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. She sits on several public and private boards and is actively involved in supporting community and country.