We are delighted to announce, in our 25th Anniversary year, that we have a new President, Garreth Bloor (left), who took office effective February 1, 2019. I have been working closely with Garreth over the past several months and I know he will bring a new and vibrant vision to the Chamber.
"From a personal point of view, my 19 year tenure as either the Chair or President of the Chamber, has been a wonderful and personally rewarding experience. I am very proud of where the Chamber is today, saddened that my direct involvement in this fantastic organization will be reduced and very excited for the future of the Chamber under Garreth’s guidance. At 75 it is time to “go to pasture”, but I will continue to stay connected and active in the Chamber!" said Bruce Shapiro.
"I must thank the literally hundreds of people who have helped bring the Chamber to this point - far too many to mention. However, we could not have achieved what we have without the support from Stephen Pincus, one of the founders and a partner at Goodmans LLP (our home since inception), Wayne Floreani who has steadfastly supported the Chamber’s endeavours and Joe Lombard of Hatch who has consistently sponsored us in bringing cutting edge events to you. To all of you, my heartfelt thanks!"
About Garreth Bloor
Garreth Bloor is the newly appointed President of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business. He is a co-founder and former MD of Glenheim Venture Capital. Bloor has previously served in executive government as an elected official in Cape Town, heading economic development and securing a seat in Parliament. He has been a member of the board of the University of Cape Town and member of its University Research Committee.
His firm, Glenheim Venture Capital, was named one of the top 25 Most Innovative Companies of 2017 by FastCompany SA and was profiled in an inaugural report of 15 success stories, by the Southern Africa Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA).
After seven years regularly visiting Canada, Bloor’s conviction is firm that the opportunities for Canadian business in Africa are stronger than ever; spanning a wide-range of sectors and prompting his move to Toronto. Of late Nigeria, Kenya and Botswana in particular are markets he has engaged on-the-ground, with a particular interest on tech and innovation.
Bloor is a member of the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance which convenes at Harvard annually, the African Leadership Network and was a 2017 Aspen Ideas Scholar of the Aspen Institute. Bloor is a regular speaker and has addressed events of the Council on Foreign Relations, World Economic Forum and Columbia Business School, among others and recently featured in Forbes Africa as a Global Shaper.