“It was a very difficult first few years turning the business around and finding my voice and style as a young, first-time CEO. The Harvard Business School wrote a case study on my journey as apparently, this is an unusual career path for a woman.”

Kovitz, who grew up in Western Canada, was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017 and 2021 and in 2022 alone, her sales topped $20 million with 10% coming from exporting. 

The mother of two often lectures on entrepreneurship through acquisition at Harvard and the Yale School of Management in the U.S., and her company has been featured in popular magazines, including Forbes, Elle Canada and Canadian Business.

“It’s a well-documented fact that women-led businesses tend to have greater impacts on their communities. My hope is to inspire other women to acquire and operate businesses and to, in turn, support their communities,” says the successful mompreneur.

From the beginning of her business journey, Kovitz has worked with Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), which have provided financial support and advisory services, to help her achieve success. She’ll also be a guest panelist on EDC’s webinar, Doing business in the U.S., on May 18. 

In the second article of our two-part series, we asked Michael Reid, EDC’s senior financing manager, Mid-Market Lending Investments, and Karen Hennessy, partner of the business law group, Gowling WLG, to highlight key supports available for Canadian companies looking to grow through M&A.