Jean-René Halde Reappointed as President of the Business Development Bank of Canada

OTTAWA, March 24, 2010 — The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), today announced the reappointment of Mr. Jean-René Halde as President of the BDC.

“Mr. Halde's commitment to the BDC has contributed greatly to the growth of Canadian entrepreneurship. Over the past years, his leadership and strong knowledge of the business and financial sector have been of great benefit to strengthening the vision and work undertaken by the BDC,” said Minister Clement.

During his time with the BDC, Mr. Halde has effectively leveraged partnerships with private sector financing institutions to deliver increased levels of financing to many different types of businesses across Canada. Under Mr. Halde's leadership, the BDC provided a then-record $3.1 billion in new financing to small and medium-sized businesses in fiscal 2008-2009.

BDC effectively implemented activities under the Federal Government's Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP), which, as of December 31, 2009, has resulted in $2.3 billion in new financing and support being extended into the marketplace by the Bank. This strong activity is driving new record levels of lending, with $3.4 billion in new financing for Canadian businesses in the first 9 months of fiscal 2009-2010.

Mr. Halde has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of numerous companies, including Irwin Toy Limited, Livingston Group Inc., Culinar Inc., Atlantique Video and Sound Inc. and Metro Richelieu Inc. He is a vice-chair of The Conference Board of Canada and sits on the board of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation.

Mr. Halde holds a BA from the Collège Sainte-Marie, an MA (Economics) from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

The BDC is a financial institution wholly owned by the Government of Canada. The BDC actively supports the development and growth of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses through its complementary financial, investment and consulting solutions.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502