History
On December 27, 2019, the Canadian business and LGBT+ community lost a great leader, William (Bill) Pallett.
Bill joined as a board member of the CGLCC, Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, in 2016 and assumed the role of Chair in 2018. Under his leadership, CGLCC has grown to an organization with 10 staff members, 27 corporate partners, and a global network of over 20 affiliated LGBT+ Chambers of Commerce.
As an entrepreneur, Bill saw the value and need of the CGLCC. Bill’s company, WJ Pallett & Associates, was one of the first companies in Canada to become certified as an LGBT-owned business under the Chamber’s Supplier Diversity program.
Throughout his career, Bill was committed to developing leaders. In 2017, Bill helped launch the CGLCC’s LGBT+ Youth Entrepreneur Mentorship Program: OUT For Business, a 12-month program supporting LGBT+ youth looking to start or grow their own business. The Program provides resources, capacity building, and a strong network of LGBT+ business leaders to assist young entrepreneurs along their journey. Under WJ Pallett & Associates, Bill managed the program for 3 years, while also committing many hours of his own personal time to develop and grow the program.
Support
Your support of the Fund will ensure that Bill’s legacy of providing a helping hand to tomorrow’s promising leaders is carried on.
For more information, please contact Darrell Schuurman, CGLCC Co-Founder (darrell@cglcc.ca) or Bruce McDonald, CGLCC Co-Founder (bruce@cglcc.ca).
Bill was also a founding board member of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Business Education Foundation (CGLBEF). The Foundation was established in 2008 to enhance opportunities and growth of LGBT+ business in Canada through training, research and education. The Foundation works in three areas:
- It eases access to education by funding business scholarships and providing grants for educational programs.
- It conducts and distributes research into LGBT+ business issues.
- It develops and provides training, mentorship and internship programs.
In recognition of Bill’s commitment to the LGBT+ business community, CGLCC has established the Bill Pallett Youth Leadership Fund, a scholarship fund of the CGLBEF dedicated to developing Canada’s future business leaders in the LGBT+ community.
Under this Fund, CGLCC is looking to provide at least one seat for LGBT+ youth from each of the 8 identified Canadian regions (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and the Northern Territories) for a minimum of 10 years.
