Audrey Marie-Nely

Audrey Marie-Nely has been an ACCESS Volunteer since 2017. During her tenure, she has experienced all of the roles a volunteer at ACCESS can experience. Initially, Audrey was a part of the Loan Review Committee. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she stepped into the role of a business mentor for an entrepreneur in the Women’s Business Accelerator Program. “As a business mentor, seeing the growth of new entrepreneurs from start to finish in the program has been incredibly rewarding,” Audrey said.

Recently, Audrey facilitated the public speaking session for the Women’s Business Launch Program and was a panellist at the WBL’s pitch competition, which occurs at the end of each cohort.

 “I immigrated to Canada over a decade ago, and English isn’t my first language. I was new to the North American culture where

promoting ourselves is fundamental, so I am able to relate to the participants and share with them the importance of public speaking in Canada,” Audrey said.”[Participants] need to be able to sell and explain [their] products and who [they] are as an entrepreneur; It’s a very important skill that you must have.”

Audrey has seen the support that ACCESS, and by extension, our Volunteers, give to our Clients.

“The participants are driven. But what I realized is that having an idea is just the beginning; what truly matters is the execution and how you navigate the challenges ahead. That’s why it’s important to give them all the necessary tools,” Audrey said. “I’m very happy to see an organization like ACCESS that can support entrepreneurs. The journey as an entrepreneur can be lonely sometimes, but ACCESS is there!”