Arlene Dickinson

Arlene Dickinson
Born	(1956-10-08) October 8, 1956 Germiston, Union of South Africa
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, investor, author, television personality
Years active	1988–present
Known for	General partner at District Ventures Capital; CEO of Venturepark; panelist on Dragons' Den

Arlene Dickinson (born October 8, 1956) is a South African-Canadian entrepreneur, investor, author, and television figure. She holds the position of general partner at District Ventures Capital and serves as CEO of Venturepark. Dickinson became a panelist on CBC's business reality series Dragons' Den starting in its second season (2007), exited after the ninth season (2015), and made a comeback for the twelfth season (2017). She has been honored as Calgary Business Owner of the Year, featured in PROFIT magazine’s Top 100 Women Business Owners, and received accolades such as the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence and inclusion among Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100. The program refers to her as a self-made multimillionaire.

Personal life

Originally from Germiston, Union of South Africa, Dickinson was raised in Canada and completed her high school education in Calgary, Alberta. She entered marriage at age 19, became a mother to four children, and divorced by age 31. She is a grandmother to seven grandchildren.

Dickinson maintains a politically neutral stance but publicly criticized former Dragons' Den colleague Kevin O'Leary during his campaign for Conservative Party leadership. She challenged his promotion of the "greed is good" philosophy and pointed out his confusion between national debt and deficit figures.

Business

Dickinson joined Venture Communications in 1988 and took full control of the company by 1998. In October 2012, she established Arlene Dickinson Enterprises (ADE) with the goal of investing in and mentoring Canadian entrepreneurs.

Her board memberships have included Ad Rodeo, Kids Help Phone, and Calgary Municipal Lands Corporation. Additionally, she contributes to advisory groups such as the Stratford Institute at the University of Waterloo and the Leadership Council at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, alongside serving on the editorial advisory board of Marketing Magazine. In October 2016, she became a board member of Aphria, a licensed producer of medical cannabis.

Books

Dickinson authored her autobiography titled Persuasion in 2011. This was followed by her second book, All In: You, Your Business, Your Life, published in 2013. Her third work, Reinvention: Changing Your Life, Your Career, Your Future, was released in 2019.

Media

Beginning in 2007 with season two, Dickinson appeared as an investor on Dragons' Den and also featured in its spinoff series The Big Decision. She departed after season nine in 2015 but returned for season twelve in 2017.

In 2012, she made a guest appearance as herself on the Canadian drama series Murdoch Mysteries. She acted as a judge on Recipe to Riches in 2014. Later, in 2017, Dickinson hosted Under New Management, a show focused on assisting entrepreneurs through business acquisitions.

In 2018, she cohosted the lifestyle podcast The Business of Life alongside singer Jann Arden. The podcast explored themes around entrepreneurship and personal growth and ran for a total of 46 episodes until August 2019.

Awards

Dickinson has earned a place in the Hall of Fame for Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100. In 2014, Canadian Immigrant Magazine honored her with the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award. Her firm, Venture Communications, was acknowledged in 2001 as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies, an accolade supported by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post, Queen's School of Business, and MacKay CEO Forums.

Commonwealth honours

Location	Date	Honor	Post-nominal letters
Canada	2012	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (Canadian Edition)

Honorary degrees

Location	Date	Institution	Degree Conferred	Delivered Commencement Speech
Template:Country data Nova Scotia	October 2, 2010	Mount Saint Vincent University	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)	Yes
Template:Country data Alberta	2010	Northern Alberta Institute of Technology	Honorary Degree	Yes
Template:Country data Quebec	June 7, 2016	Concordia University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)	Yes
Template:Country data Alberta	June 3, 2017	Olds College	Bachelor of Applied Science - Agribusiness	Yes

Honorary military appointments

Branch of Service	Date	Affiliated Unit	Title
Royal Canadian Navy	June 22, 2012Template:Spaced ndashPresent	Office of the Director General Maritime Strategic Management	Honorary Captain

Humanitarianism

Dickinson acted as the national spokesperson for Breakfast Clubs of Canada, advocating for the significance of healthy morning meals for children. In 2013, she took on a leadership role in the Give a Day campaign, supporting organizations such as Dignitas International and the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

External links

• Arlene Dickinson Video created by Makers: Women Who Make America