SIFE’s Andrea Belvedere Top 100 Most Powerful Women

Fourth-year Ted Rogers School of Management student Andrea Belvedere is reaching new heights after the Women’s Executive Network named her one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
Andrea Belvedere is a leader who makes every moment count.

The fourth-year Ted Rogers School of Management student has been recognized this week by the national organization, Women’s Executive Network, as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. Belvedere won in the future leaders category for her outstanding accomplishments, demonstrated vision and leadership and commitment to the community.

Belvedere is the outgoing president of SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) Ryerson, an organization that creates economic opportunities for students by developing ideas and connecting individuals. Under Belvedere’s two-year leadership, SIFE Ryerson created more than $20 million in new economic opportunity; had an operating budget of more than $500,000; grew to 104 active members who ran seven programs, 34 projects and over 80 events in 2008 and 2009. Belvedere also led her SIFE team to 15 awards including two national and three regional championships.

“One of the things that makes Andrea such a great candidate as a future leader is her raw potential. She has an amazing gift for listening, discovering ways to creatively work with others and finding out what motivates people to take action,” said Steve Gedeon, director, Ryerson Entrepreneur Institute (REI) and SIFE faculty advisor.

Belvedere jokingly explained that lack of sleep allows her to accomplish such lofty goals. She believes she wouldn’t be so successful were it not for the support of her team members and the Ted Rogers School of Management faculty.

“I’m the face of the organization but it really couldn’t happen without them,” she said.

Belvedere’s ambitions started relatively early. In high school she was president of her entrepreneurship class for two years and received the entrepreneurship studies award. As a teen, she also led three start-up ventures, two of which involved raising seed capital, running a business and providing shareholders with an investment return. Despite this, she chose a slightly different path and took marketing at Ryerson to diversify her business knowledge. During her time at Ryerson, she’s won an Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) project management bursary, an award of merit for her contributions to student life and was nominated twice for ACE Canada’s Student Leader of the Year award.

Belvedere is vice-president, business development and co-founder of REI – the only student-run entrepreneurship centre in Canada. She is also the co-founder and director of Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship Canada (SAGE), an organization that helps high school students turn their business ideas into reality.

It’s obvious a full course load and two part-time jobs hasn’t hindered Belvedere from leading others. And even if sleep is the last thing she gets to do, to her it’s a small price to pay.

“I just love it so much that it doesn’t feel like work,” she said.

Congratulations Andrea!

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