Shahir Guindi Appointed to the Board of Directors of the Business Development Bank of Canada

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 17, 2012) - The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), today announced the appointment of Shahir Guindi to the BDC's Board of Directors.

"Mr. Guindi has an extensive background in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital," said Minister Paradis. "His skills and knowledge in these areas will be a welcome addition to the Board."

Mr. Guindi is currently Managing Partner of the Montréal office of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, which he joined as a partner in July 2001. He is also currently Co-President of Réseau Capital, Quebec's venture capital and private equity industry association.

From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Guindi served as Senior Vice-President and General Counsel for Radialpoint Inc. Prior to that, from 1990 to 2000, he was a lawyer and then a partner at Goodman Phillips & Vineberg and led the firm's Knowledge Industries Group. Mr. Guindi's expertise ranges from cross-border mergers and acquisitions to corporate finance and other legal issues facing companies in the high-tech sector.

A member of the Barreau du Québec, the Canadian Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association, Mr. Guindi is a recipient of Lexpert's Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 award (2004). He has also received significant industry recognition, including top rankings in six categories of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2012 (Private Equity, Corporate Finance and Securities, Mergers and Acquisitions, Technology Transactions, Biotechnology, and Computer and IT Law), Lawyer of the Year honours in Information Technology Law and Technology Law from The Best Lawyers in Canada 2013, and Montréal Technology Lawyer of the Year from The Best Lawyers in Canada 2012.

Mr. Guindi has degrees in Civil Law (B.C.L.) and Common Law (LL.B.) from McGill University.

The Business Development Bank of Canada puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 2,000 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital and consulting services to 28,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity. For more information about Canada's business development bank, visit the BDC website.