Agunbiade Seun Richards – Inspiring Canadian Entrepreneur
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Agunbiade Seun Richards – An Inspiring Canadian Entrepreneur
Agunbiade Seun Richards is a social entrepreneur, researcher, and community volunteer. He arrived in Canada on 21st of July 2018 from Dubai, UAE where he lived for 8 years and worked for some Fortune 500 companies.
As an entrepreneur, he has established small businesses in 3 nations across 3 continents, namely Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, and now Canada. He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of New Brunswick under the supervision of economics Professor – Dr. Rob Moir. His thesis is focused on Impacts of Immigrant Entrepreneurship on Economic Development and Population Growth. He is a co-founder and VP of the Black Business Professional Networks (BBPN) in Atlantic Canada, as well as a co-founding member of UBUNTU Founders Network – a global online platform where African leading entrepreneurs connect for peer-support. He was recently appointed a VP and member Board of Director of International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) – New Brunswick chapter. He is also an Entrepreneur Advisor at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – University of Calgary.
In December 2019, he established Door2Door Pickup Couriers in Saint John, New Brunswick as part of his academic project as a Ph.D. student. Little did he know that the Covid-19 pandemic was about to shake the world to its feet, and delivery services were going to be regarded as essentials for living during the lockdown crisis. His business provided more than 200 free delivery services to stranded international students, immigrants, seniors, and immunocompromised residents of New Brunswick. He volunteers for various community steering teams, including Saint John Local Immigration Partnership on the Newcomers Advisory Panel, member of City of Saint John Strategic Planning Steering Committee, and the Saint John community Free Tax Clinic of the Canada Revenue Agency.
At the peak of the pandemic lockdown, Door2Door Pickup Couriers became an Amazon sub-contractor in the Atlantic Canada region and hired more than 30 workers from across different cultural backgrounds to help meet up with the growing operations. By December 2020, Door2Door Pickup Couriers launched the first multi-purpose delivery mobile app in Atlantic Canada. As the company celebrated its 2 years anniversary, Door2Door Pickup Couriers launched zero-emission delivery services to promote sustainability and the Climate Action goal #13 of the United Nations SDGs. Doo2Door Pickup Couriers is a DHL Express partner in Saint John for global shipments.
Seun Richards has received numerous awards, including:
-Immigrant Entrepreneur awards as well as Diversity Champion – 2020, 2021, and 2022
– Double platinum awards as the Best Courier company by Saint John community Votes, 2021
-2022 Top 150 Small Business Owners in Canada by Desjardins Group
-Recipient of the $20,000 Desjardins GoodSpark Award grant for sustainability and innovation
-Canadian delegate, G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance (YEA) 2022 Summit in Germany
-Ambassador, Global Entrepreneurship Network
-Black Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 by the Entrepreneurs & Innovators Foundation – Ottawa
