It’s time to vote for the 2024 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards!

Founder, 10Fold-HFX

City: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Country of origin: Turkiye

Named one of Atlantic Canada’s Most Inspiring Immigrants in 2024, Burcu Kaptan’s journey reflects resilience, determination and a profound commitment to social responsibility.

She is originally from Ankara in Turkiye. She began her Canadian journey by settling in Halifax in Nova Scotia in 2002 while eight months pregant, and establishing roots. Kaptan, who supports newcomers today, faced many challenges as a permanent residence, navigating a foreign country without the support she had as a mother and immigrant.

With her international experience and post-graduate studies in human resources management from both Istanbul University and NSCC in Atlantic Canada, she embarked on a journey of professional growth intertwined with community empowerment.

Kaptan’s advocacy extends to identifying talent and supporting individuals to reach their potential, especially immigrant women, and advocating for role models in senior leadership positions. As president of the Turkish Society of Nova Scotia (TSNS), her efforts encourage newcomers to stay in Canada and the Atlantic region. Her dedication to fostering diverse communities has earned her recognition for being a leader committed social impact, diversity, and supporting the Turkish culture. This recognition was further solidified by her active involvement in community relief efforts following the Turkish earthquake, where she played a pivotal role in supporting the reunification of affected families.

Furthermore, leveraging diverse platforms, Kaptan has dedicated herself to linking different generations of immigrants, spanning from children to international students, newcomers and emerging businesses, with Canadian partners throughout the year. Through her LinkedIn and Instagram account @KanadaliKadin, she has built a community of over 5,000 women from Canada and Turkiye, offering guidance on navigating the Canadian experience. She is committed to promoting gender equality and ensuring that newcomers have access to information.

Kaptan, who has spent 20 years in the Canadian corporate world and in public service, has now embarked on a new journey as a digital HR entrepreneur, establishing 10Fold HFX. She is not only interested in sharing her expertise on systemic change, digitizing culture and people programs, but also committed to supporting immigrants and working on an integration project for newcomers.

She is a role model for immigrant women in Canada who are redefining their success despite the obstacles they face. Moreover, she serves as a founding executive committee member of the Canadian Turkish Business Council-Women’s Network, further supporting her commitment to empowering immigrant women.

Her journey is a testament to community building and the transformative power that determination can have. It embodies the resilience and spirit of immigrant communities who enrich their surroundings with the diverse perspectives and experiences brought by immigrants. Kaptan fittingly concludes her community speeches with the profound reminder that in a community, there is no “me”You can also find out more about “you,”Only a few people know how to pronounce the word “only” “we,”Together, we are stronger.