Chambers join forces to honour Top 40 Under 40 business leaders

April 16, 2026 · 0 Comments

Local Chambers of Commerce are teaming up to recognize up-and-coming business professionals in Aurora, Newmarket, and East Gwillimbury with a new Top 40 Under 40 event.

A collaboration between the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and the Central York Chamber of Commerce, nominations in the fields of Professional Excellence and Community Impact are now being accepted through April 24.

“Collaborating with the Central York Chamber allows us to amplify the incredible talent and leadership we see across our communities,” says Alison Mumford, Executive Director of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. “This event is about recognizing the next generation of leaders who are driving innovation, giving back, and shaping the future of our region. We are proud to work together to provide a platform that celebrates their achievements.”

Adds Carly Laxton-Oroz, President & CEO of the Central York Chamber of Commerce: “I’m excited to partner with the Aurora Chamber of Commerce to bring our business communities together in celebration of emerging leaders. Alison Mumford has been an incredible advocate for her business community, and her leadership has helped strengthen connections, opportunities, and support local businesses.

“By working together, our Chambers can create an even greater platform to recognize the outstanding under-40 professionals making a difference across our communities.”

Eligible business leaders and entrepreneurs must be under the age of 40 as of April 24, 2026, or born on or before April 24, 1986, be a current resident of one of the three municipalities, be employed or own a business in the three communities, and volunteer with an organization located in Aurora, Newmarket, or East Gwillimbury.

While self-nominations will not be accepted, nominators may put forward multiple deserving candidates individually.

Winners will be recognized with a celebration on June 11, 2026, from 5 – 7 p.m. at Aurora’s Stonehaven Banquet Hall.

Mumford tells The Auroran the program is a new way they’re looking to connect with younger members of the local business community. While many young entrepreneurs seek out Chamber memberships, they might be less inclined to attend more formal Chamber events.

“This is just creating a space that is a little more on brand with the younger generation, to be more inviting and allow them to come out to events, to make friends and network. We’ve seen more of our young entrepreneurs and professionals come out to our regular events as well, but this is a just a great opportunity to highlight them in this way,” she says.

“There is an importance in recognizing and highlighting those folks under 40 because they are the next generation of business owners, of political leaders, the future of our economy, and making sure they have a chance to develop their networks. There is also an opportunity in the future to absolutely bridge our Young Entrepreneurs and Professionals group, our Top 40 Under 40 group, with the rest of our membership for knowledge transfer, for mentoring, and mentoring goes both ways, right? It’s typically a member of an older generation mentoring a younger one, but vice versa – these are folks who are probably native technology users, so there’s a lot of information that can cross both ways and a lot of teaching and learning.”

As nominations roll in, Mumford stresses the two distinct categories up for grabs – Professional Excellence and Community Impact. Nominators, she says, should dig deep and give examples why those they are nominating are “superstar” entrepreneurs, leaders, or employees.

“If there’s a specific incident, tell us why they’re a superstar and what sets them apart,” says Mumford of the Professional Excellence category. “For Community Impact, that’s the volunteer philanthropist, working for a non-profit or in a charity space. Listing the work they do with a specific charity is just a baseline; just go a little bit deeper into what impact they’ve specifically had, what really makes them stand out. If you don’t have that information, it’s not a big deal, but it just helps us if we don’t have personal knowledge of this individual. It really just helps us to get that closer look at who they are and the impact they’re making on the community.”

For more information on the Top 40 Under 40 Event, including how to nominate someone who has had an impact, and for tickets to the June 11 recognition event, visit aurorachamber.on.ca/top-40.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter