March is Women’s History Month and home to International Women’s Day (IWD) — a global celebration created to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women across the world.
2023’s theme is “Embrace Equity” with the goal of furthering gender equity to create a fair and equal world. The women we proudly represent on our roster are all leaders in their fields, boldly forging new paths for future generations of women to follow.
Meet some of these women below and learn how they’re helping to push equity forward. Contact us to learn more about our leading female keynote speakers.
Authentic Leadership: Unlocking the Power of Belonging in Organizations
Ritu Bhasin
Empowerment Speaker | Inclusion Expert | Author
Many organizations struggle to create workplace cultures where all team members feel like they belong and can contribute to their fullest. Ritu Bhasin, the CEO and founder of bhasin consulting inc. (bci), a preeminent leadership and inclusion consultancy, shows audiences how to unlock the power of belonging through authentic leadership.
Drawing from her bestselling book The Authenticity Principle, Ritu illustrates why authenticity is essential for fostering belonging, inclusion, and psychological safety — all of which are the foundation for more innovative and engaged workplaces. She shares her “Three Selves Framework” to help audiences cultivate this essential skillset within themselves and their teams.
Ritu also speaks to DEI and how to disrupt bias and transform organizational cultures through inclusion and allyship.
True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force For Change
The Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould
Former Member of Parliament | Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | Bestselling Author
Canada’s first Indigenous Minister of Justice and the first female Independent Member of Parliament, The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould empowers audiences to become agents of change. She is the bestselling author of True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change and the political memoir, “Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power.
As a lawyer, an advocate, and a leader among Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, she’s built a strong reputation as a bridge builder and champion of good governance and accountability. She shares her unique perspective as both a community and political leader on topics such as Indigenous rights and reconciliation, democracy and governance, leadership, and justice.
Innovation for a Gender-Equal Future
Dr. Shimi Kang
Award-Winning Harvard-Trained Physician | Bestselling Author | Global Social Entrepreneur
Research shows that we need more women leaders to build a better, more sustainable future. Yet, women have greater social, psychological, and biologic risk factors for stress-related conditions.
In this fascinating keynote, Dr. Shimi Kang explores the intersection of gender equality, innovation, and mental health and well-being. She addresses the unique challenges women face and explores strategies and tools women can use to optimize wellness, connection, and innovation.
An award-winning medical doctor and research, Shimi is receiving the Governor General’s Award for advancing women’s diversity, equity, and equality in Canada and beyond this IWD. She also speaks to the importance of adaptability and diversity for lasting success, creating healthy tech habits, the future of work, and more.
The Olympic Experience
Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser
Four-time Olympic Gold Medalist | Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Seven world championships, six Olympic appearances, five Olympic medals — Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser is a titan of sport. She made hockey history as the first female player to notch a point in a men’s professional game and was also the first woman in history to have played in/coached four NHL development camps.
Today, Hayley is a resident medical doctor in family medicine, the assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the bestselling author of Over the Board: Lessons from the Ice. She instills practical advice in her customized keynotes that inspire audiences to never accept “that’s not the way we do things” or “that hasn’t been done before” as limitations, and empowers them to carve their own ice.
Hayley speaks to performance, success in a male-dominated world, her Olympic experience, and more.
Dare to Occupy Powerful Spaces: Women in Leadership
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Physician | Changemaker | Transformative Leadership | Advocate for Diversity and Inclusion
As the only Black woman (and student) in her cohort at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa questioned if she belonged there. She knew she was walking into a boys’ club, as well as an institution riddled with systemic racism.
Chika made a choice — if she was going to dare to occupy powerful spaces, she was going to do so unapologetically. She learned how to lean into authenticity to enable her to not only exist but lead in spaces that initially terrified her.
Today, Chika is a resident doctor in psychiatry and has been named one of TIME magazine’s “2021 Next Generational Leaders”. She walks audiences through her journey to becoming a medical trailblazer to share lessons learned on leadership, navigating personal and professional risk, and finding courage through adversity.
All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward
Tanya Talaga
Award-Winning Journalist | Author of Seven Fallen Feathers
Tanya Talaga is an award-winning Anishinaabe journalist and author. She shares Indigenous stories from across Canada and the world to humanize the legacy of residential schools and colonization and set us forward on a new path towards an equitable and inclusive future.
Tanya is the author of the national bestselling book Seven Fallen Feathers, which introduced the nation to seven Indigenous high school students who mysteriously died in Thunder Bay. Her insightful keynotes stem from her award-winning book as she creates an intimate experience for her audiences, imparting her in-depth knowledge on Indigenous culture and history so that we can learn from our past and build a better and brighter future for all.
Jann Arden: My Story
Jann Arden
Renowned Musician | Bestselling Author
Renowned musician and television star Jann Arden can bring a hall full of people to tears through song, only to have them laughing moments later from her off-the-cuff comedy. Whether she’s performing her music, hosting an event, or telling her deeply personal and affecting stories, Jann’s wisdom and wit shine in everything she does.
In her intimate keynotes and fireside chats, Jann shares her personal journey to becoming a Canadian icon. She explores the importance of adaptability and being built for change, and how to find the good — and the funny — in all situations, even the most challenging.
Everyday Resiliency in Ever-Changing Times
Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe
Expert on Resiliency and Workplace Wellness
With stress, uncertainty, and unrest at a record high, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe helps audiences brace for change and learn to bounce back even strong after adversity. An expert in resiliency, Robyne’s message is both inspirational and practical. She introduces her theory “Everyday Resiliency: The Five Pillars” to share strategies on how to foster each pillar within ourselves and others.
Audiences leave with a regained a sense of calm and a list of new daily routines and systems that foster everyday resiliency, decrease stress and overwhelm, and increase productivity both at home and work.
The bestselling author of Calm Within the Storm: A Pathway to Everyday Resiliency, Robyne also speaks to psychological safety and wellness in the workplace, how to stress wisely and find work-life balance, leading through crisis, and more.
The Power of Women-Led Businesses
Jennifer Ménard-Shand
Indigenous French-Canadian Entrepreneur
A First Nations Ojibwe and French-Canadian, Jennifer Ménard-Shand is the founder and CEO of Staff Shop, an award-winning, certified-diverse staffing and essential resource firm that services hundreds of clients across North America while deploying thousands of employees across Canada.
Throughout her life, Jennifer has faced alcoholism, abuse, neglect, trauma, abandonment, and imposter syndrome. She is a survivor of oppression and shares her tragedy-to-triumph entrepreneurial story to inspire and empower audiences to follow their purpose-driven path and reach their full potential.
Jennifer also speaks to talent retention amidst the great resignation, DEI strategies, and truth and reconciliation in the workplace.
What it Takes: A Story of Purpose, Strength, and Laughter
Zahra Al-Harazi
Award-Winning Entrepreneur | Purpose-Driven Leadership Expert
Today, Zahra Al-Harazi is a successful entrepreneur, a loud crusader for human rights, and a sought-after speaker. Her voice is clear, confident, and a powerful tool of commerce and philanthropy. But this wasn’t always the case.
Zahra was raised in a country where women didn’t have a voice. Growing up, her goal was to stand out as little as possible. She moved to Canada in 1996 where, as a new immigrant and young mother with no understanding of the culture or business world and no higher education, she had little confidence in what she had to say. But, through perseverance, she managed to find her voice.
In her inspiring presentations, Zahra shares her journey, exploring how she channeled frustration into courage, the mistakes she’s glad she made, the milestones that propelled her, and how a clear and powerful voice can help anyone get what they want most in life.
Excellence: The Winners' Traits
Dr. Kimberley Amirault-Ryan
Performance Consultant to the NHL, NBA, and Olympians | Executive Coach
Dr. Kimberley Amirault-Ryan is a leading performance consultant who has coached and trained some of the world’s most successful athletes and teams. She has witnessed and cultivated first-hand the habits, behaviours, and environments required for achieving success, overcoming obstacles, and inspiring excellence. She shares these universal traits with audiences and shows them how to replicate them within their own careers, teams, and organizations.
Interspersed with real life examples from her Olympic, NHL, and NBA championship experiences, Kimberley equips audiences with the mindsets, habits, self-talk, and resources needed to be at your best for yourself and your team in any environment.
Kimberley also speaks to managing stress, performing under pressure, and building winning teams.
Contact us to learn more about the incredible women we represent and what they can bring to your next event.
