Women of Influence

While we live in an age of tremendous change, we’re also in an era of unbelievable opportunity. The future is ours to create. Are you ready? Named a leading female futurist by Forbes, Elatia Abate helps organizations thrive in the face of disruption, pre...

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an engineer, author, broadcaster, and award-winning social advocate. Her powerful TED talk, “What Does My Headscarf Mean to You” has more than 2.5 million views and was selected as one of TED’s top 10 ideas. An internationally ren...

Award-winning Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark is one of Canada’s most unique artists, who blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada. Aglukark’s ta...

The road to real leadership is rarely a straight one. Among Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs, few have faced more obstacles than Zahra Al-Harazi. With a no-holds-barred attitude, Al-Harazi helps people and organizations realize their potential for succ...

The Honourable Rona Ambrose is a dynamic national leader, a champion for the rights of women and girls, the former Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition in the House of Commons, and the former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Rona knows politics....

As the president of the Canadian Black Scientists Network, Professor Maydianne Andrade shows the strength diversity brings to an organization through actively promoting the hiring, retention, and success of a diverse and inclusive workforce. Through her inform...

Trey Anthony is a visionary creator, comedian, television writer, and award-winning playwright of international significance. The first African Canadian woman to have her own program on a primetime Canadian network, she is the writer of the critically acclaime...

Jann Arden is a multi-platinum, award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and author. She can bring a hall full of people to tears through song, only to have them rolling in the aisles moments later from her off-the-cuff comedy. Whether she’s performing her m...

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour is a gutsy trailblazer, whose resume is an impressive collection of firsts—including being the first Black woman combat pilot in the US Armed Forces. Prior to that she worked as a police officer, served two tours of duty ...

Sally Armstrong has covered stories in zones of conflict all over the world. From Bosnia and Somalia to Congo and Afghanistan, her eyewitness reports have earned her the Amnesty International Media Award four times over, as well as acclaim all over the world. ...

Visionary, purpose-driven leaders recognize that there is untapped potential in their organizations. When this potential is left unrealized, it can lead to misalignment between an organization’s brand promise (external experience) and culture (internal e...

The multi-talented Andrea Bain is an author, podcaster and on-air personality. A veteran TV host and broadcast news reporter, she is also the author of the book, Single Girl Problems, and host of her own radio show/podcast of the same name. Known as an insight...

Jennifer Barroll is a passionate communicator. With a background as an actor, media personality, and stand-up comedian, she uses her quick wit and energetic personality to deliver practical leadership training and communication tools. Having worked with some o...

Jeanne Beker is one of the most influential women in the fashion industry — in Canada and around the world. A long-time celebrity, Beker speaks on how she rose to the top of arts and culture media as the iconic host of TV’s Fashion Television, along with w...

An organization’s greatest asset is its people. Award-winning CEO Dr. Lisa Bélanger shows leaders and teams how insights from psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural science can be applied in the workplace to optimize performance, productivity, and innova...

When the challenges are steep, and the competition fierce, Robyn Benincasa provides individuals and organizations the tools they need to inspire themselves and one another to their greatest heights and to cross their most challenging finish lines. As a two-tim...

At the age of 23, Cheryl Bernard started an insurance brokerage and propelled the agency to six million dollars in sales in just 11 years. At the age of 43, she helped Canada win a silver medal in curling at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Passionate about i...

Ritu Bhasin, LL.B., MBA, is an internationally recognized expert in leadership, workplace culture, inclusion, and belonging. As the CEO of bhasin consulting inc. (bsi), a preeminent leadership and inclusion consulting firm, she has worked with hundreds of reno...

The first Canadian woman and neurologist to fly in space, Dr. Roberta Bondar is globally recognized for her pioneering contributions to space medicine research, fine art photography, and environment education. She expanded the horizons of millions when she joi...

Jennifer Botterill is one of Canada’s most successful athletes. A member of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team for 14 years, she is a three-time Olympic champion, CEO of two companies, and an in-demand NHL analyst in both Canada and the US, regularly app...

On a mission to bridge the gap between young entrepreneurs and the digital future, Sinead Bovell strives to create conversations that will lead towards a progressive, informed, and thriving new era. She is a futurist and the founder of WAYE, an organization th...

Named one of Bay Street Bull’s “2021 Women of the Year”, Erin Bury is one of Canada’s top female entrepreneurs as the co-founder and CEO at Willful. She is also a startup advisor and former marketer and technology journalist. Bury shows audiences how t...

In her bestselling book, Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. With Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, she once ...

Cassie Campbell-Pascall laced up her first pair of skates when she was five years old. Today, she is a heroine of Canadian sport. A passionate and dynamic speaker, Campbell-Pascall draws on her accomplishments as the captain of the gold-medal winning Canadian...

In times of hardship, crisis, and uncertainty, it’s imperative for leaders to demonstrate compassion. But leaders are also tasked with making hard decisions. How can leaders do the hard things while bringing out the best in others? By employing the right bal...

Cheryl Cran helps leaders and their teams to build future workplaces, today. Recognized as the #1 Future of Work influencer by Onalytica, Cran’s research into the future of work, technology, and leadership, driven by her “people first” and digital second...

Renowned for her humour, quick wit, and authenticity, Jessi Cruickshank has been the host of some of television’s most popular programs, including MTV Canada’s The Hills After Show, CBC’s The Goods, and Canada’s Smartest Person. As a seasoned presenter...

Nutritionist Julie Daniluk has a knack for breaking down complex scientific research into practical, real solutions that everyday people can relate to. The co-host of the Oprah Winfrey Network’s Healthy Gourmet ― a reality cooking show that highlights the...

Known as the “teamwork doctor,” Liane Davey knows how to create high performing teams. Having worked with organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, from across the globe helping teams from the frontlines to the boardroom, she has developed a unique p...

Erica Dhawan says we all have the power to drive innovation, but first we need to get past the roadblocks we create for ourselves: endless meetings, cross-team dysfunction, resource-wasting duplication, and a lack of real, meaningful inclusion. Drawing on her ...

“The purpose of marketing is to deliver business results,” says Arlene Dickinson, renowned CBC “Dragon” and one of Canada’s most successful communications entrepreneurs. Whether explaining how to leverage marketing in even the tou...

Businesses, organizations, and governments looking to succeed in the innovation economy and attract and retain young talent, turn to Ilona Dougherty. Her engaging and insightful presentations draw on neuroscience and developmental psychology to distill the uni...

Internationally acclaimed Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter Kellylee Evans has been making waves around the world with her energy-charged performances. She shares her inspirational journey of recovery and showcases the importance of self-care and finding yo...

Perdita Felicien is a two-time Olympian, 10-time National Champion, two-time World silver medalist, and the only Canadian woman to win a World Championship gold medal in track and field. During her career as a 100-metre hurdler she earned numerous honours, inc...

Internationally recognized for her inspiring story, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is an acclaimed author, humanitarian, broadcaster, and spokesperson who has spent much of her life in the glare of the public spotlight. Speaking candidly about her person...

Hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN, Molly Fletcher made a name for herself as one of the first female sports agents. She is a trailblazer in every sense of the word — a rare talent of business wisdom, relationship brilliance, and unwavering opti...

A bestselling author, entrepreneur, CEO, and tech investor, Mandy Gilbert has been recognized as a United Nations Global Accelerator and ranked as one of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs on Canadian Business’ Profit 500 list and Chatelaine’s W100 list. ...

Motivated by her passion to correct societal “isms” like racism, sexism, and classism, Risha Grant’s personal mission is to show the subtleties and values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the impact they create. From her race, gender, and lifestyl...

Since launching Knix in 2013, Founder and CEO Joanna Griffiths has built it into one of the fastest growing intimate apparel brands worldwide. Through its mission to empower women and its focus on product innovation, Knix has become the sixth fastest growing c...

As the president and chief storytelling officer at Stellar Collective, Kindra Hall has worked with top organizations across industries to help tackle today’s communication challenges through storytelling. She is a sought-after keynote speaker trusted by ...

Today’s fast-paced business environment requires leaders who can create impact and influence others with sound communication practices. Stacey Hanke has trained over 15,000 executives to influence, persuade, sell, or simply effectively communicate face-to-fa...

Described as one of the most sought-after, engaging, thought-provoking, and truly transformative international speakers and scholars in her field, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is a multi-award-winning education and psychology instructor. She specializes in resilien...

More people have walked on the moon than have visited many of the places that Jill Heinerth has seen on Earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never-before-seen ecosystems inside giant Antarctic icebergs, ...

Beloved comedian Jessica Holmes has brought the house down opening for giants like Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Peters, Jerry Seinfeld, and Oprah Winfrey. She has also performed at Just For Laughs and The Second City, and starred in the hit comedy series, Royal Ca...

The co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement in Canada and Black Lives Matter – Toronto, Sandy Hudson is an activist, public intellectual, and an award-winning writer. She has a unique ability to distill complex ideas into manageable concepts and a tale...

After spending half her life striving to be the fastest person in the world, six-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes decided to switch gears and “slow down to the pace of a human being.” This led her to hike over 16,000 kilometres, where she discovered the ...

Nicknamed “the negotiator” since childhood, Fotini Iconomopoulos is an expert communicator with a passion for helping organizations and individuals get what they want. For the last decade, she has been helping Fortune 500 clients and audiences to achieve t...

Passionate about fintech, business, financial literacy, inclusion and diversity, and uncovering the behind-the-scenes stories of successful business minds, Chloé James has worked extensively as an emcee, panel facilitator, and interviewer. Her stage roles hav...

Jennifer Jones is Canada’s most decorated and recognizable female curler. She won an Olympic gold medal as skip of the Canadian team at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, just 18 months after having ACL surgery, and 15 months after becoming a mother for the fi...

An award-winning medical doctor, researcher, and expert on the neuroscience of adaptability, leadership, and motivation, Dr. Shimi Kang provides science-based solutions for health, happiness, and achievement. With 20 years of clinical experience and extensive ...