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...

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....

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Motivated by her passion to correct societal “isms” like racism, sexism, and classism, it’s Risha Grant’s personal mission to show the value of diversity and inclusion, as well as the economic impact it creates. From her race, gender, and lifestyle cho...

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 ...

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 ...

Katty Kay is an award-winning journalist and news anchor who brings an instinctively global perspective to her observations on American politics and global affairs. She spent nearly 30 years with BBC News as a reporter and then news anchor, where she reported ...

For nearly 20 years, Polly LaBarre has worked to embolden and equip leaders to ramp up originality, invention, and game-changing disruption. Co-author of Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win and founding team member of Fast Company ma...

Colonel Nicole Malachowski defies stereotypes. The first woman pilot on the Thunderbirds, a combat veteran, and a White House Fellow, her distinguished 21-year Air Force career exceeded her wildest dreams. But the dream came to a quick end when a devastating t...

Nilofer Merchant is a renowned business strategist and innovator on a mission to reinvent work so that it actually works. A bestselling author, TED mainstage speaker, and recipient of the “Future Thinker” Award from Thinkers 50, Merchant says few companies...

Pamela Meyer’s mission is to help people get to the truth. Extensively trained in the use of visual cues and psychology to detect deception, Meyer teaches audiences how to go from lie-spotting to truth-seeking to trust-building. Her riveting TED Talk, Ho...

Tech titan Michele Romanow is a serial entrepreneur who started six companies before her 35th birthday. A “Dragon” on CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den, Romanow is the co-founder and CEO of Canadian unicorn, Clearco. Clearco has invested more than $3.2B into...

A vocal powerhouse, Serena Ryder is a platinum-selling artist whose raw and earnest songwriting and beautifully electric live performances have made her a favourite amongst fans, peers, and critics alike. She has received numerous accolades, including the pres...

Jade Simmons is a creator of transformational experiences designed to activate audiences into becoming the biggest, boldest version of themselves possible. The world-class concert artist has been called a “musical force of nature” with an “un...

Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal is a leading global authority on resilience, well-being, and mental health. Previously the head of executive leadership development and talent strategy at Nike, she is now the founder and chief resilience officer of the Resilience Lead...

Nicole Stott has explored from the heights of outer space to the depths of our oceans. She has dedicated her life to sharing her spaceflight experience and the beauty of Earth with others. She believes that sharing the orbital and inner space perspectives has...

The winner of three Olympic gold medals — five medals in total — Tessa Virtue is one of the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history. She, with her partner Scott Moir, has skated into the hearts of people around the world after becoming the younges...

Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser is considered one of the best female hockey players in the world. Seven world championships, six Olympic appearances, five Olympic medals — she is a titan of sport and a leader both on and off the ice. Today, Wickenheiser is the Senio...