Speakers / Types: Women of Influence ($5,001 - $10,000)
Women of Influence
It may be that the glass ceiling has yet to shatter, but our women of influence have dealt it a staggering number of cracks. From political figures and business leaders to sports stars and entertainers, these women have blazed paths for others to follow.
Susan Aglukark, O.C., LL.B
Award-Winning Inuk Singer/Songwriter
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...
Zahra Al-Harazi
Award-Winning Entrepreneur | Purpose-Driven Leadership Expert
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...
Maydianne Andrade
Expert on Creating Equitable Workplaces
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
Award-Winning Canadian Playwright | Diversity Expert
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...
Sally Armstrong
Human Rights Activist | Journalist | Author
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. ...
Pam August
Former Director, Culture Activation at WestJet
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...
Andrea Bain
News Anchor | TV Host | Podcaster | Author of Single Girl Problems
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...
Jeanne Beker
Iconic Fashion Journalist
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...
Dr. Lisa Bélanger
Behavioural Change Expert | Researcher
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...
Cheryl Bernard
Canadian Olympic Curler
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...
Jennifer Botterill
Three-Time Olympic Gold Medalist
Jennifer Botterill is one of Canada’s most successful athletes, achieving Olympic glory on numerous occasions. A member of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team for 14 years, she attended four Olympic games, winning three gold medals and one silver medal. T...
Sinead Bovell
Futurist | AI and Future of Work Expert
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...
Liane Davey
Expert on Building Effective Teams, Improving Communication, and Increasing Leadership Effectiveness
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...
Perdita Felicien
Olympian | Author | TV Host
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...
Mandy Gilbert
Entrepreneur, CEO, and Investor
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. ...
Jill Heinerth
Explorer-in-Residence, The Royal Canadian Geographical Society
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, ...
Jessica Holmes
Celebrated Comedian | Author | Mental Health Advocate
Beloved comedian Jessica Holmes has been a perennial favourite on Royal Canadian Air Farce for 15 years, and has brought the house down opening for giants such as Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Peters, Jerry Seinfeld, and Oprah Winfrey. Her hilarious take on life’...
Sandy Hudson
Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter, Canada | Political Activist | Podcaster
The founder of the Black Lives Matter movement presence 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 ...
Jennifer Jones
Skip of the 2014 Olympic Champion Curling Team
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...
Dr. Shimi Kang
Award-Winning Harvard-Trained Physician | Bestselling Author | Global Social Entrepreneur
An award-winning medical doctor, researcher, and expert on the neuroscience of adaptability, leadership, and self-motivation, Dr. Shimi Kang provides science-based solutions for health, happiness, and achievement. With 20 years of clinical experience and exten...
Tasha Kheiriddin
Bilingual Host, Moderator, and Media Commentator
If you’re looking for political insight, a strategic keynote, a polished moderator or MC, look no further than Tasha Kheiriddin. Fluently bilingual, Kheiriddin is a principal with Navigator Ltd., Canada’s leading high stakes strategic advisory and communic...
Giselle Kovary
Generational Expert | Organizational Performance Consultant
As president and co-founder of n-gen People Performance, Giselle Kovary is dedicated to building strategies and programs that help clients target, motivate, and engage employees in order to increase performance and productivity. She is a sought-after resource ...
Melissa Leong
Personal Finance Expert | National Media Personality | Bestselling Author
Melissa Leong is one of Canada’s best-loved authorities on personal finance. A sought-after speaker, national media personality, bestselling author, and award-winning writer, she is currently the resident money expert on CTV’s The Social, Canada...
Lainey Lui
Co-Host, The Social | Correspondent, etalk | Founder, LaineyGossip
Elaine “Lainey” Lui has been breaking entertainment news since the launch of her world-famous celebrity gossip website, LaineyGossip.com, and as a correspondent on CTV’s Canada’s #1 entertainment show, etalk. Also a co-host on CTV’s The Social, Laine...
Dr. Danielle Martin
Acclaimed Physician and Health Care Expert
Dr. Danielle Martin is on the frontlines of transforming the healthcare system. An internationally recognized health policy leader and executive, Martin is committed to revolutionizing healthcare to meet the demands of the 21st century. She speaks with passion...
Marnie McBean, O.C.
Canada’s Chef de Mission, 2020 Tokyo Olympics | Three-Time Olympic Gold Medalist
Marnie McBean is one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians, and an expert in turning potential into performance. As Canada’s chef de mission at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a former Specialist in Olympic Athlete Preparation and Mentoring for the Canadian Oly...
Jennifer Ménard-Shand
Indigenous-French-Canadian Entrepreneur
As an Indigenous French-Canadian entrepreneur, Jennifer Ménard-Shand always dreamed of leading a purpose-driven organization. Today, she lives that dream as the founder and CEO of Staff Shop, an award-winning, certified-diverse staffing and recruitment firm. ...
Dr. Janet Morrison
Leadership and Transformational Change Expert
Currently the President and Vice Chancellor of a large, multi-disciplinary post-secondary institution renowned globally for an ethos of trailblazing, Dr. Janet Morrison is an educator, thought leader, and change agent. She draws on her 35 years of experience l...
Dr. Samantha Nutt
Physician | Global Affairs | Founder, War Child Canada and War Child USA
For more than 20 years, Dr. Samantha Nutt has been on the frontlines of many of the world’s major crises. A medical doctor and founder of the internationally renowned non-profit War Child, she is one of the most recognized voices in the humanitarian arena an...
Anna Olson
Culinary Master | Host of Bake with Anna Olson
Anna Olson is Canada’s baking sweetheart. With her positive and common-sense approach in the kitchen, she has become one of the country’s most recognizable television chefs. Hosting the Food Network’s Bake with Anna Olson, Fresh with Anna Ols...
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Physician | Changemaker | Transformative Leadership | Advocate for Diversity and Inclusion
One of Time magazine’s “2021 Next Generational Leaders”, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa is a medical trailblazer spearheading change in healthcare and beyond. She is an accomplished physician, spoken word poet, and advocate for racialized and marginalized popula...
Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier
Resilience, Leadership, and Burnout Expert
Throughout her career in business management and psychology, Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier has spearheaded a national dialogue on the crucial issues of leadership resilience and workplace health. She is a bilingual, practicing psychologist with more than 20 yea...
Takara Small
Award Winning Technology Journalist & Podcaster
The multi-talented Takara Small helps audiences understand the technology reshaping our world. From AI and advanced robotics, to data and digital health, she offers a glimpse into the future balanced with what organizations can do today to drive growth. Her wo...
Sami Jo Small
Gold Medal-Winning Goalie with the Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Team
The night before the Olympic game, in the race to the gold medal, Sami Jo Small was told that she would not be on the ice. At first, she was devastated and angry, but eventually, she chose to rise above those feelings and embrace her new role with enthusiasm. ...
Barb Stegemann
Bestselling Author | CEO of Award-Winning Social Enterprise, The 7 Virtues Peace Perfumes
Barb Stegemann disrupted an entire industry from her garage, armed with only a personal Visa card and a dream to help people rebuild in war-ridden countries. Today, The 7 Virtues is an award-winning social enterprise and a leader in the clean and conscious bea...
Susan Stewart
The Lighter Side of Work and Life
Comedian Susan Stewart blends the wit and wisdom she’s known for with powerful messages about not taking life too seriously — especially in times of adversity and uncertainty. In her stand-up comedy style, Stewart shares ways to see the lighter side of lif...
Tanya Talaga
Award-winning Journalist | Author of Seven Fallen Feathers
Tanya Talaga is an award-winning Anishinaabe journalist and author. An acclaimed storyteller, she is the author of the national bestselling book, Seven Fallen Feathers, which introduced us to seven Indigenous high school students who mysteriously died in Thund...
Tina Varughese
Cross-Cultural Communication and Diversity Expert
An Indo-Canadian daughter of first generation East Indian parents, Varughese says her cultural background allows her to find “the best of both worlds” and shed light, knowledge, and, most importantly, universal humour into the changing workplace. H...
Nicole Verkindt
Tech Entrepreneur | Founder, OMX
Nicole Verkindt is passionate about leveraging the talents of entrepreneurs and innovation. Named “Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” by StartUp Canada in 2017, Verkindt has a knack for finding industry gaps and building innovative plat...
Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk
Eight-Time National Long Drive Golf Champion | Change and Peak Performance Specialist
How can you stay at the top of your game and perform at the highest level, year after year? Eight-time National Long Drive Champion Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk, went from being a high-handicap recreational golfer to a professional player who hits farther th...
Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Environmental, Cultural, and Human Rights Advocate
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier is in the business of transforming public opinion into public policy. Experienced in working with global decision-makers for more than a decade, Watt-Cloutier offers a new model for 21st century leadership. She sp...
Samra Zafar
Human Rights Activist | Social Entrepreneur | Bestselling Author
After escaping a decade of abuse living as a child bride in Canada, Samra Zafar has became a beacon of hope for many people facing exclusion, abuse, and gender-based violence. Now an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, and social entrepren...