Jeanne Beker
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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, Jeanne speaks on how she rose to the top of arts and culture media as the iconic host of TV’s Fashion Television, along with what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

Jeanne started her professional “show biz” career when she was just 16, when she moved to New York to study acting, and to Paris to study mime. In 1975, she found herself in St. John’s, Newfoundland, covering arts for CBC radio.

Three years later, Jeanne landed a job at Toronto’s CHUM radio. In 1979, she helped launch the ground-breaking series The New Music, on CITY TV, which she co-hosted for six years.  A founding member of MuchMusic, Jeanne continued to trail-blaze, and in 1985, launched the legendary Fashion Television, which she presented on in over 130 countries for 27 years.

A seasoned newspaper columnist and features writer, Jeanne was editor-in-chief of FQ and SIR magazines from 2003 to 2008; she has authored five books; and she is a frequent guest on myriad lifestyle shows.

Jeanne has been at the creative helm of numerous fashion lines under her own eponymous label, and since 2015, has been Style Editor for The Shopping Channel, where she currently hosts the series “Style Matters”.

Active with several charitable organizations, Jeanne received an honourary doctorate from St. Mary’s University, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Special Achievement Award from the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television, and a Crystal Award from Toronto Women in Film and Television.

In 2014, Jeanne was named to the Order of Canada, and she was inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Legends in 2015. She also received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2016, and an honorary doctorate from OCAD University in 2018.

Growing Up in the Shadow of the Holocaust

Children of survivors are left with legacies as powerfully daunting as they are inspiring.  As young Polish Jews, Jeanne Beker’s parents survived the Holocaust by their own wits and the kindness of strangers. After unspeakable loss and profound pain, they managed to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, and, in 1948, venture to a new country, Canada. They didn’t know the language, and had little more than the shirts on their backs but with dogged determination, hard work, courage, and faith, they eventually re-built their lives.

Jeanne, who grew up listening to her parent’s stories, attributes her personal and professional success to her upbringing. It taught her about fearlessness, tenacity, dreaming, believing, hard work, and, above all, resiliency.

*Available as a keynote or fireside chat

Jeanne Beker: Forging Her Own Path

From the outset of her career, Jeanne Beker was determined to “have it all.” She became a media trailblazer, known for keeping her listeners, viewers, and readers abreast of the shifting cultural landscape, reporting directly from the trenches.

In show business for 50 years now, Jeanne reflects on her distinctive multi-faceted, multi-media career as a fashion reporter, television personality, and creator of her own fashion lines. She accomplished all this while building her now internationally recognized brand — long before “personal branding” was a common buzz phrase — and raising her family.

Crediting her “nose to the grindstone” attitude and strong work ethic for her success, Jeanne Beker recounts the highs (and lows) of her life and career thus far, inspiring her audiences to dream big.

*Available as a keynote or fireside chat