What does it take to lead through growth, disruption and constant change?
For Brittany Keenan, EY Canada Assurance Energy and Resources Leader and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Ontario Program Co-Director, the fundamentals of strong leadership remain remarkably consistent, whether you’re building an entrepreneurial venture or navigating the complexity of a global organization.
With two decades of experience advising public and private companies across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, Brittany has seen those fundamentals play out at every scale. Her work spans industries from energy and mining to technology, manufacturing and health care, while her role with EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Ontario brings her alongside some of the province’s most dynamic founders as they build, grow and adapt their businesses.
She is also a committed advocate for women in leadership and helping others advance in their careers. Across her professional and community leadership roles, a common thread runs through her approach: staying focused on what matters, creating opportunities for others and turning complexity into action.
In this interview, she shares what she has learned from leaders at both entrepreneurial ventures and global organizations, why sponsorship matters for advancing diverse talent, the qualities she sees in successful founders, and what leadership requires in a business environment increasingly shaped by innovation, sustainability and social responsibility.
1. How has your experience advising both entrepreneurial ventures and large global organizations shaped your perspective on the key leadership qualities needed to drive innovation and growth across different scales?
The core fundamentals of leadership remain consistent across organizations of any size, but how those fundamentals show up can look very different depending on scale.
Entrepreneurs often operate in environments defined by speed, uncertainty and constant change. In that context, leadership requires resilience, decisiveness and a high tolerance for ambiguity. Founders are often close to the customer, the product and the team, which allows them to move quickly, pivot when needed and turn challenges into opportunities. In large, complex organizations, leaders face a different set of dynamics. They must navigate multiple stakeholders, governance structures, broader risk considerations and competing priorities, which places a premium on alignment, influence and disciplined execution.
Across both environments, the most effective leaders are those who can combine strategic clarity with the ability to execute. They remain curious, open to new ways of thinking and grounded in the realities of the market. Whether you are leading a high-growth entrepreneurial venture or a large global enterprise, driving innovation and growth comes down to mobilizing people around a clear vision and then translating that vision into tangible outcomes.
2. As a champion for women in leadership and developing future leaders, what role do organizations play in creating pathways for diverse talent to advance into leadership positions, and what approaches have you seen work most effectively?
Organizations play a critical role in creating the conditions for diverse talent to grow, lead and succeed. Through my work with entrepreneurs, industry associations and leadership teams across sectors, I’ve seen meaningful progress, but there is still more to do to ensure leadership reflects the diversity of the communities, customers and markets organizations serve.
One of the areas where organizations can have the greatest impact is by moving beyond mentorship and creating true sponsorship. Mentorship is about guidance, but sponsorship creates opportunity. It means having leaders who actively open doors to critical experiences and help increase visibility when key decisions are being made.
The most effective approaches I’ve seen are intentional and sustained. That includes building diverse leadership pipelines early, providing meaningful development opportunities, creating transparency around advancement and ensuring leaders are accountable for fostering inclusive cultures. Just as important, it means expanding access to the networks, relationships and insights that can accelerate growth.
That belief is reflected in programs such as Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year®, Entrepreneurs Access Network and Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Community, which are designed to expand access to networks, visibility, mentorship and peer learning. I’ve seen firsthand how these connections can build momentum, unlock opportunities and help founders and leaders realize their full potential.
Meaningful change happens when organizations move beyond statements of commitment and embed inclusion into how they operate every day. It’s about creating systems where diverse perspectives are viewed not simply as a measure of representation, but as a source of innovation, stronger decision-making and long-term growth.
3. In your role as Co-Director of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ontario, what common traits or mindsets have you observed among the most successful entrepreneurs you’ve worked with?
I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the region’s most dynamic founders across industries and stages of growth. What stands out is that the most successful entrepreneurs are rarely defined by one trait. They can balance vision with execution, growth with responsibility and purpose with performance.
Resilience is one of the most consistent qualities I see. Entrepreneurs are building in environments that can shift quickly during economic uncertainty, changing customer expectations and technology disruption. The founders who thrive have real grit. They are ambitious, but also pragmatic. They know when to stay the course and when to adapt their business model without losing sight of the purpose that drives them.
I also see a strong customer-first mindset. Successful entrepreneurs stay close to the market and grounded in real needs. They are not just attached to an idea, but they are focused on solving meaningful problems and creating value for their communities.
Just as important, they understand that great ideas only matter if they can be executed. The ability to deliver consistently, build operational discipline and scale responsibly is often what differentiates promising businesses from truly sustainable ones.
The best entrepreneurs know they can’t build alone. They are intentional about attracting, empowering and retaining high-performing teams, and they create cultures where people feel ownership of the mission. In many ways, these are the qualities that the EY Entrepreneur Of The Yearprogram celebrates: leaders who combine vision, resilience and disciplined execution to create meaningful and lasting impact.
4. Drawing on your practical experience, how do you advise entrepreneurs and companies to navigate complex challenges during periods of rapid growth or market disruption?
When organizations are navigating rapid growth or market disruption, complexity can quickly become overwhelming. My advice is always to come back to clarity, focusing on their purpose, strategic priorities and what decisions matter most right now.
From there, I encourage leaders to break challenges into manageable, actionable components. Disruption often makes everything feel urgent, but not everything carries the same level of importance. The organizations that navigate these moments most effectively can identify the few critical priorities, sequence their actions and make thoughtful decisions at pace.
Financial and operational discipline are also essential, particularly during periods of rapid expansion. Growth can mask underlying vulnerabilities if leaders aren’t paying close enough attention to the fundamentals. Strong decision-making should be informed by data, scenario analysis and cross-functional insight, but it should also stay connected to frontline realities such as what customers are experiencing, what employees are seeing and where the business may be encountering friction.
I also emphasize the importance of building leadership teams with complementary strengths. During disruption, leaders need people around them who can challenge constructively, bring different perspectives and adapt quickly. The companies that succeed aren’t necessarily the ones that avoid disruption: they’re the ones that balance agility with discipline and turn change into an opportunity to strengthen the business.
5. How do you see leadership evolving to meet growing expectations around innovation, sustainability and social responsibility?
Business success is now measured more broadly than it was in the past. Organizations are expected to drive growth and innovation while demonstrating how they contribute to their employees, communities and the broader economy. As a result, sustainability, social impact and trust have become increasingly important considerations in strategic decision-making.
This shift is particularly evident among the entrepreneurs I work with. I’ve seen many founders have a clear purpose before developing the business itself as they look to solve problems and create a positive ripple effect. For these companies, profit isn’t their only driving force. It’s about building something that will have a lasting impact across their industry and community, while using technology and sustainable resources to address those real-world challenges and changing customer expectations.
At the same time, leaders are navigating a more complex operating environment. They must balance immediate business priorities with long-term transformation. Emerging technologies such as AI are accelerating this change, creating new opportunities while heightening the need for strong governance, sound judgment and thoughtful risk management.
The leaders who will succeed are those who can adapt to this complexity, embrace innovation responsibly and align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision. Ultimately, leadership today is about creating sustainable growth that delivers results, strengthens trust and generates lasting value both for organizations and for society.