This year marks the 27th year of recognizing the top women entrepreneurs in Canada. We are thrilled to be celebrating another influential collection of business owners. Representing diverse industries and business sizes, and hailing from across the country — here are the 2019 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award Finalists. This was a record-breaking […]
Marcela Geer made the leap from an ascending career in finance to start up her passion project in hospitality — a Latin catering and food truck company, El Bosco Catering. Marcela shares her story on how a mashup of experience is fertile ground for a self-made career, and the lessons she’s learned so far as […]
With her startup, The Good Cup Project, Kate Tyshchenko is trying to solve the problem of single-use plastic pollution, developing a travel mug with cutlery seamlessly fitted inside its walls. It’s her third venture; Kate previously founded a startup that connects people over home-cooked meals (think Airbnb for dinners), and she still advises corporations on […]
Nicole Bach was born out of witnessing a gap in the market for suiting and wanting to change that with a service tailored to women. The founders Jasmine Janowski (pictured left), Okasana Ringsma (pictured right) and John Chao (not pictured) came together while working for a luxury retail banner, after discovering they shared similar experiences […]
Elaine Kunda is the founder and managing partner of Disruption Ventures, Canada’s first private venture fund focused solely on women entrepreneurs. It has been a long — and strategically planned — journey for Elaine; here’s how (and why) she did it. By Sarah Kelsey If you were to ask most entrepreneurs […]
For the first seven years of her life, Gaia Orion spent her time mostly barefoot in Africa, this provided the foundation for her love of nature and aspiration for living free. She studied and graduated in Paris as an architect before moving to Canada, becoming a self-made entrepreneur, and a mother of three. In just ten […]
The job title of Chief Technology Officer isn’t usually associated with diversity and inclusion initiatives — but Rahul Sekhon, CTO at Sun Life, sees things differently. A passionate advocate and ally for women, people of colour, indigenous people, and individuals with disabilities (among others), Rahul is using tech to contribute to a broader strategy of […]
Leadership is a complex ideology, with so many different forms and approaches. It’s common to worry about whether or not you are an effective leader — however, with an array of tools and resources at our fingertips, we can lay those anxieties to rest, and be the leaders we were born to be. Stephania Varalli […]
As a professor of organizational behaviour at Smith School of Business, Jana Raver looks at how people overcome the challenges of starting a business. Jana has identified three factors that predict the likelihood a business owner will excel or fail. She explains why these matter, and what entrepreneurs can do to succeed. By Hailey Eisen […]
Kristal has enjoyed a career of almost two decades in the financial industry, specializing in risk management, global transaction banking, and financial regulations. In her current role as SVP Innovation & Insights at Scotiabank, she is responsible for responding to the needs of the market by partnering across Scotiabank to accelerate strategic priorities powered by […]
A serial entrepreneur Elaine has successfully built teams and realigned business strategies for over 15 years. She recently launched Disruption Ventures, a Venture Capital fund that invests in female-founded and managed companies. This was a natural progression for Elaine as she has spent the past 6 years consulting and advising start-ups and early-stage companies, helping […]
Nikki Csek, CEO and co-founder of Csek Creative and NowMedia, is passionate about people. She has cultivated and encouraged a community of diverse people, with various expertise, that has enabled her to thrive in business. She is the current president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, and has served on boards for many local businesses […]
When she first launched Abeego, Toni Desrosiers was met with skepticism — people couldn’t imagine giving up plastic wrap. She persevered through the challenge of creating a new market, and now the award-winning entrepreneur can boast years of explosive growth, and her reusable beeswax wrap can be found in more than 1,500 stores, 40 countries […]
Self-identity has an important role in shaping each of our lives, it’s a process that develops over a lifetime. For Scotiabank Program Manager, Jessica McKenzie, an instrumental moment in her journey to self-discovery was finding out about her First Nations heritage. After becoming aware, Jessica took many steps to understand and celebrate Indigenous culture from […]
Emily Mutch is the Tissue Culture Lab Manager at FIGR, a legal cannabis company whose recreational cannabis products are available in a variety of provinces across Canada. With a degree in Biology from the University of Prince Edward Island, and strong family history in farming, Emily is passionate about pursuing a career in botany and […]
At just 10 years old, Madison was selected to perform at the Havelock Country Jamboree, a music festival drawing an audience of 30,000 people. Madison’s passion for music eventually led her to Nashville, where she has since worked diligently to hone her craft. When asked about her songwriting style, she responded, “I write music with […]
As a woman constantly travelling for work, Kristi Soomer struggled to find versatile clothing that would allow her to pack less on trips. So she launched Encircled. The clothing line began with just one product — a cardigan that can be worn eight different ways. Now, Kristi’s company offers over 40 different designs, employs more […]
Coined by Anjuan Simmons, the term ‘lending privilege’ describes using your own position or power to help underrepresented or disadvantaged groups. What does it look like in action? We spoke to Matthew Jefferson, who walked from BC to Newfoundland to raise awareness on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, and Jordan Hart, who […]
Nouhaila Chelkhaoui is the founder of Scale Without Borders one-stop-shop for newcomer tech entrepreneurs in Canada. As an immigrant in tech, her mission is to build a strong and bright community of newcomer tech entrepreneurs and make Canada the #1 startup destination in the world. Nouhaila is also a Programs Lead for the DMZ at […]
A busy career in finance might not seem ideal for taking on extra-curricular activities, and yet Allison Grafton somehow found the time to manage 15 home builds and renovations while working as an investment banker. The passion that inspired this “hobby” eventually led her to change her path completely, and at the age of 40, […]
The idea of predicting the future might sound like a sci-fi plot but Keren Moynihan, Co-founder and CEO of Boss Insights, is helping private companies predict performance in real-time using AI. She is an advocate for data privacy, creating AI that unites rather than divides society and collaborative approaches to democratizing access to capital. We […]
At a time when the next best option is just a few simple clicks away, building a successful online profile is critical for companies and the entrepreneurs behind them. Jess Hunichen and Emily Ward, co-founders of Shine PR and Shine Influencers, share their proven advice for creating a brand image. By Jess […]
Victoria Sopik and Jennifer Nashmi Co-founders, Kids and Company Winners, Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, CENTRAL When Victoria Sopik and Jennifer Nashmi cofounded Kids & Company in 2002, their aim was to disrupt the traditional way childcare had been offered by launching as an emergency back-up centre. Their success came after a crucial […]
As Group Head at BMO Wealth Management, BMO Financial Group, Joanna Rotenberg is one of the bank’s most senior women leaders. She’s on BMO’s Executive Committee, sits on several boards, is active in the community, and is also a mother of three. How did she do it? We asked Joanna to share the key lessons […]
During our recent trip to Singapore for the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network Summit, we caught up with Angela Fox, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Dell Australia & New Zealand. In this role, she leads the commercial and public sector strategy and direction of the business while maintaining a commitment to keeping customers at the […]
Pride month might be over but LGBT+ visibility is needed all year round. Meet LGBT Ally Maddy Falle, producer and the Development Manager at Gearshift Films, before taking on this role she worked on television shows like Hockey Wives, NHL Revealed, and Workin’ Moms. In 2015 she was a producer on the viral short film Gay […]
Maryann Turcke knows that her collection of career job titles seems out of the ordinary. But in the details, her path becomes clear. During her career, Maryann has moved up, down, sideways and even made a right turn, with an MBA from Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, to get to her current job […]
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