Taryn Herritt and Angela Osborne’s vision for The Atelier, an inaugural conference that celebrates the best women in business, arose from an unofficial and unintentional brainstorming session in early summer 2017. Friends for years, they’d always admired one another’s business successes, in the corporate world and as entrepreneurs. While catching up over lunch that day, […]
With its facilities still located in the Northern French village where the brand was born, cosmetics company Yves Rocher is deeply committed to staying true to its roots — still sourcing high-quality botanicals, employing locals, and remaining accessible to the average woman. This authenticity is what originally attracted Nathalia Del Moral Fleury to the company. […]
Backed with a PhD in maternal-fetal toxicology, Dionne and her husband, a surgeon, researched the extensive advantages of herbal blends, experimented with fresh fruit combinations and in late 2013, launched DeeBee’s Organics delicious line of frozen treats. Their little homemade venture has grown and evolved and now DeeBee’s line of Organic FruitPops and SuperFruit Freezies […]
Jennifer Stewart’s entrepreneurial drive and self-proclaimed “overconfidence” led to her opening her own PR and government relations firm at just 25 years old. Through vision, leadership, and a whole lot of hustle, she’s built Syntax Strategic into an internationally recognized communications and business strategy firm and stands tall as one of Canada’s top communication-leaders. […]
Chanele McFarlane Founder, Do Well Dress Well As the founder of Do Well Dress Well, Chanele McFarlane believes in bridging the gap between competence and confidence for millennial women. Through content, community and opportunities focused on personal branding, networking, style and professional development, her goal is for every woman to live confidently and […]
Kristin Agnello Chair of the Commonwealth Women in Planning Network This year, Kristin Agnello was appointed Chair of the Commonwealth Women in Planning Network, a subsidiary committee of the The Commonwealth Association of Planners, which seeks to focus and develop the skills of urban and regional planners across the Commonwealth to meet the […]
Jennifer Bernard President & CEO, Women’s College Hospital Foundation This summer, Women’s College Hospital Foundation announced its new President & CEO, Jennifer Bernard. With over 20 years of experience as a fundraising executive, as well as the role of Vice President of Development for McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation and stints at Ontario Science […]
Carly Fleischmann YouTube Personality In January 2018, Carly Fleischmann swapped spots with Stephen Colbert, becoming the first nonverbal person with autism to guest-host The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Fleischmann, who has used a computer to communicate since she was ten years old, isn’t new to the interviewer seat: she hosts her own […]
Jana Girdauskas Entrepreneur A teacher by day, Jana Girdauskas started The Period Purse with one idea: one purse filled with menstrual supplies and other hygiene items to give to someone experiencing homelessness. In the spring of 2018, Girdauskas and a teenage volunteer created Menstruation Nation, a high school program to help highlight menstrual […]
Kehkashan Basu Environmental & Children’s Rights Activist Empowering young people like herself is Kehkashan Basu’s passion. In 2012, at just 12 years old, she started Green Hope Foundation, a youth organisation working on Education for Sustainable Development, children’s rights and environmental protection, with the goal of empowering young people to utilize their power […]
Mandy Rennehan Founder & CEO, Freshco Hailing from the tiny fishing town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Mandy Rennehan’s career journey took off when, at 18, she packed her hockey bag and moved to Halifax. Since then, she has self-built her boutique retail construction firm, Freshco, from the ground up, earning millions of dollars […]
Anna Mackenzie & Ella Gorevalov Co-authors of The Expecting Playbook When they realized that the majority of tech start-ups were not only vague and noncommittal about their parental leave policies, but actually didn’t have policies in place at all, Anna Mackenzie and Ella Gorevalov decided to help usher in a change. So, they […]
Chrystia Freeland Minister of Foreign Affairs Included on this list for the second year in a row, for the last year Chrystia Freeland has been one of the hardest working Ministers in the Canadian government. With a once harmonious relationship with the United States facing a more tenuous future, her role as the […]
Dr. Alaa Murabit Physician & International Peace Advocate Born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Dr. Alaa Murabit has eclipsed her wildest dreams and achieved worldwide recognition for her roles as a physician and leading international advocate for inclusive peace processes. At 28 years old, she is a UN High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment […]
Eileen Jurczak Founder & Chair, Bay Street Deconstructed Eileen Jurczak is the Founder and Chair of Bay Street Deconstructed, a non-profit organization that is defining the future by opening the exclusive doors to financial services for girls from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. The program structure, boasting a curriculum informed by a team […]
Brenda Lucki Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police When Brenda Lucki’s career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police began over three decades ago, there were no women in leadership positions. Today, as the first female permanent leader of the RCMP, Lucki is finally at the top. Selected by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for her […]
Jessica Yamoah & Sarah Juma Co-founders, Innovate Inclusion Jessica Yamoah and Sarah Juma are the founders of Innovate Inclusion, a non-profit that advocates for the entrepreneurial success of underrepresented communities. Their mission is easily summed up in three words: Engage, Advocate, Educate. They foster awareness around the importance of inclusive community engagement; advocate […]
Sage Paul Fashion Designer Based in Toronto, Sage Paul is a woman of Dene descent, and a member of English River First Nation; she is also an artist, designer and innovative leader for Indigenous fashion, craft and textiles. Inspired by her own inability to find a place to showcase her work, in 2018 […]
Jodi Kovitz Chief Executive Officer & Founder, #MoveTheDial For Jodi Kovitz, fostering a more inclusive and diverse STEM ecosystem is less about talking about the problems, and more about action. That’s why her organization, #MoveTheDial, embodies one simple principle: making a measurable impact on women’s participation — and success — in STEM. Built […]
rupi kaur Author In an era when becoming an Instagram influencer is now a viable career option, rupi kaur leverages the power of the social media platform to disseminate her message, one that runs deeper than dreamy vacation and vibrant food photography: kaur, a Brampton, Ontario native, has become an international sensation for […]
Jana Girdauskas Entrepreneur A teacher by day, Jana Girdauskas started The Period Purse with one idea: one purse filled with menstrual supplies and other hygiene items to give to someone experiencing homelessness. In the spring of 2018, Girdauskas and a teenage volunteer created Menstruation Nation, a high school program to help highlight menstrual […]
Kate McInturff Policy Analyst Early this year, The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives mourned the loss of feminist researcher and scholar Kate McInturff after a three-year battle with cancer. Known by staff, board and partners as a feminist trailblazer in public policy and gender-based research, McInturff’s annual report, “The Best and Worst Places […]
Jessica Platt Professional hockey player Since she was a child, Jessica Platt has known that she was meant to be a woman. Yet it wasn’t until January of this year that the professional hockey player decided it was time to be fully open with the world, despite fears of judgement, criticism, and harassment. […]
Roberta Jamieson President & CEO, Indspire “Trailblazing” is the most apt description of Roberta Jamieson’s long career. A Mohawk woman from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, in 1976 she became the first Indigenous woman ever to earn a law degree in Canada. She was the first non-Parliamentarian to be appointed […]
Mylene Tu Founder, FEM in STEM This 18–year-old engineering student from the University of Waterloo is helping to bridge the gender gap within STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). In April of 2018, Mylene Tu founded FEM in STEM, a social enterprise that acts as a hub of resources for young girls to engage […]
Janice Fukakusa Chancellor, Ryerson University This year, Ryerson University appointed Janice Fukakusa as its Chancellor, making her the first woman to ever hold the position. A financial services expert, innovation champion and diversity leader, Fukakusa will be the ceremonial head of the university, act as an ambassador for Ryerson on local, national and […]
Tessa Virtue Figure Skater & Olympic Gold Medalist Tessa Virtue is a household name not only in Canada, but around the world. Having won not one, but two Olympic Gold Medals for ice dancing in 2010 and 2018 (plus a third as part of the 2018 Canadian figure skating team), and setting a […]
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