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Adeola Adebayo (Senior Managing Director, Sustainable Investments of Canada Life)

Adeola Adebayo

Senior Managing Director, Sustainable Investments of Canada Life
Brenda Andress (Founder and President of SheIS and SheIS Sports Network)

Brenda Andress

Founder and President of SheIS and SheIS Sports Network

A strategic entrepreneur, Brenda Andress is the founder and President of SheIS and SheIS Sports Network . SheIS a not for profit was established to leverage the power of women’s sports and to create a future of, by, and for, women.

SheIS sports network a for profit will launch later this year as a mobile platform giving fans of women’s sports one destination to get all the content they love from their favorite sports around the world. The app will aggregate content and create all-new global women's sports coverage with live streaming, clips, stats, betting, community engagement, and more.

Prior to launching SheIS, Brenda was the Commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Professional Hockey League, (CWHL). For over 12 seasons, Brenda shaped and led the CWHL’s vision by creating the world’s most exceptional women's professional hockey league. In 2013, Brenda was recognized with a Women of Distinction award by the YWCA for her work in championing accessibility and diversity in sport. The magazine Hockey News named Brenda one of The Powers of the Future, in their annual Power and Influence issue. In 2014, Brenda was named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women by WXN. She was also named one of the Most Influential Women by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport twice, in 2014 and 2015. Hockey News honored Brenda a second time in 2018, naming her as one of top 100 influencers in the game of hockey.

Brenda is recognized as a global thought leader and champion of female sports.

Dominique Anglade (Vice President & President Elect at International Women's Forum (IWF) Canada)

Dominique Anglade

Vice President & President Elect at International Women's Forum (IWF) Canada

Dominique Anglade is a transformative leader and operational executive with over 25 years of experience in the public and private sector.

After her election to the National assembly of Quebec (2015), Dominique was quickly appointed Minister of the Economy, Science and innovation (2016-2018) and later Depute Premier of Québec (2017-2018) with a mandate to steer Québec's economy towards significant changes in innovation. Drawing on her expertise in organizational change management at McKinsey & co (2005-2012), she drove transformative programs injecting more than a billion dollars into the automation, robotization and digitalization of Quebec companies and made historic investments to propel artificial intelligence in Quebec. On the strength of these achievements, Dominique subsequently became Leader of the Liberal Party of Québec (2020-2022) where she expanded the party platform to include green economy and social reforms.

Dominique’s ability to drive transformational economic change is grounded in her deep operational experience. Over her career she held a variety of leadership roles in manufacturing (Procter & Gamble 1996-2000), in technology (Nortel Networks 2000-2004), and as CEO of economic development corporation Montreal International (2013-2015). At the later, she guided the organization to secure over a record $1.6B in investment which more than doubled historical performance of the company.

With almost all of her roles being historical firsts for either women or people of color, Dominique deeply appreciates the need for societal transformation as well. She co-founded KANPE in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake to support the rebuilding of Haiti. KANPE has since helped over 12,000 Haitians to achieve economic self-sufficiency, social advancement, and educational progression. Dominique has also served on more than a dozen boards such as the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Centraide of Greater Montreal and the CHU Ste-Justine Hospital Foundation.

Dominique’s economic, social and political leadership has been recognized by 20 awards and prizes including the Tribute from the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec for her exceptional contribution to the profession (2011), being named Young Global Leader by the Davos Economic Forum (2014) and awarded the Prix Mérite, the highest distinction awarded by the Foundation and Alumni of Polytechnique Montréal (2017).

She holds a bachelor in industrial engineering from Polytechnique Montréal and an MBA from HEC Montréal. Dominique is happily married and the mother of three teenagers who keep her on the toes.

Cathy Bennett (Founding and Managing Partner at Sandpiper Ventures)

Cathy Bennett

Founding and Managing Partner at Sandpiper Ventures

With over 35 years of business leadership, her own company Bennett Group of Companies grew from a small group of service businesses to operations in commercial and industrial construction, industrial manufacturing, human resource support, service, retail, industrial supply, and real estate investments and operations.

She is also one of the founders and General Partners of Sandpiper Ventures, a venture capital fund created and launched to invest in women and women’s innovation as a proactive and profitable business decision. Sandpiper was one of the first venture funds in Canada investing in women-led companies at the seed stage.
Focused on supporting start-ups Cathy is an associate fellow with the Creative Destruction Lab, and a board member with Propel ICT, Atlantic Canada’s Virtual Accelerator, a mentor with the Pei BioAlliance.

She has served on more than a dozen private and public corporate boards with interests in real estate, natural resources, energy, manufacturing, industrial construction, technology, and business services.

First elected in 2013 as a Member of the Newfoundland & Labrador House of Assembly, Cathy served in Cabinet as Minister of Finance, President of Treasury Board, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Imogen Coe (Professor of Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU))

Imogen Coe

Professor of Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)

Dr. Imogen R. Coe is a professor of Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and an affiliate scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. She is an active researcher and former academic leader, being the founding dean of the Faculty of Science at TMU. Dr. Coe is also an award-winning scholar-activist in Canada with respect to the integration of principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) into research cultures in science. She is a member of IWFC Toronto Chapter.

Carol Devenny (CFO at Equality Fund)

Carol Devenny

CFO at Equality Fund

Carol is the CFO of Equality Fund - a Canadian Not-for-Profit/ Registered Charity whose mission is to robustly resource women’s rights organizations and feminist movements around the globe by raising funds through bilateral grant agreements and philanthropic donations. Carol joined Equality Fund to further her life time passion for helping women when she retired as a partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) in June 2020. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of State Street Canada Trust Company Canada where she chairs the Finance and Audit Committee Chair. Carol served on the IWF Canada Board for two years and is currently a member of IWF Canada and IWF Barbados. Carol has over 40 years of experience as a professional accountant including many years in the financial services industry. She also has a long history of volunteering on Not for Profit Boards where she has often chaired Audit Committees. She obtained her ICD.D in 2017 and completed the Women’s Director Development Program at Kellogg/Northwestern in 2019. Carol was named one of WXN’s Top 100 Women in 2014.

Mirella Di Blasio (President and Founder of Lulu Événements)

Mirella Di Blasio

President and Founder of Lulu Événements

Mirella est la Présidente et fondatrice de l'agence événementielle Lulu Événements. Depuis 2003, notre agence a permis à des centaines d’entreprises et d’organisations de se démarquer auprès de leurs clients, de mobiliser l’engagement de leurs employés, de reconnaître les talents, de répondre à mille et un objectifs, et, assurément, de passer un moment énergisant. Un événement est devenu un outil de communication incontournable pour reconnecter les gens entre eux ! Elle est italienne et autochtone.

Mirella is the President and founder of Lulu Événements, an event management agency. Since 2003, her agency has helped hundreds of companies and organisations stand out from the crowd, mobilize employee commitment, recognize talent, meet a thousand and one objectives and, most certainly, have an energizing time. An event has become an essential communication tool for reconnecting people! She is half Italian, and half Indigenous.

Sarah Gravel (Artist)

Sarah Gravel

Artist

Artist / artiste
Comédienne secrète / secret actor
Rêveuse / dreamer
Images poétiques / poetic images

Krystal Henry-Mathieu (Energy and Carbon Solutions Analyst at WalterFedy)

Krystal Henry-Mathieu

Energy and Carbon Solutions Analyst at WalterFedy

Krystal Henry-Mathieu is an Energy and Carbon Solutions Analyst at WalterFedy and a recent graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University, earning her master’s degree in Environmental Applied Science and Management.

Krystal is also the founder of BLK Women in STEM, a social outreach program that aims to reduce the many barriers that black youth face in their pursuit of careers in STEM. Along with this initiative, she publishes STEM Magazine which features amazing and accomplished Black women in STEM from across the globe to increase visibility but also to help connect Black youth with potential mentors.

Julia Kearley (PhD student in the Experimental Psychology program at McGill University)

Julia Kearley

PhD student in the Experimental Psychology program at McGill University

Julia is a PhD student in the Experimental Psychology program at McGill University, supervised by Dr. Natasha Rajah, Professor and CRC Tier 1 at Toronto Metropolitan University and Adjunct Faculty at McGill University. Motivated by the historical lack of representation of females in research, Julia is committed to advancing our understanding of women's health. Her research focuses on exploring how menopause, a significant milestone in healthy aging for females, may influence brain function and cognitive trajectories. Further, Julia seeks to uncover the individual differences that account for varying cognitive experiences during menopause among females.

Mary Larson (Partner at MNP)

Mary Larson

Partner at MNP

Mary Larson, ICD.d, is a Partner with MNP’s Consulting Services group in Montreal. Mary helps clients clarify and build alignment around their strategies, build leadership capacity and embed cultures that foster outstanding execution.

Mary is particularly focused on working with C-suite executives and CEOs. Drawing on her extensive business experience and skill in asking the right questions, Mary helps clients become more effective in aligning their teams around their work, and successfully addressing the issues that drive both behavior and culture.

Mary has worked with clients across North and South America, Europe and Asia, including the Business Development Bank of Canada, Bosch / Siemens, Cirque du Soleil, Duke Power, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s and Western Union. She has held senior executive positions with McDonald’s Corporation in the U.S. and Alcan in Canada.


Mary Larson, IAS.A est associée au sein du groupe Consultation de MNP à Montréal. Mary aide ses clients à clarifier leur vision, puis à aligner leurs actions sur celle-ci tout en veillant à renforcer le leadership et à développer une culture d’entreprise favorisant une exécution sans faille des stratégies adoptées. Dans chacun de ses mandats, elle tient compte des questions commerciales et stratégiques cruciales. Elle s’arrête sur les problèmes liés à la culture d’entreprise, au personnel et à la dynamique d’équipe qui pourraient nuire au déploiement des plans les plus soigneusement élaborés.

Mary sert particulièrement les hauts dirigeants et les chefs de direction. Mary sait poser les bonnes questions à ses clients au sujet de leur organisation et de leurs activités, et elle se sert de sa riche expérience du monde des affaires pour les aider à mieux rallier leurs équipes autour du travail à accomplir sans négliger les questions plus abstraites qui ont une influence sur les pratiques et la culture d’entreprise.
En plus d’avoir assisté des clients en Amérique du Nord, en Amérique du Sud, en Europe et en Asie, elle a été associée principale chez A.T. Kearney, Monitor Group et Oliver Wyman. Au fil des années, elle a notamment servi la Banque de développement du Canada, Bosch/Siemens, le Cirque du Soleil, CGI, CN, Duke Power, le Groupe Dynamite, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, McKesson Canada, Serta Simmons Bedding et Western Union.
Elle a également occupé des postes de haute direction chez McDonald’s Corporation aux États-Unis et chez Alcan et Culinar au Canada. Sa carrière au sud de la frontière canadienne a débuté au Boston Consulting Group, tandis qu’au Canada, elle a fait ses premières armes chez McKinsey & Company.

D’origine américaine, elle vit à Montréal depuis 1981 et y travaille dans les deux langues officielles. Bachelière avec spécialisation de l’Université de Princeton, Mary a complété une maîtrise en administration des affaires à la Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Mary possède le titre IAS.A de la Rotman School. Elle est présidente du conseil d’administration de l’École d’éducation permanente de l’Université McGill, et elle siège au conseil de Cancer de la prostate Canada et occupe la vice-présidence du Club Universitaire de Montréal. Elle a aussi siégé aux conseils d’administration de l’Opéra de Montréal, d’Action contre la faim et de YMCA Montréal métropolitain, et a cofondé le Forum international des femmes au Canada.

Valerie McMurtry (Senior not-for-profit executive)

Valerie McMurtry

Senior not-for-profit executive

Valerie is a senior not-for-profit executive who has worked with leading Canadian charities. She has a personal passion for organizations supporting children and youth at risk. Working within complex, multi-stakeholder institutions and national networks, she has proven strategic capacities to lead organizations in achieving their goals. Valerie has extensive experience in working with boards, marketing and brand development, donor and volunteer relationships, co-designing programs for impact, measurement and evaluation and the execution of major fundraising programs. Valerie has distinguished herself as a leader in her sector by; securing a transformational gift leading to an institutional name change, and overseeing a successful foundation merger.

Magnolia Perron (Indigenous Women and Youth Program Manager at National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association)

Magnolia Perron

Indigenous Women and Youth Program Manager at National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association

Magnolia Perron is the Indigenous Women and Youth Program Manager at the National Aboriginal
Capital Corporations Association (NACCA). She holds a Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Policy and
Administration from Carleton University and a Masters in Indigenous Nationhood at the University of Victoria where she focused on entrepreneurship and economic development in Indigenous communities.

Magnolia has experience in advocacy, research, policy, and program development and has worked with many Indigenous non-profit organizations including the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) and the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC). Magnolia is from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and a proud member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.

Julie Quenneville (CEO of UHN Foundation)

Julie Quenneville

CEO of UHN Foundation

Julie Quenneville is Chief Executive Officer of the University Health Network (UHN) Foundation. Her career began in the public domain, first as a journalist in television, radio and print and, in 2003, as Associate Chief of Staff to Philippe Couillard, then Minister of Health and Social Services of Quebec.

Ms. Quenneville accepted a senior management role at the MUHC in 2005. Over the next decade, she took on increasingly senior positions including Chief of Strategic Planning and in 2008, Director of Development and Marketing.

Ms. Quenneville was appointed President and CEO of the MUHC Foundation in 2015, where she spearheaded a transformation of the charitable organization resulting in a 350% increase in annual revenue, and a growth of the donor community by more than 2,500%.

She is past Chair of the Banff Forum, and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the 2024 President’s Cup, the international PGA tournament, which will be played in Montreal.

She is a proud mentor, particularly passionate about empowering young women. Julie has been named a TOP 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, Concordia Top 50 under 50, Montreal’s Women We Admire 2023 & Toronto’s Women We Admire 2024.

Nadine Spencer (Founder and CEO of BrandEQ Magnolia Perron, Indigenous Women and Youth Program Manager, National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association)

Nadine Spencer

Founder and CEO of BrandEQ Magnolia Perron, Indigenous Women and Youth Program Manager, National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association

Nadine Spencer is the founder and CEO of BrandEQ Agency, a global firm specializing in social
change marketing and public relations. She has a proven track record in accelerating brand
visibility and strategic growth through multi-tiered corporate campaigns for a diverse client
portfolio. Nadine pioneered BrandEQ's cultural sensitivity arm, BrandEQ Black, which examines
racial biases in advertising and marketing, generating long-term value for clients and societal
change through her "People Matter" strategy.

Nadine's role as the past President (2017-2021) and former CEO (2021-2023) of the Black
Business and Professional Association (BBPA) was instrumental in driving the organization's
growth and enhancing its brand visibility. Under her leadership, Nadine spearheaded
groundbreaking initiatives to improve Black business visibility and address long-standing
structural inequities. She is an accomplished businesswoman, entrepreneur, and community
leader who remains dedicated to advancing Canada's Black community through equity and
programming initiatives.

Nadine is an active member of several prominent organizations, including sitting on the Toronto
Police Services Board, where she co-chairs the Anti-Racism Advisory Panel and serves on the
Budget Committee. She also serves on the board of the Canadian Association of Police
Governance and chair of the Revenue Committee.

Nadine is committed to empowering women in entrepreneurship, serving on the Advisory
Committee for Accelerating Women Entrepreneurs, a US organization co-founded by the CEO of
Wholefoods John McKay. She is also the Vice Chair and Co-Founder of the Federation of African
Canadian Economics(FACE) where she sits on the budget committee. She is also a member of
the Board of Governors at York University where she serves on the External Network and
Governance Committee, contributing to the university's growth and inclusivity.

Recognized for her philanthropic efforts and contributions to society, Nadine has received
accolades such as the Harry Jerome Business Award, the United Nations Volunteer Award, and
the CGA Businesswoman of the Year award in 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Political Science with Honors from York University. Her dedication to fostering inclusion and
representation of diverse communities extends to her role as a member of the Toronto Star
community advisory panel.