The Women in Leadership Conference brings together professional women to discuss the challenges they face, exchange perspectives, and learn from peers and industry leaders.

The event provides an invaluable opportunity to hear industry leaders share best practices and insights to help women in leadership roles become more effective and be at the top of their game.

Join us at this in-person event. Learn, connect & reconnect – and have fun!

RHEA BROWN
Executive Vice-President, Customer Experience & Procurement
SaskPower

Developing a culture of innovation

Leadership can inspire innovation by shaping behaviours, recognizing and rewarding effort, and communicating the priority and support for innovation. Encouraging learning, flexibility, and creating space for new idea creation empowers people to challenge the current ways of doing business and adjust to meet the future needs and expectations. Businesses and industries are expected to be nimble, take risks in order to grow and compete, innovate, and change with the times. Doing all this while motivating employees to meet these expectations is no small feat, and leadership is at the heart of making the change.

• • Growing pockets of innovation….and comfort with risk
• • Openness to share and learn from missteps or failure
• • Support innovation with resources, recognition, and autonomy

JASMIN BROWN
Partner and Senior Vice President
BDO Canada LLP

Communicating clearly in an age of information overload

In an age of information overload, clear communication is a powerful leadership skill. As women navigate constant messages, competing priorities, and pressure to respond quickly, clarity becomes essential to being heard, understood, and respected. This session equips participants with practical strategies to communicate with confidence, reduce misunderstandings, and deliver messages that land with impact.

• • Structuring messages so your key point is clear fast
• • Simplifying complex ideas without losing credibility
• • Communicating clearly under time pressure and competing demands

MICHELLE SCHWARTZ
Director of Legislation, Policy and Planning
Saskatchewan Police Commission

Leading in a hybrid world

Discover actionable strategies for thriving in today’s evolving hybrid work environment from a public servant who has evolved alongside the hybrid work movement. This session is designed for professionals seeking practical solutions and tools to enhance collaboration, accountability, and trust in their teams, regardless of where they work. By the end of this session, you’ll walk away with:

• • Personal and practical insights into what’s worked, and what hasn’t, in a hybrid work environment
• • Proven work ‘hacks’ and tools to help streamline workflows, promote teamwork, and overcome common challenges in hybrid settings
• • Renewed confidence in approaching hybrid work with strategies that prioritize communication options and an accountability framework that builds trust and celebrates success

SHANNON WEATHERALL
Chief Financial Officer
Access Communications Co-operative Limited

Building trust with transparency

Trust is the foundation of strong partnerships and highly effective teams. It allows for learning and growth, the ability to move through challenges more effectively as a team and ultimately achieve stronger outcomes together. Trust and transparency are intertwined; when we lead through fear instead of trust, transparency is reduced. Modelling transparency as a leader sets the tone; being open about mistakes and lessons learned, sharing decision rationale and creating space for effective challenge and being consistent and authentic in how you show up are foundational elements to building trust, engaged employees and exceptional results.

• • Why trust is a leadership advantage
• • How transparency builds psychological safety
• • Why transparency in difficult moments matters most

TOBI STROHAN
CEO
Praxis Consulting Inc.

Driving engagement in the workplace

Employee engagement matters. EE is widely understood to drive productivity, innovation, and retention by fostering a workplace where employees feel valued and committed to the success of their organization. Pulling from her experience overseeing the HR function and leading diverse teams of colleagues, Tobi Strohan will explore:

• • How to gauge EE
• • How to cultivate an engaged workforce
• • How it can benefit your organization – a lot

TIFFINY POIRIER
Director, Registry Services
Information Services Corporation

Execution: The art of getting things done

Execution is where strategy meets reality, and where most initiatives either succeed or stall. This session explores how effective leaders turn clear intent into consistent action. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to strengthen execution across their organizations.

• • Translating strategy into clear, actionable priorities
• • Identifying and removing common barriers to execution
• • Creating habits that sustain momentum

DESIREE GERVAIS
Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Relations
Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority

Asserting with confidence: Communicating effectively while upholding core values

Women in leadership roles frequently navigate the challenge of expressing themselves with authority and clarity, while seeking to avoid misinterpretations of their confidence. In this session, Desiree Gervais offers practical strategies for presenting your viewpoint accurately and respectfully, particularly in critical situations. By leveraging her expertise and SIGA’s guiding principle of Tâpwêwin, which emphasizes precise and accurate communication from a business standpoint, you will gain practical, effective strategies for:

• • Professional communication
• • Boundary setting
• • Authentic leadership

CAROLYN VAN DER VEEN
Director, Strategic Communications
Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board

Seeing the storm: Building integrity in the quiet moment

“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man [woman] really is, give him [her] power. This is the supreme test.”  ~ Robert G. Ingersoll about Abraham Lincoln 

• • Seeing the storm
• • Faithfulness in the small things
• • The cost of alignment
• • The call to be prepared for your storm

TERA LOWRIE (Morning Chair)
Vice President, Consumer Advisors
Innovation Federal Credit Union

BARB GOTTSELIG (Afternoon Chair)
VP, Branch Operations & People
Harvard Western Insurance