The Women in Leadership Conference brings together professional women to explore today’s leadership challenges, exchange perspectives, and learn from peers and industry leaders.

The event provides an invaluable opportunity for women in leadership roles to gain insights and strategies that will help them become more effective leaders and thrive in today’s evolving workplace.

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

KENDRA MACDONALD (Keynote Speaker)
Chief Executive Officer
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster

Responsible decision-making

Responsible decision-making is the ability to make informed, thoughtful decisions that balance opportunities, risks, and long-term impacts. It combines critical thinking, sound judgment, and accountability to help leaders navigate complexity with confidence. By using a disciplined and informed decision-making approach, leaders strengthen trust, improve outcomes, and create lasting value.

• • Evaluate opportunities, risks, and trade-offs using a structured decision-making process
• • Incorporate diverse perspectives and consider long-term consequences before acting
• • Make transparent, accountable decisions that build trust and support sustainable organizational outcomes

LISA BRAGG
Director, Business Development and Marketing
St. John’s International Airport Authority

Leading authentically

Leadership styles are very personal, but genuine leadership shines when it’s authentic. Leading with empathy, connecting with people and being vulnerable are important parts of leading in any capacity. Leading authentically builds trust, and trust allows good leadership to thrive.

• • Be yourself, no matter who is at the table
• • Listen as much as (or more than) you speak
• • Childhood lessons and their role in authentic leadership (say please and thank you, stand up to bullies, respect those in authority)

TERRI MANN
Vice President, Financing, Atlantic Canada
BDC

Emotional intelligence in action

Emotional intelligence is one of the defining qualities of exceptional leaders. In this session, we will explore the ever-changing nuances and how to adapt them to the current environment and individual needs, as well as the relationship between empathy and accountability in leading high-performing teams.

• • Practical techniques to strengthen emotional self-regulation
• • How emotional intelligence builds trust and enhances team performance
• • Resolving conflict and leading with confidence under pressure

KELLEY SANTOS
Director, Centre for Applied Ocean Technology @ The Launch
Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University

Bridging generations in the workplace

Today’s workforce is more multi-generational than ever, creating both opportunities and challenges for leaders. Each generation brings distinct perspectives, experiences, and expectations to the workplace, but embracing generational diversity can become a powerful driver of innovation, engagement, and organizational success.  By harnessing generational differences, leaders can help strengthen teams and achieve better business outcomes through strategies that aim to:

• • Build trust across generations
• • Improve communication
• • Create an inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives

SHEILAGH O’LEARY
MHA, St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi
Government of NL

Identifying high-potential talents

A strong supporter of equal opportunities, Sheilagh O’Leary is an outspoken intersectional feminist and a woman of mixed Irish and Indigenous heritage. She leads with compassion and care for those around her and has shown through her example how to weather challenges and stand in her power. She has demonstrated how to rebuild, remain resilient, and support others as they learn the ropes of serving their communities. Having dedicated many years to serving others, Sheilagh embodies the principle that leadership IS service. In this session, Sheilagh will discuss:

• • How to identify high-potential individuals from a mentorship perspective
• • How women and gender-diverse individuals in leadership can uplift one another
• • How to make room for one another at the table

JENNIFER DINN
President
Keyin College

Integrity in leadership

Integrity in leadership isn’t a value you put on a slide — it’s what’s left standing when everything else is on the line. Too many women are taught that leading with integrity means leading quietly, agreeably, without friction. Jennifer Dinn challenges that.

• • Why integrity and likability are not the same thing — and you don’t need both to lead well
• • Building the confidence to hold your ground when your integrity is tested in real time, not just in theory
• • Turning your integrity into a legacy — how the way you lead becomes permission for the next woman in the room

HEATHER DALTON
Partner
M5

AI as a leadership tool

Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming more than a productivity tool: it can be a powerful leadership advantage. Used well, it can help leaders think through problems, prepare for difficult conversations, challenge their own assumptions and make better use of the information around them. This session will explore practical ways women at every stage of leadership can use AI as a trusted thinking partner without losing the judgement, empathy and intuition that make leadership human.

• • Using AI to think more strategically, test ideas and see problems from different perspectives
• • Applying AI to everyday leadership moments 
• • Knowing what to delegate to AI, what not to, and why human judgement still matters most

PAMELA EARLE
Regional Vice President
IG Wealth Management

Measuring leadership impact

Leadership impact extends far beyond business results. The most influential leaders build successful businesses, create opportunities for others to thrive, and leave a lasting mark on their communities. In this session, Pamela Earle will share how women leaders can measure their impact through the growth they inspire — in their organizations, in the women they mentor and champion, and in the communities they serve. Attendees will gain practical strategies to evaluate their leadership effectiveness while building a meaningful legacy of influence and empowerment.

• • Build and grow a successful business through leadership
• • Lift and empower other women
• • Extend leadership beyond the workplace

“The true measure of leadership is not only what you achieve, but how many people succeed because of your influence.”

NATALIE TEMPLEMAN (Chair – Morning Session)
Chief Information Officer
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro

DENISE RIGGS (Chair – Afternoon Session)
Executive Director of Human Resources
North Atlantic