11th Edition
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Facing the challenges
The Women in Leadership Conference brings together professional women to talk about the challenges that they face, exchange views, and learn from peers and leaders.
The event provides an invaluable opportunity to listen to industry leaders as they share best practices and insights to help women in leadership roles become more effective leaders and be on top of their game.
Join us at this in-person event. Learn, connect & reconnect, and have fun!
AIDA CIPOLLA (Keynote Speaker)
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Toronto Hydro Corporation
Being a goal setter that gets results
Goal setting is paramount to achieving both personal and career success. It provides direction, focus, and allows you to prioritize your time and efforts more efficiently. What differentiates leaders is their ability to identify and set appropriate goals, determine the steps required to meet them, and achieve the desired results. During this session, Aida Cipolla will discuss:
- • Setting goals that motivate you
- • Developing your plan of action
- • Staying accountable by reviewing progress and ensuring you are
on the path to success
HAZELLE PALMER
President & Chief Executive Officer
Sherbourne Health
Using organizational values to define your leadership style
Do your personal values align with those of your organization? Most people would say, yes, but leaders can contribute to designing organizational values that not only support mission objectives but uniquely define their management and leadership characteristics. In this session, Hazelle Palmer will share how she has used “organizational values”:
- • The catalyst for transforming leadership style
- • Solidifying leadership style
ELLIE CHOI
Vice-President and General Counsel
Chandos Construction
Fostering leadership at all levels
Many companies look to and rely on one leader or visionary to provide guidance for the entire organization. But with leadership identified as the top talent issue facing organizations around the world, how will companies meet this challenge? Ellie Choi will explore what it means to be a leader and how leadership can and should exist at all levels of an organization. She will share her leadership journey and the culture of leadership at Chandos with its flat structure that gives employees at all levels a voice and a forum for sharing their ideas.
- • Empowering employees to try new things without the fear of failure
- • Continuous improvement
- • Building better together
MICHELLE GRONNING
Partner, Consulting & Deals
PwC
Encouraging reverse mentoring
The importance of technology in today’s world cannot be denied. And, organizations are recognizing that senior leaders need to learn technology skills from their younger employees, thus giving rise to reverse mentoring. In this presentation, Michelle Gronning will discuss:
- • Why reverse mentoring is so important
- • How reverse mentoring can help us to tap into what really makes an organization tick
- • The linkage of reverse mentoring with culture
BONNIE COCHRANE
Managing Director, Huron
& General Manager, Studer Group Canada
Achieving organizational excellence
What determines whether an organization is high performing? What do high performing organizations have in common? In this presentation, Bonnie Cochrane will share a systematic approach to leadership called Evidence-Based Leadership that aligns:
- • Goals
- • Processes
- • Behaviours
CARMEN KLEIN
Vice President Organizational Effectiveness & Systems
Cadillac Fairview
Difficult conversations: Navigating those tough talks
Difficult conversations are an inevitable part of the workplace. They are also crucial in building a culture of feedback, inclusion and innovation to ultimately drive great results. This session will explore how to navigate these conversations with respect, objectivity and candor. This includes:
- • The ROI of these conversations for you and your organization
- • The essentials of an impactful conversation
- • What can get in the way and how to overcome it
SHARON VOGEL
Partner
Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP
The art of negotiating effectively
“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” — John F. Kennedy. The ability to negotiate well is vital to one’s professional and personal success. Yet, it is one of the most ignored skills. Since negotiating takes many forms, it is essential to develop strategies.
- • Your negotiating style
- • Developing a negotiating strategy
- • Getting a deal
BRITTA BARON
Former Vice-Provost & Associate Vice-President (International)
Western University
Courageous leadership in times of uncertainty
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us how quickly “normal” life can go out the window. In many ways, organizations have had to reinvent themselves, including the very products they were used to delivering. Adjustments of such scale require leadership with regard to:
- • Expanding/rethinking our comfort zones, creating new ones
- • Motivating staff to test unknown approaches
- • Communicating beyond normal routines
VANESSA McDONALD
President
Courage Creator Inc.
Embracing change
Change is a harbinger of all progress and yet, many of us are predisposed to react to its arrival with resistance. While embracing change can be a daunting endeavor, it is often an organization and it’s people’s ability to pivot that can best determine future growth or regression. As leaders, knowing how to navigate and encourage change, plan for it and respond with resilience is one of the most important skills we can practice to enhance our own careers, those of our team members and the wider organization. This talk will explore the solutions available to:
- • Understand and evaluate the opportunity for change
- • Leverage the power of curiosity to implement change both personally and professionally
- • Apply practical tools to embody confidence and resilience to create impactful change
KAREN THOMSON
Thomson Consulting
Morning Chair
Prior to Thomson Consulting, Karen Thomson was responsible for George Brown College’s financial and real estate assets, including departments of planning, finance, purchasing, facilities, safety and security. She also led George Brown’s sustainability initiatives. Karen joined George Brown College in 2004 as Vice-President of Marketing, and was responsible for rebranding the college. In 2009, she became Vice-President Marketing and Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) and oversaw the student experience outside of the classroom, from prospective student to alumnus. In 2014, her emphasis on the current student deepened as the Vice-President of Student Life, Marketing and Alumni. Over her 14 years at George Brown, Karen has overseen a range of departments, including Corporate Communications (public and employee), Recruitment, Marketing, Publishing, Admissions and Registration, Orientation, the residence, Athletics and Recreation, the Contact Centre, Student Information Services and Alumni. Prior to joining George Brown College, Karen held director and vice president positions with national broadcasters such as CTV, YTV and Corus Entertainment. She also spent 10 years branding consumer packaged goods with international advertising agencies. Karen is a member of the National Executive Committee of SWAAC (Senior Woman Academic Administrators of Canada). She was Chair of the George Brown’s United Way committee when the college received the Leadership Campaign Award. She also serves on several provincial committees to support the higher education system. Karen has a Master of Science from Guelph University, and an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
KATHLEEN CHEVALIER
Partner
Stikeman Elliott LLP
Afternoon Chair
Kathleen Chevalier is a partner practising in the Employment & Labour Group. She advises clients on all aspects of the employment relationship in both unionized and non-unionized environments, and provides advice in respect of the employment impact of commercial transactions. Kathleen routinely represents clients in litigation arising out of the employment relationship including wrongful dismissal litigation, grievance arbitration and matters before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. Kathleen conducts in-house supervisory training seminars on such topics as employment standards, human rights compliance, occupational health and safety and enforcing workplace policies and procedures. She has also assisted many employers with achieving compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and is a regular contributor to Stikeman Elliott’s Employment, Labour and Pension Law blog. Kathleen is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Ontario Bar Association.
EVENT DATE, TIME & VENUE
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
8:55 AM – 4:30 PM
RCMI
426 University Avenue, Toronto
LOCATION
Register today!
SAVE 20% Early Bird Rate: Until October 5, 2021
Regular Rate: Starting October 6, 2021
Special Group Rate:
Register 4 people at applicable rate at the same time and get a free registration for a 5th person.
Consult the conference brochure for full details.
What attendees are saying!
I took a lot of notes and will take the advice of many of the speakers and lead differently (better!) as a result.”
– KAREN ADAMS, President & CEO, Fundserv Inc.
“What a great day listening to so many amazing Canadian women leaders.”
– NATALIE BENITAH, Country Leader, Go-To-Market & Commercial Partner Strategy, Microsoft Canada
“Heard from great women leaders. One of the best conferences I have ever attended. The quality of the speakers was awesome.”
– DIDHITI BHOUMIK, Chief Administrative Officer, BLG LLP
“Such a privilege to engage with a room filled with strong, inspiring women who are committed to being, supporting and championing women in leadership.”
– KATHERINE COOLIGAN, Partner – Ottawa, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
“Loved the conference: Networking with women leaders and deriving strategies to become more effective and powerful leaders.”
– ROBIN COOPER, Managing Director, Strategic Partnerships, Maple