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!

SUE HUTCHISON (Keynote Speaker)
President & CEO
Equifax Canada

Embracing meaningful change

Change is inevitable, and how we respond to it defines our growth and success. Those who embrace change with courage and adaptability are the ones who thrive. Sue Hutchison will share how she views change as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and progress, in order to:

• • Enable business transformation and adaptations that can positively impact an organization’s growth
• • Foster a culture of transparency, inclusivity, and ownership that engages and empowers employees
• • Continually reach beyond and reinvent, while furthering a company’s core values and vision

NATALIE BENITAH
Global Partners Industry Leader
Manufacturing & Industrial Metaverse
Microsoft

The power of perspective

On March 7, 2023, Natalie Benitah had a life-changing ski accident in Italy. Her life changed for the better. That’s right, for the better. She was enjoying a sunny day on the slopes of the Italian Alps with her husband when her right ski suddenly caught an edge, and she lost her balance. Combined with her speed and the fact the ground was very hard from packed snow, the G-Force of her fall worked against her. She felt a sharp pain in her right hip and leg, and no matter how hard she tried to make her body move, it could not. This was when she knew something was terribly wrong. She was air-ambulanced to a small hospital nestled in the mountains some 45 minutes away. The doctors informed her she had sustained multiple fractures to her right pelvis. They said she was lucky that she didn’t need surgery. She was given orders for complete bedrest and no weight bearing on her legs, for at least 30 days. She was told she would require extensive physiotherapy to be able to learn to walk again. Please join Natalie in hearing:

• • How she overcame the obstacles
• • Some life-changing lessons that apply to both work and life

DESIREE NORWEGIAN
Indigenous Relations
Aecon

Influencing and inspiring others

John Maxwell says that “leadership is influence––nothing more, nothing less. And if you’re going to lead others, you need to gain influence.” Influence is defined as the ability to affect others’ behaviours in a particular direction. The key is credibility. Credible leaders inspire.

• • Credibility matters
• • The importance of influencing others
• • Mastering the ability to influence

SARMISHTA REVANOOR
Human Capital Practice
Deloitte

Connecting across generations for success

“Connecting Across Generations for Success” will focus on generational diversity at work. According to the Harvard Business Review, generational diversity is broader than ever in today’s workforce. This presents an opportunity for organizations to leverage a workforce that is supercharged with the unique strengths of each generation. Grounded in the research from Deloitte’s 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, we will explore how organizations can mitigate and solve the challenges faced today by engaging its multigenerational workforce. The top three areas of opportunity include:

• • Knowledge Sharing & Employee Engagement – Leveraging intergenerational knowledge advances discourse with unique perspectives which helps organizations in problem-solving and drives up engagement 
• • Growth  – Tapping into the strengths of various generations allows organizations to grow in various ways (e.g., thought leadership, creativity, productivity etc.). Deloitte research suggests that companies with diverse teams, including multiple generations, are 45% more likely to report growth in market share over the previous year
• • Client Satisfaction – Utilizing age-diverse teams equips organizations to meet the needs of a diverse client base, leading to higher levels of client satisfaction

INGA MASJULE
Chief Talent Officer
BLG

The power of sponsorship in career growth

Ask anyone around you who has a successful career whether they had a sponsor and chances are they will have had at least one or more. Sponsors are those key individuals who are influential champions who advocate for and promote another’s career success. This presentation will explore the fundamental nature of sponsorship, how sponsorship relationships develop and whether they can be fostered as part of corporate culture.

• • How is a sponsor different from a mentor
• • What are the key characteristics of sponsorship
• • What is the value of sponsorship within an organization and how can sponsorship be encouraged

SARA KESHEH
SVP, Partnerships
Aviva Canada

The importance of taking risks

It is not only required but critical in business, especially for women to take risks. This is not an innate tendency or even an encouraged learning. However, risk-taking is vital to women’s progress in the corporate world, and their happiness and for evolving and elevating corporate Canada.

• • Taking risks makes you happy
• • Calculate the risk and take it anyway
• • When you take risks, corporate Canada benefits

MADHU KUMAR
Visual Artist

The power of storytelling

Madhu Kumar empowers women by telling their stories through her art. Through the intimate collaboration with her models, Madhu is involved in building a narrative of the legacy of immigrant women in this country. She is fascinated by how art inspires individuals to become advocates for positive social change. The women that she has painted in this series are an embodiment of soft, but fierce warriors. Immigrant women have an incredible ability to leave everything they know behind and start a new life in a foreign land. They are powerful, resilient and an untapped potential for the growth of the Canadian economy. They should be heard and celebrated. Through her art, Madhu is shining a spotlight on these incredible women and their stories.

• • How Madhu discovered her voice by following her passion
• • How “The Stories of Immigrant Women” arose out of empathy
• • Women must support and lift each other up

WENDY CUKIER
Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy
Founder and Academic Director, Diversity Institute
Toronto Metropolitan University

Diversity and inclusion strategies in the workplace

In this session, Dr. Wendy Cukier will share the latest research on progress in Canada toward achieving better representation of women and equity-deserving groups in leadership and on boards in the workplace. She will explore the importance of embedding equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into organizations’ business strategy and ways they can improve, measure and track progress in implementing EDI best practices. This session will address the current state of EDI in the workplace, the six dimensions to consider in building an EDI strategy, and tools and resources such as these ones:

• • The Diversity Assessment Tool
• • The 50 – 30 Challenge
• • The What Works Toolkit

ANNA DREYZIN (Morning Chair)
Director, Learning Facilitation
Kyndryl

CHRISTINA GIANNONE (Afternoon Chair)
AVP, People & Organization
HIROC