Elaine “Lainey” Lui is the Founder and Editor of LaineyGossip.com, and a senior
reporter on CTV’s “etalk”, Canada’s number one rated entertainment news show. She
also co-hosted CTV’s daytime talk show “The Social” from the show’s launch in 2013
until 2023.

Lainey has been breaking entertainment news since 2003 via her website, LaineyGossip.com, and on etalk since 2006. She recently launched “The Squawk”, an extension of LaineyGossip.com that serves as a hub for her community of discerning gossips to discuss all things pop culture.

etalk hired Lainey as a special correspondent in 2006. With etalk Lainey has covered
the Red Carpet at the Oscars, SuperBowl XLII, Cannes, Toronto, and Sundance
International Film Festivals, the Royal Weddings, and other top tier events worldwide.

She was named to WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women list in 2016, and won a Canadian Screen Award in 2019 for Best Digital Host for etalk’s Oscars 2019 Red Carpet livestream.

A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Lainey lives in Toronto with her
husband and business partner Jacek Szenowicz and beagles Barney and Elvis.

Tamara Green is a certified nutritionist, wellness chef, 2x best-selling cookbook author and the co-founder of the Living Kitchen.  She’s previously worked as a private chef for busy families, people undergoing cancer treatment, celebrities — and everyone in betweenTamara has been in the health space for over a decade and has seen fad diets and nutrition dogmas come and go.  She now runs health empowerment programs and helps her clients transform their health, simplify what the heck to eat, clean up their metabolic health — all within the confines of their busy, full lives so they feel vitally alive, energetic, live in a body they enjoy and feel good. 

You can find Tamara on Food Network Canada, The Good Stuff with Mary Berg, and Breakfast Television.  Or, on bookshelves with her cookbooks The Living Kitchen: Nourishing Whole Food Recipes to Support Cancer Treatment & Recovery and Good Food Good Mood: 100 Nourishing Recipes to Support Mind & Body Wellness. 

She is also a mom to two very active boys. 

Patricia Nielsen is the Head of Startups for Amazon Web Services Canada, leading a national team that is working with companies that are using cloud computing and data and AI services from AWS to accelerate their growth into profitable, long-term businesses.

Her mission is to align people, programs, and resources from AWS and the community to support Canadian startups in achieving their full potential. With over two-decades of expertise in the technology sector, working with customers across all industries and sizes, Patricia combines her unique background in sales, marketing, technical enablement and support planning, and consulting, to advise companies on their go-to-market strategy, helping them turn technology into realized business value.

Patricia is passionate about mentoring, mentors many individuals in a 1:1 capacity, and mentors Startups with their sales and go-to-market strategies. While part of the Board of Directors for the not-for-profit, Women in Communications & Technology, Patricia launched a Mentoring Circles program that has connected hundreds of individuals across Canada and continues to expand.

Patricia is on the Board of Directors and Chairs the Governance Committee for the Accelerator Centre, an award-winning startup incubator based out of Waterloo, Ontario. She is also an Advisory Council Member for Women Funding Women, a Collective focused on addressing the persistent funding gap faced by women entrepreneurs in North America.

As a community focused leader, Patricia works to promote, encourage, and support, inclusion, diversity, and equity. She actively participates in Public Speaking opportunities on the topic, creates space for underrepresented individuals, and looks for opportunities to highlight Canadian companies and talent.

I connect dots to deliver value and transform: I bring the heart and mind of an elite athlete; the experience of value chain transformation and problem solving; the passion for improvement of self, others and processes.

An accomplished transformation and supply chain executive recognized for strategic & people leadership that delivers results. A unique ability to develop end-to-end value chain strategy and implement game-changing initiatives that deliver accretive outcomes. Proven expertise & passion for performance management and talent development. A determined, results-driven leader, with the heart of a competitive athlete, who excels at collaboration, coaching and team building, readily able to adapt to any situation.

Melissa is the Founding Partner at Capital M Ventures, an angel fund investing in startups led by underestimated founders in Canada.

She was also Executive Director at League of Innovators where she leveraged her passion for helping young people become the bosses of their lives and careers.

Previously, she was an award-winning financial services professional at Desjardins, and before that, she worked in tech sales and marketing at companies such as Torstar and Google.

Beauty entrepreneur Lexi Miles Corrin launched the #1 waxbar in Toronto, WAXON Laser + Waxbar in 2012 at the age of 26. Over the past four years, Miles Corrin has grown the WAXON brand exponentially, now independently producing her own product lines and operating 14 locations in Toronto, Burlington, Oakville, London and Halifax.

Lexi Miles Corrin began her career as a management consultant. Lexi frequently traveled cross-border and recognized a void in the Canadian waxing market, inspiring her foray into beauty entrepreneurship. With her business background, Lexi created a waxbar concept to meet the need for a high end, trendy environment with professional, experienced aestheticians and competitive prices for busy men and women on the go and later introduced Laser hair removal services when she saw a similar gap in the laser market.

Lexi has most recently launched an intimate body product line; South, that is sold across all WAXON locations and online on both South and WAXON ecommerce platforms. Lexi has also launched a podcast called 'We Go There', following the great interest of women in her WAXON 'We Go There' Blog that discusses topics that women want to know about but might be too afraid to talk about.

Lexi currently lives in Toronto and continues to manage all aspects of WAXON Laser + Waxbar, from branding and new locations to product launches and customer care to maintain a consistent level of top tier service.

Kelly Davis recently joined Gowling WLG in the role of Chief People Officer (CPO), where she will help advance the firm’s people-first commitment and foster a work environment that encourages learning, collaboration and community building. Kelly leads the firm’s HR, legal talent, DEI, wellness, benefits, and learning & development functions.

Prior to joining Gowling WLG, Kelly was the Chief People Officer for Sunwing Travel Group, North
America’s largest vertically-integrated travel company with approximately 24,000 employees across fourteen countries. The group consisted of several business lines including a leisure charter airline, two major North American tour operators in Canada and the United States, Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts with over 14,500 rooms (Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Eastern Caribbean, Cuba and Costa Rica), a vacation club, a luxury wedding business and an international destination management company.

Prior to this role, Kelly was the Senior Vice President of HR, Customer Service and Communications for Town Shoes Limited (operating five retail brands across Canada) and led the HR function through several ownership models including founder-led, private equity and the eventual sale to the large publicly traded U.S. retailer Designer Shoe Warehouse based in Columbus, Ohio. Before joining Town
Shoes Limited, she was the Vice President of People Development at Cara Operations (one of
Canada’s largest restaurant groups) where she worked with the corporate office and franchise
partners to deliver HR services to the company’s 700+ restaurants and 30,000 employees. Kelly spent the early part of her career with the Hudson’s Bay Company where she worked for over 12 years in a variety of progressive HR roles covering all of Canada and New York City.

Kelly holds her B.A. from McGill University and her CHRE, CHRL and H.R.C.C.C. (Human Resources & Compensation Committee Certification) designations. Kelly is on the board of the Strategic Capability Network and is a member of the International Women’s Forum of Canada. Kelly is passionate about supporting not for profit organizations. She spent a six-year board term as a Board Director and Chair of the HR & Governance Committee for White Ribbon (the world’s largest movement working to end gender-based violence). From 2020-2022 she served as a volunteer with the Black North Initiative as the Co-Chair of their CEO Pledge Committee. Previously she has also volunteered with a variety of other not for profits including Eva’s Initiatives, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Pathways to Education where she was an at risk youth group mentor.

Kelly was recognized by HRD Magazine in both 2020 and 2022 on their 100 Global Top HR leaders list and in 2023 she was nominated as one of the top 10 Global Chief HR & Chief People Officers supporting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by DiversityCan Magazine.

Kelly is married with two sons and lives in Toronto.

I am a highly driven business executive with a unique combination of digital performance marketing and classically trained brand management.  My experience working in technology (B2C and B2B), wellness, consumer packaged goods, and retail has provided me with a broad range of expertise.  I am a natural connector of people and ideas, with extensive expertise in developing marketing strategies for a digital world. I am well versed in subscription business models, retail management, community building, education, general management, owning the entire P&L, and consultative selling.  I have transformed businesses and teams to drive significant growth on some of Canada's most beloved brands and technology platforms.  

Janey is a highly effective Organizational Development professional that combines a breadth of business experience with strong functional expertise in the areas of learning and leadership development, mindfulness and executive and team coaching.

Jodi loves working with great people to solve big problems that help the world. I am passionate about equity, intentional leadership, people and the future of work.

Deborah Rosati, an award-winning entrepreneur and corporate director, has been defined in three interconnected ways throughout her 35-year career – as a corporate governance champion, catalyst for change and community builder.

As the founder and CEO of Women Get On Board Inc. (WGOB), a 950-member social-purpose company, Deborah is building a community of the next generation of women corporate directors. WGOB amplifies the voices of women leaders, board members and professionals across Canada through education, mentorship and allyship. It’s been called The Power of Three – one woman in the boardroom is a token, two is a presence, and three is a voice.

Deborah is a leading and serving corporate director, currently chairing the board of Profound Impact Corporation and has chaired many public company audit committees and nominating & corporate governance committees. In addition, Deborah has led and served on numerous special committees with various mandates (including going public, going private, M&A, restructuring and special investigations).

Deborah’s passion for good governance and board diversity is rooted in her board journey when she was often the only woman in the boardroom. These first-hand experiences cemented Deborah’s conviction that having more women on boards makes better business sense.

Never satisfied with the status quo, Deborah always seeks ways to challenge expectations and drive change. She brings an environmental, social and governance (ESG) lens to every board she serves on, as she believes in the power and responsibility of business to change our world for the better.

As a visionary leader, Deborah recently launched Women Funding Women Inc. (WFW) with her co-founders, Sherry Shannon Vanstone and Lara Zink, to bridge the funding gap for female founders.

Deborah’s commitment to sustainable change and empowerment, deep governance knowledge, financial expertise and dynamic personality have made her a sought-after thought leader and speaker. Deborah’s thought leadership on corporate governance, sustainability, EDI and social impact is profiled on her website, deborahrosati.ca.

An accomplished financial expert, national media personality, and keynote speaker, Robyn is on a mission to “put wealth back within reach” for audiences across North America by highlighting the power of female-driven economics and showing us that it’s our behaviors, not our earnings, that hold the power to rewriting our financial futures. 

After heartbreaking experiences and overcoming the stigma of growing up on welfare, Robyn committed herself to a life of financial literacy and educating other women on their options, “no matter where they come from”. 

Her messages are inspiring, empowering and more importantly, result-based. She leaves every audience member with specific, practical, lifestyle-friendly strategies that she knows will actually get incorporated into their day to day lives; drawing on over two decades of experience managing high-net-worth clients and volunteering as a financial literacy advocate in organizations ike Junior Achievement Canada and Chatelaine magazine’s “The Stock Market Wears Prada”.

Her impressive list of credentials includes Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®), Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI®) and founder of Castlemark Wealth Management, an award-winning female-focused financial advisory business. She is frequently called on as a financial expert on popular media outlets such as BNN, Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Reader’s Digest, CTV The Social, Your Morning and Breakfast Television and many others.

When she’s not jet setting around the world to speak on public stages or working with organizations to help their members remove barriers to financial freedom— Robyn can be found crafting culinary masterpieces for family, friends and her Scottish Fold feline (Scout) at her home in Toronto, Canada. 

Fotini help people get what they want. Nicknamed “the negotiator” as a child, I have always channeled my energy into my passion for the power of forward thinking. Today business executives partner with me to achieve their business goals, increase profitability and create a competitive advantage. I empower executives and their teams through my expertise in negotiation, communication and persuasion. To share my strengths with more business leaders, Fotini recently returned to the classroom as an instructor of MBA Negotiations at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto.

After a decade of owning and managing small businesses in the retail sector, Fotini refined my negotiation skills in the corporate world in the consumer packaged goods industry before becoming a management consultant. Fotini created a successful negotiation advisory practice for another global firm before branching off on my own. Over the last 8 years I have helped clients all over the globe focus their energy on moving their commercial objectives forward. Fotini thrive on guiding clients through high-stakes scenarios in such industries as CPG, retail, professional services, energy, telecommunications and finance.

Fotini am passionate about helping people develop the confidence to take on whatever challenges come their way, and Fotini have a particular interest in empowering women and disadvantaged groups. When I’m not with clients or in the classroom, Fotini spend my time public speaking on negotiation, communication, leadership and conflict management, and offering my experience to meaningful non-profit initiatives.

I am a Registered Psychotherapist who, for over 30 years, has dedicated my work to optimizing human development. I’ve done this by working with individuals, couples and families and by working with community organizations and networks to transform challenges and aspirations into positive outcomes for infants, children, youth, adults , couples and families.

I am known for my ability to take research and turn it into practical interventions and supports for promoting healthy development and healthy relationships. I share my expertise by giving talks locally, nationally and internationally, as well as training professionals, providing supervision to clinicians, and consulting with agencies about infant development, early mental health, and caregiver mental health.

In my clinical practice, I bring specialized expertise in trauma and attachment to working with infants and caregivers, children, youth, adults, couples and families at all life stages and in dealing with the multiple and complex challenges they bring.

Understanding that we all carry a history of learned responses and patterns, I know that when we learn about the function they serve, we can bring new understanding to depression, anxiety, couple conflicts, family challenges, and general overall difficulty coping with stressors. When feelings and behaviours are understood, something difficult turns into something useful and this is when change happens. I am here to guide individuals, couples and families on the journey to healing and creating new, healthy patterns and relationships.

I am a member of Infant Mental Health Promotion through the Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto and I have professional memberships in the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists (OACCPP) and Ontario Association of Mental Health Professional (OAMHP)

With over two decades of experience in leadership development, I've always believed that leaders shape the future. My journey has been greatly influenced by incredible coaches and mentors who have taught me about the science behind how we learn, grow, and develop. My core values of being all-in, freedom, tenacity, purpose, and knowledge have been integral to my success.

As a seasoned executive coach and leadership development expert, I have a proven track record of helping individuals and teams reach their full potential. My expertise lies in designing and delivering customized coaching programs that drive transformational growth and inspire positive change.

With a deep understanding of leaders' challenges in today's rapidly evolving business landscape, I bring a unique blend of strategic thinking, empathy, and hands-on guidance to every engagement. I have worked with various clients, from Fortune 500 companies to startups, across industries and geographies.

My approach is grounded in a belief that authentic leadership is not just about achieving business goals but also about creating a culture of trust, empowerment, and continuous learning. By leveraging my extensive toolkit of coaching methodologies and frameworks, I help individuals and teams develop the skills, mindset, and behaviours needed to thrive in complex and uncertain environments.

If you’d like to book a meeting with me to discuss your goals and how we might work together, you can do so here:

https://meetings.hubspot.com/harriette-schumacher/connect-call

Jacqueline is the VP of Solutions at CandidateX, where she leads efforts to create inclusive hiring solutions, enhancing opportunities for underestimated talent. With over 18 years in HR spanning Talent Management, DEIB, and Wellness, her career reflects a commitment to empowering individuals to achieve their full potential. At CandidateX, Jacqueline aligns her values with the mission of Better Human, ensuring every individual can thrive regardless of background.

As a mixed-race woman from first- and second-generation immigrant parents, Jacqueline is dedicated to breaking barriers for marginalized communities and promoting equality. She actively mentors women at all career stages and fosters personal and professional growth. Additionally, Jacqueline serves as VP of People and Culture at Tundra Technical Solutions, leading the organization's People initiatives. She has the pleasure of being the executive sponsor of their Women in STEM program. This initiative supports young women in pursuing STEM careers, advocating for their success from high school through higher education.

Outside her professional roles, Jacqueline is a proud mother of three, a steadfast advocate for gender equality and strives to be a positive role model for her young girls. Through her passion for yoga and self-care advocacy, she challenges societal norms and promotes lifelong wellness and mental health.

Jessica has been fortunate to have had an exciting 15+ year career thus far, employed by top consumer brands to lead transformational share and profit growth in North America. Whether leading strategy, operations, corporate development, or forging strategic partnerships, Jessica has managed portfolios ranging from $60M to $500M in the retail and financial services sectors.

Beyond professional endeavors, Jessica is  deeply committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, particularly in empowering female leaders and entrepreneurs. As a dedicated mentor, advisor, and investor, Jessica had the privilege of championing numerous organizations and startups, guiding them towards success and sustainability.

Suzanne Knight, MBA, MA, is an award-winning expert, keynote, and TEDx speaker, renowned for her practical insights on transformational change and the future of work. With a distinguished career as a global consultant and corporate executive,

Suzanne has guided over 50 companies in 14 countries, helping them anticipate and adapt to change so they can thrive, rather than just survive.

In 2023, she co-founded Be Uninterrupted, a social impact organization that uses AI and human connection to help professional women navigate potential career interruptions. She is also a dedicated philanthropist, angel investor, and board member. Suzanne was recognized as The Peak’s Emerging (under age 40) Leaders and Digital Media Zone’s Women of the Year.