Meet Our Speakers

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.

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.

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.

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.

I love 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Karlyn is an ancient wisdom teacher, emotional intelligence coach, and social impact innovator; she is a seasoned professional who has founded several enterprises, including  SisterTalk Group and KDPM Equity Institute. Her unique blend of Elemental Knowledge, Ancestral Leadership, and Ancient Wisdom Values with Emotional Intelligence has empowered women, innovative leaders, and social impact leaders to dream bigger about their purpose, self-determination, and well-being through the lens of their cultural inheritance. 

Driven by her passion for sharing knowledge, Karlyn has developed transformation tools like The Success System, the EQ Clarity Coaching Program, and the DREAM Bigger Practice. These tools, designed to help women, girls, and bold dreamers create a self-love practice rooted in curiosity, compassion, and courage, have profoundly impacted the community, inspiring personal growth and serving as a catalyst for individuals to achieve their full potential. Her work is a beacon of hope, inspiring others to dream bigger and achieve their goals. 

KDPM Equity Institute, in partnership with York University, published the first Psychological Safety and Well-Being study centring on Black women's experience in the workplace, which inspired her to create KOFA, an AI-powered mentorship and coaching platform. (launching this fall)

With her work featured on Cityline, Oprah's Lifeclass, Globe and Mail, and Chatelaine, Karlyn has gained widespread recognition for her expertise. She helps women rest, restore, and reconnect to self and nature through SisterTalk Retreats in Canada and Saint Lucia. Through KDPM Equity Institute, Karlyn and the team continue to amplify the academic research and lived experience wisdom of Black, Indigenous, and Women of Colour. Certification programs include EQ Clarity Coaching, LEAP To Equity, and Ancestral Leadership.

Find her collection of journals, self-love colouring books, notebooks, pens, and affirmation cards at www.TheSuccessSystem.com.

Alvin Rogers is a highly accomplished and sought-after speaker, renowned for their expertise and captivating stage presence. With a diverse background in [relevant field or industry], they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to every speaking engagement. Their dynamic and engaging style seamlessly combines powerful storytelling with actionable insights, leaving audiences inspired and equipped with practical strategies for success. Alvin has delivered impactful keynote addresses at prestigious conferences and corporate events worldwide, consistently receiving rave reviews for their ability to connect with and energize audiences. Whether addressing topics such as [specific areas of expertise], leadership, or innovation, Alvin is dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations to reach their full potential.

I share my global transformation and leadership expertise as a keynote and conference speaker, presenter, and facilitator for companies across Canada and abroad, represented by London Speaker Bureau. I am sought out to speak on: service leadership - empowering and enabling teams to succeed, embracing agility in business and personal lives, retail trends and digital transformation (artificial intelligence and automation), embedding micro-innovation and continuous improvement in ways of thinking and working, and managing complex change in the context of disruptive innovation.

I am passionate about social impact and co-founded Be Uninterrupted, a support system powered by AI and human connection to help professional women avoid or navigate career interruptions, or moments that matter, like looking for a job, negotiating a job offer, getting laid off, returning to work from maternity leave, or joining a board. Please follow us on Linkedin and join our waitlist at www.beuninterrupted.com - launching this fall!

I have extensive experience as an angel investor, advisor, and mentor for companies in the retail and technology domains. Apricotton, selling bras for teen and pre-teen girls, was my first investment, and their products are now available in 31 countries! In these capacities, I am actively working with start-ups across Canada and the US to build a strong foundation for exponential growth.

I volunteer as a SickKids Innovator, mentor with Urban Squash Toronto, and am on the Human Resources Committee of JIAS. I previously served as head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a Consumer Goods company, on the Executive Advisory Council for Walmart Canada’s Women in Retail program, and on the Foundation Board and HR Committee of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

In everything I do, I leverage my Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Strategy. In 2023, I was recognized on The Peak’s Emerging (under age 40) Leaders List and The DMZ’s Women of the Year.