Women's Executive Network reveals 2014 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners

Awards celebrate legacy of female leaders who continually redefine what is possible

TORONTO, Nov. 26, 2014 /CNW/ - Who are some of Canada's boldest female leaders who will stop at nothing to push boundaries within their careers and organizations?

On November 27, the spotlight will shine on some remarkable women who have become agents of change in reshaping Canadian organizations at the highest levels as the Women's Executive Network (WXN) reveals its 2014 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners at a gala at the Toronto Convention Centre.

This year's Awards theme, Timeless, describes the type of strong leadership exhibited by Canada's fearless, tenacious female leaders who continually leave legacies which redefine what is possible and who become icons for generations to come.

"Despite ever-changing styles and tastes, great leadership is classic," says WXN founder, Pamela Jeffery. "Top 100 Award Winners are a testament to the incredible range of female talent and leadership in Canada and proof that change is happening, with more women earning a place at the highest levels of Canadian organizations."

Top 100 Award Winners span the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. This year, 13 women will also be inducted into the WXN Top 100 Hall of Fame, including Indigo Books & Music's founder and chief executive officer, Heather Reisman, MasterCard Canada president, Betty DeVita, Plan Canada president and chief executive officer, Rosemary McCarney, and George Brown College president, Anne Sado.

The full list of WXN's 2014 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners can be found below and at www.wxnetwork.com/top-100/top-100-winners.

Driving Change

Co-Presented by Scotiabank and KPMG, the Top 100 Awards celebrate and highlight the professional achievements of women across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors at a time when corporate Canada is undergoing pressure to promote more female leaders into board and executive officer positions.

According to the Canadian Board Diversity Council 2014 Annual Report Card, women hold only 17.1 per cent of FP500 board seats and are still generations away from achieving parity on FP500 boards.

Top 100 Award Winners include some of Canada's most iconic women trailblazers, such as Dr. Roberta Bondar, astronaut, Arlene Dickinson, chief executive officer, Venture Communications, Christine Magee, president, Sleep Country Canada, Kathleen Taylor, chair of the board, Royal Bank of Canada and Michaëlle Jean, former governor general of Canada.

2014 Top 100 Awards

This year is the 12th annual Top 100 Awards and will be hosted by Catherine Murray of the Business News Network (BNN), who is an accomplished business leader in her own right as the co-founder, former managing director and head of institutional equities of North South Capital.

The keynote will be delivered by Kathleen Taylor, chair of the board of Royal Bank of Canada and a 2011 and 2014 Top 100 Award Winner. She is the first woman to lead the board of a major chartered bank in this country and is indisputably one of Canada's most prominent female icons.

Awards Categories

Top 100 Awards are given to remarkable women in nine different categories: BMO Arts & Communications, RBC Champions, Accenture Corporate Directors, Scotiabank Corporate Executives, CIBC Entrepreneurs, TELUS Future Leaders, KPMG Professionals, PwC Public Sector Leaders and Sun Life Financial Trailblazers & Trendsetters.

Top 100 Awards enjoys a strong commitment from corporate supporters. For a complete list of partners, visit www.wxnetwork.com/top-100/top-100-women.

About the Women's Executive Network (WXN)

At WXN, we inspire smart women to lead. WXN creates and delivers innovative networking, mentoring, professional and personal development to inform, inspire, connect and recognize our community of 19,000 smart women and their organizations in the pursuit of excellence. WXN enables our partners and corporate members to become and to be recognized as employers of choice and leaders in the advancement of women.

Founded in 1997, WXN is Canada's leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. WXN is a founding member of the Canadian Board Diversity Council, dedicated to increasing the diversity of Canada's corporate boards. In the fall of 2008, WXN launched in Ireland, a first step in creating an international community of female leaders.

More information and details are available at www.wxnetwork.com or www.top100women.ca.     

2014 Canada's Most Powerful Women: WXN Top 100 Award Winners                                

BMO ARTS & COMMUNICATIONS (7)                                                                     

• Faten Alshazly, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, WeUsThem, NS
• Dr. Amiee Chan, President & CEO, Norsat International, BC
• Corrie Coe, SVP, Independent Production, Bell Media, ON
• Tracy Dahl, Opera Singer; Sessional Instructor, Desautels Faculty of Music, University of Manitoba, MB
• Lisa LaFlamme, Chief News Anchor & Senior Editor, CTV National News, ON
• Janice McDonald, President, iStyle Originals, ON
• Lynda Partner, Chief Communications Officer, Redline Communications Group, ON

RBC CHAMPIONS (9)                       

• Brenda Andress, Commissioner, Canadian Women's Hockey League, ON
• Lisa Borsook, Executive Partner, WeirFoulds LLP, ON
• Debby Carreau, CEO & Founder, Inspired HR, AB
• Dr. Elizabeth Croft, Associate Dean, Education and Professional Development, Faculty of Applied Science; NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, BC and Yukon Region, The University of British Columbia, BC
• Tracy Long, President, Tyco Integrated Fire & Security, ON
• Fiona Macfarlane, Managing Partner, British Columbia; Chief Inclusiveness Officer, Canada, Ernst & Young LLP, BC
• Nancy Peckford, Executive Director, Equal Voice: Electing More Women in Canada, ON
• The Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Rois, CEO & Executive Director, Anglican Foundation of Canada, ON
• Heather Treacy, Office Managing Partner, Calgary, Davis LLP, AB

ACCENTURE CORPORATE DIRECTORS (7)                                                                   

• Cheryl Barker, Interim Chair of the Board, Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), MB
• Julia Foster, Chair, York University Board of Governors, ON
• Judy Goldring, EVP & COO, AGF Management, ON
• Catherine Karakatsanis, Chief Operating Officer, Morrison Hershfield, ON
• Tracey McVicar, Managing Partner, CAI Capital Management; Director and Audit Committee Chair, BC Hydro, BC
• Kathleen O'Neill, Corporate Director, Finning International, ARC Resources, Cadillac Fairview Corporation, and Invesco Canada, ON
• Kathleen Taylor, Chair of the Board, RBC, ON

SCOTIABANK CORPORATE EXECUTIVES (23)                                                                

• Elyse Allan, President & CEO, GE Canada, ON
• Christiane Bergevin, EVP, Desjardins Group Partnerships and Business Development, Office of the President, Desjardins Group, QC
• Manon Brouillette, President & CEO, Videotron, QC
• Norie Campbell, Group Head, Legal, Compliance and Anti Money Laundering & General Counsel, TD Bank Group, ON
• Laura Dottori- Attanasio, Senior EVP & Chief Risk Officer, CIBC, ON
• Sharon Driscoll, EVP & CFO, Rexall - Katz Group Canada, ON
• Mary Forrest, President & CEO, North America (Life), Munich Re, ON
• Charyl Galpin, Co-Head, EVP & Managing Director, BMO Nesbitt Burns, Private Client Division, BMO Financial Group, ON
• Jane Gavan, President, Asset Management, Dream; CEO, Dream Global REIT; CEO, Dream Office REIT, ON
• Diane Giard, EVP, Personal and Commercial Banking, National Bank of Canada, QC
• Anne Giardini, President, Weyerhaeuser Company, BC
• Andrea Goertz, SVP, Strategic Initiatives & Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, TELUS, AB
• Stephani Kingsmill, EVP, Human Resources and Communications, Manulife Financial, ON
• Jane Kinney, Managing Partner, Quality and Risk, Deloitte, ON
• Johanne Lépine, EVP & Leader, Eastern Canada, Aon Reed Stenhouse; President & CEO, Aon Parizeau, QC
• Lisa Lisson, President, FedEx Express Canada, ON
• Sharon MacLeod, VP, Marketing, Unilever Canada, ON
• Nancy Marcus, Corporate VP, Marketing, Kruger Products, ON
• Kim Mason, Regional President, Atlantic Provinces, RBC, ON
• Sandy McIntosh, SVP, Human Resources & Chief Human Resources Officer, TELUS, ON
• Chameli Naraine, President & CEO, Symcor, ON
• Una Power, Chief Financial Officer, Nexen Energy, AB
• Sandra Stuart, Chief Operating Officer, HSBC Bank Canada, BC

CIBC ENTREPRENEURS (7)                                                                       

• Karen Flavelle, CEO & Chief Chocolate Connoisseur, Purdys Chocolatier, BC
• Allison Grafton, President, Rockwood Custom Homes, AB
• Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, Chief Executive Officer, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, Absolute Spa Group, BC
• Mia Pearson, Co-Founder, North Strategic, ON
• Shannon Rogers, President & General Counsel, Global Relay, BC
• Geeta Sankappanavar, President & COO, Grafton Asset Management, AB
• Elen Steinberg, President & CEO, SPP Marketing Services, ON

TELUS FUTURE LEADERS (7)                                                                    

• Sandra Abballe, Owner & Lead Chocolatier, Succulent Chocolates and Sweets, ON
• Jessica Green, Director, Cursive PR, ON
• Katherine Hague, Co-Founder, ShopLocket, ON
• Amy Johnson, Director, The Look Company, Qatar
• Natalie Panek, Mission Systems Engineer, MDA Robotics and Automation, ON
• Michele Romanow, Co-Founder & CEO, Buytopia and Snapsaves, ON
• Anniper Simard, Senior Manager, Deloitte, QC

KPMG PROFESSIONALS (11)                                                                     

• Joanne Alexander, SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Precision Drilling Corporation, AB
• Kate Chisholm, SVP, Legal and External Relations, Capital Power, AB
• Carol Devenny, National Capital Region Office Managing Partner & National Audit Partner for the Public Sector, PricewaterhouseCoopers, ON
• Samantha Horn, Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP, ON
• Emily Jelich, VP & Associate General Counsel, Operations and Disputes Resolution, RBC, ON
• Lisa Kimmel, General Manager, Edelman Toronto, ON
• Anne Kirker, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, AB
• Monique Mercier, EVP, Corporate Affairs, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, TELUS, BC
• Cheryl Reicin, Partner, Head of the Technology and Life Sciences Practice Groups, Torys LLP, ON
• Sherry Schluessel, Senior Managing Partner, ProCura Real Estate Services, AB
• Martha Tory, Partner, Assurance Services, Ernst & Young LLP, ON

PWC PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS (11)                                                                  

• Mary Ackenhusen, President & CEO, Vancouver Coastal Health, BC
• Yaprak Baltacıoğlu, Secretary of the Treasury Board, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, ON
• Gertrude Bourdon, Executive Director, CHU de Québec, QC
• Sharon Carry, President & CEO, Bow Valley College, AB
• Dr. Janice Deakin, Provost & VP (Academic), Western University, ON
• Terri Harris, Chief of Operations, Premier's Office, Government of Saskatchewan, SK
• Gloria Jollymore, VP, University Advancement, Mount Allison University, NB
• Laurie Poole, VP, Telemedicine Solutions, Ontario Telemedicine Network, ON
• Andrea Robertson, President & CEO, STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society), AB
• Julia Shin Doi, General Counsel & Secretary of the Board of Governors, Ryerson University, ON
• Wendy Tilford, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment; Ministry of Research and Innovation, Ontario Public Service, ON

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL TRAILBLAZERS & TRENDSETTERS (18)                                       

• Sara Austin, Director, President's Office, World Vision Canada, ON
• Elisabeth Baugh, Chief Executive Officer, Ovarian Cancer Canada, ON
• Jill Bodkin, Director & Chair, Human Resources and Compensation Committee, Westport, BC
• Sherry Campbell, President & CEO, Frontier College, ON
• Julia Deans, Chief Executive Officer, Futurpreneur Canada, ON
• Sarah Devereaux, Partner, Dillon Consulting, NS
• Dr. Paula Gordon, Clinical Professor, Department of Radiology, The University of British Columbia; Medical Director, Sadie Diamond Breast Program, BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre, BC
• Katherine Gregory, Founding President & CEO, Paradigm Quest, ON
• Dr. Zahra Kazem- Moussavi, Professor; Director, Biomedical Engineering Program; Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, MB
• Linda Mantia, EVP, Cards and Payment Solutions, RBC, ON
• Désirée McGraw, President & Executive Director, Jeanne Sauvé Organization, QC
• Susan McIsaac, President & CEO, United Way Toronto, ON
• Cybele Negris, President, CEO & Co- Founder, Webnames.ca, BC
• Carol Osler, SVP & Head, Financial Crimes and Fraud Management Group and Enterprise Project Management Office, TD Bank Group, ON
• Anne Poschmann, Principal, Golder Associates, ON
• Sandra Pupatello, Director, Business Development and Global Markets, PricewaterhouseCoopers, ON
• Angela Simo Brown, Co-Founder & General Manager, AIR MILES for Social Change, LoyaltyOne, ON
• Rosa Walker, President & CEO, Indigenous Leadership Development Institute, MB

WXN HALL OF FAME (13)                                                                

• Stacey Allaster, Chairman & CEO, Women's Tennis Association, FL
• Shelley Brown, Partner, Deloitte, BC
• Sally Daub, President & CEO, ViXS Systems, ON
• Betty DeVita, President, MasterCard Canada, ON
• Isabelle Hudon, President, Sun Life Financial, Québec, QC
• Ann Kaplan, President & CEO, iFinance Canada, ON
• Christina Kramer, EVP, Retail Distribution & Channel Strategy, CIBC, ON
• Mary Lou Maher, Business Unit Leader, GTA Audit & Chief Diversity Officer, KPMG LLP, ON
• Rosemary McCarney, President & CEO, Plan Canada, ON
• Kerry Peacock, EVP, Retail Banking Products and Services, TD Bank Group, ON
• Heather Reisman, Founder & CEO, Indigo Books & Music, ON
• Anne Sado, President, George Brown College, ON
• Launi Skinner, Chief Executive Officer, First West Credit Union, BC

Image with caption: "WXN Founder Pamela Jeffery (CNW Group/Women's Executive Network)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141126_C6233_PHOTO_EN_8564.jpg

SOURCE: Women's Executive Network

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with Pamela Jeffery, please contact: Kelly Lynn Armstrong, Harbinger Communications, 416-960-5100 ext. 241, [email protected]; Catherine Flint, Harbinger Communications, 416-960-5100 ext. 226, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.wxnetwork.com