CELEBRATING THE POWERFULLY EMPOWERED BY REDEFINING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE P-WORD

It’s a question we’re asking ourselves here at the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) as we celebrate the 2019 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. In travelling the country as owner and CEO of PhaseNyne, the parent company of WXN and the Canadian Board Diversity Council (CBDC), I’ve found that many women don’t see themselves as powerful, and many others don’t want to. They might think that because they’re not a top executive or don’t sit in a corner office, they’re not powerful. They might also think the word “power” has negative connotations, especially when it refers to a woman.

Well, this year, we’re redefining the word “power” and encouraging women to become powerfully empowered. We’re breaking down the traditional beliefs about power in our society and building up new ones. We’re proving that power isn’t a bad word. It can define someone who has quiet confidence in herself and who exudes humility that is only learned from experiencing struggles and becoming stronger because of them. Think of some of the world’s most powerful leaders, like Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela: they all came through hard times and emerged powerfully empowered.

We believe that now is the time for this new definition of power and that the world is hungry for people who are authentic, kind, joyful and caring. That’s the kind of power I see in this year’s Most Powerful Women. For example, Samra Zafar, an honouree in the RBC Champions category, was a teenage bride from Pakistan, abused by her husband in Canada and made to feel utterly powerless. But an enduring belief in herself and the courage to reach out for help enabled her to finish high school, attend the University of Toronto, earn a master’s degree in economics, raise her daughters and move out on her own. This powerful woman is now a bestselling author, a director at BMO and an amazing role model and mentor to others who feel powerless themselves.

Then there’s pilot Teara Fraser, an honouree in the CIBC Trailblazers & Trendsetters category. She’s the first Indigenous woman to own a commercial airline in Canada, Iskwew Air, and has also created a wellness institute in British Columbia that combines Indigenous and Western practices to develop people and their communities. There’s no doubt that she’s powerful, no matter what lens you look through.

Finally, there’s Frances Donald, a 33-year-old chief economist at

Manulife and the winner of the

Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders award. She’s based in Toronto but wings her way around the globe, meeting with economic leaders at her company and other organizations on a regular basis. She also has her feet firmly on the ground, advocating for affordable childcare so that more mothers like her can participate more fully and fairly in the economy. This year we’re also broadening the scope of “power” by honouring women in two new awards categories: the Manulife Science and Technology Award and the CP Industry Sector and Trades Award. It’s another manifestation of how we stay true to our mission and mandate to fiercely support women and diversity in Canada.

While we’re extremely proud of the women in all the sectors we’ve honoured in the past, we realized that we were missing a key demographic by not consciously celebrating women in non-traditional roles. According to CBDC’s most recent Annual Report Card on diversity on Canadian corporate boards, the mining industry, oil and gas, trades and manufacturing had some of the lowest representations of women on their boards. One way to encourage change in those sectors is to actively honour minorities — women, visible minorities, Indigenous people, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people — in those fields. The more they stand out and are recognized, the more other people of diverse backgrounds will consider those fields as viable future opportunities for themselves. That’s just one way we can contribute to creating more powerfully empowered people in our workplaces and our communities.

I’m looking forward to celebrating the Top 100 Awards at our gala again this year. I like to say that a Top 100 Award is a gift that keeps on giving. Having been honoured by the Top 100 Awards as a female entrepreneur in 2006 and 2007, I can attest to the fact that the award changes lives. It opens doors and creates new opportunities to amplify and extend the winners’ causes. Whether those women are inspiring more young women to follow in their footsteps, raising additional funds for a community cause they believe in or taking a more active role in their industry, the awards ceremony is just the beginning.