MELISSA KENNEDY

EVP & Chief Legal Officer and Public Affairs SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

From parliamentary page to award-winning executive, leader and consultant, Petra Kuret was the first Canadian female partner in resources and has developed a reputation as a “chief fix-it officer.” In 2013, she was appointed location managing director for British Columbia, helping grow the business and build employee engagement. Kuret is passionately involved with several organizations such as B.C. Women’s Hospital and Free the Children.

“Seek out opportunity: In my early years, I seized opportunities to live abroad. These experiences gave me perspective, taught me tolerance for others and informed a more global view. Take risk: Trying new roles and taking on expanded responsibilities have allowed me to discover strengths and passions I didn’t know I had and added skills to my tool kit. Work hard: Growing up in an immigrant family and working in our family business on weekends helped me develop a strong work ethic.”