CIBC Trailblazers & Trendsetters Awards

Recognizing women who are first in their field and have made a great contribution to Canadian society

DR. CRISTINA AMON

Alumni Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

BIO: Cristina Amon is a Professional Engineer and the first female dean at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. Under her leadership, the faculty became a global hub for multidisciplinary research and innovation. A champion of diversity and inclusion, the number of women faculty members tripled during her tenure and the faculty achieved 42 per cent of women in first-year engineering. Among her many accolades, she received the Engineering Institute of Canada’s most prestigious award, the Sir John Kennedy Medal. An ICD.D, she has served as director and adviser on boards in Canada and abroad.

EARLY, LASTING LESSON: Never give up.

SUCCESS IS: Enabling others to succeed, fostering inclusion and increasing diversity of all sorts to not only enrich our environment but also deepen creativity.

ADVICE I WOULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF: Trust in yourself, trust your instincts.

ERIN BARTON

Chief Development Officer WE

BIO: Social entrepreneur, humanitarian, partnership architect and mother of five, Erin Barton has positively impacted millions of young people. As Chief Development Officer for WE, she shapes the corporate social responsibility initiatives of leading companies to tackle critical global issues. During 20 years at WE, Erin helped build its volunteer trips program, developed cutting-edge service learning programming, initiated the organization’s sponsorship and fundraising strategy and led development efforts in Haiti. Erin is loving mom to three biological children and two Haitian adopted children.

EARLY, LASTING LESSON: Don’t wait. Don’t let opportunities to give back, to engage, to explore pass you by.

SUCCESS IS: Means I made an impact.

ADVICE I WOULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF: Breastfeed in the boardroom, it breaks the ice.

POWER SONG: “Hands” by Jewel.

LAURIE M. CLARK

Co-founder, Principal and Director

CANCHEK CORPORATION Founder and

Chief Executive Officer

SMARTEN UP INSTITUTE INC.

BIO: Two-time Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award winner, Laurie Clark is a serial entrepreneur and founder of two fintech companies. Canchek is Canada’s complete anti-money-laundering solution and the Smarten Up Institute (SUI) began as a financial education company and has transformed into a compliance technology solution company. Laurie sits on public and charitable boards as a qualified board director (CDI).

EARLY, LASTING LESSON: Embrace your fails as hidden wins. I believe failure feeds success.

ON BEING DESCRIBED AS POWERFUL: The quintessential aspect of power is when others listen and act on your words. It’s powerful. And humbling.

ADVICE I WOULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF: Don’t take yourself so seriously all the time. Laugh. Often. Laugh from your belly whenever possible, letting the tears run down your cheeks. It’s almost as good as sex.

MARY DEACON

Chair, Bell Mental Health Initiative

BELL CANADA

BIO: Mary Deacon is chair of the largest-ever corporate mental health initiative in Canada. A passionate advocate and leader in the mental health community, Mary has had a long and successful career in the philanthropic sector, and is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. She is a trailblazer with a track record of bringing people and ideas together for positive and ground-breaking change.

EARLY, LASTING LESSON: Whether pursuing interests, or making educational or job choices, I want to wake up each morning intending to make a difference, and end each day knowing that I have focused on my passions and tried to make a difference.

ON BEING DESCRIBED AS POWERFUL: I have been successful in finding ways to motivate people and organizations, and to bring people and ideas together for positive change.

BRENDA LUCKI

Commissioner

ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE (RCMP)

BIO: Brenda Lucki is the first permanent female commissioner of the RCMP. Since joining in 1986 from Edmonton, Brenda has served the RCMP nationally and abroad as part of international peacekeeping missions. Her talent and determination have guided her through the ranks, to postings as a district commander in the north and commanding officer of the RCMP Training Academy. Brenda is an authentic, dedicated and visionary leader, whose commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, promotion of gender equality, resiliency and respect in the workplace will guide the RCMP into the future.

SUCCESS IS: Staying positive and creating and focusing on opportunities rather than challenges. It’s about learning from mistakes and moving forward. You need to be bold and unafraid to make mistakes … better oops than what if.

TEARA FRASER

Chief Executive Officer and Founder

ISKWEW AIR/RAVEN INSTITUTE

BIO: Teara Fraser is a change-maker, bridge-builder and cocreator who values love, liberty, courage and community. Becoming a pilot gave this young Métis woman wings. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to become the first Indigenous woman to launch an airline in Canada. The name Iskwew (Cree for woman) was chosen as an act of reclamation of womanhood, matriarchal leadership and language. Teara is the visionary behind the Raven Institute, RavenSPEAK, Give them Wings, and Indigenous LIFT Collective.

ON BEING DESCRIBED AS POWERFUL: When we listen to the wisdom of our ancestors, respecting ourselves, each other, the land and spirit, we can reclaim, restore and return to individual and collective well-being. This is power.

SUCCESS IS: Being in right relations. I know I am in right relations when I am offering the gifts I’ve been given for a greater good, when I am both grounded and in flow, like Sweetgrass, and when I am lifting others.

MINA MAWANI

President and Chief Executive Officer CROHN’S & COLITIS CANADA

BIO: Mina Mawani applies her passion and enthusiasm to the Crohn’s and colitis community and is deeply engaged with the issues that matter most to her constituents: finding cures and improving lives for the millions of Canadians affected by these chronic diseases. With more than 15 years of experience in non-profit, private sector, hospital and government roles, Mina is an experienced leader and change navigator, guiding organizations from vision to strategy to results.

EARLY, LASTING LESSON: My mother always told me and my two sisters we can achieve anything we want if we set our minds to it. We had to be good people, look after the marginalized, work hard and be tenacious.

ADVICE I WOULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF: Be ambitious. Don’t let society put limits on what you can achieve. Have confidence. Accept that failures help you grow and learn. Find a mentor.

SHARON KIM

Managing Director and Global Head Foreign Exchange Sales

TD SECURITIES

BIO: Sharon Kim is passionate about breaking gender and diversity boundaries and hiring and training young talent. She is a member of several boards, including serving as executive board member and treasurer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Toronto; TD Securities’ Underwriting Hope Campaign & Auction; and Women in Leadership Executive Committee. She has also contributed to TD’s Women in Capital Markets and Women in Technology communities.

EARLY, LASTING LESSON: Relationships are everything. They are typically what get you to the finish line.

ON BEING DESCRIBED AS POWERFUL: I love “powerful.” I don’t like that powerful is often equated to “scary”, however, when describing successful, senior women.

ADVICE I WOULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF: Put the business first. When in doubt or struggling with a decision, take yourself and your selfishness out of the equation and think about the business.

DR. GIGI OSLER

Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA; 2017 -2018 President

CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (CMA)

BIO: Dr. Gigi Osler is the 151st President of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), and the first female surgeon and the first woman of colour to take on the role. Through her leadership, the CMA began tackling equity, diversity and inclusion in medicine. Dr. Osler collaborated on projects such as The Lancet’s work on advancing women in science, medicine and global health, and she led the first-ever CMA delegation to the 63rd Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.

EARLY, LASTING LESSON: I was told women have to work twice as hard to receive half the credit. That advice has served as a good reminder of the challenges that women continue to face and the barriers we must continue to break down.

GILLIAN RILEY

President and Chief Executive Officer TANGERINE BANK

BIO: Gillian Riley has been a force in the Canadian banking industry for over two decades. She is currently at the leading edge of digital banking in Canada as the President and CEO of Tangerine, where she drives the bank’s strategic direction to provide Canadians with simple and innovative banking. Gillian has held several senior leadership positions across Scotiabank and pioneered the Scotiabank Women Initiative (SWI), which helps advance women-led businesses through access to capital.

EARLY, LASTING ADVICE: Being involved in competitive sport from a young age shaped my competitive nature while instilling teamwork and the ability to lose gracefully.

ADVICE I WOULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF: Be more open to feedback and have the confidence to receive it well.

POWER SONG: “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson.

CHRISTINE ROBERTSON

President

INDIGENA HOLDINGS

BIO: Christine Robertson leads a finance and advisory platform exclusively dedicated to providing investment capital, technical expertise and business advisory services to Indigenous communities throughout North America. Following two decades excelling in positions of increasing responsibility in upstream energy, she astutely transitioned to a niche market underserved by traditional capital sources. Indigena currently holds established investments and operations in agri-business, renewable energy, energy services and non-renewable resources.

EARLY, LASTING ADVICE: If it can go wrong, it will go wrong; planning and contingencies are essential.

SUCCESS IS: Achievement. There are no As for effort in the business world, no matter how much you put in.

ADVICE I WOULD GIVE MY YOUNGER SELF: No matter how smart you are or how hard you work, at times you will fail. Resilience differentiates those with the staying power to make a difference in the long run.

SUSAN URSEL

Partner

URSEL PHILLIPS FELLOWS HOPKINSON LLP

BIO: Since 1984, Susan Ursel has fought for justice and equality, working with trade unions, employees, individuals and progressive organizations. Her work in the human rights field stretches back more than three decades. She is a frequent speaker, teacher and writer on human rights and Charter issues with respect to discrimination, mental health and employment rights, and working with diversity and diverse communities on important legal issues. Susan has received many awards including the Law Society Medal in 2018 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Pro Bono Ontario in 2016.