IN TIMES OF CRISIS, WE MUST REACH BEYOND BORDERS TO UNITE AND RISE

BY SHERRI STEVENS

What do you do when the world changes overnight? How do you find your footing when you don’t know what’s coming next? How do you move forward when you’re paralyzed by worry and fear?

How do you pick yourself up and find strength amid a storm that hits all fronts at once?

In a year marked by crisis, these are the questions we’ve heard from women all across Canada. We’ve asked them ourselves at the Women’s Executive Network (WXN), too. And we discovered answers as we worked through our challenges together; uniting as a community and helping each other rise above.

The words “unite and rise” were born out of COVID-19 and a pivot to provide online support to women finding their way through uncertainty in a suddenly isolated world. They became a mantra to those who found solace, safety, strength and direction through the simple acts of coming together and sharing experiences.

It only made sense to keep that momentum going for 2020 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards – only this time, we’re uniting and rising across the world, beyond borders.

There’s a lot to celebrate this year, with winners like Commander Kelly Williamson, Director of Navy Public Affairs with the Royal Canadian Navy, who demonstrates leadership, strength and resilience while protecting the high seas, and on highly visible humanitarian assistance and global engagement missions. Melissa Sariffodeen, co-founder and CEO of Canada Learning Code, is a digital literacy advocate dedicated to ensuring that all people in Canada have the critical skills, confidence and opportunity that they need to thrive in our increasingly digital world. And scientist Dr. Lisa Saksida, Canada Research Chair in Translational Cognitive Neuroscience and Professor at Western University’s department of physiology and pharmacology, studies fundamental questions about the brain in health and disease, while also working to create a level playing field for women and other underrepresented groups in science and technology.

We’ve hit new milestones as an organization as well. This year, 49 per cent of our winners are diverse, including Women of Colour, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, persons living with disabilities, Indigenous people and other visible minorities. This is the result of deliberate outreach throughout our nomination process that allows us to gather new data and benchmark progress on diversity and inclusion within Canadian companies.

In honour of women who have risked their lives, careers and reputations to champion our country and its values, we’re introducing a new award category: Women of Courage. This award recognizes those who advocate on the front lines for positive social change against tides of criticism, who guard and protect those around them, who lead during tough times and who unflinchingly conquer their demands by courageously taking a stand for what they believe in. Our inaugural awards will be awarded posthumously to Capt. Jennifer Casey, Sub-lt. Abbigail Cowbrough and Const. Heidi Stevenson, who tragically lost their lives in 2020 doing what they love in the service of all Canadians.

We’re also shining a light across the leadership lifecycle with four award categories, three of them new: the CEO Award, the C-suite Award, the Executive Leaders Award and the Emerging Leaders Award. We’ve all heard of the glass ceiling at the highest levels of business, but women face challenges across the entire corporate ladder. Through these awards, we strive to make women better represented at every level throughout the entire career journey – not just those who are already at the top.

In addition, I’m celebrating my fifth year as owner and CEO of WXN. When I stepped into that role, I took our mission to support women of all levels, across all sectors and of all ages to heart – even in the most challenging of times. Over the past year, I’ve been overwhelmed not only by this opportunity to provide support and hope to others through our efforts to unite and rise, but also by the outpouring of support and hope we’ve received in turn.

This year, the Top 100 Awards promise to be unlike any other, as we unite and rise once more with attendees and speakers from around the world, including Dr. Makaziwe Mandela, global activist, head of the House of Mandela and the daughter of Nelson Mandela, who will join us via livestream from Johannesburg, South Africa at our gala. With a completely virtual format, we’ll be able to come together and connect beyond borders like never before.

At a time when change doesn’t stop, neither do we. When we unite and rise together, we shine brighter. We grow stronger. Our Top 100

Award Winners are proof that diamonds are formed under pressure. Their strength and light provide inspiration for those around them. They give us hope for what’s to come – and believe me, there are great things to come.