WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP 2022
Women Overcoming Barriers and Biases
Virtual Conference
MARCH 8,2022
Sponsored by AIR MILES
Tickets: $75.00
About the event
100% of proceeds will go to support Indigenous youth through Indspire
Many thanks to our title sponsor AIR MILES for sponsoring morning refreshments for this virtual event
$25.00 DoorDash card will be sent to the first 200 attendees
****WE HAVE EXCEEDED 200 ATTENDEES!****
For any questions please email sangeeta@gtacc.ca
Keynote SPEAKERs
Susan Aglukark, O.C., LL.B
Award-Winning Inuk Singer-Songwriter
Susan Aglukark is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno Award (she has won three), a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and be named an officer of the Order of Canada. Aglukark holds several Honourary Doctorate degrees and has held command performances.
During a career that has spanned more than 25 years, Aglukark’s journey as a singer-songwriter has led her to reflect on who she is, where she comes from, and the importance of discovery — discovery of history, culture, and self. This time of reflection, writing, and song-writing has provided Aglukark with the profound knowledge that the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their Ancestors. Their journey is what shaped them.
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Panel SPEAKERS
Susan Henry
Director, Microfinance & Economic Inclusion
Susan Henry has over 25 years’ experience in the microfinance arena. Susan was instrumental in leading the launch of Alterna Savings Community Microfinance Program and the Community Loan Funds Partnership Programs. Which since inception in 2000 our program has disbursed over $7M in loans directly improving the economic participation of underserved communities and groups such as new and racialized Canadians, Women, and others who face barriers to financing.
Susan’s leadership in the field of Community Economic Development in Canada has advised policy makers and practitioners in Microfinance and social finance tools. She continues to consult and lend her expertise to organizations starting Community Loan Funds with a focus on small business and social enterprise development.
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Her work in developing programs that address the growing divide of financial accessibility of racialized Canadians has led to her participating in the design of the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund with the Federal Government, Financial Institutions and Black Business Service Organizations.
Susan is a current Board Member of the Table of Impact Investment Practitioner (a community of practice for social finance intermediaries). She has provided expertise to other organizations such as Women’s Economic Council National Advisory Committee and the Canadian Women’s Foundation Economic Development Advisory Committee
In her role at Alterna, she is responsible for the strategic direction of the Community Microfinance Program and the Community Loan Fund Partnerships. In 2015, she received the Gary Gillam Award for corporate social responsibility for championing Alterna’s Microfinance program in Canada, in 2019, the microfinance program won the Central 1 Community Impact Award for their work in supporting women entrepreneurs
Susan’s greatest pride is her family. She is a wife and mother of two young adults 25 and 27 year. Her entire family is entrepreneurial with both children pursuing entrepreneurship.
Sweta Regmi
Founder & CEO at Teachndo Career Consultancy | Amazon Best Seller, 21 Resilient Women
Sweta resigned from the leadership role to make an impact in the lives of career professionals, and to ease the difficulties of job seekers. As a Career Consultant, Sweta helps newcomers in Canada and laid-off career professionals to bounce back in the workforce with the actionable job search strategy.
Sweta pairs a decade of hiring experience from the corporate world with a deep understanding of what employers want. She teaches her lived, and tested real-life experience.
Sweta is on the "Top 25 Job Search Experts to follow on LinkedIn in 2021," named by Jobscan. Her insights have been featured in CBC News, Globe And Mail, City News, Forbes, Toronto Sun, and many more.
Sweta's passion is in giving back to marginalized communities. Around 2017, Sweta had a wake-up call after she was laid off, Sweta back-packed and took a one-way ticket to find her soul in Nepal, where she was born.
Sweta travelled to the tribal village in Nepal where there were no roads to volunteer in the charity foundation, Laxmi Pratishan. Foundation is focused on the child's education for underprivileged tribal communities, women empowerment, and skills transformation. After witnessing how people were happy in the village without basic needs, Sweta got the message that having a “fancy title” is not happiness.
Sweta became a lifetime member of Laxmi Pratisthan and regularly sponsors child's education.
Tara Wilson
Tara is a problem solver - known for her love of tackling messy, complicated situations. She works with teams to figure out what needs to be done to get people working together to achieve positive results. She is a recently published author who shared her life lessons on resiliency, cultivating a growth mindset and keeping perspective to blaze a trail through life. Tara has learned that life requires grit, curiosity and a whole lot of listening to understand how to identify and break through logjams to move people forward together. She spends her time exploring life with her pre-teen son, hiking and kayaking when she can AND NEVER pases up a chance to see her many musical interests in concert. She's learning how to garden, while she plans for her retirement home in a cottage somewhere with a lake and a greenhouse...
Sharon stines
AVP Customer Care, AIR MILES
With over 30 years of progressive experience in a variety of roles within Contact Centres, Sharon has maintained ongoing success in creating and supporting a culture of high performance and high employee engagement, resulting in teams consistent in exceeding revenue as well as both associate and customer service goals.
Throughout her career, Sharon has developed specialized expertise in in Contact Centre Operations, Process Enhancement, Project, Change and Relationship Management. She has proven adept in trend analysis, identification of critical opportunities, and expertise in solutions planning and development of implementation strategies, turning goals and objectives into actionable tasks.
Sharon’s achievements in the AIR MILES Customer Care Centre includes development of a Customer Experience Blueprint for consistent call handling, implementation of a formal management operating system, launch of a fast-track nesting process to improve the performance of new hires, and an overhaul of the quality monitoring process – all with the goal of delivering a better Collector experience. As AVP, Sharon ensures that the Customer Care Team leverages data driven insights into Member behaviour and Associate performance in order to enhance overall experience and create a more efficient and effective operation.
Prior to joining the AIR MILES team, Sharon was Percepta’s Manager, Customer Care, at Ford Motor Company Canada in Oakville. Sharon grew the Canadian portfolio to include Concern Resolution, and increased revenue by offering new services to clients to enhance off-site placement of Percepta employees.
Panel Facilitator
Harriet Thornhill
Vice President, RBC Advice Centre and Direct Investing Contact Centre
Harriet began her career in Montreal, Quebec. She has over 40 years of experience in financial services. Her experience spans across multiple areas in RBC’s Personal and Commercial Banking platform, including domestic and international leadership of large teams.
In her current role as Vice President, she leads the frontline teams of RBC’s Contact Centres - a multi-business, multi-geographical distribution channel for the bank; overseeing over 4000 employees across Canada.
She actively mentors others and is passionate about community involvement and support.
She has extensive not for profit board and advisory committee experience. Including a key advisory member of the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund partnership between the Government of Canada, The Federation of African Canadian Economics, Canadian financial institutions and credit unions.
She is the recipient of several awards and recognition for her business and leadership achievements.
Title Sponsor
Supporting Sponsors
