Glass Ceiling or Not, These 100 Women Are Leading Their Fields

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - Dec 3, 2013) -  Today the Women's Executive Network (WXN) revealed the recipients of the 2013 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. Co-Presented by KPMG and Scotiabank, this year's Awards saw an increase of representatives in sectors historically disassociated with female leadership, including representatives from the military, mining and manufacturing industries.

These Awards celebrate and highlight the professional achievements of women across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors at a time when corporate Canada is under growing pressure to promote more female leaders into senior management and corporate director roles. Bringing the discussion to light, this year's Top 100 Leadership Summit and Awards Gala on December 4 is appropriately themed "What Glass Ceiling?" During the Summit held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, Top 100 Award Winners will provide insights on how they managed to become leaders in their sectors to inspire more than 400 women in attendance, including the next generation of female leaders. Speakers at this year's Summit include Lisa Lisson, President of FedEx Express Canada, Christine Magee, President of Sleep Country Canada, Dr. Fiona Costello, Associate Professor, Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Surgery (Ophthalmology), Clinician Scientist at Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, and Sue Paish, CEO of Lifelabs.

"We know the playing field is far from fair and, as we have seen through the recent OSC roundtable, we still have a ways to go before women are fully represented in boardrooms and the C-suite," said Pamela Jeffery, WXN Founder. "We believe that by recognizing and sharing the accomplishments of women who are in leadership roles, seizing opportunities and helping crack the glass now, we are encouraging the next generation to reach higher so that one day there will be no ceiling, just possibility."

Since its inception in 1997, WXN has created and delivered innovative networking, mentoring and professional and personal development opportunities for women in leadership roles, growing into a sizable community of more than 19,000 members strong across Canada and Ireland. As of today, WXN has honoured 728 of Canada's most powerful women and inducted 93 of these women into the Top 100 Hall of Fame.

"WXN continues to deliver an impressive list of women each of whom have overcome obstacles and adversaries to stand at the top of their respective field," said Kristen Carscallen, Chief Human Resources Officer, KPMG. "We are proud to support WXN in shining a spotlight on these exceptional leaders."

"Congratulations to this year's WXN Top 100 honourees and thank you to WXN for your unwavering commitment to championing the advancement of women," said Sue Graham Parker, Scotiabank's Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Communications. "Scotiabank is proud to support WXN and these Awards, which increase the visibility of female leaders so that younger generations continue to be inspired and help sustain our economy tomorrow."

On the evening of December 4, over 1,100 attendees will honour the 2013 Top 100 Award Winners at a Gala dinner where the keynote speech will be delivered by Dr. Roberta Bondar, who shattered the glass ceiling when she became the first Canadian female astronaut and neurologist in space aboard NASA's 1992 space shuttle Discovery. Returning for the second year as the Gala Emcee is News Anchor Anne-Marie Mediwake, co-host CBC News Toronto and 2011 Consumer's Choice Awards' GTA Woman of the Year.

The 2013 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners are:

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL ARTS & COMMUNICATIONS (7)

• Nini Baird, Chair, TELUS Vancouver Community Board, TELUS, Vancouver, BC
• Shahrzad Rafati, Founder and CEO, BroadbandTV Corp., Vancouver, BC
• Dr. Susan Chalmers-Gauvin, CEO and Founder, Atlantic Ballet Company of Canada, Moncton, NB
• Kathy Cheng, President, WS & Co., Ltd. and Founder, Redwood Classics Apparel, Scarborough, ON
• Marilyn Denis, Host, The Marilyn Denis Show, CTV & Co-Host, Roger, Darren & Marilyn, CHUM FM, Bell Media, Toronto, ON
• Ana Lopes, Chair of the Board, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation, Toronto, ON
• Sandie Rinaldo, Anchor, CTV National News with Sandie Rinaldo, CTV News, Toronto, ON

RBC CHAMPIONS (7)

• Debby Carreau, CEO and Founder, Inspired HR Ltd, Calgary, AB
• Jenny Gulamani-Abdulla, President, Gulamani-Abdulla & Co., Immigration Consulting, Calgary, AB
• Janice McDonald, President, iStyleOriginals, Ottawa, ON
• Jane Allen, Partner and Chief Diversity Officer, Deloitte LLP, Toronto, ON
• Susan Allen, Assurance Partner, International Team Leader, Global Assurance Quality Group, PwC, Toronto, ON
• Sharon MacLeod, Vice President, Marketing, Unilever Canada, Toronto, ON
• Lynn McGrade, Partner and Toronto Regional Investment Management Group Leader Chair, Business Development Committee, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Toronto, ON

ACCENTURE CORPORATE DIRECTORS (6)

• Patricia Callon, Director, Vice-Chair, Toronto Hydro Corporation, Toronto, ON
• Beth Horowitz, Corporate Director, HSBC Bank Canada, Toronto, ON
• Louise Roy, Director, Intact Financial Corporation and Chancellor, Université de Montréal, Toronto, ON
• Christiane Bergevin, Executive Vice President, Partnerships and Desjardins Business Development, Office of the President, Desjardins Group, Montréal, QC
• Isabelle Hudon, President, Sun Life Financial, Québec, Montréal, QC
• Nancy Hopkins, Partner, McDougall Gauley LLP and Director, The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Saskatoon, SK

SCOTIABANK CORPORATE EXECUTIVES (23)

• Lorraine Mitchelmore, President & Canada Country Chair, Executive Vice President Heavy Oil, Shell Canada Ltd, Calgary, AB
• Janice Odegaard, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Suncor Energy Inc., Calgary, AB
• Tina Osen, President and CEO, HUB International Insurance Brokers, Burnaby, BC
• Janet Holder, Executive Vice President, Western Access, Enbridge Inc., Prince George, BC
• Dr. Amiee Chan, President and CEO, Norsat International Inc., Richmond, BC
• Christine Day, CEO, lululemon, Vancouver, BC
• Kay Priestly, CEO, Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd., Vancouver, BC
• Kim Thompson, SVP, Advisory Services, Credential Financial Inc., Vancouver, BC
• Sue Reibel, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Group Benefits & Retirement Solutions, Manulife Financial, Kitchener, ON
• Jane Riddell, Chief Operations Officer, GoodLife Fitness Clubs Inc., London, ON
• Elyse Allan, President and CEO, GE Canada, Mississauga, ON
• Caroline Charter, Vice President - Worldwide Alliance & Channel Strategic Partner Sales Engagement, Oracle Corporation, Mississauga, ON
• Lisa Lisson, President, FedEx Express Canada, Mississauga, ON
• Jacqui Allard, Senior Vice President, Head of Operations & Chief Information Officer, Investment Division, Manulife Financial, Toronto, ON
• Shauneen Bruder, EVP and Head of Operations, RBC, Toronto, ON
• Mary De Paoli, Executive Vice-President, Public & Corporate Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer, Sun Life Financial, Toronto, ON
• Betty DeVita, President, MasterCard Canada, Toronto, ON
• Judy Goldring, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, AGF Management Limited, Toronto, ON
• Christina Kramer, Executive Vice President, Retail Distribution & Channel Strategy, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto, ON
• Sharon Ludlow, President and CEO, Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd, Toronto, ON
• Linda Mantia, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Services and Chief Procurement Officer, RBC, Toronto, ON
• Anne Marie O'Donovan, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Global Banking and Markets, Scotiabank, Toronto, ON
• Marie-Josée Lamothe, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Corporate Communications Officer, L'ORÉAL Canada, Montréal, QC

CIBC ENTREPRENEURS (7)

• Arlene Flock, President, Flagworks Inc., Calgary, AB
• Allison Grafton, President, Rockwood Custom Homes, Calgary, AB
• Shannon Rogers, President & General Counsel, Global Relay, Vancouver, BC
• Kelsey Ramsden, President, Belvedere Place Development Ltd., Spark Play Ltd., London, ON
• Ann Kaplan, President and CEO, iFinance Canada/Medicard, Toronto, ON
• Heather Reisman, Founder and CEO, Indigo Books and Music Inc., Toronto, ON
• Nancy Venneman, President, Altitude Aerospace Inc., Montréal, QC

TELUS FUTURE LEADERS (7)

• Lindsay Nahmiache, Partner, Jive Communications, Vancouver, BC
• Jennifer Christie, Territory Manager, John Deere Canada ULC, Kitchener, ON
• Kelly Lovell, Motivational Public Figure & CEO, The Kelly Effect, Lovell Corporation, Kitchener, ON
• Carrie McMullen, Strategic Account Executive, Aerotek, Mississauga, ON
• Anouk Dey, Founder and President, Reclaim Childhood, Toronto, ON
• Michelle Dubé, Anchor, CTV Toronto, Bell Media Inc., CTV News, Toronto, ON
• Rhiannon Traill, President & CEO, The Economic Club of Canada & The Jr. Economic Club of Canada, Toronto, ON

KPMG PROFESSIONALS (12)

• Kathleen Ryan, Partner, Davis LLP, Edmonton, AB
• Shelley Brown, Partner, Deloitte, Vancouver, BC
• Karimah Es Sabar, President and CEO, The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), Vancouver, BC
• Monique Mercier, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, TELUS, Vancouver, BC
• Lisa Vogt, Partner and Chief Diversity and Engagement Officer, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver, BC
• Rebecca Ng, Financial Controller, Xstrata Nickel, Markham, ON
• Lisa Borsook, Executive Partner, WeirFoulds LLP, Toronto, ON
• Susan Glass, Partner, National Leader, Valuations, KPMG in Canada, KPMG LLP, Toronto, ON
• Catherine Karakatsanis, Chief Operating Officer, Morrison Hershfield Limited, Toronto, ON
• Diane Kazarian, National Financial Services Leader, Partner - Audit and Assurance Group, PwC, Toronto, ON
• Lisa Kimmel, General Manager, Edelman Toronto, Toronto, ON
• Rosemary McCarney, President and Chief Executive Officer, Plan International Canada Inc., Toronto, ON

PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS (13)

• Lieutenant-Colonel Krista Brodie, Commanding Officer, 1 Service Battalion, Edmonton, AB
• Mary Ackenhusen, Chief Operating Officer, Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC
• Michele McKenzie, President and CEO, Canadian Tourism Commission, Vancouver, BC
• Lori Wanamaker, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Justice and Deputy Solicitor General, Province of British Columbia, Victoria, BC
• Dr. Joanne Keselman, Vice-President Academic & Provost, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB
• Krista Connell, CEO, The Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, Halifax, NS
• Leslee Thompson, President and CEO, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON
• JoAnne Butler, Vice-President, Electricity Resources, Ontario Power Authority, Toronto, ON
• Marilyn Emery, President and CEO, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON
• Anne Sado, President, George Brown College, Toronto, ON
• Joan Sproul, Executive Vice President Corporate and Chief Financial Officer, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON
• Captain(N) Jill Marrack, Deputy Commander Naval Reserve, Naval Reserve Headquarters, Québec City, QC
• Dr. Karen Chad, Vice President, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK

GLENCORE TRAILBLAZERS AND TRENDSETTERS (18)

• Dr. Marie Delorme, CEO, The Imagination Group, Calgary, AB
• Lucy Miller, President and CEO, United Way of Calgary and Area, Calgary, AB
• Ratana Stephens, Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Nature's Path Foods, Richmond, BC
• Hali Strandlund, SVP Residential Mortgage Investments & Broker Relations, Fisgard Asset Management Corporation, Victoria, BC
• Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO, The Women's Tennis Association, St. Petersburg, FL
• Dr. Samia Barakat, Associate Dean, Professionalism & Diversity, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB
• Dr. Joan Durrant, Professor, Department of Family Social Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB
• Susan Patten, Chair, A. Harvey Group of Companies, St. John's, NL
• Debbie Baxter, Chief Sustainability Officer & VP of Workplace Services, LoyaltyOne, Toronto, ON
• Tanya Chernova, Founder, Courageous Living & PNRT (Progressive Neural Resolution Therapy), Toronto, ON
• Sally Daub, President and CEO, ViXS Systems Inc., Toronto, ON
• Leanne Hall, VP Human Resources, Noront Resources Ltd., Toronto, ON
• Nandini Jolly, Founder, President & CEO, CryptoMill Technolgies Ltd., Toronto, ON
• Alison Loat, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Samara, Toronto, ON
• Heather Payne, Founder, Ladies Learning Code & HackerYou, Toronto, ON
• Rauni Salminen, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Philip Aziz Centre Emily House, Toronto, ON
• Major Eleanor Taylor, Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces, Toronto, ON
• Pascale Pageau, Chief Executive Officer, Delegatus Services Juridique Inc., Montréal, QC

WXN HALL OF FAME (5)

• Leslie O'Donoghue, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy and Chief Risk Officer, Agrium, Calgary, AB
• Christine Magee, President, Sleep Country Canada, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, CEO, MaRS Discovery District, Toronto, ON
• Mary Ann Turcke, Executive Vice President, Field Operations, Bell Canada, Toronto, ON
• Lynn Jeanniot, Executive Vice-President, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs, National Bank of Canada, Montréal, QC

Top 100 Awards enjoys a strong commitment from corporate supporters. For a complete list of Partners, click here www.wxnetwork.com/top-100/top-100-women/.

About the Women's Executive Network (WXN)
At WXN, we inspire smart women to lead. WXN creates and delivers innovative networking, mentoring, professional and personal development to inform, inspire, connect and recognize our community of 19,000 smart women and their organizations in the pursuit of excellence. WXN enables our Partners and Corporate Members to become and to be recognized as employers of choice and leaders in the advancement of women.

Founded in 1997, WXN is Canada's leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. WXN is a Founding Member of the Canadian Board Diversity Council, dedicated to increasing the diversity of Canada's corporate boards. In the fall of 2008, WXN launched in Ireland, a first step in creating an international community of female leaders.

In June 2012, WXN Founder Pamela Jeffery was named the only Canadian resident to Fast Company's 2012 League of Extraordinary Women, in the leadership category. In its inaugural year, the League of Extraordinary Women recognized 60 women from the world's largest companies, innovative start-ups, philanthropic organizations, government and arts for their dedication to changing the lives of women and girls everywhere. WXN is the only Canadian-based organization on the list. Other Charter members include Hilary Clinton and Melinda Gates.

As individuals, we can inspire and be inspired. To our community of members and Partners, we thank you for inspiring WXN to lead.

More information and details are available at wxnetwork.com or top100women.ca.