International Women's Day
Credit: Nisha Grewal of Ambari Beauty, Sonja Baikogli Fogli and Jen Murtagh of Maturn, Francesca Amine of Sweetgrass Soap, Carol Graziani of Best Buy Canada, Mirabela and Alessia Muresan of AlessiaAdora, Mumtaz Chaudhary of Pragilis Solutions, Mikhaela Torio, Bahar Moussavi and Felicia Chan of C.O.D.E. Initiative, Paige Cey of Pick Her Brain podcast

Read on for uplifting stories from the worlds of tech, retail, finance, hospitality and beyond

Looking for some major business inspo this International Women’s Day? You’ve come to the right place. Between our Women of the Year, our 30 Under 30 winners, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year champs and other recent coverage, we’ve got plenty of stories of power, resilience, philanthropy and innovation from female leaders in B.C.

Nisha GrewalHong Photography

Nisha Grewal

Founder, Ambari Beauty

Grewal has grown her Kardashian-approved skincare brand into a multimillion-dollar business. READ MORE=>

AlessiaAdora. Mirabela (right) and Alessia MuresanAlessiaAdora

Mirabela and Alessia Muresan

Co-founders, AlessiaAdora

During the pandemic, this mother-and-daughter duo spent a lot of time cooking together, using recipes from blogs and Youtube. They designed a tablet stand that doubles as kitchen storage. READ MORE=>

Meeru DhaliwalaMy Bambiri

Meeru Dhalwala

Founder, My Bambiri

Vancouver restaurateur Dhalwala (right) launched a brand of pay-what-you-can baby food to benefit local charities. READ MORE=>

Kate BouchardLoba

Kate Bouchard

Founder, Loba

With her smart and stylish pill boxes, Bouchard is working to destigmatize taking meds. READ MORE=>

Francesca AmineSweetgrass Soap

Francesca Amine

Founder, Sweetgrass Soap

Soap-making isn’t always pretty, but Amine ensures that ugly bars don’t go to waste. READ MORE=>

Kasondra Cohen-HerrendorfKasondra Cohen-Herrendorf

Kasondra Cohen-Herrendorf

CEO, Herrendorf Family Foundation; founder and CEO, Face of Today Foundation 

This boss lady focuses her philanthropic efforts on providing mental-health resources and educational opportunities for youth in Canada and abroad. READ MORE=> 

Carol GrazianiBest Buy CanadaCarol Graziani 

Director of diversity and inclusion, Best Buy Canada 

During her 15 years with retailer Best Buy, Graziani has always advocated for diversity and inclusion through education and other efforts, with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community. READ MORE=> 

Nathalie ReesSearch and Rescue Marketing

Nathalie Rees 

CEO, Go Goat Sports; vice-president, North Beach Agency 

A former competitive gymnast and style expert, PR-pro-turned-CEO Rees (second from left) now leads a sports-driven media startup. READ MORE=> 

Tamara FurgasonVancouver is Awesome

Tamara Furgason

Co-founder, Everlasting Candle Co. 

Furgason (left), who’s a doctor by day, also makes clean steel candles that are sold in more than 200 stores across North America. READ MORE=> 

Anna SainsburyTanya Goehring

Anna Sainsbury 

Co-founder, GeoComply 

Sainsbury proves that an unconventional career path can be a strength: she started in design and went on to launch a leading provider of geolocation services. READ MORE=> 

Tamara VroomanVancouver Airport Authority

Tamara Vrooman 

President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority 

The YVR head, who has piloted the airport through COVID, encourages aspiring leaders to focus on their soft skills. READ MORE=> 

Mumtaz ChaudharyPragilis Solutions

Mumtaz Chaudhary 

Co-founder, Pragilis Solutions 

Chaudhary practises what she preaches when it comes to planning change. READ MORE=> 

Kaleena MorrisonFuturpreneur Canada

Kaleena Morrison 

Co-founder, United & Free Skincare 

During the pandemic, Morrison (left) took her skincare company through a full-scale rebranding, with an emphasis on inclusion and sustainability. READ MORE=> 

Brianna BlaneyPocketed

Brianna Blaney

Co-founder, Pocketed; founder, Envol Strategies 

Blaney (fifth from right), who has disrupted the recruitment industry, also helps smaller businesses to raise grant funding. READ MORE=> 

Sonja Fogli and Jen MurtaghMaturn

Sonja Baikogli Fogli and Jen Murtagh 

Co-founders, Maturn 

These two execs know what needs to change with maternity leave. READ MORE=> 

Anastasia KikuReusables

Anastasia Kiku 

Co-founder, Reusables 

In the wake of COVID, Kiku has been trying contain the problem of takeout waste. READ MORE=> 

Rebecca BlighTanya Goehring

Rebecca Bligh 

Councillor, City of Vancouver 

For Bligh, paddleboarding is exactly the break she needs from navigating the sometimes choppy waters of civic politics. READ MORE=> 

Carla PellegriniFood Stash Foundation

Carla Pellegrini 

Executive director, Food Stash Foundation 

What does “waste not, want not” really mean? Pellegrini shows us with a zero-waste, pay-what-you-feel grocer in Olympic Village. READ MORE=> 

Judi HessCopperleaf Technologies

Judi Hess 

CEO, Copperleaf Technologies 

Hess, who took offer as Copperleaf CEO in 2009, built the decision analytics software firm into a global player. READ MORE=> 

Alison TaylorJane Software

Alison Taylor 

Co-founder and co-CEO, Jane Software 

Taylor didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up, but her booking app has gone from a side hustle to a booming international business with 50,000 clients. READ MORE=>

Kara SamKombucha Brewers International

Kara Sam 

Founder, Bucha Brew Kombucha 

This brewer is going hard with her kombucha brand. READ MORE=> 

Diamond IsingerGirl Guides of Canada

Diamond Isinger 

Provincial commissioner, B.C. Council, Girl Guides of Canada 

Isinger’s decidedly non-linear career has taken her everywhere from the highest office in the land to industries as diverse as forestry and law. READ MORE=> 

Paige CeyPaige Cey

Paige Cey 

Founder, Pick Her Brain podcast 

Cey launched her internationally popular podcast, which interviews women in business, during her commerce studies at UVic. READ MORE=> 

Samantha LindemanWildeye BrewingSamantha Lindeman 

Owner, Wildeye Brewing 

Good beer and innovative thinking have helped Lindeman thrive in the beer business, where female brewers are rare. READ MORE=> 

Courtney PetersSupercrush

Courtney Peters 

Co-founder and CEO, Supercrush 

A former bank manager and marketing pro, Peters started her business by making hair scrunchies for friends and family. Soon everybody wanted one. READ MORE=> 

Meg O'HaraMeg O'Hara Creative

Meg O’Hara 

Founder and CEO, Meg O’Hara Creative 

O’Hara tapped into a niche market when she started painting for the ski industry. Her work now appears at mountain resorts throughout North America, and she’s built a following with affluent collectors. READ MORE=> 

Alex MillerKezia Nathe

Alex Miller 

Owner, Pelvic Floor Strong 

U.S. customers have driven strong sales of Miller’s exercise program, which the former fitness instructor designed for women aged 40-plus. READ MORE=> 

Acacia PangilinanKathleen Fisher Photography

Acacia Pangilinan 

Executive director, Kamloops Chamber of Commerce 

Pangilinan, who has served the community from a young age, is helping chambers of commerce here and across the country to evolve. READ MORE=> 

Katie Forsyth and Claire McLoughlinNatalie Sky Photography. Claire McLoughlin (left) and Katie Forsyth.

Katie Forsyth and Claire McLoughlin 

Co-founders and co-owners, Friendly Composting 

With their passion for reducing waste from home and businesses, these Kamloops-based entrepreneurs became the friendly neighbourhood composters. READ MORE=> 

Anamika GioiaSacred Foods

Anamika Gioia 

Founder, Sacred Foods 

Gioia’s business, which specializes in healthy snacks, started with the seed of an idea. READ MORE=> 

Selene DiorVitae Apparel

Selene Dior 

Founder and CEO, Vitae Apparel  

For Dior, community support has been a key factor in the success of her athletic wear company. READ MORE => 

Alexandria MacFarlaneTruly Lifestyle Brand

Alexandria MacFarlane 

Founder and CEO, Truly Lifestyle Brand 

By harnessing her entrepreneurial spirit, MacFarlane created a fast-growing line of all-natural beauty products. READ MORE => 

Lauren MinogueConnor, Clark & Lunn Private Capital

Lauren Minogue 

Vice-president, Connor, Clark & Lunn Private Capital 

Women in the male-dominated wealth advisory industry take a different approach that serves their clients well, Minogue argues. READ MORE=> 

Mikhaela Torio, Bahar Moussavi and Felicia ChanJustin Chan. Mikhaela Torio (left), Bahar Moussavi and Felicia Chan

Mikhaela Torio, Bahar Moussavi and Felicia Chan 

Co-founders, the C.O.D.E. Initiative 

This power trio made it their mission to create tech employment opportunities for neurodiverse youth. READ MORE=> 

Emily DaviesShobhit Sahu

Emily Davies 

Partner, Linde Equity 

Davies leads investment firm Linde’s flagship Equity Fund, whose assets she tripled in three years, to almost $100 million. READ MORE=>