B.C.’s 20 most powerful women leaders in 2017

Credit: Paul Joseph (left); Wikimedia Commons (right)

WXN has named Shannon Rogers (left) and Shahrzad Rafati to its Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada Hall of Fame

The B.C. achievers on WXN’s 2017 Top 100 list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women

The Women’s Executive Network (WXN) has named 20 B.C. women to its 2017 Top 100 list. The awards recognize outstanding women across Canada who have advocated for diversity in the workforce and who serve as an inspiration for the next generation of leaders.

The  Award Winners gala is November 23 in Toronto. In Vancouver, winners will be celebrated at a leadership summit and awards luncheon on January 26, 2018.

Presented by KPMG, the Top 100 Awards span the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, with recipients selected by an independent advisory board. The awards are given to remarkable women in 10 categories: BMO Arts & Communications, RBC Champions, Accenture Corporate Directors, HSBC Corporate Executives, Entrepreneurs, Telus Future Leaders, KPMG Professionals, PwC Public Sector Leaders, CIBC Trailblazers & Trendsetters and the Inclusion Vanguard Award, presented by Deloitte.

Since 2003, the Top 100 Awards have celebrated more than 1,000 remarkable women. Previous winners include Roberta Bondar, astronaut; Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Venture Communications; Michaëlle Jean, former governor general of Canada; and Christine Magee, president of Sleep Country Canada.  

Launched in 1997, WXN promotes the advancement and recognition of Canadian 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. WXN launched in Dublin, Ireland, in 2008 and in London, England, in 2015. It has 18,500 members in Canada, 2,500 in Ireland and 1,000 in the U.K.

2017 B.C. winners by category

BMO Arts & Communications
Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC

CIBC Trailblazers & Trendsetters
Norma Biln, CEO, Augurex Life Sciences Corp.
Laurie Clark, president and CEO, The Smarten Up Institute
Cdr. Michele Tessier, commander, Coastal Forces Pacific, Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Armed Forces

Corporate Executives
Kathy McGarrigle, former COO, Coast Capital Savings Credit Union
Laurie Schultz, president and CEO, ACL Services Ltd.
Marilyn Tyfting, chief corporate officer, Telus International
Catherine Wood, SVP & head of online brokerage, digital advice, insurance products and marketing, Qtrade Financial Group

Entrepreneurs
Emmie Leung, founder and CEO, Emterra Group Inc.
Renee Merrifield Wasylyk, president and CEO, Troika Management Corp.

KPMG Professionals
Janet Grove, managing partner (Vancouver), Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Petra Kuret, managing director, Accenture in British Columbia, Accenture Inc.
Valerie Mann, partner (managing partner for three years prior to January 1, 2016), Lawson Lundell LLP
Diane McCurdy, founder and president, McCurdy Financial Planning Inc.

RBC Champions
Ingrid Jarrett, general manager and VP business development, Watermark Beach Resort
Lois Nahirney, president and CEO, DnaPower Inc.

PwC Public Sector Leaders
Kathy Kinloch, president, BC Institute of Technology (BCIT)

Telus Future Leaders
Jacquoline Martin, executive director, Vancouver Outreach

WXN Hall of Fame
Shahrzad Rafati, founder and CEO, BroadbandTV Corp.
Shannon Rogers, president and chief legal officer, Global Relay Communications Inc.

For a full list of winners, please visit wxnetwork.com.