The 2023 Women of the Year Awards

For our fourth annual awards, we honour 15 winners and runners-up who are redefining what it means to lead the province forward

For the fourth year in a row, we’ve got an entirely new crop of women to honour in our annual Women of the Year awards.

Really, it’s a testament to this province’s overwhelming stockpile of talent that we had more than enough capable nominees to fill this magazine several times over. We think that the names and photos on the next few pages have stories about as compelling as you’ll find, and we know that they’re affecting change in their industries and organizations on a scale that’s both wide and deep.

They come from disparate fields, like construction, venture capital, science, technology and government, and they are making our province proud with their contributions. We’re proud, too, of our excellent judging panel (listed below) who were so generous with their time.

Congratulations to the winners and runners-up in what we’re sure you’ll agree is an impressive edition of Women of the Year.

LEADER

ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADER

INNOVATOR

COMMUNITY BUILDER

CHANGE MAKER

EQUITY AND INCLUSION CHAMPION

RISING STARS

The Judges

Shauna Harper

Shauna Harper is the CEO of WeBC, based in its Kelowna office. As a federally funded not-for-profit organization, WeBC provides thousands of women entrepreneurs across B.C. with business loans, expertise, training, resources and peer support to help their businesses grow and thrive each year. Prior to coming to WeBC, Harper was an entrepreneur for 22 years. She owned a manufacturing company that created and sold inspirational glass stone magnets globally, and a marketing and communications company that helped small businesses and not-for-profit organizations by offering marketing strategies, project management, team support and marketing training.

Carol Liao

Dr. Carol Liao is an associate professor and director of the Centre for Business Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. A multiple award-winning scholar and teacher, Liao focuses her work on corporate law and sustainability, climate governance, gender and racial justice. She is the UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar at the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics, UBC Sauder School of Business, and co-leads the Canada Climate Law Initiative, advancing knowledge to Canadian corporate boards on the latest in climate science and their fiduciary obligations. Liao is also a director of the Pacific Canada Heritage Centre – Museum of Migration Society, an anti-racist museum dedicated to broadening the collective memories of historically marginalized groups in the Pacific Northwest.

Erin Seeley

Seeley is currently the CEO of YWCA Metro Vancouver, one of B.C.’s largest multi-service charities, including two social enterprises, the YWCA Hotel and Health and Fitness centre. With a budget of $50M and almost 500 employees, YWCA currently operates 73 programs supporting women, families and allies across 178 locations including transitional and permanent housing, violence prevention, employment, youth and mentorship and early childhood education. A firm believer in the value of public and community service, Seeley has more than 20 years of experience in governance, strategic planning, communications, policy analysis and stakeholder relations. Most recently, Seeley served as senior vice president, BC Financial Services Authority, and CEO of the Real Estate Council of BC.

Tina Strehlke

Founded in 1999, Minerva BC is a registered charity that is dedicated to advancing the leadership of women and girls. As CEO, Strehlke has over 15 years’ senior leadership experience in the social impact sector. She has knowledge and expertise in gender equality, career development, inclusive leadership and creating equitable workplaces. Strehlke has a bachelor of arts in international relations from UBC and a master of arts in communications from Royal Roads University. She has lived and worked in Germany, Costa Rica, Guyana and Taiwan. Strehlke currently volunteers with Her Mentors and Locelle, and is a member of the Essential Impact Advisory Group.