I didn’t know it would be a statement. But after my sexist colleagues began responding, I wore it daily as a badge of honor. The path to becoming an executive is tough for women in all sorts of industries. But when I started my career, I decided to make it even tougher on myself. I … Read more
There are moments in life when we pause to reflect. For me, receiving the professional honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women was just such an opportunity. After decades of working hard and focusing on my goals, I finally took a moment to look back on … Read more
There was a movie a number of years ago called ‘Mean Girls’ that personified fights amongst teenage girls as wild animals clawing each other to get to the top. While this might appear to be an adolescent issue fueled by inexperience, hormonal changes, and trying to find an identity, the issue of mean girls, does … Read more
Things have changed a lot – feminism has become popular and is no longer the ‘f’ word. In March 2016, a group of high profile women spoke on a Canadian Club of Toronto panel to discuss gender barriers in business. When asked if they were feminists each refused to stand up and be counted. One … Read more
It started with women wearing pink hats on marches and moved to women wearing black dresses on the red carpet…while many don’t know what to make of this; it is creating a greater narrative which can’t be denied. Change is a foot and society is viewing women through a new lens which is bringing them … Read more
4 New Norms for Men in the New Year The story started as a hashtag and in a mere three months it became the biggest and most significant of 2017. TIME magazine featured the silence breakers of the #metoo movement as their ‘Person of the Year’ and the Canadian press followed suit by naming sexual … Read more
Over the last month, more women than can be counted have come forth and opened up about being exposed to sexual harassment and sexual abuse. The floodgates have opened, and every day there seems to be a new case involving a celebrity. Some of the claims are directed toward high-profile and privileged men and some … Read more
Recently, while describing a film to a friend I referred to it as a lesbian love story. Sensing that wasn’t quite right I then followed up with the query, “Perhaps I should have said that it is a passionate love story between two women?” To this, she responded, “Why does it have to include gender … Read more
The morning after the US election, on an early bird flight, I chanced upon an acquaintance, a prominent Canadian businessman. He was singing the praises of Donald Trump while I was still smarting at the lost opportunity of having a woman leader of the free world. When I told him that I couldn’t abide a … Read more
There are magnetic people in every company. Others are attracted to them, want to work with them and naturally follow them. These leaders know it’s not enough to have skills and be competent; it is equally important (and maybe more so) to be likeable and form relationships. When these characteristics are delivered together, both are … Read more
