2026 Finalists
Women Empowerment Awards
MEET THE 2026 FINALISTS
The Finalists for Mentorship are:
Dr. Anne Aspler - Emergency Physician & Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
Brenda Okorogba - Strategic Advisor, Learning Facilitator & Award-Winning Mentor
Brooke Gordon - Principal, Brooke Gordon + Collective
The Finalists for Leadership are:
Reetu Gupta - President & CEO, The Gupta Group and Easton’s Group of Hotels
Alicia Vianga - Founder, after BREAST CANCER
Yanique Brandford - Founder, Help A Girl Out
The Finalists for Innovation are:
Nanette Sene - Co-Founder & CEO, Juno Technologies
Pina Romolo - President & CEO, Piccola Cucina Inc.
Nadia Ivanova - Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, Sparrow BioAcoustics
The Finalists for Global Impact are:
Dr. Farah Shroff - Public Health Leader & Global Health Advocate
Kehkashan Basu - Founder & President, Green Hope Foundation
Sharlene Rochard - Survivor & Legislative Advocate Bios condensed
The Finalists for Diversity, Equality & Inclusivity are:
Dr. Shezadi Khushal - Human Rights Investigator & Equity Leader
CJ Janzen - Founder & CEO, Beyond{dis}
Karen Craggs-Milne - Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader
The Finalists for Rogers Communications Entrepreneur of the Year are:
Evelyn Chick - Founder, Evelyn Chick Projects
Amanda Shuchat & Katie Muir - Co-Founders & Co-CEOs, Heads+Tales
Rhowena Adolfo Patel - Founder, Healing Mama Co.
The Finalists for Rising Star are:
Stephanie Quon - Medical Student & Founder, The Sprouts Initiative
Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis - Neuroscience PhD Candidate, University of Toronto
Daniela Oboh - Neuroscience Researcher & Brain Health Equity Advocate
The Finalists for Businesswoman of the Year are:
Dwania Peele - Founder, Canadian Small Business Women
Jacqueline Dinsmore - Founder & Managing Partner, Caravel Law
Cathy Syrianos - Founder, The Healing Ink Collective Bios condensed
The Finalists for the Mantella Corporation Entrepreneur BIPOC Grant are:
Chantelle Campbell - Founder, Equity & Advocacy Social Justice Foundation
Tanya Callaghan - Founder, Girls Addicted to Basketball
Harpreet Kaur - Founder, DOC247 & CAN PATHWAYS
Ava Hill is a respected First Nations leader whose extraordinary career has been shaped by resilience, advocacy, and service. Born at Six Nations of the Grand River in 1950, Ava experienced the racism, discrimination, and intergenerational impacts of the residential school era.
She built a distinguished career with the federal government, the Assembly of First Nations, and Chiefs of Ontario before serving 15 years on Six Nations Elected Council, including two terms as Elected Chief.
Today, she continues advocating for youth, culture, and community as Co-Chair of the Woodland Cultural Centre Capital Campaign. Her legacy is one of courage, truth, and service.
THE 2026 CATEGORIES
Businesswoman of the Year Award
The world of business is full of talented, innovative leaders and entrepreneurs who run successful ventures. This award recognizes an individual who has shown dedication in achieving phenomenal success in business and continues to drive her business forward while fostering and encouraging female entrepreneurship.
Leadership Award
Leaders create leaders. This award recognizes an individual who is seen as an instrumental and influential leader in business or their community, demonstrating how their personal leadership has led to business growth and development, or how they have impacted the quality of life in their community.
Diversity, Equality & Inclusivity Award
Celebrating the diversity of ethnicities in the workplace, supporting colleagues with physical or mental health challenges, and for inclusion of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community, this award recognizes an individual with a continuous and long-term commitment to Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DE&I) within the workplace and community.
Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Exemplifying the ideals of entrepreneurship by running a successful start-up or being the driving force of a successful business (1-3 years). This award recognizes an individual with a strong focus on vision, passion and strategic direction.
Mentorship Award
Inspiring and providing guidance to others, this award recognizes mentors that go above and beyond, empowering other women to accomplish their goals and fostering the next generation of leaders.
Innovator Award
Impacting the way they do business, working with others in product and service development, this award recognizes an individual who demonstrates significant innovations within the scope of business, which includes quality, efficiency, cost effectiveness or creativity.
Global Impact Award
Impacting and inspiring women beyond our Canadian boundaries, this award recognizes the leadership, contributions and actions taken to reach and impact women globally, making a difference within communities in developing nations.
Mantella Corporation BIPOC Entrepreneur Award
This award includes a generous $10,000 grant and recognizes successful BIPOC business leaders who have overcome greater challenges, breaking through roadblocks to gain credibility and establish themselves in their industry.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given in recognition to an individual who has made a significant impact on a large number of individuals or organizations during a distinguished career. Documented achievement must have taken place over a minimum of 10 years through individually designed or implemented high-impact programs or projects, the development of influential initiatives, publications, community or business mentorships.
Rising Star Award
With recognizing young individuals whose examples serve to inspire our next generation through entrepreneurship, advocacy, community involvement or global change, this award is presented to an individual who is seen to be an inspiration to our younger generation. (This Award is only open to those aged between 14–25 years.)