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A network of influence

Since 2011, the Top 25 Women of Influence Awards have celebrated self-identified women whose achievements continue to shape industries, communities, and conversations.

Today, alumni represent a powerful and growing network driving progress across business, entrepreneurship, and public life. They lead at the highest levels, build and scale organizations, shape policy, and champion the advancement of women across sectors.

Together, they form a highly accomplished and diverse cross-section of leaders, defined by credibility, vision, and a shared commitment to meaningful, lasting change.

Alumni

Recent Winners

Meet the most recent recipients of the Top 25 Women of Influence Awards.

View 2025 Winners View 2024 Winners

Past Winners

Recipients from previous years who have contributed to the ongoing legacy of the Top 25 Women of Influence Awards.

2023 Recipients

  • Bobbie Racette, Founder and CEO of Virtual Gurus and askBetty
  • Louise Aspin, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of the University Health Network Foundation (UHNF)
  • Linda Biggs, Co-Founder of joni
  • Suzie Yorke, Founder of Love Good Fats and The Better Chocolate
  • Allison Forsyth, Olympian and Chief Sport Officer of Headversity
  • Lovepreet Deo, Canadian Cyclist with Cerebral Palsy
  • Paulette Senior, President & CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation
  • Margaret Coons, Founder and CEO of Nuts For Cheese
  • Cheyenne Arnold-Cunningham, In-House Counsel at Union of BC Indian Chiefs
  • Dr. Rachel Ollivier, Globally-Recognized Physician and Women’s Health Advocate
  • Haben Girma, First Deafblind Graduate of Harvard Law School
  • Maya Kotecha and Carly Shuler, Co-Founders of Hoot Reading
  • Janet Ko, President and Co-Founder of The Menopause Foundation of Canada
  • Rosa Galvez, Canadian Senator
  • Elvalyn Brown, Founding Member of the Black Ontario Public Services Employees Network
  • Dr. Vivien Brown, Renowned Family Physician and Assistant Professor for the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of Toronto
  • Karina Gould, Canada’s Youngest Woman Cabinet Minister
  • Eva Havaris, Founder of Leadership By Design
  • Nicole Janssen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of AltaML
  • Jan De Silva, President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade
  • Christine Sinclair, Canada’s Most Successful Soccer Player
  • Natalie Evans Harris, Entrepreneur and Data Advocate
  • Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada
  • Domee Shi, Canadian Animator, Film Director and Screenwriter

2022 Recipients

  • Siila Watt-Cloutier, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
  • Justice & Nia Faith Betty, Founders of Révolutionnaire
  • Amanda Hall, Founder and CEO of Summit Nanotech
  • Breanne Sich, Founder of The Crohn’s & Colitis Collective
  • Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
  • Denise Bebenek, Founder and President of Meagan’s HUG
  • Ejibola Adetokunbo-Taiwo, CEO and Founder of de Sedulous Women Leaders
  • Georgia Simmerling, Olympic Athlete and Founder of AG Sports
  • Gillian Stein, CEO of Henry’s
  • Jyoti Gondek, Mayor of Calgary, Alberta
  • Kaitlyn Layden, Disability Rights Advocate
  • Kerin John, Founder and CEO of Black Owned Toronto
  • Leylah Fernandez, Professional Tennis Player
  • Lise Birikundavyi, Principal and Fund Manager of BKR Capital (formerly Black Innovation Capital)
  • Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Canadian Actor
  • Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada
  • Dr. Nadia Chaudhri, Neuroscientist
  • Penny Oleksiak, Olympic Swimmer
  • Quinn, Professional Soccer Player
  • Raquel Urtasun, Founder and CEO of Waabi
  • Dr. Roberta K. Timothy, Assistant Professor, Black Health Lead at Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
  • RoseAnne Archibald, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations
  • Sabrina Craig, Co-Director, Vaccine Hunters Canada
  • Sophie Gagnon, Executive Director of Juripop
  • Tania Koenig-Gauchier and Shirley McLean, Co-Founders of Wapanatahk Media
  • Zita Cobb, Founder and CEO of Shorefast and Innkeeper of the Fogo Island Inn

2021 Recipients

  • Camille Orridge, Champion of Equity in Health Care
  • Larissa Crawford, Founder of Future Ancestors Services
  • Kluane Adamek, Assembly of First Nations Yukon Regional Chief
  • Sara Asalya, Founder and Executive Director, The Newcomer Students’ Association
  • Nelly Bassily, Director of Youth Initiatives and International Relations, DAWN Canada
  • Bonnie Butlin, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Security Partners’ Forum
  • Michelle Chubb, Cree TikTok Influencer
  • Ali Haberstroh, Founder of Not-Amazon.ca
  • Dr. Lucy Gilbert, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Department of Oncology at McGill University
  • Kayla Grey, Award-Winning Journalist and Anchor for SportsCentre
  • Anila Lee Yuen, President and CEO of the Centre for Newcomers
  • Tanya Hayles, Founder of the Black Moms Connection
  • June Joplin, Pastor
  • Catherine O’Hara, Canadian Actor
  • Rania Llewellyn, President and CEO of the Laurentian Bank of Canada
  • Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest
  • Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
  • Annamie Paul, Green Party of Canada Leader
  • Ravyn Wngz, Artist and Activist
  • Maryam Tsegaye, Winner of the 2020 Breakthrough Junior Challenge
  • Claire Elizabeth Williams, CEO of Foundations for Social Change
  • Dr. Gelareh Zadeh, Neurosurgeon
  • Darby Young, Founder of Level Playing Field
  • Donna Young, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University

2020 Recipients

  • Sally Armstrong, Journalist, Author and Human Rights Activist
  • Autumn Peltier, Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner and Clean Water Activist
  • Ishita Aggarwal, Founder of Mom’s the Word
  • Bianca Andreescu, Professional Tennis Player
  • Jann Arden, Singer-Songwriter, Actor and Producer
  • Marion Buller, Chief Commissioner, National Inquiry into Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls
  • Gina Cody, Engineer & Business Leader
  • Taya Cook, Director of Development, Urban Capital
  • Nathalie Crosbie, Director of Artificial Intelligence Strategy for BMO Financial Group
  • Rola Dagher, President of Cisco Systems Canada
  • Teara Fraser, Founder and CEO of Iskwew Air
  • Shari Graydon, Founder and Catalyst of Informed Opinions
  • Joanna Griffiths, Founder and CEO of Knix
  • Brooke Henderson, Professional Golfer
  • Amanda Jetté Knox, Writer, Public Speaker and LGBTQ+ Advocate
  • Candies Kotchapaw, Founder and Executive Director of Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today (DYLOTT)
  • Brandi Leifso, Founder and CEO of Evio Beauty Group
  • Caro Loutfi, Executive Director of Apathy is Boring
  • Rina Rovinelli, Co-Founder of Speaker Slam
  • Hanadi Saad, Human Rights Activist and President of Justice Femme
  • Vivene Salmon, Lawyer and President of the Canadian Bar Association
  • Louise Sertsis, Founder of Advanced Freedom
  • Keisha and Teagan Simpson, Co-Founders of Live Life Unfiltered
  • Donna Strickland, Physicist and Professor at the University of Waterloo
  • Jess Tomlin and Jessica Houssian, Co-CEOs of Equality Fund
  • Sue Tomney, CEO of YW Calgary

2018 Recipients

  • Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire
  • Mylene Tu, Founder of FEM in STEM
  • Alexandra Waldman, Founder of Universal Standard
  • Christiane Bergevin, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
  • Hayley Wickenheiser, Assistant Director of Player Development of the Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Domee Shi, Director and Animator at Pixar
  • Melody Adhami, COO of Havas Canada
  • Tessa Virtue, Figure Skater and Olympic Gold Medalist
  • Dr. Alaa Murabit, Physician and International Peace Advocate
  • Anna Mackenzie and Ella Gorevalov, Co-Authors of The Expecting Playbook
  • Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Brenda Lucki, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
  • Sage Paul, Fashion Designer
  • Jodi Kovitz, CEO and Founder of #MoveTheDial
  • Mandy Rennehan, Founder and CEO of Freshco
  • Eileen Jurczak, Founder and Chair of Bay Street Deconstructed
  • Carly Fleischmann, YouTube Personality
  • Rupi Kaur, Author
  • Jana Girdauskas, Women’s Health Advocate
  • Kehkashan Basu, Environmental and Children’s Rights Activist
  • Jessica Yamoa and Sarah Juma, Co-Founders of Innovate Inclusion
  • Chanèle McFarlane, Founder of Do Well Dress Well
  • Janice Fukakusa, Chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Jessica Platt, Professional Hockey Player
  • Kate McInturff, Policy Analyst
  • Jennifer Bernard, President and CEO of Women’s College Hospital Foundation
  • Kristin Agnello, Chair of the Commonwealth Women in Planning Network

2017 Recipients

  • Ginella Massa, CityNews Toronto Journalist
  • Megan Anderson and Laura McGee, #GoSponsorHer Initiative Founders
  • Jessica Ching, CEO & Co-Founder of Eve Medical
  • Catherine Reitman, Creator, Producer, Writer, and Star of CBC’s Workin’ Moms
  • Farah Mohamed, CEO of Malala Fund
  • Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Founder of theBoardlist and Founder and Chairman of Joyus
  • Katherine Hay, President and CEO of Women’s College Hospital Foundation
  • Huda Idrees, Founder and CEO of Dot Health
  • Olivia Nuamah, Executive Director of Pride Toronto
  • Margaret Atwood, Novelist, Poet and Essayist
  • Palbinder K Shergill, Justice to the Supreme Court of British Columbia
  • Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Venture Communications and District Ventures
  • Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
  • Robyn Doolittle, Investigative Reporter
  • Sarain Fox, Actor and Activist
  • Jen Agg, Restauranteur
  • Maayan Ziv, Photographer and Accessibility Activist
  • Mary Ann Turcke, President of Digital Media and NFL Network at the National Football League
  • Samantha Bee, Host of Full Frontal
  • Sara Austin, Founder of Children First Canada and CEO of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre
  • Shahrzad Rafati, Founder and CEO of BroadbandTV Corp
  • Gigi Gorgeous, Transgender Activist, Actress, Model, & Social Media Influencer
  • Jennifer Keesmaat, Former City of Toronto Chief Planner