Someone once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Today, Catalyst Canada celebrates three remarkable leaders who have made a difference in the lives and careers of countless women in Canadian business. TD’s Ed Clark, Ontario Power Generation’s Colleen Sidford, and Scotiabank’s Sylvia Chrominska share a common trait (aside from their personal success!). Each has made it their mission to champion women in their organizations, their industries, and their communities.  

And for each of them, the reward comes not in personal recognition, but in seeing others become and achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. 

There are few of us who can’t point to a time when our lives were changed by someone who offered advice, or an opportunity, or shoulders to stand on.  Certainly, if there’s one thing I hear consistently from women who have risen to the top of their fields in Canada, it’s that they didn’t make it on their own.  They benefitted from mentors and champions who stepped in, often at critical moments, and set their careers on a new path. 

And that’s why we’ve created the Catalyst Canada Honours – to recognize champions of women in business and to mark Catalyst Canada’s tenth anniversary. It’s our hope that in recognizing these champions, we will inspire others to step forward and create real change that will benefit both women and organizations.  

The Catalyst Canada Honours began about a year ago, with a conversation I had with a woman who attended Catalyst’s first Canadian event.  She was surprised that the event was hosted by a CEO.  Today, no one would be surprised to hear a business leader in Canada talking about the importance of women to the bottom line.  Over the last ten years, the conversation has shifted.  Diversity—with women at its core— has become a strategic imperative for Canadian businesses.     

And it started with a leader, who stood up and did something unexpected. 

While today is primarily about Ed, Colleen and Sylvia, it’s also about all of the other leaders— today and tomorrow—changing workplaces and changing lives.  Thank you for what you do.  We are truly inspired.

I’m fortunate to have a job that allows me to live my values—and talk about them—every day. Catalyst’s Canadian members include some of our country’s most iconic businesses. Their leaders understand that strong women make for strong workplaces and healthy profits.

Catalyst is the leading non-profit organization working globally to expand opportunities for women and business.  We invite you to explore Catalyst and Catalyst Canada homepages for more information about what we do.

Catalyst CanCon is an opportunity to extend the conversation in Canada and to share some of my thoughts, experiences, and reactions to change (or lack of change) in our workplaces and our society. (And, by the way, for non Canadians, CanCon is short for Canadian content!) 

I hope you’ll use this space to agree, to argue, or to propose new ideas. Look forward to meeting you here!  –Deborah

Aren’t We Done Yet?

From time to time, a new acquaintance responds to my description of what I do with “But isn’t that an old issue?  Haven’t we solved the problem? Aren’t we done, and ready to move on to other things?”

Short answer?  No. 

Sure, intelligent, capable and talented women are leading organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors, and sitting in some of the most powerful offices in Canada.  We need to celebrate their achievements, because a generation ago they wouldn’t be there. 

But I think of Rosemary Brown’s statement that, “Until all of us have made it, none of us have made it.” And the reality is that a whole lot of us haven’t “made it” — and I’m not only talking about the corporate boardroom, C-suite or Supreme Court. 

I’m talking about women who are paid less than the man at the next desk; women who are willing to take on challenging and interesting assignments, but are passed over.  The recent Catalyst report,  Pipeline’s Broken Promise, reveals that, even with the same education and career goals, women start lower on the career ladder and in salary than men, and they stay behind in both promotions and pay throughout their careers.

Years of experience tell us that achieving and maintaining a cultural shift is tough, slow work.  We can’t afford to take our eye off the ball because some of us have made it.  We have to keep working at gender equity, and not only because fairness and diversity are important principles.   Our economy can not afford to overlook and shut out 50% of the nation’s talent!

Last week, Toronto hosted the first G(irls)-20 Summit  just ahead of the G-20 economic summit.  The delegates, young women from around the world, talked about the challenges facing women, and considered practical solutions such as education and maternal and child health programs.  The world, just like Canada, needs to recognize that women represent “3.3 billion ways to change the world” — and to rebuild the world economy.

We have to keep talking about equity — to men, to women, in corporate settings, in government, and in the public square.

And, I hope we can use this space to keep that conversation going, to exchange stories, ideas and experiences that will inform, motivate and inspire change!