Angelica Mirza
Angelica Mirza has over 15 years’ experience recruiting board directors and executive officers for global organizations, giving her a unique perspective on cultural norms and expectations, and enabling her to deliver innovative and strategic solutions for talent acquisition internationally. Before starting her own firm in 2012, she was a partner at Caldwell Partners, Vancouver and Amrop, Milan/London. Angelica is an active member of advisory boards in arts and philanthropy, a keynote speaker at conferences, and author for various business publications. Angelica, fluent in English, French and Italian, has a BA from University of Calgary, and an M.A. Ed. from Boston University.
Angelika Vance
Angelika Vance is the Director of Small Business Products & Services at TELUS. Action-oriented and results-focused with 18 years’ experience in the telecom industry, Angelika enjoys creating a vision for exponential improvement and bringing it to fruition. She has a proven track record creating strategic solutions and internal programs in the small business market and is driven by new challenges and the desire to be successful in all endeavors. Passionate about helping businesses succeed, Angelika volunteers as an Executive Advisory Board member of both GroYourBiz and Women’s Economic Business Advisory Council, organizations focused on economic empowerment and success of women entrepreneurs.
Betty Wood
Betty retired from Women Business Enterprise Canada Council October 2015 where she had been one of the founding leaders of the supplier diversity organization with responsibility for creating the certification program, operating protocols, and market-outreach. Her background includes an accomplished career as a commercial banker, women’s market strategist, and advocate for women entrepreneurs. Prior to WBE Canada, Betty consulted for the gender program of the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank Group (Washington, D.C.) and was Director of the Women Entrepreneurs Market for RBC. Betty is one of the founders of the Global Banking Alliance for Women; served on the Board of Athena-Oakville; and was a mentor for Career-Edge. She has received awards for her work including from RBC; The International Alliance of Women (TIAW); OWIT; and the Global Business Women’s Network (USA).
Brittany Manulak
Brittany brings several years of business skills and acumen to the table with her past experience as Vice-President of Impact Communications Ltd., a business development company specializing in business training, marketing and international trade and development. Brittany is heavily involved in the marketing and strategic development of Concept and works closely with clients to achieve maximum success in a project. Brittany enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, hiking and playing recreational soccer.
Chastity Davis
Chastity Davis is a mixed heritage woman of First Nations and European descent. She is a proud member of the Tla’amin Nation, located in Powell River just off the beautiful Sunshine Coast of BC. Chastity strives to keep her sacred First Nations culture, traditions, and values incorporated into her modern day life. She feels it is her life purpose to facilitate the building of bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and has dedicated her professional and personal life to do so. Chastity is sole proprietor to her own consulting business, Chastity Davis Consulting and has been a successful entrepreneur for 6+ years. She is a board member at the Minerva Foundation and Chair of the Ministers Advisory Council on Aboriginal Women. Chastity co-founder and Co-Chair of the Professional Aboriginal Women’s Network, an important network that creates a shared space for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women to support each other in their respective careers.
Emily Ohler
Emily has built her career taking risks in pursuit of her vision for a good world. A lawyer by background, she left her private litigation practice in 2004 and, after a year in Singapore obtaining her LL.M, moved to Geneva, Switzerland to serve as Legal Advisor to an arm of the UN Security Council, implementing a $4.3 billion program in sustainable development projects for the Middle East. Returning to Vancouver in 2013, she founded Broadleap Solutions Ltd., an international consultancy firm advising organizations in human rights due diligence. She founded Knowledge in Context, teaching teenagers her novel curriculum on navigating power and prejudice to be effective actors in building the communities and world they envision. She is a sought after speaker on issues such as unconscious bias, “doing” equality in organizations, and integrating policy with practice in human rights. In 2016, she was appointed a member of the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
Isabel Banerjee
Honored as one of Canada’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs™, Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful™ women owned businesses, Isabel was a recipient of Global EXEC Women’s International Influence™ 2009 award.
During diverse career experiences in retail, automotive, aviation and service industries, Isabel absorbed the knowledge needed to succeed in business and build her own award winning, global chemical wholesaler, Phancorp Inc.
Isabel relocated to Arizona in 2011 to dedicate herself to mentoring others to personal and professional success and expanded a successful and in-demand program, GroYourBiz™ to the United States commencing with MyBusinessMyBoard™ Advisory Groups in Arizona.
Marg Hachey
Margaret Hachey was previously the owner of Duocom Canada Inc. She founded the company in Toronto in 1980 and with organic growth and acquisitions expanded coast to coast. Its success earned it recognition as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Private Companies, two years in a row. Chatelaine and Profit magazine recognized her over a 10 year period as ranking in the top 10 of the Top 100 Women business owners in Canada.
A sought after keynote speaker, Margaret has addressed audiences across the country on various topics. Currently she owns Operation Evergreen Business Group and is the Managing Director for Ontario and Eastern Canada of GroYourBiz.
Monique Ronning
Monique Ronning is an Associate at McCarthy Tétrault, practicing in the firm’s Labour and Employment Group. Equipped with an in-depth understanding of the constant evolution of the modern workplace, Monique provides strategic counsel to clients on a range of labour, employment, and human rights matters. Monique has appeared as counsel in various forums, including at mediations, arbitrations, and settlement conferences, and before the Provincial, Supreme and Appellate Courts of British Columbia. Prior to joining the firm, Monique completed a clerkship with the British Columbia Supreme Court. In her spare time, Monique serves as Co-Chair of the Vancouver-based non-profit organization, Professional Women’s Network. The PWN’s aim is to raise the stature of women in business through education, networking, and opportunities for business and career development.
Leann Hackman-Carty
A leader and entrepreneur at heart, Leann has been involved with Economic Developers Alberta, International Economic Development Council, Canadian Red Cross, The City of Calgary and The Government of Alberta. Leann worked as an Executive Assistant, Community & Economic Development to the Mayor of Calgary for over 10 years; managed several federal, provincial and municipal election campaigns; provided business development services to the States of Mississippi and Georgia; lead the Organization of Women in International Trade; hosted numerous high level trade delegations and developed business and marketing plans for SME’s; and worked on a number of high profile community investment projects. Since 2009, Leann has served as the Chief Executive Officer for Economic Developers Alberta. She is an advocate with an aptitude for bridging conflicting interests, motivating staff, and influencing key stakeholders.
Ted James
Ted James is semi-retired from 34 years of experience in the post-secondary system in British Columbia as faculty, Dean and Registrar, and has served as a board member for national and international associations fostering improved services to students. He is currently a consultant specializing in strategic enrollment management and the management of student services in post-secondary institutions. Ted has also had an ongoing career as an editor and writer of publications on many aspects of small business development. He co-authored with Barbara Mowat several books and guides including GroYourBiz, Your Business Matters, Strategic Growth, and Tips for Tough Times as well as the Home Business Report, a Canadian publication targeting the micro-business entrepreneur.
