Leslie is an international leader in the domain of communications, culture and leadership. She is currently Vice-President Communications at Ubisoft, one of the biggest companies in the video game and entertainment industry. She was previously VP Global Corporate Communications, CSR and Events at BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products), the world’s fastest growing powersports and marine company. Her expertise includes media relations, stakeholder relations, employee communications, social media, CSR, brand and product support, special events, social media, crisis management, ethics and strategic planning both in global agencies and in major corporations. Before than, she was Vice-President Corporate Communications at Air Canada and Senior Vice-President, Global Corporate Communications at SNC-Lavalin, and worked for seven years in global PR agencies with governmental and corporate clients such as Procter and Gamble, IBM, Estee Lauder, Dyson, Subway and Home Depot, among others. She has won over a dozen awards for communications strategies and community involvement, was named a “Woman to Watch” by Harvard Business School, and an “Incontournable” by the business magazine “Premières en affaires”. She studied at Concordia University, and has been on over 30 non-profit boards in the past 20 years, and was an award-winning instructor at McGill University for eight years and taught in the Masters’ program at the Université de Sherbrooke. 

Siobhan Goguen has practiced in all areas of Canadian tax law with an emphasis on cross-border transactions. Prior to studying law, Siobhan obtained a Certified Management Accountant designation and worked in several industries as an accountant. Siobhan was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1998, after clerking with the Alberta Court of Appeal and Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta. Siobhan received a Master of Laws (US Taxation) from Southern Methodist University in 2000. She has been a partner with Felesky Flynn LLP since 2004 and co-managing partner since 2016. Siobhan has written and presented on numerous tax topics for, among others, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Tax Foundation and the International Fiscal Association, as well as being a sessional instructor of the introductory Canadian income tax law course at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law.

Sara Jane Snook is a professional engineer with over 25 years experience in energy development, corporate finance and environmental regulation.  She is a Board Member of the Medic Alert Foundation of Canada. She is Chair of the International Standards Organization (ISO) Subcommittee on Greenhouse Gas Management and Climate Change. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering from Dalhousie University as well as a Management Development Certificate from the University of Calgary.

Ms. Snook is a former Deputy Minister at the Nova Scotia Department of Environment, a former Board Member of the National Energy Board, the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Standards Council of Canada.  Sara Jane was a corporate banker with a major Canadian bank, a significant contributor at a large multinational oil company, and a long time member of the public service with the Nova Scotia provincial government.  She has had a significant impact on resource development in the Maritimes and across Canada over many years and in many jurisdictions.  She has also contributed to the development of new businesses and technologies in Atlantic Canada and is an avid proponent for science, technology, engineering and math careers for young Canadians.

Ms. Snook is a member of Engineers Nova Scotia, the Alberta Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Sarah Shortreed is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of ATCO.  Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, she has responsibility for the overall leadership of Information Technology. Her mandate is to expand and enhance ATCO’s forward-looking, enterprise-wide IT strategy and technology roadmap, and deliver innovative strategies. Sarah is focused on delivering solutions and exceptional customer service to ATCO’s global businesses.

Sarah brings more than 30 years of global experience in many industries and executive roles spanning business consulting, complex multi-stakeholder program management, operations, P&L, sales, customer relationship management and product management. Sarah was recently the Chief Information Officer at Bruce Power and previously worked at BlackBerry, IBM and Union Gas.

She holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree, Mechanical, from the University of Western Ontario. Sarah sits on the Board of Governors for the University of Western Ontario and is the current Chair of the CIO Committee at the Conference Board of Canada. She recently completed a term on the Board of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) as well as the Digital Advisory Board to the CIO Branch of the Treasury Board of Canada.

Sharon devoted more than four decades to a career rooted in her passion for creating opportunities for access and student success at four Alberta postsecondary institutions.  Now President Emerita of Bow Valley College, Sharon was hired to lead the college through a transition from a provincially-administered institution to a board-governed college.  Over the two decades of her tenure as President and CEO, Bow Valley became the largest and fastest growing college in Alberta, welcoming some 15,000 students from 142 countries each year, while expanding campuses in the region surrounding Calgary and extending educational services to more than 20 other countries.

Building on three degrees from the University of Calgary (BA, BEd, and Masters of Communication Studies), Sharon’s career has led her through progressively more responsible academic and administrative roles at Bow Valley College, Olds College, Mount Royal College (now University) and the University of Calgary.  When honoured with a Blackfoot name and headdress, her ceremonialist chose the name Niipaitapiaissksinimatstohki, which translates to Lifelong Educator.

A lifelong committed volunteer in her profession and community, Sharon has been recognized with the Alberta Order of Excellence, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Alberta Centennial Medal, Calgary Award for Education, as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, and with her profession’s national Distinguished Service Award.  She has received honourary degrees from Olds College, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Sharon currently serves as a Director of the Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corporation, as Past Chapter Chair of IWF Calgary, as a Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence Council, as a Director and Committee Member of the YWCA Calgary Board, and as YWCA Transformation Campaign Advisory Committee.

Françoise is President and Managing Partner at DGC Capital Partners. An IWFC member since 2004, Françoise sits not only as the IWF Canada Vice-President, but also on the IWF Leadership Foundation Board. She was recently named ‘une incontournable en finance’ as one of 8 ‘must-watch’ stars in her sector. In 2013, Françoise was awarded the Queen’s Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her extensive work with women & wealth over the years and won the Quebec Financial Women’s Association 2013 bursary for attending the Collège des Administrateurs de sociétés.

For over 30 years, Thalia Kingsford has opened doors for women with an unwavering commitment to female leadership. As Vice President and Senior Investment Advisor at BMO Nesbitt Burns and team leader of Kingsford & Associates, an all-woman wealth management firm in Calgary, she leverages a radically collaborative approach both among her team and with her colleagues.  

A founding member and current Chair of the Calgary Chapter of the International Women’s Forum Canada, Thalia empowers women within her sphere of influence to find their voice and build opportunities within the global business community.

Lorena is the Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Policy for the Association of Canadian Distillers (Spirits Canada). She holds an MBA from the University of Texas in Austin and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Development from Dalhousie University.

Lorena moved to Ottawa in 2018 as Director of Public Affairs for TC Energy, after heading Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Relations for the firm for 15 years in Mexico City. She was President of the Mexican Natural Gas Association from 2016 to 2018, a Board Member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce for multiple years, and represented the Mexican Natural Gas Industry during CUSMA negotiations and in bilateral conversations between Mexico and the United States on the US - Mexico Energy Business Council. A native Albertan, Lorena was the first representative of the Alberta Government to be posted at the Embassy of Canada in Mexico City, in 2002.

In 2008, Michaelle Jean awarded Lorena with the Governor General’s Award for her work in strengthening the bilateral relationship between Canada and Mexico. She is a founding member of Voz Experta, an organization that works to increase the visibility of women in the Mexican energy sector, is a proud member of the Ottawa chapter of the International Women’s Forum, and sits on the Global Advisory Board of Education for Sharing, a Foundation that supports children’s learning through play. Lorena speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese.