Virtual Event: The Impact of the Pandemic on Women's Advancement during Recovery: Overcoming Setbacks and Promoting Change for the Better

During this past summer the Empire Club held a milestone event which brought together five remarkable women to talk about mental health, money and societal shifts occurring in real time as the worst pandemic in over a century tested Canadian civil society and our ability to cope with numerous unimaginable stressors affecting our lives and our livelihood. These remarkable leaders spoke candidly about issues impacting women in the workplace, at home and across all aspects of society. It quickly became evident to all of our audience that these were NOT just women’s issues but will have an enormous impact on employers, families and society in general as we all face this unprecedented crisis. The questions submitted by those who tuned in were so numerous and of such fundamental importance to the real impact this crisis will have on the economy and society in general that it was immediately obvious a second session would be of great importance to anyone trying to understand how we are going to emerge from this crisis, and what the best way forward will be for all Canadians.

Stated simply: How will we overcome the setbacks women have faced due to the pandemic and how can we become stronger together as a society?

Join this Super Panel for Round Two…What have we learned? Where are the real challenges when we start to rebuild? What changes are needed for a better tomorrow from both a social and economic perspective and what can men and women do to promote change for the better?

This session is a must for anyone who wants to be prepared for the future directions this pandemic will take us in, and how these directions will forever change the workplace, home life and the many institutions that govern both.

Panelists:

Andrea Carter, CEO and Founder, Wealthy Woman Warrior and Building Better Organizations; Gender Diversity and Inclusion Specialist and Learning Development Consultant

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Andrea Carter is a Gender Diversity and Inclusion Specialist and Learning and Development Consultant who uses neuroscience research to support human capital. She is the CEO and Founder of Wealthy Woman Warrior and Building Better Organizations. She brings over 18 years of research and practical application to her training, public speaking and proven methods that support leaders, and their teams, to produce good work despite high pressure situations and imperfect conditions.

Andrea is best known for her ability to bridge the gaps by creating collaborative working environments fuelled by human power. She is also highly recognized for helping women advance their professional careers in male dominated industries.

Candies Kotchapaw, Founder and Executive Director of DYLOTT, Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today

Candies Kotchapaw is a community builder and networker, holding Master and Bachelor degrees in Social Work from York University and a diploma in Child and Youth Work from George Brown College. While completing the Master program, Candies encountered systemic conditions that tried to prevent her from successfully completing the program. These forces included feelings of isolation in education, financial blocks, lack of mentorship and a sense that striving for greater was pointless. Candies found support in one faculty member who invested time and effort in developing her Major Research Project entitled, The Politics of Social Work: Do Racialized Social Workers belong in the Practice Space of Public Policy Development?

As a result of this work, Candies has been recognized as a changemaker, receiving the Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada Award by Women of Influence Global, Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women by co authors, Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine, Dr. Denise O'Neil Green and Dauna Jones Simmonds and Top 21 New Founders to Watch by Future of Good in 2020.

Elizabeth Naumovski, Vice President, Marketing, Caldwell Securities Ltd.; Financial Literacy Advocate

Elizabeth Naumovski has worked on Bay Street for over 20 years and is a well respected Financial Literacy advocate and a champion for women’s issues. Elizabeth comes from an immigrant background and is a first-generation Canadian. When her parents came to Canada, they taught her to save every penny and work hard for every dollar. She is creator and host of Finance Is Personal, a half hour YouTube show on Financial Literacy geared towards women. Elizabeth is proud to be a Wealth Professional 2020 Award finalist for The Mackenzie Investments Award for Female Trailblazer of the Year. And she is honoured and extremely proud to be the inaugural recipient of the 2019 Wealth Professional IFSE Institute Award for Financial Literacy Champion. Elizabeth also has her Chartered Marketer, CM, designation from the Canadian Marketing Association.

Dr. Samantha Wells, Senior Director and Senior Scientist, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at CAMH; Associate Professor, Clinical Public Health Division at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

​Dr. Samantha Wells is Senior Director and Senior Scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at CAMH. She is also an Associate Professor in the Clinical Public Health Division at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She holds positions as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University, and as Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at Deakin University in Australia.

Moderator:

Vivene Salmon, President, Canadian Bar Association

Vivene A. Salmon is Vice President, Country Compliance Manager, Global Banking and Markets Compliance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She is responsible for regulatory change management, privacy and global compliance support for the Canadian business. Vivene is a Certified Information Privacy Professional and holds the designation CIPP/C from the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Vivene completed her J.D. at the University of Ottawa in 2009 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2010.

Vivene is the President of the Canadian Bar Association, CBA, and has served on its Board of Directors since 2017. Vivene is the first visible minority and first female corporate counsel in the over 100 year history of the organization to hold this position.