Andrea Gomez is a Québec-based entrepreneur who is revolutionizing the personalized dermocosmetics industry. Her groundbreaking use of artificial intelligence allows her company to offer individualized skin analysis, alongside customized products to meet unique skincare needs. In just three years, Omy Laboratories, a certified B-Corp, has grown by more than 500 per cent. This first-generation immigrant hailing from Colombia is a passionate inclusion and diversity campaigner. Andrea is an inspiring model of success for diverse women, especially young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.

She wants them to see that they too, can achieve their dreams to their fullest potential. With more than 10 years of experience working on lean, agile projects for government organizations and the cosmetics industry, this visionary, multi award-winning entrepreneur aspires to position Québec innovations on the world stage.

In 2021, Andrea was recognized exactly as such – being named as one of the top 100 women who are changing the world, by Femmessor. 

Emily Hosie has a track record of effecting industry-shifting growth and success in the retail space through her tenure at fashion powerhouses, TJ Maxx, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth, and Holt Renfrew. A dynamic millennial mom, Emily recognized a huge void in the baby gear retail market that was ripe for innovation, within a legacy industry in need of an update. Her solution for the industry was Rebelstork – a certified B Corp and purpose-driven company dedicated to creating a marketplace that connects brands and retailers to parents across North America.

Her innovative AI-powered ecosystem enables frictionless movement of overstock, open box (store returns), and quality used baby gear between buyers and sellers. In four short years, Emily has brought her vision of a re-commerce and circular economy to life across two countries.

To date, Rebelstork has saved over 150,000 pieces of baby gear from ending up in landfills and instead into the homes of parents across North America at a fraction of the original retail price. 

Jennifer Flanagan has more than 25 years of experience driving transformative change in Canada's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sectors. Under her visionary leadership, Actua has become the largest national organization preparing youth for the new economy, while eliminating systemic barriers that historically excluded groups including girls, young women, Indigenous youth, Black youth, and those from rural and Arctic communities.

Her expertise in emerging technology, coupled with her success raising tens of millions of dollars enables Actua to engage over 350,000 youth annually and support a national network of 43 universities and colleges.

Jennifer volunteers on many local and national boards, while also advising start-up organizations focused on gender equity, innovation and the future of education. She holds a BSc from the University of New Brunswick and an MBA from McGill University. Recently, Concordia University conferred her an Honorary Doctorate of Science, acknowledging her remarkable impact as an entrepreneur and advocate for women in engineering and science. 

Danielle Spencer is a multifaceted entrepreneur, whose talent lies in the confluence of creativity and technology. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded Balu Organics, which offers organic, all-natural foam products designed to enrich learning, play and early childhood development for tots, without compromising parents’ grown-up design sensibilities for their home. Not one to confine her enterprising energy, Danielle has also founded some creative agency, a remote hub for business growth, which works with partners such as Shopify to support budding entrepreneurs.

Moreover, as an unwavering advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), she serves as a Director of Strategy for BrandEQ Group, where she focuses on DEI marketing. Among her other initiatives, Danielle has founded and is president of a social non-profit organization, BLCKS Enterprise, that is devoted to empowering Black entrepreneurs. Today, Danielle serves on several non-profit boards too.

Jen Wojtaszek has amassed more than 15 years of experience in environmental impact and sustainability management on a global, multidisciplinary scale. After helping some of the world's largest companies shift their practices to a more sustainable and socially responsible path, Jen established her own impact-driven businesses. These include the clean beauty brand, Spoil Me Beautiful Inc., and the sustainable plant-based food innovation company, Future of Cheese which she co-founded. Oragin Foods soon acquired Future of Cheese in a transaction valued at more than $5 million.

Today, Jen continues to serve as president and CEO of this company, passionately taking healthy and sustainable plant-based innovations from concept to reality. Jen also advocates for and mentors female entrepreneurs and serves on various startup advisory boards.

In 2023, she was named among Canada's Top 100 Game Changers, an initiative by Natural Products Canada and TD Bank, recognizing top natural product companies powered by women.

Shelby Austin is a serial entrepreneur with experience in the legal, FinTech and consulting sectors. After serving as a partner at one of the Bay Street “Seven Sisters” law firms, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, she founded ADT Legal, an early start-up in the Legal Technology space. ATD was acquired by Deloitte, where she led several portfolios including data and analytics, growth, corporate development, and most recently, Omnia AI, Deloitte Canada’s national artificial intelligence practice. Her newest FinTech venture, Arteria AI, provides documentation infrastructure for large financial institutions around the world.

The company enables institutions to drive speed and efficiency in core business processes by helping to automate and manage unstructured data. Arteria AI was one of only two financial service companies globally named to CB Insights 100 Most Promising AI companies. Shelby's additional recent accolades include being recognized by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, and being named as part of the FastCase50, for her work as an innovator.