15th Anniversary Celebration
The Professional Women’s Network (PWN) Honours 40 Women and Men Devoted to Advancing Business Women
On Thursday September 29, 2011, the Professional Women’s Network celebrated the 15-year anniversary of its founding and 15 years of success in assisting business women to grow their businesses and become business leaders. The gala event, held at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver, attracted over 300 male and female business leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs and politicians from Vancouver and Calgary where PWN’s two chapters are run.
The PWN is a Canadian-based non-profit organization, currently with over 1000 members in its two chapters and is growing globally. Its work focuses on helping women in business and the professions to realize their business and career goals by helping them to make key business contacts and to learn from and connect with senior business leaders. PWN also helps its members refer business to one another where appropriate, and to learn strategies and techniques for increasing their profile and profitability.
“This happy milestone provided us with the perfect opportunity to profile and offer very warm thanks to several business leaders who have, on a volunteer basis, offered their time, expertise, energy, and mentorship to support women on their path to career success”, said Michelle Pockey, one of PWN’s founders and National Chair. PWN’s honourees were honoured in a beautiful poster display highlighting the specific ways in which each have and continued to devote themselves to ensuring the women have real opportunities to achieve positions of leadership in business, community and in politics and that they are supported in those roles.
“It is only when women and men truly work together to understand and support each other, that companies, professional firms, governments and communities will responsibly achieve great results for themselves, for our larger economy, and for our global future. Our honourees have advanced not only women, but this broader goal”, Michelle notes.
PWN’s honourees are:
Christina Anthony, Board Chair, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs
Janet Austin, CEO YWCA Metro Vancouver
Jill Bodkin, Board Director
Bev Briscoe, Board Director
Cheryl Carter, Vice President, Business In Vancouver Media Group
Laurel Douglas, CEO Womens Enterprise Centre
Jill Earthy, CEO Forum for Women Entrepreneurs
Bob Elton, Former CEO, BC Hydro and Board Director
Joanne Gassman, Vice President – BMO
Anne Giardini, President, Weyerhaeuser Canada
Dr. Frieda Granot, Associate Dean, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
Gayle Hallgren-Rezak, Author and entrepreneur, executive, Women’s Leadership Circle at Board of Trade
Sue Hammell, Founder Minerva Foundation and MLA
Laura Hansen, Board Director, Minerva Foundation and Principal, The Image Group
Julia Kim, Partner, PH&N
Peter Ladner, Publisher and President, BIV Media Group
Anne Lippert, Board Director and Principal Anne Lippert Consulting
Paulina Lipska, President, Young Women in Business Organization
Doreen McKenzie-Sanders, President and CEO, Women in the Lead Inc.
Betty McLeod, Senior Manager, RBC and former VP Olympic Business Development
Leslie Meingast, Principal, The Personnel Group
Emily Molnar, President, Ballet BC
Barbara Mowat, President, Impact Communications and GroYourBiz.com
Sarah Morgan-Silvester, Board Director, Chancellor University of British Columbia
Lois Nahirny, Vice-President, Teekay Shipping and Board Director, Women’s Executive Network
Tazeem Nathoo, Corporate Director and Consultant with Western Management Consultants
Vanessa Noga, President, Association for Women in Finance
Patrick O’Callaghan, Principal, Women on Board
Catherine Osler, President, The Excecutive Committee
Sue Paish, CEO, Pharmasave
Benjamin Perrin, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, UBC
Cynthia Roney, Principal, Executive Passages
Barbara Ross-Denroche, President, The Refinery Leadership Partners
Jennifer Sung, Vice-President, Young Women in Business Organization
Tracy Theemes, Principal, Sophia Financial Group
Judy Thomson, Author and entrepreneur, executive, Women’s Leadership Circle at Board of Trade
Liz Watson, former Deputy Minister and Board Governance specialist
Lisa Vogt, Partner and National Practice Group Leader, McCarthy Tetrault
Tamara Vrooman, CEO Vancity
The PWN holds regular monthly events and partners from time to time with other Vancouver-based women’s organizations to present special events including an annual leadership conference called “Leadership Lessons from Influential Women in Business”. Information about PWN can be found at www.pwncanada.ca.
15th Anniversary Message
Christy Clark, Premier
