Team Members

Caroline Codsi

Founder and Chief Equity Officer

Nicole Piggott

Chief Operating Officer

Stéfanie Bug

Senior Director, Business Development

Madona El-Hajj

Senior Director, Global Operations

Sergina Guéry

Director, Communication and Events

Cédric Meyer

Director, Finance and Treasury

Rafael Moya

Senior Manager, Programs

Yvonne Sesonga

Senior Manager, Programs

Geneviève Bédard

Manager, Communication and Marketing

Catherine Diplock

Operations Manager, Parity Certification

Soukaina Hamia

Account Manager, Business Development

Ilham Heouali

Office Manager

Maha Siddiqui

Programs Advisor, Global Operations

Flavie Morin

Coordinator, Communication and Marketing

Gabrielle Piggott

Administrator, Global Operations

Louise Champoux-Paillé
CO-CHAIR

Certified Corporate Director

“My commitment to Women in Governance began with my participation in the Certification Committee when it was in its early days. I later shared my diverse research on gender parity and collaborated with the Government Relations and Mentoring Committees. This commitment allows me to meet women looking to break the glass ceiling while maintaining a balance between work, family, and personal life, which is so essential to living a good life.”

Joanie Coutu-Bellerose
CO-CHAIR

Director, Talent Management and Total Rewards, Richter

“It is by actively contributing and persevering that we will make a real difference.”

Giovanna Buscemi

Vice President, People and Culture, Medicom

“In order for more women to achieve corporate leadership and attain Board positions, we must first create the conditions for success. I’m very proud to contribute to this important mission in association with Women in Governance.”

Suzanne Daneau

Vice President, Human Resources, EXFO

“My involvement with the Women in Governance team is fundamentally motivated by my desire to assist women so they can realize their full potential, develop self-confidence and be truly aware that they should have equal opportunities. I want to share my experience and help them grow professionally.”

Arlette Edmunds

Chief Human Resources Officer,
AGF Investments

“I often think about what the future of gender equality means, not only for me, but also for my two daughters… Sitting back doesn’t help; getting involved does. Women in Governance makes that involvement easy: I feel truly engaged as a volunteer, and by supporting organizations to make meaningful, customized changes that help the advancement of women, I feel I am actually part of building a better future for everyone.”

Sophie Méthot

Manager, Human Resources and Payroll, Omnitrans

Julie Sylvestre

Organizational Development Consultant, Société de transport de Montréal

Jean-François Thibault

Principal and Career Lead, Eastern Canada, Mercer

Severine Sambin
CHAIR

Human Resources Director, Canada, Société Générale

“Having worked in different regions of the world, I have always been keen to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of my organization’s HR strategies. Each country has its own culture and its own history, but everywhere still in 2021, integration and equity for women in the workplace remain crucial issues. It was important for me to get involved as a volunteer with Women in Governance to help companies evolve, as well as to discuss this very important subject with other professionals from a variety of fields!”

Riva Walia

Founding Managing Director, France Canada Chamber of Commerce – Ontario (FCCCO) & Co-Founder and CEO, SmartLabs Inc.

“I fundamentally believe that we must all be seen as human beings first, without any consideration for our sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or the color of our skin. Personally, I am defined by the world as ‘a woman of color’, which in fact does not define who I am! Those core beliefs sustain my strong association with Women in Governance (WiG)—where I have had the honor of mentoring some wonderful women—and they motivate me to spread the word in my corporate network on the impactful work WiG is doing.”

Sakina Loutfallah

Internation Lead Talent Consultant, SHL

Frank Bernard
CO-CHAIR
Mentoring / Executives

Partner, Executive Recruitment, Octave Maecenas | recherche de cadres

Ray Kazan
CO-CHAIR
Mentoring / Professionals

Global Human Resources Director, CAE

Marie Claire Uwanyirigira
CO-CHAIR
Mentoring / Professionals

Founder and General Manager, E-MC Property Management Inc.

Laure Broisin

Director, Talent Acquisition, La tête chercheuse

Laure Cohen van Delft

Facilitator, Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner & Business Coach

Carolyne Evangelidis

Senior Director, Talent Services, Human Resources Services,
House of Commons

Anik Lapointe

General Manager of the New York Branch and Chief Operating Officer, National Bank of Canada Financial Inc.

Carolina Lerena

Senior Specialist, Human Resources, Bell

“Living out my passion through others’ development. Fostering their well-being by guiding them in the emergence and progression of their talents.”

Sakina Loutfallah

Internation Lead Talent Consultant, SHL

Michael Rubenstein

Operating Partner, Private Equity – Quebec, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

“Diversity and gender parity is not only the right thing to do, it is the thing to do if you’re interested in driving better business performance. When hiring for my teams, I have always said that I would hire the best man for the job… which is often a woman!”

Soumya Tamouro

Vice President Business Development, Sémaz

Annick Robinson
CHAIR

Communications Lead, Alstom – Services Operations North America

“We know that businesses who achieve gender equity perform better; therefore our work in support of parity is not only helping women thrive, but helping Canadian businesses do so as well.”

Marc Desmarais

Vice President, Government Relations, NATIONAL

“The will to defend some of my fundamental values motivates my collaborations with WiG: pay equity and the access of diverse women to Board seats and/or high-management positions are principles that I deeply believe in. I am very fortunate to work in a milieu that respects and applies them, but there is still so much to do… For example, there are only 26 female Heads of State or Government worldwide at this moment! The future of our planet is in the hands of the Angela Merkel, Tsai Ing-wen (Taiwan) and Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand) of today and tomorrow.”

Marie-Christine Masseteau

Founder, Mille et une pages

“Parity. Parity as a whole. A value transmitted in my home, in my child’s education. Now on a professional level, nothing is more natural than for me to be involved and to concretely support Women in Governance’s remarkable actions.”

Erwan Picard

Marketing and Operations Director, Association professionnelle des notaires du Québec

“I am proud to contribute to the mission of Women in Governance. Way beyond better economic performance, equity and diversity are essential morally and socially. We can and must do better.”

Joanne Pitkin

Director, Corporate and Public Affairs, Argyle Public Relationships

“Inclusive leadership helps organizations to become more collaborative, dynamic and competitive in today’s social and economic environment. Elevating women to corporate leadership and board positions is essential to achieving success.”

Leslie Quinton

Vice President, Communications, Ubisoft

“As they say, every journey starts with a first step. Workplaces that have more diversity are known to be more successful, more productive and more profitable. These are the success stories we all need to build and to tell. I am happy to support Women in Governance in the journey to make a difference.”

Carolyne Van Der Meer

Principal, CVDM Communications

“Women in Governance needs the support and expertise of professionals who can help grow its reach. My belief in leadership development for women has led to my offering my personal and professional support to this inspiring organization.”

Sunita Mahant
CHAIR

Senior Director, Legal Affairs and Head of Global Initiatives for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ivanhoé Cambridge

« If we continue to do the same thing, we will get the same results. The time is now for men and women to collectively change the way we do things – it is the only way to achieve better results for our society, the economy and our country as a whole. »

Karen Adams

President and Interim Chief Executive Officer, CloudMD

Deena Baikowitz

Chief Networking Officer, Fireball Network Global

Andrew Lindsay

Brand Strategist and Managing Partner, Lindsay Strategy Group

“I am pleased to help build a community and a movement that highlights gender equality and parity as ‘a spectrum; not as two opposing sets of ideals (Emma Watson). Women’s rights are Human rights.”

Mélanie Rodrigue

Director, Talent Acquisiton, Cascades

Robert Bonneau

Senior Partner and Co-Founder, Décarie Executive Search

“Ladies: keep going for it and believing in yourself! And to some gentlemen: just imagine for a moment that being born a “white man” reduced *in and of itself* your hope for progress and enrichment… Change will not only come through women themselves leading the way. It will also come (quicker) with open-minded men.”

Winston Chan

Entrepreneur, Member of the Employment, Entrepreneurship and Education Taskforce, G20 Business 20

“I am particularly proud to have been Chair of the first gender-balanced Board for the Quebec Federation of young chambers of commerce (RJCCQ – Regroupement des jeunes chambres de commerce du Québec), from 2011 to 2013. By being involved as a volunteer with WiG, I want to send a clear message to Presidents and Chairs, both in private and public organizations: it is your responsibility as leaders to ensure that parity, diversity and inclusion are values reflected by your Boards.”

André Dorais

Lawyer, André R. Dorais Avocats

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

Karina Kesserwan

Lawyer, Aboriginal Law specialist, Kesserwan Arteau

Élodie Meyer

Partner and Chief Legal Officer, Bradley & Rollins

“Accessing senior management and board positions is a concern that young women must also share in order to prepare for their future but also to participate in the social movement that will contribute to achieving gender equality in all spheres of society.”

Robert Trudeau

Senior Director, Global Corporate Sales & Quebec Market, Air Canada

“Involved from the very early days of Women in Governance, I never believed that it was ‘a women’s thing’; it is rather everyone’s business. Parity, diversity and inclusion within our companies are strong symbols of a healthy and constantly evolving society. And together, we will get there faster.”