Who We Are

Together working towards parity, diversity, and inclusion

The alarming statistics on the number of women in senior management positions or on Boards are what motivated the founding of Women in Governance (WiG) in 2010. The mission of our organization is to support women in their career advancement and leadership development; with our Parity CertificationTM, we also support organizations working to close the gender gap in the workplace while accounting for the multiple impacts of diversity in women’s career advancement.

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Why is Parity Important?

Research clearly demonstrates the positive impact of gender parity in high management and decision-making bodies of companies on their innovation, employee engagement, branding and financial performance, and it is especially true during a recession. Therefore allowing women to progress without glass ceilings or sticky floors is not only in their best interest; it is in the best interest of businesses, the economy, and our society as a whole, particularly in a context of talent shortage.

Things have changed a lot in the past 50 years, but not fast enough! According to the World Economic Forum, it will still take about 131 years to reach gender parity. Women in Governance helps change the timeline with our various activities. Join us!

A few highlights
of our history

Founding of Women in Governance

Launch of events and networking activities

Launch of the mentoring program for executive women

First Annual Recognition Gala in Montreal

Launch of the Parity Certification in Canada

Launch of the governance training entitled « Les incontournables » & first Annual Recognition Gala in Toronto

Launch of the Parity Certification in the United States, in partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA

Launch of the mentoring program for professional women & the governance training entitled « Les thématiques actuelles »

Launch of the Parity Certification for SMEs

*UPCOMING* Launch of the Parity Certification in Europe

We are proud to offer:

  • public advocacy for mobilization towards the cause;
  • a dynamic social media exchange platform;
  • major events featuring prominent speakers;
  • a robust governance training program (in French);
  • the Parity CertificationTM for large organizations and SMEs;
  • and much more!

Parity Certification

A Groundbreaking Program, on a Global Scale

Created in 2017—and the first of its kind in North America—the Parity CertificationTM helps organizations increase the representation of women in sectors where they have historically been underrepresented, as well as in senior management positions. Accenture, Mercer, and WTW support the Women in Governance team in the assessment of applications. Its robust questionnaire not only evaluates parity at the decision-making level of an organization, but also assesses the implementation of mechanisms that enable women at all levels of its hierarchy to achieve career advancement, thus creating a pipeline of female talent. Particular attention is also given to intersectionality to ensure that women of color, indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ women, as well as women with disabilities are not left behind. So far, the Parity Certification has directly impacted nearly 1,000,000 employees across Canada and the United States, and the program is now about to expand over the Atlantic. Join us and contribute to the advancement of parity, diversity, and inclusion!

Our Founder and Chief Equity Officer

Caroline Codsi, ICD.D.

Born in Beirut, Caroline Codsi came of age during the Lebanese civil war before enjoying a brilliant career in Canada. After over 20 years in the corporate world—including the last decade in VP and SVP roles—she opted in 2017 to dedicate all of her time, energy, and vision to Women in Governance, as President and Chief Equity Officer of the organization she founded in 2010.

Caroline dedicates her life to all matters relating to the access of women to executive roles and Board positions in Canada, as well as women’s equality rights across the globe. In light of her accomplishments, Caroline was appointed by Prime minister Justin Trudeau on the National Committee for Gender Equality in 2019, and by Mayor Valérie Plante on the Montreal Business Committee, during both of her mandates. She was recognized as part of Top 20 Diversity Leading Figures in Quebec, the Top 75 Canadian Immigrants, Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and Top 100 Entrepreneurs changing the world.

A highly sought-after speaker, Caroline has hosted and participated in conferences all over the world, including two TEDx talks in Canada (in English) and in Morocco (in French), which counts almost 150,000 views to this day. Tens of thousands of subscribers follow her daily on social media, and she was approached by LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft to give highly successful workshops on various topics.

A graduate in Human Resources from HEC Montréal as well as in Languages and Foreign Civilizations from l’Université de Paris (Diderot-Paris-VII), Caroline also completed the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD)’s Program at McGill. She was a Scholar, Valedictorian, Ambassador and Examiner for the ICD. She has been Governor of the Jeune Chambre de Commerce Libanaise (JCCL), a mentor for the Junior Chamber of commerce of Montreal (JCCM), spokesperson for the Salvation Army, and has sat on dozens of boards, including those of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec, and Enfants Retour. Currently, she sits on the Boards of the Quebec Employer Council (Conseil du Patronat du Québec), Alexa Translations, ARECOR Renewable Energy, and Sustain Finance. She also has been on Le Chainon Foundation’s Board of Governors since 2013.

Book Caroline Codsi for your next event

Caroline’s contributions to the Canadian society—and beyond—have been recognized on a number of occasions. Widely quoted in national and international media, she is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including those from the Réseau des Femmes d’Affaires du Québec (2010), Espace Féminin Arabe (2011), Premières en Affaires (2012), UN Women (2015), the Mercuriades (2017). She was also named Leader of the Decade for Diversity & Inclusion by the Women Economic Forum in New Delhi (2018), and “Personality of the Week” by La Presse (2019). In 2023, she was honored with the Lifetime Contribution Award by Women Leaders in Pharma.

Among the numerous distinguished and influential personalities that Caroline has interviewed in a public setting, let us underline Hillary Clinton; Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan; Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International Executive Director; Anne-Marie Leroy, SVP of the World Bank; Louise Fréchette, Former Vice-secretary general of the United Nations; Marie-Jo Zimmermann, Member of Parliament, author of quotas Law Copé-Zimmermann in France; Dr. Joanne Liu, International President of Doctors Without Borders; Robert Tessier, Chairman of the board of the Caisse de Depot et Placement du Québec; Joanne Lipman author and former Editor-in-Chief of USA Today; Craig Smith, Political strategist for Bill and Hillary Clinton; Jean Charest, former Prime Minister of Quebec; Monique Jérôme-Forget, former Minister of Finance of Quebec; Françoise Bertrand, Chairperson of the Board of VIA Rail and former Chairperson of Quebecor; Kim Thuy, acclaimed author; Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada; Dominique Anglade, former Vice-Prime Minister of Quebec; Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec’s Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy; Jean Boulet, Quebec’s Minister of Labour; and much more!

Our Partners and Sponsors

Thank you for your support

Don’t hesitate to contact Stefanie Bug (Senior Director, Business Development) if you have any questions
or wish to explore partnership options between your organization and Women in Governance!