The Calgary Influential Women in Business (CIWB) Awards

SAVE THE DATE: April 16, 2025

Join us as we recognize Calgary’s outstanding business leaders who have set the bar for professional excellence and a commitment to advancing diversity.

Nominations are now OPEN!

What started as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate those advancing gender diversity in the business community, has quickly become one of the most prominent events of the year.

Honourees are chosen based on the criteria of professional accomplishments, community involvement, promotion and advancement of women and overall influence and impact on the Alberta business community and its representation of diverse leaders in the following categories:

Lifetime Achievement

This award honours a female senior executive who has achieved significant career success and inspired those behind them. The honouree has dedicated their life to the advancement of others and paved the way for the next generation of leaders.

Professional Services

This award honours a senior executive female in a professional services firm (law, accounting, financial services and/or consulting) who is a trusted advisor to their corporate clients.

Large Enterprise

This award honours a female senior executive who is integral to a large-sized enterprise with over a $1B in market capitalization.

Small and Medium Enterprise

This award honours a female senior executive who is integral to a small to medium sized enterprise with less than $1B in market capitalization.

Social Enterprise

This award honours a female senior executive who is the driving force of a registered charity, not-for-profit, academic or industry association, or for-profit social enterprise, dedicated to social change and greater good. The honouree is a champion of philanthropy, volunteerism and the non-profit community.

Male Champion

This award honours a senior executive male who is an ally and supporter of corporate female executives. They advocate for men and women to work together towards gender parity and demonstrates a commitment to champion women in their workplace and in the community.

Become involved in our most coveted and commemorative Axis Connects event; the fifth annual Calgary Influential Women in Business Awards is a celebratory gala that attracts over 1,400 Calgary community visionaries and leaders.

Nominations for the 2025 CIWB Awards NOW OPEN!

2024 CIWB Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement
Lorraine Mitchelmore
Independent Director

Small and Medium Enterprise
Jennifer Massig
CEO, MAGNA Engineering Services

Large Enterprise
Doreen Cole
EVP, Downstream Manufacturing, Cenovus

Professional Services
Alicia Quesnel
Managing Partner, BDP LLP

Social Enterprise
Wendy Beauchesne
CEO, Alberta Cancer Foundation

Male Champion
Bryan de Lottinville
Founder and Chief Evangelist of Benevity

Selection & Advisory Committee

Rona Ambrose

Hon. Rona Ambrose, Deputy Chairwoman, TD Securities

John Kousinioris

President & CEO, TransAlta

Deborah Yedlin

President of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Arun Chandrasekaran
Arun Chandrasekaran

Head of Energy Investment Banking at National Bank Financial

Dawn de Lima
Dawn de Lima

Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services & Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, TC Energy

Byron Neiles

EVP, Corporate Services, Enbridge

Katherine Emberly

President + CEO, STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service)

Curtis Stange

President & CEO, ATB Financial

John Osler

Partner, McCarthy Tetrault

Judy Fairburn

Co-Founder & Co-CEO, The51

Keith Chiasson

COO, Cenovus

Dr. Elizabeth Cannon

Board Director and President Emerita, University of Calgary

Marcos Lopez

Principal, Alpenglow Capital

Janet Annesley

Chief Sustainability Officer, Kiwetinohk Energy Corp.

Sean Brown

Senior Vice President & CFO, Gibson Energy

Andrea Robertson

Board Director

Trent Edwards

President, Canada Land and Housing, Brookfield Properties

Michelle Sledz

Partner, Transfer Pricing & Deputy Business Unit Leader, Calgary Tax, KPMG

Jim Davidson

Co-founder FirstEnergy Capital and Board Member, ATB and Topaz Energy

Kelly Schmitt

CEO, Benevity

Jim Dewald

Professor at the University of Calgary

Rachel Moore

Executive Vice President, Corporate Services, Ovintiv

Reynold Tetzlaff

Vice-Chair and Managing Partner, PwC Canada

Kevin Krausert

CEO & Co-Founder, Avatar Innovations Inc.

Sippy Chhina

Independent Board Director & Business Advisor

Scott Munn

Partner, Hugessen Consulting

Mark Brown

Senior Vice President, ATCO EnPower

Mark Thompson

Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, Nutrien

2023 CIWB Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement

Sue Riddell Rose
President and Chief Executive Officer of Perpetual Energy and Rubellite Energy

Small & Medium Enterprise

Manjit Minhas
Co-founder and Co-owner of the Minhas Breweres, Distilleries and Wineries

Professional Services

Sippy Chhina
Partner, Director & Vice Chair, Deloitte Canada LLP

Social Enterprise

Andrea Robertson
President & CEO, STARS

Large Enterprise

Kelly Schmitt
Chief Executive Officer, Benevity Inc.

Male Champion

Mark Brown
Vice President & General Manager, Fluor

2022 CIWB Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement

Dawn Farrell
Independent Director and Chancellor at Mount Royal University

Small & Medium Enterprise

Eleanor Chiu
Chief Financial Officer, The Trico Group/ Trico Homes

Professional Services

Cheryl Sandercock
Managing Director Co-Head Energy A&D Advisory, BMO Capital Markets

Social Enterprise

Kim Ruse
CEO, Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter

Large Enterprise

Jana Mosley
President, ENMAX Power

Male Champion

Jim Dewald
Dean and Professor, Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary

2021 CIWB Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement

Dr. Elizabeth Cannon
Board Director and President Emerita, University of Calgary

Small & Medium Enterprise

Alice Reimer
CEO, Fillip and Site Lead, Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies

Professional Services

Melinda Park
Partner, Securities and Capital Markets and Past Chair, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Social Enterprise

Salima Stanley-Bhanji
CEO, Humainologie

Large Enterprise

Denise Man
Chief Technology Officer, ATB Financial

Male Champion

Jim Davidson
Co-founder FirstEnergy Capital and Board Member, ATB and Topaz Energy

2020 CIWB Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement

Judy Fairburn
Serial Entrepreneur and Board Director (MEG Energy, VERRUM, Tundra), Co-Founder & Co-CEO, The51

Small & Medium Enterprise

Milena Radakovic
President & Owner, Nexus Exhibits Ltd., and Canada Ambassador – Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO)

Entrepreneur

Dr. Breanne Everett
Co-Founder, President and CEO, Orpyx® Medical Technologies

Professional Services

Jill Angevine
Managing Partner, Palisade Capital Management Ltd. and Board Director (Tourmaline, Advantage Oil & Gas)

Social Enterprise

Karen Young
President & CEO, United Way Calgary & Area

Emerging Leader

Amanda Hamilton
Founder and Creative Director, Amanda Hamilton Interior Design & Palette Archives

Large Enterprise

Kerry O’Reilly Wilks
Chief Officer, Legal, Regulatory & External Affairs, TransAlta Corporation

Male Champion

John Osler
Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Event Sponsors

We are grateful for everyone’s commitment. Through your sponsorship, we have:

  • Created a network of over 4,000+ business and community leaders;
  • Empowered over 1,350 women on their professional journey through dedicated programs and workshops;
  • Pioneered innovative and captivating programs including, “Career Development Dialogues” and “Lunch with a Leader”
  • Launched two highly successful, all-day Leadership Forums to provide women (and men) with professional skills and tools to advance their professional journeys.
RedPoint - March 22 - Lockup (7)