Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeExecutive Women Bold moves, big impact: How the Top 100 rise boldlyWXN honourees blaze trails for women to followLast updated Dec 01, 2025You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Sherri Stevens, Women’s Executive Network. LEYDON PHOTOGRAPHYReviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.This year marks the 10th anniversary since award-winning entrepreneur Sherri Stevens purchased Women’s Executive Network (WXN) and its flagship awards program, Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100. It is also the first since its rebrand, reinvention and embrace of its new mantra: Bold Women. Epic Journeys.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Accountor“Ten years went very fast,” says Stevens. “In many ways, our evolution demonstrates the power of little steps to realize a big vision. That’s what we’ve done.”WXN’s mission — to champion all women to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential while ensuring they have an equal voice in their organizations and in society at large — is its North Star. The focus on “all women” is key.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIn 2015, WXN and its Top 100 honourees were not representative of women leaders across Canada. “When I purchased WXN, just 16 per cent of our honourees were from diverse cultures, careers, industries and geographies,” says Stevens. “Since then, we have been very intentional about creating a sense of belonging, both as an organization and with our Top 100 award. This year, 61 per cent of our honourees are from diverse backgrounds, experiences — they are diverse in every way.”This includes the jobs they hold and the fields they work in. Year over year since 2015, there has been a significant increase in the number of submissions for the skilled trades and STEM categories — a clear indicator that WXN’s focus on helping all women rise is working. To encourage more women to make their voices heard at the highest levels of corporate governance, this year WXN is shining the light on women leading in boardrooms across the nation with the Top 100 board of directors category.“We are building a much more inclusive community that better reflects Canada and the world. It’s a major change that allows more women to see themselves represented among leaders in their fields,” says Stevens. “When we celebrate the Top 100 it’s wonderful to be a part of.”This year, WXN launched three new initiatives that boldly put belonging and inclusion front and centre. Stevens has added a new title — and long-held bold ambition — to her name: Editor-in-chief of WXN’s Be Bold Magazine. With a spring and fall issue each year, Be Bold Magazine turns the spotlight on WXN’s inspiring community of members, Top 100 alumni, allies and sponsors as well as the work WXN is doing to raise more women up into leadership.To that end, in June WXN hosted the inaugural Global Alliance for Inclusive Leadership (GAIL) Awards. GAIL is WXN’s reimagined and bold new vision for the Diversity Council of Canada. With GAIL, WXN is shifting the narrative from diversity, equity and inclusion to belonging and working to accelerate women’s progress to senior leadership and board roles. As GAIL’s first report reveals, women hold just 24 per cent of executive leadership positions in Canada and just 34 per cent of directorships on boards.“When we started to think about what it means to belong, we realized it was important to go beyond our own borders so we can learn from each other,” says Stevens. GAIL works with global thought leaders to ensure it has access to diverse perspectives and best practices when it comes to developing effective belonging initiatives that create a safe place for women to be promoted and advance in their careers.“In today’s environment, where there is so much backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion, we believe it is important for WXN to be the leader in bringing people together and fostering thoughtful conversation to drive societal change,” says Stevens.The first annual virtual GAIL Conference and Awards Gala featured expert speakers, panel discussions, professional development and networking opportunities with participants from across Canada, the U.S., Europe and South Africa. “It was a worldwide event that brought together people and viewpoints that are necessary to progress.”To continue to build momentum and impact, this fall, WXN, together with national presenting partner CIBC, introduced Bold Convos. This annual all-day summit, hosted this year in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto and featuring Australia’s bestselling author and self-empowerment expert Sheila Vijeyarasa (aka Sheila V) as keynote speaker, provides an opportunity for Top 100 alumni and the entire WXN community — members, corporate partners, sponsors — to stay connected and learn from leading experts and each other.Bold Convos is the perfect lead-in to Canada’s premier awards program celebrating women in leadership. This year, the theme for WXN and the Top 100 is Rise Boldly.“As women, we face challenges men don’t. Rita Parikh, chair of Vancity Credit Union and one of the Top 100 Board of Directors honourees, describes navigating life as a woman and all that entails as our super power. I agree,” says Stevens.“This year’s theme recognizes that regardless of the challenge, it’s important to continue to rise boldly, to remember who you are, your why, to reset and then press forward together. That’s why I think Bold Convos as an initiative is so important. It brings everyone together so we don’t feel so alone in our challenges and helps us see we can rely on one another and lean on one another to help us rise boldly. I’ve had many women help me through my challenges over the last 10 years. It’s okay to ask for help so we can rise boldly together.”As WXN enters its next decade, its message remains clear and urgent: when women rise, the world changes. The Top 100 are more than honourees — they are trailblazers, mentors, role models and catalysts for progress. Together, they remind us that boldness is not a moment, but a movement — and that when women rise boldly, everyone rises with them.This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s Commercial Content Division, on behalf of Women’s Executive Network (WXN).This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. 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