From left to right: speakers Rebecca Bollwitt, Jane Russell, and Jill Earthy; moderator, Rita Rogers

There was a consistent theme throughout the wonderful talks given at the 7th Annual Women in Leadership Speaker’s Series today at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in downtown Vancouver. Each speaker was asked to, in keeping with the catch phrase of the event, articulate the best advice they’d ever received.

Without exception the incredible women chosen to speak this year all advised present and future WIL members to “do what you love”. Though this advice is not original and many of us know it, it is wonderful to be reminded to take stock and realize that the work you do matters.

This year’s event was moderated by Rita Rogers, owner of Own the Stage Consulting and a member of the WIL Foundation since 2009. Rita’s energy and commitment for WIL set the tone for a wonderful 90 minutes of inspiration and advice from some of Canada’s most influential women.

Keynote speaker Wendy Lisogar-Cogghia and moderator Rita Rogers

Kicking off the event was Wendy Lisogar-Cogghia, Chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade and CEO of Century Plaza Hotel and Absolute Spa.

Wendy is the youngest Chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade and she shared with us some great, personal stories of how she got where she is today. Her main focus has always been consistency, passion and focus and to, cleverly, surround herself with the best people for the job.

Wendy told us a funny story about having to choose between a new client and retrieving some very important business papers from a dumpster. Not willing to allow her staff to do something that she wasn’t willing to do herself, Wendy dove into the dumpster to save the papers. In doing so, she was required to leave a potentially huge client hanging but it all turned out great when the client gained an enormous respect for Wendy’s willingness to put herself out there for her staff.

That passion extends throughout her entire life and she has always included philanthropy as a large part of that work. She works tirelessly to fund various children’s charities throughout BC with her Century Plaza Hotel and Spa Women’s Media Golf Classic and has raised over $2.6million! Her more recent endevours include raising enough money to fund the Pacific Autism Family Centre.

It was a truly inspirational talk and the sold-out audience of nearly 250 were all completely engaged and entertained.

Following Wendy, we were treated to live testimonials from Lana Gilbertson, Sr VP at MNP,  a WIL Mentor, and from Rentia Narayan who has seen the wonderful benefit of being a WIL Mentee. Both women iterated the importance of having shared experiences and opening up networking opportunities for each other. It was a great insight into how the WIL Mentorship program really works well. Both also thanked Lucille Wang and her uncanny ability to connect mentors and mentees who really work well together.

The afternoon continued with the panel members Jane Russell, Rebecca Bollwitt and Jill Earthy all of whom spoke about their own, personal journeys to success and offered great advice as to how others might follow.

I was particularly taken with the different routes they have each taken to get to the WIL stage today. Jane is a career TD Bank exec who’s great advice is to embrace opportunities even if they seem to be lateral moves. Every new role is a chance to learn something new and grow. Lateral movement within a corporate setting make you more promotable as they expand your abilities.

Rebecca, better known online as Miss 604 and one of the top 100 women of influence, reminded us that failure is not trying something unsuccessfully but not trying something at all. Don’t be afraid to fail because that’s where the learning happens. She also reminded us to remember to take a break occasionally. Rebecca’s preferred method of desk relaxation includes checking out  some non-thinking-required pics of crazy cats or cakewrecks.com. Remember to laugh, everyday.

Finally Jill, CEO of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, who is a self-described “non risk taker” or “calculated risk taker” suggested that rather than chase “balance” we should look for “harmony” in our lives. Some days things will be completely out of balance but things swing back and forth constantly so you need to be nimble and flexible and willing to roll with whatever is thrown at you. Her greatest piece of advice, however, was to remember to ask for advice. You’re not in this alone and WIL is a great place to find help.

All of our speakers today were really great, articulate and inspiring.

The WIL Spotlight Speaker Series is just one of the wonderful WIL events happening throughout the year. If you would like to attend an event, become a mentor or a mentee or volunteer you can find all the information required right here, on our newly launched WIL website.