TORONTO WOMEN LEADERS
Tricia Ryan
WIL Past Chapter Chair
In leadership hard work combined with “pass-I-on creates” great synergy and momentum
Kate Campbell
Consultant
Surround yourself only with people who are going to take you higher
– Oprah Winfrey
Shelby Walsh
President
Trend Hunters
Being a leader has nothing to do with your position and everything to do with inspiring growth and action in others.
Lindsay Schneider
CEO ARCANE
The magic of leadership truly happens once you step out of your comfort zone
Meet The Team
Rosemary Beach
Chapter Chair
Rosemary Beach is a Strategic Communications & Marketing Director/Consultant of Beach Professional Marketing Services in the business to business landscape. She has a passion for innovation and advancing brand-building campaigns. She was inspired to join WIL through the mentorship program as a mentor where she found satisfaction mentoring young women early in their careers to help them achieve their goals and overcome barriers. Women in leadership roles is important to Rosemary because she believes Women have a knack for managing multiple projects and have a sensibility about them to naturally collaborate, mediate and aim for positive outcomes. Her dream job is to coach, mentor and guide young professionals in different aspects of their careers.
Lorna Howieson
Executive Director
Lorna Howieson is an MBA and Professional Project Manager and is currently a Senior Director of Global Facilities, leading large scale workplace change programs. Women in leadership roles are important to Lorna as she strongly believes that having a network of supportive women encourages and enables more women to achieve success on their personal journeys. Lorna has many female role models and is continually inspired by the women of WIL. Lorna joined WIL through the Mentorship Program to connect with like-minded women for social and business networking. She began as a mentee, became a mentor, and is now the Executive Director for the Toronto chapter. Lorna aspires to use her position to encourage the development of diverse workplaces, specifically more women in leadership roles.
Leilani Olamit
Finance Committee Chair
Leilani Olamit, a CPA and University of Toronto graduate, is currently the Financial Controller at Le Club Child Care Program. With over 15 years of senior management experience, Leilani has developed expertise in finance and governance issues. A long-standing believer in mentorship, Leilani served as Youth Group Leader in her early years and later, as a Mentor for skilled immigrants for the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. Leilani also served as Treasurer and Finance Chair at Sandgate Women’s Shelter. Leilani is delighted to support the empowerment of women through WILF. Her passions include her children, literature, hiking, yoga and gardening.
Guneet Parmar
Social Media Co-Chair
Guneet Parmar is both a real estate sales professional and a foreign exchange specialist, and aspires to one day open up her own real estate brokerage. Working in a male dominated industry, Guneet wanted to join a network of females to better understand the gender gap in the financial services industry. Joining WIL, she hopes to learn from other women working in the same environment as her and learn more about their experiences, challenges and success stories. Some of her role models include Michelle Obama and Lauren Simmons. Guneet is an energetic individual who one day hopes to make a real difference in the world by helping people be better version of themselves.
Sofia Remtulla
Marketing & Board Strategy
Sofia Remtulla is a Business Strategy Consultant for a global consulting firm in the Retail and Travel industry. She aspires to be a leader in her field and drive innovative solutions for her clients. She also develops and supports women who are beginning their career journey’s in the corporate world to guide them in managing challenges and obstacles, both personally and professionally. Mindfulness and the ability to balance both her personal and professional goals is very important to Sofia, and she is always looking to learn new things whether it has to do with new emerging technologies, or new recipes! Sofia is a curious individual who loves to travel; one of her life goals is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Shamitha Devakandan
Volunteer & HR Chair
Shamitha Devakandan is a Public Administration and Italian Studies graduate who works for the Ontario government at the Ministry of Transportation. Shamitha’s inspiration for joining WIL stems from the strong female presences she had in her life and wishing to help empower young women and realize their potential. Shamitha is an ambitious individual who enjoys taking on new projects at work and volunteering her time for her community. She sees women in leadership roles as crucial, because women can help guide other women to success and achievement. One of her life goals is to work on young offender programs for the government and also spend a summer teaching English in Italy.
Irene Olamit
Finance Committee
Irene Olamit is an Accounting Manager for Staples Promotional Products. She oversees the Finance Department in the Canadian division and works closely with the U.S. team. Irene believes that women in leadership positions is important because women are great collaborators and strong problem-solvers. These are the attributes needed to be a strong leader. Her role model is her mother because she maintained a good balance between having a strong-willed, go-getter attitude and being a loving, caring person. Irene is a thoughtful individual whose life goal is to make a positive difference and influence in someone’s life.
Alina Kahil
Women in Tech Forum and Social Media Co-Chair
Alina Kahil is an Applied Economics graduate and a financial services professional currently working in the business lending space at Lendified with a background in Foreign Exchange. She contributes her passion for social media engagement and relationship building skills to the WIL Advisory Board in Toronto. Starting off her career in a male dominant industry encouraged her to meet and support women who face a similar struggle. Alina is excited about building awareness on gender diversity across all industries. She believes that women should have access to a network and the support required to succeed at every stage in their careers. Some of her role models include Camilla Sutton, CEO of Women in Capital Markets and Lauren Simmons, a notable female NYSE Equity Trader.
Liza Lerman
Events Co-Chair
Elizabeth Lerman is a 4th year bilingual Business Economics student at Glendon College. One of her goals is to impact change and empower others on an international scale to learn what kind of leadership is prominent in different parts of the world. To Liza, women in leadership is about change, support and determination; her female role model is J.K. Rowling because of her perseverance and ability to overcome adversity. Described in the past as ambitious, Elizabeth is excited to be part of the WILF to help unite women and build a strong foundation of supporters who are willing to help each other advance their careers.
Tiffany Kelly
Content & Copywriter
Tiffany Kelly is a Project Lead developing and implementing a national program to educate and support employers in disability confidence. Having a background in disability, Tiffany strives to speak up for those who feel unheard and overlooked in society. As one of five siblings, four of whom are sisters, Tiffany was raised by strong, independent women and believes that women have long been in positions of leadership, but have gone unacknowledged. She believes in the phrase, ‘no time like the present’ to accomplish goals or change and is a proud member of WIL for that reason, with Mentor Lorna Howieson, and her former manager, Kelly Campbell, as guides.
Michelle Gauci
Associations Development Chair
Michelle Gauci is a Strategic Leader and Product Management Expert within the research and retail industries. With a long-standing drive for enhancing a network of women, she joins WIL Toronto to emphasize the importance of networking, mentoring and coaching strategies. One of her life goals is to integrate and support foundations similar to WIL to enhance the visibility and impact on all foundations that create a positive and collaborative space for women in executive leadership environments. Michelle’s dream job would be travelling to expand her reach on providing mentorship to other women who aspire to be leaders, mentors and influencers across businesses, trades, and academic affiliations.
Contact Toronto Chapter: toronto@womeninleadership.ca