Edwards celebrates women of influence at 15th annual event
A sell-out crowd of 400 people attended the Women of Influence Breakfast Presentation on November 2 in celebration of female leadership and achievements.
Hosted by Edwards Executive Education, the fifteenth annual event featured three accomplished women in leadership roles who spoke to how they achieved success in their respective fields.
Our first woman of influence, Darla Lindbjerg, president and CEO of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, gave a talk on “Iron butterflies – a journey of discovery and resilience.” Drawing from her experience in engaging people the talk underscored vulnerability, focusing on the destination (not the obstacles) and how sometimes you have to go backwards before being able to move forward. In Darla's analogy, the butterfly symbolizes an image of transformation and resilience.
CeCe Baptiste, a strategic planning advisor at the University of Saskatchewan captivated the audience with her topic “From Values to Impact.” Growing up as an Indigenous woman in Saskatchewan, CeCe faced barriers related to systemic racism. She told the audience how in spite of the obstacles she faced her values propelled her towards her goals. Instead of trying to answer the question “What do I want to be when I grow up?,” CeCe focused on the values she possessed and the impact she wanted to make in the community. She inspired the audience to keep fueling their passion by focusing on their impact.
Our final woman of influence, Tiffany Paulsen, a partner at Robertson Stromberg LLP and a columnist at PostMedia Network Inc. spoke on “Unaccountable discourse, AKA, is it so hard not to be mean?” The talk focused on the ongoing dialogue we all find ourselves surrounded with online. Tiffany coined this unaccountable discourse as the demise of the conversation. She challenged the audience to become more mindful in conversation versus observing them and squirreling by.
The event also recognized the recipient of the Women of Influence Award, a scholarship intended for business students (male or female) who are making progress towards degree completion and are single-parents of dependent children. Allison Daniels, a fourth year Management major, was selected to receive the scholarship.
Thank you to our generous event sponsors for their help in making the 15th Annual Women of Influence Breakfast a success: Edible Arrangements, Global Saskatoon, ICR Commercial Real Estate, Moxies, Persephone Theatre, Prairieland Park, Radisson Hotel, Rawlco Radio, Select Roses, TCU Place, Tim Hortons Lawson Heights, Trek 2000 Corporation, U of S Book Store, Vanity Hair and Esthetics, and the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
For future programming opportunities please visit Edwards Executive Education at: www.edwards.usask.ca/execed.