Ask An Expert: COVID-19 Impacts on Women in Business

The past 12 months have seen a series of events that have permanently impacted both the nature of the workplace and women’s opportunities within it. Many of the hardest hit sectors where many women work – like retail, travel, hospitality – haven’t fully recovered. They bore the brunt of job losses. Working practices have become more flexible, new leadership traits are coming to the fore, and the need for a diverse workforce and inclusive culture has never been more apparent. In these extraordinary times, agile, forward looking businesses will recognize this moment of change as a chance to evolve and thrive.

It’s now time to continue the progress and widen the door of diversity even further.

Sandbox Centre, in partnership with County of Simcoe, XcelerateHER, Grant Thornton and RBC, invites you to join us virtually on June 9, 2021 to learn about the repercussions that these disruptive shifts have had on women in business and the window of opportunity that lay ahead to ensure a more inclusive recovery.

Hear from national leaders and a panel of ambitious women in business from across our region that have persevered through the pandemics and the impact they have faced as a result. At different stages and various levels of business, listen as they provide their shared perspectives and what opportunities lay ahead for the equity of women in business.

Speakers include: Hon. Jill Dunlop, MPP (Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues and MPP Simcoe North), Marjolaine Hudon (RBC Regional President, Personal & Commercial Banking Ontario North and East Region), Michelle Alphonso (Partner & National Transaction Advisory Services Leader, Grant Thornton LLP), Claudine Cousins (CEO, Empower Simcoe), Lisa Bertram (President of Bertram Construction (Ontario) Ltd.), and Stephanie Stoute (Founder, Curio).

Leave this influential conversation with insights on:

• Advancing progress for women in the workplace, helping women get back into the workforce
• Rise of flexible working and benefits of new working practices
• How businesses can communicate the cultural values of inclusiveness to every member of the organization
• Views on whether new working practices will benefit women’s career trajectories long-term
• Progress towards gender parity in senior management
• and more!