On April 23, Axis Connects will celebrate the sixth annual Calgary Influential Women in Business (CIWB) Awards at the TELUS Convention Centre. The gala, which attracts over 1,400 community leaders, will be an opportunity to recognize those advancing gender diversity in the business community. Six recipients will be honoured in the following categories: Lifetime Achievement, Small and Medium Enterprise, Professional Services, Social Enterprise, Large Enterprise and Male Champion.
Honourees were chosen based on the criteria of professional accomplishments, community involvement, promotion and advancement of women, and overall influence and impact on the Alberta business community.
To learn more, purchase tickets or sponsorship, go to: https://axisconnects.com/ciwb-awards/.
Lifetime Achievement – Bonnie DuPont
Bonnie DuPont has been an advocate for women in business since the very early days of her career, over 30 years ago. In 1978, while working at the Department of Labour in Saskatchewan, DuPont moderated and hosted a weekly panel discussion at the Regina Public Library entitled ‘Let’s Talk About Women’ – a series focused on advancing the role of women in the workforce.
Shortly thereafter, she initiated a women-in-trades program at the Saskatchewan Power Corporation. At both the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and the Alberta Pool, DuPont initiated and supported programs to assure that women would have places in all levels of the organization. And at Enbridge, where she worked between 1997 to 2010 and eventually became group vice president, Corporate Resources, she established the Women at Enbridge network, a program to enhance the role of women in the company and provide support.
“I am a strong believer in the role that mentors have in our life’s journey,” DuPont offers. “Be they family members, teachers, professors, older more experienced friends, bosses, even colleagues. My view is that mentors were fundamental to any success I may have had, and if there is a way to provide that help to others, I am all in.”
Frequently the first woman at either the board table or in a senior leadership position (including as the first woman elected to the board of the Calgary Petroleum Club (2000) and the first woman appointed chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Calgary (2012)), DuPont has been a trailblazer, shattering the glass ceiling for herself and those who followed.
Her advice to those behind her: “1. Take care of and nurture your network of friends and supporters. These are the people you can call upon with a particularly vexing problem; people who will keep your confidences; who’ll be available for a quick lunch or a glass of wine after work just to share time and experience. 2. Take nothing for granted in your career except your own willingness to work and give your very best.”
Small and Medium Enterprise – Lara Murphy, President and Owner of Ryan Murphy Construction and Co-Founder, President and CEO of Calgary Wild
Lara Murphy has spent her life thus far unafraid to be first. As owner and leader of the first female-owned commercial construction company in Calgary and of the city’s first professional women’s sports (soccer) team, Murphy has been undaunted by the fact that no playbook existed for her to follow. In fact, this is exactly what appeals to her.
“I’ve always been willing to put my hand up and take a chance,” she says. “It can be scary, but it’s so fulfilling.”
Murphy’s fearlessness was influenced by her father, who was a business owner in her native New Brunswick, and her innate intrepidness. “Whether I had a soccer ball at my feet or a drill in my hand, I never felt like I couldn’t do anything because of the gender norms around what girls were supposed to do,” she recalls. “It gave me a freedom to explore my curiosity.”
Entrepreneurial to the core, Murphy started her first business – a maintenance company – at 16. She owned a painting franchise in university, did boat maintenance and eventually got into historical restoration (her love of history was fostered when, at 17, she was recruited to play soccer in England, where she was exposed to older architecture).
She devotes countless hours to the community, through speaking engagements and by sitting on boards with organizations like SAIT, YW Calgary, Famous 5 and EmpowerHer, among many others.
Murphy’s advice to other women is to be open and willing to put yourself in situations where you’re not always comfortable. “Be specific about your end goal,” she adds. “If you’re steady and keep moving forward, are humble and have good humour, there’s always a path. And be kind, that’s really important.”
Professional Services – Valerie Prather, Partner at McCarthy Tetrault LLP
One of the best medical defence litigators in Canada today, a younger Valerie Prather never dreamed she’d win a business award. “I come from good peasant farm stock,” she says. “For me, it is extraordinary to be nominated for this award, let alone to win.”
The decision to enter law school after losing her secretarial job during the 1980s recession was, to Prather, a choice to join a profession. “Over the years, I have seen the legal profession become more of a business,” she reflects. “At the core, professions and businesses are about people and developing and retaining talent. Over the years, I guess I did become very good at it.”
She credits a number of excellent mentors, both men and women, with the fact that she did not experience the same challenges many women of her time faced (though she does admit her first maternity leave of 2.5 months was not easy). “I had some wonderful women colleagues who had managed and shown me it was possible,” she says. “My male colleagues were very supportive as well, making sure that I had good work to come back to, enough but not too much!”
Great teams, including junior lawyers and paralegals who shared Prather’s passion for the practice area, also helped her achieve great success.
“Mentoring other women in the legal profession came naturally to me as I had been the beneficiary of positive mentoring and I had also seen the damage that can be done when women do not support other women,” she says.
Her advice to younger women: “Learn to compartmentalize to keep home and work separate as much as possible. I am known for giving the advice that guilt is a wasted emotion: make whatever decisions you make in your personal and professional life with intention, and then just get on with it and don’t worry about feeling guilty about the choice you didn’t make.”
Social Enterprise – Saifa Koonar, President & CEO, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation
Saifa Koonar was raised to believe there is great power in diversity – of gender, culture, education, faiths and life experience. “I firmly believe that women in leadership bring perspectives and approaches that are both different and complementary in advancing a company or community’s mission,” she says.
As president and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation (ACHF), an organization she has been with for almost 30 years, Koonar has cultivated and championed female leadership, building a culture grounded in opportunity, hard work and advancement. The strategy has been fruitful: today, the ACHF has an all-female executive team, the majority promoted from within, and staff retention rates exceeding 90 per cent.
Though her gentler approach has, at times, been misinterpreted as a lack of strength or confidence, Koonar says that over time, people come to see that empathy and compassion are essential to her work: “For me, those qualities build trust, strengthen relationships and create a culture that fosters unity, collaboration and innovation. I’ve learned that you don’t have to change who you are to lead effectively – you just have to lead with intention and consistency.”
Supported and strengthened by her team, many important mentors, the Ismaili Muslim Community and her family, Koonar feels fortunate to have spent the last three decades immersed in inspiration: “I am humbled by the strength of families facing some of their most difficult days, the unwavering dedication of child health specialists and the extraordinary generosity of people stepping up to support families they have never met.”
Her advice to others? “Give yourself grace and never stop learning. Women juggle so much: children, aging parents, marriage, community commitments, households, careers – sometimes all at once. It can be a lot. We need to acknowledge that and offer ourselves the same patience and compassion we so readily give to others. And somewhere in that mix, remember to keep your mind fed. Continuous learning keeps you sharp, expands your perspective and often re-energizes you – something most of us could use more of.”
Large Enterprise – Tara Lockyer, Chief People, Culture, Brand & Communications Officer, ATB Financial
To be recognized for exceptional professional achievement in a city where change and innovation is at the forefront is humbling for Tara Lockyer. “But more importantly,” she says, “this award is not just a recognition of my work but a powerful affirmation that fostering gender diversity in business is a priority and we are making progress.”
Indeed, since joining ATB in 2020, Lockyer’s leadership has resulted in the company achieving an all-time high Cultural Health Index of 78 per cent this past fiscal year. Her commitment to diversity and equity was demonstrated when she voluntarily stepped forward to serve as the direct executive sponsor of ATB’s Black Team Member Network and Pride Team Member Network.
“For me, and I think for many women, the focus has always been less about individual accolades and more about the collective,” she says. “Women tend to be the ‘pack animals’ and the ‘enablers’ – we’re focused on building up the team, ensuring the success of the project and lifting up the people around us. I never thought about what awards I would get out of it; the reward was seeing the work and the people succeed.”
While financial services is still a very male-dominated industry that can feel intimidating to women, Lockyer is happy to be a mentor to those who need it. “It helps them feel a sense of connection and makes it easier for them to picture themselves in senior roles,” she offers. “I also believe it’s equally important for men to take on the role of ‘championship’ as well. We all need allies to drive real change.”
Her single most important piece of advice? “Take risks. I’ve jumped into roles that were completely outside my expertise. I’ve travelled across the world to lead teams in different continents, and – critically – I’ve asked for things. You can’t wait for opportunities to come to you; you have to actively seek them out.”
Male Champion – Vern Yu, President & CEO, AltaGas
Over the course of his 30-plus-year career in Alberta’s energy industry, Vern Yu has shown a consistent commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity, earning the reputation of a man of the highest integrity, values and character. A true male champion, Yu’s impact at Enbridge Inc. (where he spent 30 years in progressively more senior roles) and AltaGas (where he currently serves as president and CEO) has been indelible, particularly for women and minorities.
“I was both surprised and honoured to hear about this win,” Yu says. “I’ve never been focused on awards or recognition because it’s not what drives me. What does motivate me is doing the right things for the right reasons; that’s what being an ally or champion is really about. Knowing that I’ve made enough of an impact on people to inspire a nomination, and a win, is incredibly humbling. I’m thankful.”
For Yu, supporting women in his industry is easy because it’s the right thing to do. “Our job is to provide growth and development opportunities for our people, and it’s also just smart business. When people feel invested in, they deliver the best contributions to the company.”
Yu has led and participated in many formal programs including mentorship programs, employee resource groups, recognition initiatives and succession planning. “But I also find that getting to know people personally and listening to their aspirations is equally important,” he notes. “It’s what helps leaders identify future leaders and create pathways for them.”