Agenda
Discover what’s in store at WBE Canada’s 2026 Conference—keynotes, workshops, and networking to inspire and empower.
November 18
Breakfast
Description coming soon.
Welcome to 2026 National Conference
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Brand Visibility Panel - The Story
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Brand Visibility Panel - The Power of the Pitch
Every deal, partnership, and contract starts with a pitch - and for women-owned businesses, mastering that moment can be the difference between being overlooked and being chosen. Join Georgette Zinaty and Adrianne Fekete for an engaging conversation on what it really takes to pitch with confidence, clarity, and impact.From refining your story to reading the room and closing with conviction, this seesion will equip women business owners with practical, real-world strategies to pitch for funding, partnerships, and procurement opportunities and win.
Morning Refreshment Break
Description coming soon.
Desjardins: 2027 Economic Outlook
Presented by: Kari Norman
An overview of the economic outlook, examining the forces shaping growth and interest rates, with a focus on trade conflicts, inflation, housing markets and more. The presentation will highlight the key risks and trends shaping the economy in the year ahead.
Canada’s Productivity Imperative: Why Women Owned Businesses are the Growth Multiplier
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Lunch
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Fireside Chat with Melissa Grelo
Join us for an intimate fireside conversation with broadcaster, entrepreneur, and advocate Melissa Grelo, who has reinvented herself time and again from the newsroom to the founder's seat of her own media platform. In this candid discussion, Melissa will share what it really takes to shed an old identity and step into a new one, ow she turned on-air credibility into business ownership, and why transparency and trust are becoming the ultimate competitive advantage in an AI-driven world. From reinvention and brand-building to aging powerfully and the fight for equity, this is a conversation every woman business owner won't want to miss.
Afternoon Refreshment Break
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Lioness Den Pitch Competition presented by RBC - Invite Only
In a first for WBE Canada, the Lioness Den flips the script: instead of entrepreneurs pitching for funding, corporate partners and investors pitch you. A select group of invited women-owned businesses will sit on the other side of the table as sponsors, buyers and investors make their case for partnership, procurement, and investment opportunities build around what your business actually needs. It's an exclusive, invite-only experience designed to put women entrepreneurs in the position of power, with corporate Canada competing for a seat at your table.
Building Your Resilience During Challenging Times
Presented by: Addie Greco-Sanchez
In this entertaining presentation, Addie Greco-Sanchez will demonstrate how investing as little as five minutes of self-care goes a long way in building resilience and decreasing absences related to stress and mental health challenges. Based on the book she co-authored, The 5-Minute Recharge, 31 Proven Strategies to Refresh, Reset and Become the Boss of Your Day, Addie will provide useful strategies for thriving at work and in life, especially during these challenging times. These wellness strategies are all research and science based and take little time to practice.
Tools That Help or Hurt: Performance Improvement Plans and AI in the Workplace
Presented by: Janine L. Liberatore & Sarah White
Employers rely on tools like performance improvement plans and, increasingly, artificial intelligence to manage people and reduce risk, but poorly used, the same tools can create liability. This session looks at how to structure performance improvement plans so they are defensible, and at the opportunities and limitations of AI in the workplace, including the risks of using AI to draft agreements and its influence on recruiting.
Are You Interested in Doing Business with Eastern Canada?
Presented by: Judith Richardson
Please join us to hear from Atlantic WBEs. Bring your questions and thoughts to explore the potential in connection and collaboration.
Spotlight of Excellence Awards
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Awards Reception
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November 19
Breakfast
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Welcome to Day 2 of 2026 National Conference
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From Proving Your Worth to Exercising Your Power
Presented by: Nicole Piggott and Dr. Georgette Zinaty
What does it really take to move from proving you belong to simply owning the space you've earned? In this candid 30-minute conversation, Dr. Georgette Zinaty sits down with Nicole Piggott founder of Synclusiv and a self-described "reluctant entrepreneur" to unpack the parts of the journey rarely talked about: the isolation behind the scenes of ownership, what the data really says about DEI in a shifting political climate, and why so many accomplished women explain away their success instead of owning it. This is a conversation about shifting from resilience to real power and what it will take for women-owned businesses to move from participating in Canada's economy to shaping it.
Morning Refreshment Break
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Breakfast with Brands
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Lunch
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How Corporate Procurement is Evolving & Ways to Ready
This panel brings together Women Business Enterprises and corporate procurement leaders to explore how purchasing processes and practices are evolving across corporations and government organizations in Canada. Discover what you need to know to say competitive and ready for what's next; the impact of tariffs, "Buy Canadian" initiatives, costs, and environmental considerations that are affecting today's procurement decisions.
Is Privacy Dead?
Presented by: Monifa Brooks and Suzanne Knight
Description coming soon.