This International Women’s Day, the world is celebrating the unifying theme of Accelerate Action. It’s a propitious opportunity to applaud the social, economic and cultural achievements of women working every day to engender equality and effect positive change in Montréal, whether that’s in the fields of tech, science, food, fashion or other. Here are just a few of the incredible Montréal women who are making waves.
Valérie Plante: Montréal’s first female mayor has led with an ambitious agenda to make the city friendlier, greener and safer. Before entering the political arena, Plante was involved with numerous community groups, including the Fondation Filles d’action.
Geneviève Tanguay: The first female CEO of Anges Québec, Tanguay plays a crucial role in the province’s early-stage investment framework, consistently supporting advancements in technology, especially in the life sciences sector.
Joanna Chevalier (aka Hanna Che): Co-founder and executive creative director of Never Was Average, a creative agency dedicated to creating an inclusive space for BIPOC in artistic and creative fields.
Gabriella G. Kinté: Entrepreneur, activist, author and founder of the Librarie Racines bookstore, Kinté helps the stories, culture and experiences of Black and other racialized people shine on various platforms.
France Margaret Bélanger: President of the Sports & Entertainment division at Groupe CH, one of a few women in NHL upper management, Bélanger helps develop actions to fight racism and advance inclusion and diversity in hockey and the NHL.
Dr. Yolande E. Chan: The first Black dean at McGill University, focused on bringing more diversity and inclusion to the program in shaping leaders and entrepreneurs of the future.
Joëlle Pineau: Former leader of the Meta AI Research Lab and co-director of McGill University's Reasoning and Learning Lab, Pineau has been honoured with a Governor General’s Innovation Award.
Dr. Lucy Gilbert: The Director of Gynecologic Oncology and the Women’s Health Research Unit at the MUHC was named one of a Top Women of Influence for her work in detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Azadeh Dastmalchi: This Montréal scientist and biomedical engineer is the founder of VitalTracer Ltd. and creator of the VTLab smartwatch, which can aid in early detection of heart disease and viruses.
Sandrine Milante: CEO of ÉcoloPharm, one of the largest manufacturers of prescription drug packaging products in the country, Milante tackles the waste linked to the packaging and overpacking of prescription drugs, giving pharmacists eco-responsible packaging solutions.
Monique Régimbald-Zeiber: Montréal-based artist whose perspective-shifting works on “invisibilized” history has been shown at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. She’s a recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.
Natasha Kanapé Fontaine: This Innu slam poet, actress, visual artist and aboriginal and environmental rights activist has published three critically acclaimed collections of poetry and performs worldwide.
Les Filles Fattoush: A collective of Montréal women that provides an avenue for Syrian women refugees to tackle social, cultural and economic obstacles by harnessing their culinary talents.
Kate Boushel: Partner and Director of Beverage & Education at Groupe Barroco, this mixologist was also on the Québec team for Speed Rack, a national female-focused bartending competition that raises money for breast cancer research.
Sophie Boyer: The entrepreneur transformed the high-quality but old-fashioned Québec coat company Audvik into a fashion-forward premium brand complete with innovative, eco-friendly fabrics.
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