The evening, hosted by Tammie Sutherland of Breakfast Television and Cynthia Mulligan of CityNews, featured prestigious government recognition, ten outstanding award recipients, and an electrifying performance by JUNO Award-winning vocalist Simone Denny. Her performance of Superstar had the entire ballroom on its feet, singing, dancing, and joining her on stage in a spectacular celebration of sisterhood.
Government Recognition Marks Five-Year Milestone
In recognition of its contributions to women and girls, both the Women Empowerment Awards and its Founder and CEO, Klaudia Zinaty, received individual certificates of recognition from the provincial and federal governments.
The Honourable Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity, presented provincial certificates recognizing the organization's and its founder's contributions. The organization also received a commemorative scroll from The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, marking its fifth anniversary.
At the federal level, The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), presented separate certificates recognizing the Women Empowerment Foundation, Rogers, Mantella Corporation and Klaudia Zinaty for their commitment to empowering women and girls.
Celebrating Canada's Extraordinary Women
The evening recognized ten exceptional women whose leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and community contributions are making a meaningful difference.
The 2026 award recipients were:
- Lifetime Achievement: Ava Hill, Former Chief, Six Nations of the Grand River
- Rogers Entrepreneur of the Year Grant: Rhowena Adolfo-Patel, Founder, Mama Care Coach
- TD Businesswoman of the Year: Jackie Dinsmore, Manager Partner, Caravel Law LLP
- Mantella Corporation BIPOC Entrepreneur Grant: Tanya Callaghan, Founder, Girls Addicted to Basketball
- Rising Star Award: Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis, Doctoral Candidate, University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Science
- Mentorship Award: Dr. Anne Aspler, Assistant Professor & Author, University of Toronto
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award: Dr. Shelly Kushal, Human Rights Investigator, York Region District School Board
- Scotia Leadership Award: Yanique Brandford, Founder & Executive Director, Help A Girl Out
- Global Impact Award: Kehkashan Basu, Founder & President, Green Hope Foundation
- Innovation Award: Nadia Ivanova, Chief Product Officer, Sparrow BioAcoustics
The awards recognize women at every stage of their journeys, celebrating their accomplishments while providing grants, scholarships, mentorship, and business development opportunities.
Five Years of Empowering Women. A Movement for the Future
What began as a vision to celebrate extraordinary women has grown into a national movement and a community of more than 24,000 women entrepreneurs and professionals.
Through the Women Empowerment Foundation, the organization has awarded $140,000 in grants to women-owned businesses, provided $30,000 in scholarships to young women pursuing post-secondary education, supported women in shelters, and created mentorship and leadership opportunities for girls from underserved communities.
Reflecting on the milestone, Klaudia Zinaty, Founder and CEO of the Women Empowerment Awards and Women Empowerment Foundation, said:
"Five years ago, I started with one simple belief: when one woman rises, she inspires another to rise beside her. What began as an awards platform has become a national movement and a powerful sisterhood of women empowering women.
Friday evening was a beautiful reminder of what we have built together. While I'm incredibly proud of the women we've celebrated and the lives we've touched, our greatest accomplishment is the community we've created. Receiving recognition from both the provincial and federal governments is an extraordinary honour, and I share it with everyone who has supported our mission.
This is only the beginning. Together, we will continue opening doors, creating opportunities, and inspiring the next generation of women leaders."
As the Women Empowerment Awards looks toward its next five years, its mission remains clear: to celebrate women's achievements, create opportunities, and empower future generations.
We rise by lifting others.
About the Women Empowerment Awards
The Women Empowerment Awards is a national platform dedicated to recognizing, celebrating, and empowering women in business, entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, and community service. Through annual awards, grants, mentorship, and leadership initiatives, the organization creates opportunities for women and girls across Canada.
Website: www.woea.ca
About the Women Empowerment Foundation
The Women Empowerment Foundation is a Canadian registered charity committed to empowering women and girls through scholarships, entrepreneurship programs, mentorship, leadership development, and community outreach.
Website: www.woea.ca/foundation
SOURCE Women Empowerment Awards
Media Contact: Desia Halpin-Brill, Brill Communications, Email: [email protected]
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