Women have led Canadian communities through the ups and downs of the pandemic, from public health to policy to the social impact world’s response. While the social impact world itself is primarily made up of women, its leadership has traditionally been predominantly male and white. But things are changing. 

Meanwhile, many other women have suffered disproportionately through the pandemic’s reverberating social and economic effects — making women’s leadership in the social sector all the more relevant.

The world of Canadian social impact certainly has work to do on women’s leadership — particularly on making space for the leadership of women of colour — these eight women are forging a path forward in the meantime. 

Grace Lee Reynolds | CEO, Artscape

“I admire leaders who see opportunities or have a vision for the future, but are simultaneously grounded and understand the realities of how to make something complicated and amazing happen,” says Grace Lee Reynolds, the CEO of Artscape. “Someone who focuses on strategy, but also focuses on execution.” Balancing a project’s ambitious planning stages and the step-by-step processes needed to make it happen may not always be thrilling, but Reynolds says it is crucial. So, too, is humour. “I’m convinced that being able to have a laugh makes one 2x as productive,” she says. 

Moving from MaRS, a Toronto-based innovation hub to Artscape is an exciting shift for Reynolds in 2021. “As our city continues to grow in international recognition as a destination for tech talent, artists and creatives need to similarly grow in recognition and be economically enabled,” she says. “Artscape is in a strong position to help, both through its existing strategies in affordable housing and cultural hubs and through new avenues in creative entrepreneurship.” Reynolds is curious as to whether tech sector investment strategies can be applied to the arts in a way that’s not only financially effective, but preserves the creative integrity and equity of artists themselves. “I have little doubt there are opportunities to be discovered,” she says, “but it will take hard work and persistence to make them a reality.” 

Hailey Hechtman | Executive Director, Causeway Work Centre

“A good leader takes a strength-based approach to their work by seeing the potential for leadership, growth and contribution in everyone on their team,” says Hailey Hechtman, executive director of the Causeway Work Centre. “They are invested in curating solutions that are co-created by the people around them and listen intentionally.” She says good leaders also act as examples for their staff, showing up and admitting their mistakes. “They are curious and open-minded and are passionate about creating impact,” Hechtman says. 

This year, Hechtman says, the Causeway Work Centre will be reflecting on what exactly they’re trying to do. “It is going to be aimed at really getting a clear picture of how we are serving the community, how we are engaging with the people that we support and where we can extend our impact to have the greatest reach,” she says. “Most importantly, I want a key theme of this year to be fostering a spirit of compliment over competition in our space…as there are no one size fits all solutions.” 

Joanna Kerr | President and CEO, MakeWay (formerly Tides Canada) 

“A good leader is facilitative and an excellent listener, is compassionate and decisive, and can work with love and power,” says Joanna Kerr, president and CEO of MakeWay, a Canadian philanthropic foundation. “She has heart and backbone. She expects volatility both inside and outside her organization, and helps her team embrace change and conflict.” Kerr’s own meditation practice helps her stay curious before rushing to judge a new situation. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, online tap dancing classes are keeping her grounded in the idea that joy is essential to not only emotional resilience, but MakeWay’s justice work. 

Over the course of 2021, Kerr hopes to support more BIPOC women to take the lead. She wants to bring more feminism into environmentalism, and vice-versa, while also bringing unusual partners from grassroots groups to major organizations “because that’s often how the magic happens.” Decolonization is important. So is “creating more opportunities to influence and disrupt philanthropy to shift systems, including culture and behaviours for nature and communities to thrive together.” 

Jocelyn Mackie and Karlee Silver | Co-CEOs, Grand Challenges Canada

The co-CEOs of Grand Challenges Canada believe a passionate and inspired team starts at the very top. “Passion inspires others to join and identify with your vision,” say Jocelyn Mackie and Karlee Silver. “No one has ever been inspired by a leader who is not passionate. Passion is contagious. We are both lucky to have found roles in an ecosystem that inspires us…so the passion is also authentic.” Approaching conflict with humility and curiosity is also important, as is checking one’s biases. “We also challenge each other to explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness,” Mackie and Silver say. 

Over the past decade, the co-CEOs say, Grand Challenges Canada has proven its worth in the global impact innovation sphere by taking on risks that other investors won’t or can’t. “With 2020 being a year of upheaval and resistance, looking ahead, we will need to demonstrate the same innovation — internally and externally — to continue to save and improve lives,” they say. In 2021, Mackie and Silver plan to partner with governments and NGOs like the World Health Organization to show how local innovation can be scaled through the public sector. They also plan on further decolonizing Grand Challenges Canada through the recommendations of an internal decolonizing working group and experiment with incentives to encourage the organization’s staff to set healthy work boundaries. 

Priyanka Lloyd | Executive Director, Green Economy Canada

“In my experience,” says Priyanka Lloyd, executive director of Green Economy Canada, a network of businesses committed to reducing their environmental impacts, “good leaders are authentic. They are honest and transparent, and build trust through both their words and actions.” Good leadership means “creating a psychologically safe environment,” she says, especially by actively seeking out diverse perspectives. 

And, importantly in the climate action space, good leaders “are both grounded in the realities of today while holding a strong vision for what’s possible. They can rally their teams and partners to shape and bring that vision to life despite the setbacks along the way.”

Lloyd will have her work cut out for her on this front. In 2021, she says, “we’re looking at how to create stronger partnerships and dialogue between businesses, civil society, and government, and test out practical approaches to moving the needle on some important sustainability issues.”

Rachael Wilson | Interim CEO, Ottawa Food Bank

“I’ve had many great leaders in my career,” says Rachael Wilson, CEO of the Ottawa Food Bank. “The best ones gave me honest feedback to help me grow. They empowered me to try things out and make mistakes, truly understanding that failure is a key part of innovation.” Consistent communication, conflicts that clarify, and vulnerability are also crucial to leadership, in her view. “Admitting when things didn’t work, or when you made a mistake is important to building trust with colleagues,” Wilson says. 

The Ottawa Food Bank opened its doors in 1984, but Wilson says it doesn’t want to exist in another 35 years. Hunger’s root cause is a lack of income and so, in 2021, the Ottawa Food Bank will be focusing on poverty reduction while still providing food to those in need. “Food banks are like an emergency room at a hospital,” she says, “we treat the urgent needs while also working with colleagues and partners on addressing the cures.” Sometimes, that may mean the Ottawa Food Bank needs to turn to a partner organization rather than take everything on itself. “We want to support, amplify, and, sometimes, get out of the way to get the work done and ensure everyone in our community is thriving,” Wilson says. 

Sasha Suda | Director and CEO, National Gallery of Canada

“A good leader is someone who is aware,” says Sasha Suda, director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada. “Aware of what the mission of the institution or organization that they lead is there to do.” The youngest ever head of the National Gallery also says a good leader must really understand who they are trying to serve or support. “A good leader, aware of that, then has a relentless determination to serve those communities — to centre their choices on their consumers and to lead the organization and all of the amazing people within it,” Suda says. 

The art world is renowned for its emphasis on expertise and institutionalism. Suda plans to change that in 2021 by decentring the expertise and authority traditionally held by Canada’s premier art museum. “What does the National Gallery of Canada look like when it doesn’t just reach out to share what it’s doing, but when it invites, welcomes, and opens its doors to what others are doing — what the world outside might consider a more fitting narrative?” she says. 

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