Meseret Haileyeus

Meseret is a multi-award-winning thought leader, social entrepreneur, and innovator who works on economic and health equity transformations through evidence, policy influencing, and system change. Born and raised in Ethiopia, Meseret takes pride in being the mother to her lovely daughter Nathania. 

Beginning her career journey as a midwife and reproductive health rights advocate, Meseret dedicated herself to supporting marginalized communities. As a public health expert, she has worked on programs focusing on international development and public health programs focusing on women, child, and newborn health to catalyze transformative change. As the CEO of the Canadian Center for Women Empowerment (CCFWE), Meseret has become a driving force for shaping socio-economic policies to advance economic safety.

Additionally, she is the Founder of Maternity Today and a founding member of the Canadian Institute for Research on Economic Justice (CIREJ) to advance research. Through these platforms, she utilizes evidence-based approaches, policy influence, and systemic change to tackle social, health, and economic insecurities. 

She is serving as an advisor at the Canadian Center for Non-Profit Digital Resilience,  Board of Directors at Centertown Community Health Centre, End FGM Canada Network, a member of the Governance Committee for the City of Ottawa’s Community Safety Wellbeing 10-year plan, and advisor at U.S.-based non-profit, the Technology Enterprise Network (NTEN).

Meseret has been invited to the House of Commons on several occasions. She has spoken to the Parliamentary Committee on various policy recommendations to advance women’s economic security and legislative change. Meseret has also appeared at the Ontario Legislative Assembly advocating for Bill 41, an economic justice policy that brings awareness to women experiencing economic abuse. In 2024, she will take her policy to the global stage at the United Nations CSW68 conference in New York. Her efforts on awareness has expanded, gaining international awareness. 

Her policy efforts are featured in media such as  Forbes, CBC, City News, Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun, Global News, and the National Post, to name a few. Meseret has also earned numerous accolades including the L’Oréal Paris Top 10 National Woman’s Worth Award, An Ottawa Business Journal Forty under 40 Award, a Member of Parliament for Economic Development, 100 Most Accomplished Black Canadian Women, Top 100 Women to Watch in Canada, and she is also a recipient of the Google Canada 2023 Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award.

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