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Global Leaders Dinner Series – Toronto

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About the Series

Recognized as an exclusive forum for notable change makers, the Global Leaders Dinner Series is where powerful minds connect to leverage their influence and grow their businesses through shared thought leadership and authentic conversation — the impact of which will extend far beyond the evening.

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At the podium

Rather than a keynote, our Global Leaders Dinners feature short anecdotes from notable guests.

Karen Collins is the Chief Talent Officer for BMO Financial Group, the 8th largest bank (by assets) in North America — with 12 million customers, and over 43,000 employees. Joining the bank in 2005, she held progressively more senior leadership roles across the organization, and now has enterprise accountability for Talent Management; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Leadership & Succession Planning; Executive Development and Organization Design & Effectiveness. Karen serves on the Perimeter Institute Board of Directors and as a member of the Boulevard Club’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She is a proud wife and mother, has 2 beloved Labrador retrievers, and enjoys travelling with her family and staying active.

Read more about Karen Collins here

At the podium

Rather than a keynote, our Global Leaders Dinners feature short anecdotes from notable guests.

Mary Ann looks after the GTA West Area of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). In this role, she leads a team of professionals dedicated to serving Canadian businesses through financing, venture capital and advisory services with a focus on small and medium sized enterprises. In addition, she is the Regional Sponsor for Ontario Women Entrepreneurs. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Mississauga Board of Trade. Before joining BDC, she spent a number of years working in commercial banking in the Windsor area. A former director of St. Joe’s Hospital Foundation in London and Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital Foundation in Windsor, Mary Ann recently finished her second term on the board of Governors for Grand River Hospital Foundation. She sat on various committees supporting entrepreneurship and automotive growth in Ontario & Canada.
in partnership with

A message from our presenting sponsor

BMO is proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of the 2022 Women of Influence Global Leaders Dinner – Toronto; connecting influential thought leaders, driving meaningful conversation and exchanging powerful insights to shape best practices for the next generation.

Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider and the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. We are committed to supporting initiatives that empower women within our workforce and the communities the bank serves.

In 2020, we introduced a five-year strategy, Zero Barriers to Inclusion 2025, aimed at eliminating barriers to inclusion and increasing diversity goals for senior leader and executive roles. The strategy sets bold goals within the bank to ensure equitable access to career development opportunities for women who identify as BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+ and persons with disabilities. Earlier this year, BMO earmarked $5 Billion in capital over the next 5 years to support the growth of women-owned businesses across Canada. This builds on the commitment of $2 billion made in 2014 and $3 billion made in 2018.  Additionally, we offer educational tools and articles on, bmoforwomen.com, and share stories of and for women who stand out on our podcast series, Bold(h)er.

BMO is transforming public policy conversations about women entrepreneurs, their risk awareness and appetite for innovation by supporting research that drives action to address funding imbalances and dispel stereotypes.

Join the conversation. #BMOforWomen

in partnership with

A message from our feature sponsor

BDC is the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs. No other bank is doing what we do.

We’re helping Canada and its entrepreneurs create a more prosperous, inclusive and green economy through our mission of helping Canadian businesses thrive by providing financing, capital and advisory services. Thanks to the know-how of its 2,500+ employees, and collaboration with partners and stakeholders, BDC is able to support the growth of Canadian businesses across multiple sectors, and to assist in the creation of value beyond profits.

We offer:

Financing—solutions to finance your projects and protect your cash flow

Advisory Services—expert advice to run a more profitable and efficient business

Capital—a wide range of risk capital solutions for the country’s most innovative firms

We understand that to succeed you need not only sound business sense, but a set of practical tools. That’s why we offer hundreds of free resources, including eBooks, webinars and 35+ useful online courses and business templates—whether your business is just starting out or is already well established. For more information, please visit www.bdc.ca

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