The award winners won’t be made public for another four months but the finalists for Businesswoman of the Year were announced this past Friday during a feel-good reception hosted by the Women’s Business Network (WBN) at its venue sponsor, Rideau Carleton Casino, Future Hard Rock.
Close to 100 attendees gathered for the big reveal of 15 finalists in the five categories. They weren’t all there just to find out who’d been selected but also to cheer the finalists on, said this year’s BYA chair Jennifer Reynolds, a family lawyer and divorce mediator at Fresh Legal. She’s joined by vice-chair Caitlin Spearing, CEO and founder of OMG Social Media Agency.
Attendees of the reception included WBN president and business and marketing strategist Karen Wilson and Tammy McMullen, marketing director at Hard Rock Casino Ottawa.
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“There’s always this amazing energy because so many nominees are in the room, and you don’t know who the finalists are, yet,” said Reynolds in an interview. “When you find out who the finalists are, there’s this burst of excitement and support. They’re emotional, you’re emotional.”
ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADER – EMERGING (1 to 10 years), sponsored by OMG Social Media Agency.
- Michelle Massunken of Mindspa Mental Health Centre
- Natalie Cox of CPI Interiors
- Tonya Bruin of To Do-Done Renovations & Evolta Electric
ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADER – ESTABLISHED, sponsored by GGFL Chartered Professional Accountants.
- Sue Hameed of Mortgages with Sue
- Diana Lidstone of Diana Lidstone, Coaching and Consulting
- Jenny Mitchell of Chavender
ENTERPRISE LEADER – ACCOMPLISHED
- Laura Tippett of KPMG LLP
- Delphine Haslé of Perley Health Foundation
- Sue Perron of Intersol Group Ltd
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
- Karla Briones of KB Consulting
- Marjolaine Hudon of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
- Nancy Graham of PWL Capital Inc
COMMUNITY IMPACT, sponsored by the Ottawa Senators
Dr. Christina Romulus of Dr. Christina MD
Wendy Leung of Foodsharing Ottawa
Dr. Michèle Corriveau of CURAVITA Health Group
Reynolds knows what it’s like to win a BYA. She was one of the 2019 recipients, in the emerging entrepreneur category. Because the pandemic put a pause on large social gatherings, she ended up receiving her award in early 2021, when the WBN hand-delivered the awards to the recipients’ doors.
“It was such an honour to be recognized,” said Reynolds. “It really inspired me to keep on working hard. You don’t want to be the emerging entrepreneur (recipient) and then not do that ‘next great thing’. It’s been a push for me.”
Reynolds said she stepped up her involvement with the WBN after she observed how hard the women leaders were working to help the volunteer-organization recover from the pandemic. “I had left WBN for a couple of years and saw the women who were so involved and dedicated, post pandemic, that I thought, ‘I want to be back in that group’.”
Reynolds said she really believes in the Businesswoman of the Year Awards’ mission to shine a light on women in the community. “We don’t celebrate ourselves often enough, especially as women, and it’s a chance to use that celebration to inspire the next group of people.”
The awards gala helps to encourage others to dream big, she continued. “Every time I go to the gala, I sit at a table and someone at that table is saying, ‘Next year that’s going to be me’ or ‘In five years that’s going to be me’. Often it is, so it’s nice to see it inspire the next person.”
The 41st BYA Gala is slated for Thursday, October 24 at the Infinity Convention Centre. Last year’s awards gala drew some 350 attendees, and Reynolds is hoping to match or exceed that number this year. Early-bird pricing ends Aug. 9.
This year’s theme is Elevate and Illuminate: Celebrating the Trailblazers of the Nation’s Capital Region. The focus is on women who have risen to success, the journeys that they took to get there and the people they have inspired along the way, said Reynolds.
Because the WBN believes in elevating and uplifting fellow businesswomen, they plan to incorporate bubbles, as a symbol for an ability to rise above, into this year’s awards dinner.
caroline@obj.ca
