Women Helping Empower Women (WHEW!)
Background
Today, only 6.6% of Fortune 500 companies are women, compared to 2% in 1999. Today there are only 4 Black CEOs among that group.
Today, women still earn at least 20 cents less to every male dollar (the gap increases when you add race).
In the USA 29.5 million women have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree compared to 29.3 million men. In Canada women hold more degrees and more multiple degrees compared to men yet we do not see women in the leadership of many organizations.
What is WHEW?
WHEW!, which stands for Women Helping Empower Women, is a non-profit founded by Dr. Georgette Zinaty and supported by a diverse Board of Advisors (see below) representing a wide range of backgrounds, sectors, ethnicities, all in senior leadership roles. Research has shown successful women take more risks, have confidence, focus on key areas of business, all while surrounding themselves with good advisors, mentors, sponsors, champions and partners. These are the capacity areas that WHEW! aims to focus on and develop in women.
What are the goals of WHEW?
1. To empower, educate, elevate, excite, and expand opportunities for women.
2. To help move the dial on some of these areas by creating opportunities for women to learn, to build their confidence and capacity, to be empowered, to strengthen their community, to take risks, and to grow.
3. To redefine a community of women and men who lift women up and truly support one another; we do not just say it, we do it. We do not just tick off the box.
4. To support organizations that align with our values and help lift women to reach their full potential.
Dina Bakhit - WHEW Board Member
Dina Bakhit is the President of Global Logistics Management Inc., an international trading and shipping company that focuses on importing/exporting, customs formalities and clearances, and international logistics, while helping businesses and entrepreneurs grow their companies in Canada and around the globe. She has worked in the logistics industry for more than 25 years. Dina is widely recognized for her recent project Lebanon Strong, a Canadian relief campaign founded after the devastating Beirut blast in August, 2020. Their team works closely with trusted smaller charities on the ground in Lebanon to receive only in-kind donations coming from across Canada. Dina's leadership and expertise in her field has been widely recognized around the world.
Liza Chelico - WHEW Board Member
Dr. Liza Chelico is an anesthesiologist with a subspecialty in thoracic anesthesiology. A member of the William Osler Health System team, she has worked at the Brampton Civic Hospital since 2009 and is currently serving her second term as site Chief of Anesthesiology. Dr. Chelico has a special interest in physician leadership and system change. Driven to grow professionally and personally, Dr. Chelico seeks new challenges and connectivity with others to create positive change within and outside of medicine. As a strong patient advocate, her strengths include her compassion, authenticity, determination, and genuine curiosity.
Candice Chow - WHEW Board Member
Dr. Candice Chow is a Professor at the DeGroote School of Business (McMaster University) and the Co-founder and Managing Director of Elevae Strategic Advisory – a values-based advisory firm that promotes a holistic approach to strategic management including values-infused strategic foresight competence and values-based corporate governance. Candice is passionate about working with businesses and their senior leaders who strive to grow, profit and serve with purpose. Through the practice, Candice works with businesses to develop strategies that are anchored on a set of human-centric values with a robust anticipatory approach to navigating the ever more complex and uncertain global environment, yet thriving towards a desirable human-centric future.
Hay-Love Hadchiti - WHEW Board Member
Hay-Love Hadchiti holds a BA in Communication Arts, Radio, Television and Film from Beirut. She started her career in the audio visual and film industry with independent production houses in Lebanon and the Middle East. For over a decade, she directed and produced television programs such as sitcoms, live shows, live special events, drama series and documentaries. In 2000, she moved to Canada where she launched a new career in tourism and business management. In 2017, she co-founded the Lebanese Film Festival in Canada and became its director. Due to the hard work and perseverance of its team, the Festival was organized in five major Canadian cities: Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax Toronto and Vancouver. She is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Canada-Lebanon. She also puts her various skills and talents to serve the Canadian associations and the Lebanese community as a volunteer in cultural and entertainment events.
Jennifer Quaglietta - WHEW Board Member
Jennifer Quaglietta is the Vice President of Performance Excellence and Information Services at the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC). Jennifer is driven to support a safer healthcare system. In doing so she leads the transformation of HIROC’s organization, practices and thinking to enable a culture of innovation and agility. In advancing HIROC’s digital and data analytics capabilities, Jennifer leverages the power of HIROC’s information for improvement. She is also responsible for HIROC’s cyber security portfolio. Outside of HIROC, Jennifer is a member of the Board of Trustees for Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and a Board Member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders GTA Chapter.
Sarita Samaroo - WHEW Board Member
Sarita Samaroo is a practicing Toronto lawyer and the principal lawyer and owner of SST Law Professional Corporation, which focuses on real estate law, business law, and wills and estates law. Sarita has been featured nationally in Canadian Lawyer Magazine, The Lawyer's Daily Magazine, REP (Real Estate Professionals) Magazine, CREW (Canadian Real Estate Wealth) Magazine, Mortgage Broker News and My Business Magazine regarding updates in real estate law. Sarita has also appeared on Vision TV on the TV show the Zoomer and on radio at 960AM (Sauga Radio). In addition, Sarita was selected as 1 of 25 women as a trailblazer in the Canadian real estate industry in REP Magazine in the 2018 Elite Women’s Edition. Sarita currently sits as Nominating Chair and Board Member for the Branksome Hall Alumnae Executive Committee. She is also an Advisor to The Sick Kids Foundation and acts as a Coach and Advisor to The Law Society of Ontario.
Terri Williams - WHEW Board Member
Terri Williams is a 10-year alumnus of The Pentagon, having worked in senior offices across all services (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps). She is also a survivor of the September 11th Attack on America at the Pentagon, where she served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy. Terri is an advocate for military and women veteran issues. She volunteers in the federal government, military, and veteran communities with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), The Heritage Foundation (military focus), and the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point Admissions Team for Minority Outreach.
Camas Winsor - WHEW Board Member
Camas Winsor is Chief Operating Officer of Rangle. In this role, Camas leads digital consulting companies in building multidisciplinary, distributed teams that create world-class product outcomes for global clients. She has brought her problem solving and digital sales acumen to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 clients, and negotiated partnerships in highly competitive and regulated industries across North America, Asia, and Europe. A strong believer in “bringing your whole self” to your career, Camas strives to create environments that unite people and allow everyone to reach their full potential. Her truly greatest achievement is mentoring new and emerging leaders who have gone on to accomplish great things within Canada and abroad.