PARTNER CONTENT
Benefits Canada’s September issue is our annual women’s issue, where organizations have the opportunity to feature their top female leaders. These profiles share insights into corporate vision and values, organizational priorities and personal anecdotes. You can read all of them below.
Astellas Canada
Sandra Heller, General Manager
“We need more education, resources and support for women in the workplace.”
CAAT Pension Plan
Jillian Kennedy, Chief Strategy Officer
“You don’t have to choose between supporting employees and managing your bottom line. The right structure allows both.”
Eisai Canada
Laveena Kamboj, Senior Director, Value Access & Policy
“Leadership, to me, is not about being in charge, but about being accountable to the people I support.”
GreenShield
Lucy Turowicz, Senior Vice-President of Product and Data
“Own your place at any table and don’t think you need to know all the answers before speaking up.”
Manulife
Nicole Welbanks, Assistant Vice-President, Group Benefits Marketing
“It’s about supporting women to lead with confidence and well-being at every stage of their lives and careers.”
Cori Lawson-Roberts, Assistant Vice-President, Shared Services Canadian Disability & Group Life
“As a mentor, I live by a simple leadership philosophy: treat people the way you’d like to be treated.”
Manulife
Erica Hall, Vice-President, Head of Client Relations, Group Retirement Services
“Organizations need to actively create an environment that supports and empowers women in leadership.”
Sun Life Health
Marie-Chantal Côté, Senior Vice-President
“By making women’s health a priority, we aim to create more inclusive, supportive work environments that allow all employees to thrive.”
2024
Fidelity Canada Institutional
Tracey Wong, Vice-President, Sales and Consultant Relations
“Be bold, courageous and confident. Keep learning and embrace coaching. Seek out different perspectives to make informed decisions.”
2023
Canada Life
Kristin Ramlal, Vice-President, Institutional Investment Sales
“Professional financial intervention is required to narrow the gender wealth gap and the financial literacy gap.”
Equitable Life
Sofia Colaiacovo, Group Sales Vice-President, Eastern Canada
“You don’t have to play a role to be in leadership. You can be yourself.”
Meghan Vallis, Group Sales Vice-President, Western Canada and myFlex
“I’m using my voice as a leader to drive change across our industry.”
Sun Life
Laurence Audy, Assistant Vice-President, Innovation & Strategic Initiatives, Defined Benefit Solutions
“We need the next generation of leaders, including women leaders, to continue pushing boundaries in the world of wealth.”
Alexandra Barbu, Assistant Vice-President, Investment Solutions, Group Retirement Services
“Find your network, nurture those connections and stay curious.”
Sun Life Global Investments
Anne Meloche, Head of Institutional Business
“I have the sincere pleasure of heading up an amazing team that inspires and energizes me every day.”
T. Rowe Price
Lauren Bloom, Head of Canada
“I value building meaningful partnerships with clients and often act as an extension of their teams by delivering actionable insights and solutions.”
2022
2022
AstraZeneca Canada
Kiersten Combs, President
“I encourage women at all stages of their career to embrace risks and push through moments of self-doubt.”
Priscilla Nykoliation, Senior Manager, Payer Engagement & Strategic Partnerships, Private Market
“Private insurance and benefits companies have a critical role alongside the public system to find efficiencies and help fill key gaps in care.”
Canada Life
Soula Hatsisavvas, Vice-President, Client Service
“Fundamentally, to thrive at work, you need to be inspired, valued, empowered and connected.”
Gallagher
Melanie Jeannotte, Chief Executive Officer, Benefits & HR Consulting – Canada
“Some call it balance. I call it being comfortable with my choices, including the things I choose to have and not have.”
HUB International
Terri Botosan, Regional President, Employee Benefits, Retirement and Life for Canada
“Employee benefits have evolved from standard suggestions to personalized solutions that bring meaningful support to people’s lives.”
Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC)
Pamela Fralick, President
“I’m a big fan of saying ‘yes’ to unconventional opportunities because you don’t know where they’ll lead.”
Takeda Canada
Rute Fernandes, General Manager
“Diverse experiences can give you mental and social agility, problem-solving insights, and confidence based on who you are and who you want to be.”
2021
2021
2021
Manulife
Kim MacFarlane, Vice-President, Group Benefits Product and Digital Experiences
“It’s an exciting time to be leading people and challenging them to explore something a little different so they grow and feel empowered to find new ways to support our clients.”
Shoppers Drug Mart
Barbara Carnegie, Vice-President of Payor Partnerships
“I’ve purposefully developed a team in which broad and varied backgrounds encourage different perspectives and deeper insights.”
Sun Life Canada
Kate Nazar, Vice-President, Strategy & Market Development, Group Retirement Services, Sun Life Canada
“I’m proud to empower female leaders, support communities, and help Canadians achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. I’m alive today because of fundraising, research, and advocacy. This gift guides me to make a difference—personally and professionally—each and every day.”
Marie-Chantal Côté, Senior Vice-President, Group Benefits
“I’m focused on improving workplace equity and visibility for women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s obviously the right thing to do, and we know organizations achieve stronger business outcomes when their employees can be their authentic selves at work … As leaders, we need to advocate for change and innovation both in new solutions for clients and by supporting people in their careers.”
Teladoc Health
Joby McKenzie, Managing Director, Canada
“Basketball has shaped every part of who I am as a mom, as a partner and as a leader. […] Not many people go on to play for their country, but everyone needs to learn to thrive within the diversity of a team.”