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The 2021 Women of the Year Awards

In the second edition of our Women of the Year Awards, we celebrate the female leaders, innovators and difference makers who play a vital role in building a better and more prosperous B.C.

By The Editors /

Credit: Nik West

Jill Van Gyn, CEO of Fatso Nut Butters, winner of the Entrepreneurial Leader award

In the second edition of our awards, we celebrate the female leaders, innovators and difference makers who play a vital role in building a better and more prosperous B.C.

Nominations for our 2022 Women of the Year Awards are now open. Apply here.

During times that have been anything but business as usual, the female founders and leaders of B.C. organizations keep on showing up. The proof is in our 2021 Women of the Year Awards, whose finalists span technology, transportation, media, social impact, and food and drink.

At the suggestion of our panel of judges (see below), who reviewed a short list of nominees from around the province, we expanded the awards for our second annual competition from six to eight, growing the Leader categories and adding Equity and Inclusion Champion. We also switched to a new judging format, choosing one winner and one runner-up for every category except Rising Stars.

The 17 finalists represent B.C. business in all its dynamism and diversity, from big corporations and small nonprofits to established companies and scrappy startups. Each of these women has a remarkable story, too, whether it’s beating the odds to make their innovative product a worldwide success, finding new ways to help the most vulnerable or blazing their own trail in a male-dominated industry. Honouring them is our privilege.

CORPORATE LEADER

ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADER

NONPROFIT LEADER

INNOVATOR

COMMUNITY BUILDER

CHANGE MAKER

EQUITY AND INCLUSION CHAMPION

RISING STARS