On October 13, 2022, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, attendees of the Sobey School of Business’s fourth annual Women in Business event, Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose, gathered in person to highlight women in retail, their journeys and the impact they have on their communities.
Women in Retail included three panels of women experts in retail, a Keynote address by Founder & CEO of The 7 Virtues Barb Stegemann, a discussion with journalist and author Janice Landry, and The Pop-Up-Shop & Networking Hour, a mini-event created for entrepreneurs to promote their products, business or services to attendees. A post-event social at The Cable Wharf Kitchen & Patio followed.
Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose
The emcees of the event, Amber Grosse, Entrepreneurship Engagement Manager with the Black Business Initiative, and Crystal Garrett, Broadcast Journalist and CEO of Crystal Joy Garrett Media, conducted the day with effortless skill. Both women leveraged their humour, lived experiences and charisma to facilitate discussions both amongst speakers and attendees. We would like to formally thank both Amber and Crystal for their phenomenal work!
Although the panelists, Stegemann and Landry all come from diverse personal backgrounds and business focusses within the retail world, four common themes emerged from their experiences: nerve, balance, community and boldness. These themes united the not only the women on stage, but throughout the room. The feeling of support and togetherness was palpable, with attendees and presenters sharing experiences, advice and stories with one another throughout the day. By the end of the event, a community of women in retail and their allies had formed in the Loyola Conference Hall.
Attendees of Women in Retail lining up to ask questions to presenters.
We would like to thank all of our speakers, attendees and our sponsors (with special thank you to our changemaker sponsor, Sunlife Financial) for making Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose a resounding success. Without your dedication, this event would not have been as impactful as it was! Additionally, we wish to thank Ambassatours CEO Dennis Campbell for use of The Cable Wharf Kitchen & Patio as a post-event space to debrief and network.
As for what comes next, the Women in Business Steering Committee is excited to announce that next year’s event plans to build upon the impact of Women in Retail. The Committee is highly engaged in working with community members, and will be moving towards to establish a fund to uplift and support women in business.
We cannot wait to see what’s next for Women in Business!
If you would like to see photos from Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose, they have been posted on the Sobey School of Business’s Facebook Page.