A grand total of three women from the metals and mining sector—four if you stretch a point—cracked this year’s list of Canada’s 100 most powerful women, an awards program created 10 years ago by the 18,000-member strong Women’s Executive Network (WXN) to celebrate the professional achievements of women across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
"We still have a way to go before women are fully represented in board rooms and the C-suite, but I hope that through WXN, we can continue to inspire and support the next generation of female leaders," said Pamela Jeffrey, WXN founder.
Founded 15 years ago, WXN counts members across Canada and Ireland and this year marks a decade of celebrating female leaders in the form of the 10th Annual Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. The 2012 awards are co-presented by Scotiabank and KPMG and recognize female executives from the ranks of businesses ranging from L’Oréal Canada to BC Hydro.
Metals and mining executives named to the latest Top 100 list include Dominique Dionne, vice president of corporate affairs for Xstrata Nickel; Zoë Yujnovich, president and chief executive officer of Iron Ore Co. of Canada; and Sepanta Dorri, general manager of business development for Xstrata Nickel. A fourth award recipient—Brenda Kenny, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association—doesn’t fit neatly into the metals and mining category but gets a nod from Inner Circle for heading an organization that consumes mega-tons of steel pipe and tube.
The complete list of 2012 Top 100 Award Winners can be found at top100women.ca.
South of the Canadian border and in an awards program all its own, the AK Steel Foundation honored six women who reside in the vicinity of AK Steel’s corporate headquarters and plant operations and have "overcome obstacles to make a positive difference in the lives of others."
The Steel Magnolia awards are worth $1,000 each and presented in the form of a grant made to an eligible non-profit organization selected by each recipient. The Middletown (Ohio) Community Foundation independently administers the program and this year will present grants to organizations ranging from the Shelter of Hope homeless shelter to the Fisher Nightingale House at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
"All the award recipients are courageous women who, despite personal challenges, have made a significant difference in the lives of others," AK Steel Corp. chairman, president and chief executive officer James L. "Jim" Wainscott commented on this year’s Steel Magnolia Award winners.