Founder of Women in Biz Network, Your Talent and Brand Strategist
Leigh Mitchell is a business strategist and brand consultant. As the founder of Women in Biz Network, she has taken her business from a handful of women in her neighbourhood to a national organization of over 35,000. Leigh is responsible for curating mentorship initiatives, promoting our diversity-driven career portal for women, and delivering skill-building events to a variety of audiences. Leigh provides customized training and branding services for small businesses and national brands. Her career has led her to successfully work with major brands such as GM Canada, Microsoft Canada, TELUS, Johnson & Johnson, Maple Leaf Foods, TD Canada Trust, Staples Canada and Penguin Random House Canada. Leigh has been featured on CBC News, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Canadian Living Magazine, Wall Street Journal and in other media and has been a featured speaker at numerous industry events.
Training & Development Mentor
Sue (Kitchen) Christensen is passionate learning and development professional with 10+ years’ experience in the design and implementation of learning and organizational development programs. Her experience as a seasoned Project Management Professional has made her adept at finding innovative and creative solutions to a broad range of problems. Sue is committed to lifelong learning, she went back to university completing a degree in Mathematics and now has the joy of sharing her enthusiasm for mathematics with other learners. Her career journey started as a musician, specifically as a violinist. She is an advocate of the considerable transferable skills that musicians are able to employ, no matter the role or the circumstances. Her 5 achievements include the direction of a minimum of 250 hours of live learning and 900 hours of online learning delivered yearly. Development of multi-million-dollar entrepreneurial innovation program. Design and launch of online Business Resource Center. Launch of 33 self-guided learning modules Her superpower is solving puzzles.
Transformation and Level Up Your Impact Mentor
Jill Valentine is the co-founder of UGO Impact and founder of Dare to be a Dandelion. She is a leading Transformative Travel & Impact Coach who harnesses the innate power of travel and volunteerism to create and inspire Changemakers around the globe. Leveraging her skills as a transformation coach and extensive background in the local and global charity/non-profit arena, she’s the creator of ‘The UGO Method for
Change Model’ helping current and aspiring changemakers create profound personal and global change. A passionate humanitarian, volunteerism specialist, disability sport consultant, and world traveller, she lives by the words “Make it happen!”
Legal Mentor
Helen Patterson is an experienced HR professional, trained lawyer – and the consultant behind Life Works Well. She specializes in helping small and medium businesses create programs and a culture that attract and retain the best and propel growth.
Financial Mentor
Karen McAllister, The Mindful Money Coach is a Certified Money & Business Archetype coach, non-profit leader, and spiritual seeker.
Career Mentor
Kadine Cooper is a dynamic Career Growth /Transition Coach who as an HR professional for more than 16 years specialized in Talent Acquisition, helping companies and Top Talent find and build a mutually rewarding relationship. Kadine’s passion is helping women design the career brand that will set them on the path towards a more purpose-driven, dream job. The framework she provides guides you on your journey to get the compensation you deserve while loving what you do. Her coaching not only gets you the job but also provides you with the tools, resources, and confidence that you need in life and career aspirations to advance while making a massive impact in your field.
Leadership Mentor
Debra Christmas is a seasoned leader in the high-tech field with over 35 years of experience managing all aspects of information technology. Prior to joining Gartner Canada, Debra was Vice President of Hewlett-Packard Software Technical Sales leading a team of over 300 technical software sales professionals across North and South America, contributing to $500M in sales for HP Software. Debra is also the founder of Stiletto Gladiators, a not-for-profit organization delivering mentorship services, leadership assessment, development and diversity coaching. She is a member of the Women in Business Network, WxN, and Women of Influence. She is a motivating and inspirational leader and is particularly passionate about the development of women in IT. She is certified in Tilt365 and Leadership Circle, a comprehensive leadership assessment framework based on “Mastering Leadership”.
PR Mentor
Kimesha Walters is the CEO of Oasis Integrated Communications, a PR firm with operations in Canada and Jamaica, and a focus on helping businesses to find their paradise. She’s a seasoned PR professional with a passion for crafting meaningful stories that connect with people. An eternal optimist who thrives on perfecting solutions that marry creative brand experience with consumer engagement, she believes in tapping into the core values of a company and tailoring strategies that share their narrative and find affinity. Her experience spans public relations, corporate communications, marketing, social media and advertising across a range of industries. She has executed projects in Toronto, New York, and Jamaica where she has deftly managed some of the foremost brands across North America and the Caribbean.
Sales Mentor
Natasha Mitchell is the Founder of Inspire & Drive, Creator of the S.I.M.P.L.E Business Method (TM), and is a #1 International Best Selling AuthorShe is a business strategy and efficiency expert who helps Creative business owners scale with ease and without a big team or a big budget. She believes in keeping business S.I.M.P.L.E (TM) and helps entrepreneurs map out a custom path to success that is aligned with their ideal life. She has appeared as a guest on multiple podcasts and summits is the host of the Your Business Without Borders podcast. Fun Facts: My goal is to retire early and live in a different country every 6 months starting with Italy!
HR Mentor
Sara Bibbis the Principal Consultant of MKS HR Consulting. She is a professional and certified HR & Recruitment Consultant. You will think she is part of your team because she takes pride in serving her clients and getting the best possible candidates for their vacancies. Sara has a comprehensive recruitment background in a variety of industries and it shows because she makes the process look easy. She excels in her superior communication skills and relationship building skills with everyone she works with.
She completed her post-graduate program in Human Resources Management at Seneca College and obtained her Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation in 2009.
Sara started MKS HR after seeing that smaller sized companies have the same Recruitment and HR issues that larger companies do. The main difference was that smaller sized companies aren’t large enough to warrant having an in-house HR department-even a department of one!
So she decided to help those companies with her 13 years of experience in HR and founded MKS HR Consulting.
Specialties: Talent management, interviewing, sourcing, employment branding, employment testing, managing and marketing of employee referral programs, general human resources, and benefits administration
Productivity & Mental Health Mentor
Clare Kumar, ACC CEC HSP is a Productivity catalyst, highly sensitive executive coach, and speaker. Clare cultivates sustainable performance in busy professionals so they can keep making rich contributions in all areas of life and achieve greater fulfillment.
She inspires leaders, professionals, employees, and entrepreneurs to respect humanity and boost performance through marrying productivity and pleasure. After all, why shouldn’t you have fun while getting things done?
Change Management Mentor
Mary DiRenzo is an accomplished Financial Services Professional with senior management experience. Expertise in Corporate Cards, Commercial Banking, Payments, and Cash Management. Mary is focused on creating essential business communications to help clients meet project goals.
SPECIALTIES:
Strategy Development
Marketing Communications
Brand Development
Change Management
Training Development and Delivery
Product launches
Event and Conference Planning
Learn more about Women in Biz Network
For over ten successful years, Women in Biz Network has helped business owners and professionals to connect, share and grow in their business lives. We support local women’s charities and believe giving back to our community is an important part of what makes our organization special. With supportive mentors, advice, and online tools, Women in Biz Network is Canada’s trusted network (with global influence) for mentorship and career growth.
Women in Biz Network have been featured in national media in North America including the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo, CBC News, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Global News, Chatelaine Magazine, just to name a few. We are a community of over 35,000 women including internationally recognized celebrity speakers and influencers.
Our Mission: We focus on helping women to be happier, healthier and less isolated while increasing their success through mentorship, advocacy, skill-building events, and training. We have been changing lives for over 10 years and are a community of 35,000 thriving women.
