It’s strange to think that I grew up before the internet.  

The world I knew was limited to the knowledge gathered from family, friends, and my local community.  With the introduction of the internet, the world became a global environment (and one can easily find themselves lost or misguided).

One of the great things about technology is that it can connect us together on a global scale so we can find meaning, purpose, and direction. It can also help connect us with like-minded people who share the same or similar interests to ease isolation, build strength through a community, and collectively drive new initiatives.

Having spent the earlier part of my career in IT and shipping, I found that there were very few women. Social events (which were important in building trusted relationships for business) were tailored to the majority (men) which didn’t fit into the lives and many roles women undertake within the family structure. The Influence Club was my first company with a goal to connect minority groups within larger corporations, specifically women, who often found themselves marginalized in all-male environments. The technology was successfully sold to Lehman Brothers in 2009; however, when the banking system collapsed, I lost the company, our house, and a baby and moved to Vancouver to start again.

Having to rebuild a home, career, and family in a foreign location was a challenge. However, in this journey, I discovered an online platform where home furnishings could be bought and sold for next to nothing and managed to create a new space we could all call home and started another venture to help others do the same.

The business ran for nearly 10 years with the help of government funding and some incredible clients that opened up their hearts and homes.   

Demand for our services grew and the company needed to access higher quality products at lower prices faster.  We managed to set up wholesale agreements and could sell better quality pieces at the same low prices without charging design fees. We then had access to thousands of products but the problem was then too much choice. 

The business and systems that supported it continued to grow and we continued to design and develop process & data management automation tools, algorithms, and AI until the company, unfortunately, closed after 10 years of operation for a number of supply chain and logistics challenges.

With a passion for people, equality, and inclusion, my latest venture focuses on building community from the ground up, driving social and economic development initiatives across Africa. and is incredibly exciting!

With an incredible team of people that spans 3 continents, there is an opportunity to have a real impact, solve real problems, and continue to tackle so many of the issues around gender, class & racial politics which looking back on my portfolio of work, have been very influential throughout my entrepreneurial journey.

PERSONAL NOTE

I met my husband at 16 with a dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. We met during a Gilbert & Sullivan production of HMS Pinafore at the University of Western in London, Ontario. I was in the chorus and he was the lead tenor, studying medicine to become a doctor and in the Canadian Navy. It was during this production that I was told to pursue an alternative career and obtained an honors degree in Political Science and MA in Medio, eventually ending up in technology. He successfully went into music (opera) and has performed more than 2500 times in over 27 countries with the very fortunate opportunity of traveling together. We spent 10 years in London, England, and a further 10 in Vancouver, BC. After the 4th child, we moved closer to home to reunite with family in Ontario, Canada where we have been for nearly 4 years now.

We have 4 wonderful children ages 6, 8, 16 and 18. and enjoy nothing more than bringing people together through food, good wine and music.