| Panel 3: Essential Leadership Skills |
We will hear from women who through their own successful careers will share what skills are needed for continued personal and professional growth:
- How they developed them, and
- Why they were important to learn
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| Moderator |
Biography |
Julia Deans,
CEO, Toronto City Summit |
Julia is the CEO of the Toronto City Summit Alliance, a coalition of senior business, non-profit, government and community leaders formed to address challenges to the Toronto region’s social and economic future. The Alliance’s current projects include a major regional environmental campaign, Greening Greater Toronto, and DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project aimed at accelerating the racial and cultural diversity of Toronto’s leaders. At the Alliance, she has also been closely involved in the development and launch of the Toronto Region Research Alliance, the “Time for a Fair Deal” report of the Modernizing Income Security for Working-Age Adults Task Force, Luminato –Toronto’s festival of arts and creativity, the Emerging Leaders Network, and Toronto Summit 2007 – “Making Big Things Happen”, a meeting of over 630 leaders to discuss challenges facing the Toronto region.
Julia began her career as a litigation and environmental lawyer with Torys LLP, working in its Toronto and Hong Kong offices. From 1997-2001, she lived in Singapore, where she established the South East Asian operations of a major UK-based legal recruitment firm. Julia has a BA (Hons) from Queen’s University, a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University, and an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is qualified to practice law in Ontario, Hong Kong, and England and Wales. Julia serves on the Board of Luminato and on the Advisory Councils of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council and MetroLinx.
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| Panelists |
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Puja Subrun,
Director Process Excellence – TELUS Mobility Business Solutions
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Puja Subrun is Director, Product Marketing and Client Experience with TELUS Business Solutions. She is responsible for driving industry-leading client experience for our large enterprise and small business clients. She also leads a team responsible for developing and managing our Advanced Connectivity and Premium Services Solutions within the Mobility Portfolio.
Prior to joining TELUS in 2005, Puja worked for 8 years with BearingPoint and Andersen Consulting where she led consulting and client teams through process, technology and organizational changes with focus on customer relationship management (CRM), large-scale technology implementation, business process transformation.
Before joining the consulting industry, Puja worked in academia, conducting medical research at Cambridge University, England and University of Mauritius.
Puja immigrated to Canada in 1998 and spent her formative years in the UK, Mauritius and Zimbabwe. Puja has a B.Sc. (Hons) from Imperial College of Science & Technology, London , England.
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Amanda Collucci
Clean4ME - President
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Amanda Collucci is a dynamic and passionate entrepreneur. Most recently she started Clean4Me, a successful cleaning company headquartered in Markham, Canada.
Clean4Me is a dynamic, energetic and professional cleaning company. Unlike the traditional maid services, our unique branding – Clean 4 Me, offers a full range of services including carpet cleaning, windows cleaning and other specialty cleaning services, such as duct cleaning services, to both household and commercial customers. This allows our business to expand our zones and achieve balance during high and low seasons in the traditional household maid service business.
Amanda Collucci was a Hong Kong immigrant who got fired after her first day working as a waitress. After that painful experience, Amanda sharpened her own skills and went on to secure an 8 year career with IBM and held various leadership roles in the corporate world. Amanda was in sales, sales operations, and finance. When she founded Clean4Me, Amanda vowed that one day she would become a great employer who would treat employees with respect and dignity and help them to grow. Since then Clean4Me has grown to employ over a dozen people and continues to expand.
Amanda’s most passionate about making an impact on people’s live; helping others to achieve great success, to maximize their potential and live their live to the fullest. With her inspiring and energetic nature, Amanda is a motivational and business speaker. She is currently writing books to help others to become successful entrepreneurs and a business coach to help others through their own transformations to success and fulfillment.
Amanda Collucci is an award winning entrepreneur 2009 by the ACCE (Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneur). Amanda also appeared on a Canadian National TV show – CBC Fortune Hunters. Amanda Collucci and Clean4Me Inc. have appreared in numerous media and public appearances.
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Lisa Smecca
Kids Help Phone
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Lisa is VP, Employee and Volunteer Resources, for Kids Help Phone and has worked over 20 years in the human resources and training and development fields in both the private and not-for-profit sectors.
Her Kids Help Phone responsibilities involve the development and implementation of human resource and adult volunteer policies, programs and practices. This includes employee and volunteer communications, recruitment, staffing, and training and development.
Lisa has extensive experience in a wide range of human resource responsibilities, but has a special interest and expertise in the design and implementation of multi-location training and development programs through structured mentoring, on-line technology, and creative classroom facilitation methods. She has previously worked at the Canadian Hearing Society, where she was Human Resource Director, and at Krispy Kreme and Thrifty Car Rental.
Lisa holds a Masters in Continuing Education from the University of Calgary, accreditation as a Certified Human Resources Professional and an undergraduate degree in Administration Commercial Studies from the University of Western Ontario.
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Mary Anne Chambers,
Former MPP, Retired Banking Executive
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Mary Anne Chambers attributes her commitment to effective leadership and community development to her formative years in Jamaica and the clear expectation that she should make a difference. Her contributions in the not-for-profit, private and public sectors continue to demonstrate that commitment.
Mary Anne was introduced to the world of business as a young teenager job shadowing her father, an executive in the airline industry. Her career in the private sector began in Jamaica, in the field of information technology. She joined Scotiabank when she migrated to Canada in 1976, seeing the bank’s long-standing relationship with Jamaica as a familiar and comforting way of adjusting to her new home.
Mary Anne retired as a Senior Vice-President at Scotiabank, following a 26 year career. Less than a year later, she was elected as a Member of Provincial Parliament and appointed to the Executive Council of Ontario, serving first as the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and subsequently as the Minister of Children and Youth Services. She served in government for four years.
Mary Anne has contributed to community development as a volunteer with several organizations in the not-for-profit sector. She has served as Chair of the United Way of Canada, Vice-Chair of the Governing Council of the University of Toronto, Vice-Chair of the Rouge Valley Health System, Governor of the Air Cadet League of Canada and President of the Canadian Club of Toronto. She currently serves as a member of the Boards of Directors for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and the YMCA of Greater Toronto.
Mary Anne is a graduate of the University of Toronto, a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and a Chartered Director.
An advocate of education as the door to opportunity, Mary Anne sponsors two Basic Schools for early childhood development in Jamaica. She has funded more than thirty Scholarships for first year students in Canadian Universities and Colleges, and sponsors an Academic Mentorship Program for middle and high school students, in partnership with the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Mary Anne has been the recipient of several awards, including
- University of Toronto’s Arbor Award,
- The Golden Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth the Second,
- The Prime Minister of Jamaica’s Medal of Appreciation, and
- MicroSkills’ Margot Franssen Leadership Award.
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