During Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the White House to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump, they—along with female business leaders from both countries—held a roundtable discussion about women in the workforce. According to The Globe and Mail, the goal of the discussion was to find “common ground with the new U.S. administration.” Invited to the discussion were two Ivey women graduates as well as a former Ivey dean. At the end of the roundtable, a White House official said the two countries would launch a new task force called the United States Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Business Leaders-Female Entrepreneurs.
According to CBC News, the roundtable touched on “an area of shared interest between both leaders.” Ivanka Trump has been an outspoken advocate of policies benefiting working women while advancing women has also been a priority for Trudeau. In 2015, Trudeau drew attention to his efforts on behalf of women when he named a cabinet that was 50 percent women. As for President Trump, according to his economic agenda, a White House official said that it would “focus on ensuring women enter and stay in the work force and addressing barriers facing female entrepreneurs.”
Three of the women present for the event had a strong connection to Western University’s Ivey School of Business.
- Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of global auto parts giant, Linamar, is also an Ivey Advisory Board member as well as an EMBA ’97.
- Tina Lee, CEO of Canada’s largest Asian supermarket chain, T&T Supermarket Inc., was an HBA ’03 graduate.
- Carol Stephenson, a member of General Motors Co.’s Board of Directors, is also a former dean of the Ivey School.
In a press release from the university, Hasenfratz said, “It was a great initiative. It’s absolutely the right thing, to build common ground.”
Ivey women in business have always been a priority. The Class of 2016 welcomed 26 percent female MBA candidates, and there’s an entire section of the Ivey MBA website dedicated to “Women in Business,” explaining why and how an Ivey MBA can open doors and connect women with opportunities.