Women of Influence+

What Women of Influence+ does

Women of Influence+ (WOI+) is a privately held Canadian media, events, and community platform headquartered in Toronto that supports the career advancement and entrepreneurship of professional women. Operating for more than three decades, the organization runs two flagship recognition programs — the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards (currently in its 34th edition) and the Top 25 Women of Influence+ Awards — alongside signature event formats including the Global Leaders Dinner Series (held in Toronto, Calgary, and New York) and the Top 25 Luncheon. The platform also distributes content through THE LEAD newsletter, LinkedIn Lives, the TD Entrepreneurs Video Series, and Deep Dives content hubs, and it operates a membership-based Advancement Centre and a paid four-week virtual training program called the WOI+ Business Lab (priced at C$799 plus tax per participant for the Fall 2025 cohort). The company maintains no proprietary technology products; its core deliverables are content, events, recognition, and peer learning.

WOI+ generates revenue through three primary streams: corporate sponsorships and partnerships (with RBC, TD Women in Enterprise, BMO Private Wealth, BDC, CIBC, TELUS Health, EY, Scotiabank, and others at flagship or major tiers), ticketed event and awards programs, and paid training and membership offerings (Business Lab, Advancement Centre, Keynotes & Workshops). Distribution is primarily digital-direct through womenofinfluence.ca plus email, social channels, and a partnership with ROOM Women's Network that extends the Advancement Centre into ROOM's executive pipeline. The platform reaches an audience of over 700,000 supporters, primarily in Canada and the U.S., with international events and research.

The organization is led by Dr. Rumeet Billan (CEO) and Maricel Dicion (VP of Strategy), with Nadia Boersch listed as founder. The operating model is lean, with 1–10 employees, and no venture or private equity investment has been disclosed. WOI+ has produced a series of proprietary research studies — including the Tallest Poppy (2018, 2023), Closing the Sponsorship Gap (2025), Ageism in the Workplace (2024), and Women, Money, and Wealth (2024) — that double as content marketing assets and authority-building tools.

Name

Women of Influence+

Legal name

Women of Influence+

Website

https://womenofinfluence.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women of Influence+ is a Toronto-based media, events, and community platform running flagship awards programs, training cohorts, and signature events for women professionals and entrepreneurs across Canada and the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Leadership & Professional Development Media

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Business Networking Communities (MPACAJAB)

Keywords

• Women's leadership awards
• Entrepreneur recognition programs
• Leadership training programs
• Community media platform
• Women's advancement research

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Programs: Revenue generated through paid leadership training programs such as the WOI+ Business Lab, and membership offerings including access to ROOM Forum Groups and the Advancement Centre. Programs are tiered and targeted at professionals and entrepreneurs seeking career advancement.
2. Events and Awards: Revenue from ticketed events including the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Gala, Global Leaders Dinners, and the Top 25 Women of Influence Luncheon. Award program participation (applications, nominations) may also contribute revenue.
3. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate partners sponsor awards programs, events, content series, and Deep Dives. Sponsors include major financial institutions (RBC, BMO, TD, CIBC, BDC) and corporations seeking access to the WOI+ community for marketing, recruitment, and DEI purposes. Sponsorship tiers include title sponsorship, award sponsorship, media partnerships, and bespoke event partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Women of Influence+ operates a women's advancement media, awards, events, and community platform that runs the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards and Top 25 Women of Influence+ Awards (recognition), the WOI+ Business Lab and keynote workshops (leadership training), signature events such as the Global Leaders Dinner Series, content programs including LinkedIn Lives and the TD Entrepreneurs Video Series, THE LEAD newsletter, and proprietary research initiatives (Tallest Poppy, Sponsorship Gap, Ageism, Women & Wealth). The platform reaches more than 700,000 supporters across Canada and serves both individual women professionals/entrepreneurs and corporate sponsors.

Product overview

Women of Influence+ is a media and advocacy organization offering a platform of interconnected programs for women's career advancement and leadership development. The core offerings include the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards and Top 25 Women of Influence+ Awards (prestigious recognition programs); WOI+ Business Lab and Keynotes & Workshops (training programs); TD Entrepreneurs Video Series and LinkedIn Lives (content series); THE LEAD Newsletter (media delivery); and Deep Dives (partner content hub). Research initiatives including the Tallest Poppy Study, Sponsorship Gap Research, and Ageism in the Workplace Survey provide data-driven insights. The WOI+ Advancement Centre provides membership-based access to connections, training, and tools. The organization hosts signature events including the Global Leaders Dinner Series. Together, these products form a comprehensive ecosystem supporting women at every stage of their careers through recognition, education, content, community, and research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards: Premier national awards program recognizing Canada's most accomplished women entrepreneurs, running for over three decades.
• Top 25 Women of Influence+ Awards
• Global Leaders Dinner Series
• Women of Influence+ Business Lab
• The Tallest Poppy
• Closing the Sponsorship Gap
• Ageism in the Workplace
• Women, Money, and Wealth

Products and services

• RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Premier national awards program recognizing Canada's most accomplished women entrepreneurs, now in its 34th edition. Features categories including Ones to Watch, Micro-Business, Start-Up, RBC Momentum, Social Change, Innovation, and Excellence. Includes nomination, judging, and a flagship gala event.
• Top 25 Women of Influence+ Awards Prestigious awards program recognizing women who have made significant contributions in their respective fields across Canada and the U.S., celebrating initiative, inspiration, influence, and leadership. Generates more than 60,000 annual page views.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Tallest Poppy 2023 study found that 90% of women globally report being undermined or penalised because of their professional achievements.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major, core and minor.

• TD Women in EnterpriseflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTD Women in Enterprise is the presenting sponsor of the 'Supporting the Next Generation of Women Entrepreneurs' video series, a flagship content program on the WOI+ platform. The partnership includes a TD-certified advisor referral program and branded content featuring women entrepreneurs. TD provides Julie Dimitri, National Manager, Women in Enterprise, as a spokesperson and connector for the program.
• RBCflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerRBC is the title sponsor of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, WOI+'s premier national awards program. As title sponsor, RBC's brand is prominently featured across all award materials, the awards gala, and related communications. The partnership has been ongoing for multiple years.
• TELUS HealthmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTELUS Health is an award sponsor of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. The partnership aligns TELUS Health's wellness offerings with WOI+'s women entrepreneur audience.
• EYmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEY serves as the Due Diligence Sponsor for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, providing credibility and rigor to the judging process.
• BMO Private WealthmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBMO Private Wealth is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 Global Leaders Dinner Series. The partnership enables BMO to engage directly with a vetted audience of senior leaders, C-suite executives, board members, and award-winning entrepreneurs at the exclusive dinner events.
• ROOM Women NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWOI+ entered a strategic partnership with ROOM Women Network, a global network committed to advancing executive and high-potential pipeline women. The partnership involves co-branded ROOM Forum Groups and redirects WOI+ community members to ROOM programming while WOI+ updates its own Advancement Centre. This is described as a pipeline and executive women elevation partnership.
• BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerBDC is a content partner providing resources and tools for women entrepreneurs through the WOI+ Deep Dives section. BDC sponsors Small Business Week programming and curates resources including business benchmarking tools, financing guides, and stories. The partnership includes co-marketing and event collaboration, with BDC featured as a partner across multiple events.
• CIBCmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCIBC sponsored the 'Women, Money, and Wealth' research and content series, including a LinkedIn Live event. CIBC executives appeared as guest speakers. The partnership produced a white paper and infographic on Canadian women's financial perspectives.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon served as a gift sponsor for the 2025 Top 25 Women of Influence+ Awards, providing gift prizes for honourees.
• CliniqueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClinique served as a gift sponsor for the 2025 Top 25 Women of Influence+ Awards, providing gift prizes for honourees.
• BulovaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBulova was a sponsor of the 2025 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.
• Dean DavidsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDean Davidson was a sponsor of the 2025 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.
• TENA CanadamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTENA Canada is the sponsor of the WOI+ x TENA Leadership Series, a content series addressing topics often excluded from mainstream leadership dialogue, including menopause, reproductive health, and ageism in the workplace.
• WealthsimpleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWealthsimple sponsored a LinkedIn Live event on financial planning for women, featuring their Chartered Investment Manager and Certified Financial Planner as a speaker.
• Ivey Business School at Western UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIvey Business School sponsored a LinkedIn Live event on neurodiversity in the workplace, featuring Ivey professors as speakers.
• Diversity Institute (Toronto Metropolitan University)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWOI+ partners with the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University to curate content on equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. The Diversity Institute produces research and resources (including the WEKH initiative, What Works Toolkit, and The Micropedia) that are amplified through the WOI+ platform. The partnership supports organizations advancing DEI goals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mogul: Mogul is a career development platform for women featuring content, community, and employer partnerships, comparable to WOI+'s combined content, community, and corporate-sponsor monetization.
• Ellevate Network: Ellevate Network is a global professional women's networking community offering events, mentorship, and content — directly comparable to WOI+'s community, content, and event-driven model.
• Chief: Chief is a private membership network for women executive leaders offering peer groups, events, and programming — comparable to WOI+'s executive-tier membership and Global Leaders Dinner positioning.
• The Female Quotient: The Female Quotient hosts the Equality Lounge platform of curated events and content at major business conferences, operating a similar partnership-driven events/content model for women's advancement.
• Lean In Circles: Lean In Circles operates structured small-group peer communities for women's professional advancement and leadership, directly overlapping WOI+'s peer-group and Advancement Centre programming.

Broad incumbents

• Catalyst: Catalyst is a global nonprofit producing research and advising corporations on advancing women in the workplace, comparable to WOI+'s research franchise (Tallest Poppy, Sponsorship Gap) and B2B sponsor model.
• TEDxWomen / TEDWomen: TEDWomen operates a global conference and content brand celebrating women leaders and ideas, overlapping with WOI+'s flagship events, content series, and partner-driven programming model.
• Fortune Most Powerful Women: Fortune's Most Powerful Women franchise combines recognition (lists), events (summits), and content aimed at senior women leaders — directly comparable to WOI+'s Top 25 Awards, dinners, and research content.

Regional players

• Canadian Women's Foundation: Canadian Women's Foundation is a national Canadian organization advancing gender equity through research, advocacy, and programs — regionally comparable to WOI+'s Canadian women-advancement focus but operating as a nonprofit.

Emerging players

• 85 South Media / The Women of Color Collective: Various emerging women-focused media and community brands operate with overlapping content/community/event models targeting similar women professional audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WOIGlobal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@woiglobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/WOIGlobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/woiglobal
• Instagraminstagram.com/woiglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women of Influence+