Women's Equity Lab

Christina Fox is Chief Executive Officer of TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario, an organization focused on innovation startups and technology companies in the region. She brings more than 25 years of experience in private sector and non-profit leadership and serves as Vice Chair of the Technology Councils of North America Board of Directors and Managing Partner of Women's Equity Lab - London Fund. Fox also serves on the boards of the London Chamber of Commerce and London Business Cares.

Erika Oakes is Director of Strategic Initiatives at TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario, where she leads programming to support startups and scale-ups across the region. She previously founded and operated a sustainably focused clothing brand with e-commerce and retail components, which she exited in 2024, and has worked as a business strategy consultant advising entrepreneurs on positioning and growth. Her background includes five years as a secondary school teacher and involvement in London's entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a focus on supporting female founders.

Shahr Savizi-Smed is a Founding and Co-Managing Partner at Sandpiper Ventures. He has served as a corporate director and CEO, with experience across multiple industries in business strategy, operations management, and human resources.

Shanlee Von Vegesack is a corporate lawyer and partner at Fasken LLP specializing in mergers and acquisitions, emerging technology, venture capital, securities, and private equity matters. Her practice encompasses domestic and cross-border transactions including public and private M&A, going-public transactions, and venture capital financings. She holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has prior experience in finance at international and Canadian financial institutions.

Alec Leclerc is founder and principal consultant at The Northstar Constellation, where he serves as fractional CMO and strategic partner to founders and leadership teams. With nearly 25 years of experience across retail, tourism, luxury, real estate, professional services, media, and technology in Canadian and international markets, he has held senior leadership roles at companies including Aritzia, Destination Canada, and WPP, and collaborated with brands such as Fairmont, Arc'Teryx, and the LVMH group. He is also a managing partner at Women's Equity Lab Montréal, an angel investing network, and works in English and French.

Barbara Henderson is Managing Partner and Investor at Women's Equity Lab. She brings over 30 years of corporate finance and business administration experience, including a tenure at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts where she served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance with global responsibility for tax, treasury, financial reporting, investor relations, and procurement. She recently served as Senior Advisor at Deloitte, providing strategic counsel to clients on business issues.

Carolyn Best is Managing Partner at Women's Equity Lab. With over 25 years of experience in business development and strategic partnerships, she has worked with Indigenous organizations, municipalities, provincial and federal governments, and commercial entities. Best has developed expertise in complex strategic pursuits and stakeholder relationship management across public and private sectors.

Isabelle Morin is co-founder and principal at TROIS Collective, a fractional HR firm established in 2021. She brings over 20 years of experience in business operations and human resources across professional services and retail sectors, with fluency in English and French. Her background includes program development, data-driven business case analysis, and strategic planning aligned with industry trends.

Co-founder and managing partner of WEL Toronto, and a board and advisory team member.

Janice Cheam is Managing Partner at Women's Equity Lab and founder of Neurio, which she scaled from a hardware startup into a diversified solutions provider offering analytics platforms, mobile applications, software services, and hardware products. She has received recognition including Ernst & Young's Young Entrepreneur of the Year nomination, Business in Vancouver's Top Forty Under 40 award, and BCTIA's Most Promising Start-up award. Cheam currently serves on boards, advises entrepreneurs and organizations, and invests in venture-stage companies.

Jasmine Cumberland is Co-Founder and Principal at TROIS Collective, a fractional HR firm serving businesses across multiple industries. She brings human resources and operations experience from organizations spanning Series A startups to Fortune 50 companies across technology, retail, professional services, and entertainment sectors. Her background includes roles ranging from individual contributor to executive team positions.

Johanna Brown is the Founder and Principal at Rivet, where she advises startups and scale-ups on go-to-market strategy and commercialization. Her focus areas include demand generation, early-stage growth, sales enablement, enterprise sales, and business development. She works with companies across target market definition, value proposition development, pipeline conversion, and strategic partnerships.

Kathryn Lockhart is Executive Director at the McKenna Institute and CEO of Propel, an Atlantic Canada-based virtual accelerator that serves over 110 companies annually. She is a Managing Partner at WEL Atlantic, a women-focused investment fund, and brings experience scaling technology companies across multiple continents, including roles at JVPLabs, Bluedrop Learning Networks, and startups in Germany. Lockhart holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Philosophy from the University of New Brunswick, and serves as a director and advisor to several regional organizations.

Katie Hursh is Vice President at The Megill-Stephenson Company Limited, where she has worked for 13 years across multiple subsidiaries providing corporate, strategic development, and legal support. Prior to this role, she practiced corporate litigation at a Winnipeg law firm with expertise in bankruptcy, insolvency, construction law, and corporate governance, and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 2011. Hursh holds a commerce degree from the I.H. Asper School of Business and a law degree from Robson Hall, both at the University of Manitoba, and serves as chair of the board for the Health Sciences Centre Foundation and Balmoral Hall Foundation.

Kelly Galloway serves as Legal Counsel for Corporate Secretarial and Finance Law at TC Energy, where she advises on capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and financing transactions. Her experience spans securities law, banking, project finance, investment matters, and corporate governance in the energy sector.

Laurie MacKeigan is President of Backman Vidcom, a Halifax-based commercial audiovisual integrator serving corporate, education, and government clients across Atlantic Canada. She serves as a managing partner at Women's Equity Lab, a board member of the NSCA industry association, and a trustee for Killam Apartment REIT, while providing mentorship through the Creative Destruction Lab.

Lorna Johnson is the owner of CalderJohnsonConsulting Inc., which she established in 2016 to advise small and medium-sized business owners on strategy and growth. She serves as a start-up business coach and mentor at VIATEC, with expertise in business model development, market entry, pricing strategy, and digital transformation. Johnson holds an MBA and Certified Advisory Board Chair designation and also serves as a board director and advisory board chair.

Melanie McCreath is Chief Executive Officer of MEDOCare Inc. at Manitoba Métis Federation. She brings over 20 years of executive and board experience across capital markets, capital program delivery, economic development, manufacturing, mining, pharmacy, retail, and technology consulting, with expertise in governance, strategy, investor relations, corporate development, ESG, sustainability, and corporate communications.

Melanie Rupp is Senior Director of Loans & Advisory Services at WeBC and Managing Partner at Women's Equity Lab. She advises women business owners across business operations, with a focus on financial health and financial literacy. Her work centers on supporting women entrepreneurs in building sustainable companies.

Mia Balansag is a finance and transformation leader with over 20 years of experience in global organizations, including the agri-tech sector. She has expertise in ERP implementation, financial operations, working capital management, and AI-enabled productivity tools, along with experience in grant strategy for agriculture and clean technology initiatives. Balansag is co-founder of EZ Own Financing Solutions, managing partner of WEL Manitoba, and holds credentials as a Chartered Manager, CMA, and CPA.

Nadia Tatlow is Managing Partner at Women's Equity Lab, where she invests in startups and advises founders and leadership teams. She previously founded and exited Shift.com, which was acquired by Redbrick in 2024.

Co-founder and managing partner of WEL Toronto, and a board and advisory team member.

National Director of WEL and co-founder and managing partner of WEL Victoria; also serves as a board and advisory team member.