The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) is a national network and accessible digital platform for sharing research and resources, and leading strategies. With 10 regional hubs and a network of more than 250 organizations, WEKH is designed to address the needs of diverse women entrepreneurs across regions and across sectors. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WEKH adopted an agitator role connecting women entrepreneurs and support organizations across the country, and led network calls and training sessions. WEKH’s advanced technology platform, powered by Magnet, enhances the capacity of women entrepreneurs and the organizations who serve them by linking them to resources and best practices across the country.
With the support of the Government of Canada, WEKH spreads its expertise from coast to coast, enabling service providers, academics, government and industry to enhance their support for women entrepreneurs. Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute, in collaboration with the Ted Rogers School of Management, is leading a team of researchers, business support organizations and key stakeholders to create a more inclusive and supportive environment to grow women’s entrepreneurship in Canada.
Regional Hubs
Asper School of Business
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg
umanitoba.ca
Bissett School of Business
Mount Royal University
Calgary
mtroyal.ca
BMO Chair for Diversity and Governance Université de Montréal
Montréal
umontreal.ca
Impact Hub Ottawa
Ottawa
ottawa.impacthub.net
The Rowe School of Business
Dalhousie University
Halifax
dal.ca
OCAD University
Toronto
ocadu.ca
Hill and Levene Schools of Business
University of Regina
Regina
uregina.ca
PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise
Thunder Bay
paro.ca
VentureLabs® and Beedie School of Business
Simon Fraser University
Vancouver
venturelabs.ca
Yukon University
Whitehorse
yukonu.ca
Our Partners
Our Growing Network
Dr. Robert Anderson, Emeritus Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Regina
Dr. Rupa Banerjee, Associate Professor of Human Resource Management, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Clare Beckton, Executive in Residence, Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work, Carleton University
Dr. Kristin Blakely, Instructor of Gender, Diversity and Leadership in the Human Services, University of Toronto
Dr. Candace Blayney, Professor, Marketing, Mount Saint Vincent University
Dr. Daniela Blettner, Associate Professor of Strategy, Simon Fraser University
Dr. Karen Blotnicky, Associate Professor, Tourism & Hospitality Management, Mount Saint Vincent University
Dr. Julia Cafley, Executive Vice-President, Programs and Partnerships, Public Policy Forum
Dr. Ingrid Chadwick, Associate Professor, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University
Dr. Yolande Chan, Associate Dean (Research & PhD/MSc Programs) and E. Marie Shantz Professor of IT Management, Smith School of Business, Queen’s University
Dr. Marie-Thérèse Chicha, Chair in Ethnic Relations, Université de Montréal
Dr. Wendy Cukier, Professor, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Founder and Academic Director, Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute
Dr. Margaret Dalziel, Associate Professor, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, and VP Research, The Evidence Network, University of Waterloo
Dr. Alexandra Dawson, Associate Professor, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University
Dr. Elizabeth Evans, Dean, Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, Mount Royal University
Dr. Sandi Findlay-Thompson, Associate Professor, Mount Saint Vincent University
Dr. Gregory Fleet, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs and Student Relations, University of New Brunswick
Valerie Fox, Chief Innovation Consultant, The Pivotal Point, and Founding Executive Director, Toronto Metropolitan University DMZ
Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, Canada Life Chair in Leadership Education, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba
Dr. Thomas Gegenhuber, Lecturer for Digital Transformation, Leuphana University
Dr. Abby Goodrum, Professor and Program Coordinator, User Experience Design, Wilfrid Laurier University
Dr. Kenneth Grant, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Mary Han, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy, and Director, Council of International Research and Teaching, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Camille Hebert, Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Toronto
Dr. Patricia Hewlin, Associate Professor, Organizational Behaviour, McGill University
Dr. Jaigris Hodson, Associate Professor and Program Head, MAIS, Royal Roads University
Dr. Albert James, Associate Professor, Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University
Dr. Jack Jedwab, Executive Vice-President, Association for Canadian Studies
Dr. Peter Josty, Executive Director, The Centre for Innovation Studies (THECIS)
Dr. Sarah Kaplan, Director, University of Toronto’s Institute for Gender and the Economy
Dr. Mary Kilfoil, Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Dr. André Laplume, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Patricia Lewis, Professor of Management, University of Kent
Dr. Howard Lin, Professor, Global Management Studies, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Sarah Lubik, Director of Entrepreneurship, Simon Fraser University
Janice McDonald, Founder, The Beacon Agency
Dr. Lauren McNamara, Research Director, CEO Research Associate, Recess Project Canada, Diversity Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Eddy Ng, James and Elizabeth Freeman Professor of Management, Bucknell University
Dr. Charlene Nicholls-Nixon, Director, Entrepreneurship Research Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, Professor of Practice, School of Engineering, and Academic Director of the IE Brown EMBA Program, Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, Brown University
Dr. Pamela Palmater, Chair in Indigenous Governance, Department of Politics & Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Jeffrey Reitz, Director of the Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies Program, Munk School of Global Affairs, and Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
Dr. Michael Roy, Professor of Economic Sociology and Social Policy, Glasgow Caledonian University
Dr. Tania Saba, BMO Chair in Diversity and Governance, Université de Montréal
Vicki Saunders, Founder & CEO, SheEO
Dr. Malinda Smith, Professor, Arts and Political Science, University of Alberta
Dr. Sui Sui, Associate Professor, Global Management Studies, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Binod Sundararajan, Professor, Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University
Dr. Susan Trenholm, Lecturer in Management & Strategy, King’s College London
Dr. Jutta Treviranus, Director, Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC), and Professor, Faculty of Design, OCAD University
Dr. Dave Valliere, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy, and Director, Entrepreneurship Research Institute, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Anil Verma, Director, Centre of Industrial Relations & HR, and Professor of Industrial Relations and HR Management, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Dr. Natalia Vershinina, Business & Society Department, Audencia Business School
Dr. Hong Yu, Interim Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Programs, Associate Professor, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Supporting Organizations
Innovation and the Indigenous District (Toronto)
“Everyone benefits when women have the resources they need to participate fully in our economies and societies. Our Government is determined to help women gain the tools they need to be successful entrepreneurs and leaders.” – Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“Women represent enormous untapped potential and there is no limit to what they can accomplish. As investors, we need to run as fast as women entrepreneurs do. It is our job to help them unleash that potential.” – Michael Denham, Business Development Bank of Canada President and CEO
“It should be a point of pride that more and more Canadian women are starting and running independent businesses. But female entrepreneurs often have additional hurdles to overcome when making the choice to start or grow a company. Starting or growing a business is tough enough – we need to do more to ensure equal access to financing and finding good quality, affordable advice.” – Dan Kelly, President and CEO, Canadian Federation for Independent Business
“We would add $150B to the Canadian economy if we supported women entrepreneurs to their male counterpart. It’s time to break down the systemic barriers so we can all benefit from the equal participation of women in society.” – Vicki Saunders, Founder SheEO
“EDC is proud to be working to help remove the unique barriers women entrepreneurs often face when looking to grow their business. An important part of that is investing in research that will enable us to better understand the challenges women face and the opportunities to better support them in their exporting journey.” – Mairead Lavery, President and CEO at EDC