Women leaders in the business world will shine light on their paths to the top during a student-led event Sunday, March 12.

Hosted by Brock Women in Business (WIB) for the fifth consecutive year, The Rise will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Goodman Atrium.

The student club’s flagship event is held in honour of International Women’s Day, celebrated across the globe March 8. The Rise returns in person this year to share and celebrate the journeys of women in business.

“I think it’s nice that it’s back in person because that’s a whole other experience for attendees,” said WIB President Shruti Parikh.

Centred around the International Women’s Day theme of #EmbraceEquity, the event will gather women from all business areas to discuss their personal and professional journeys.

The four-part event begins with an interactive workshop ‘Spectrum: Agree to Disagree,’ followed by a series of Fireside Chats – Immigrant Women in Business, Digital Equity, and Equity vs. Equality.

A panel discussion in the afternoon will then feature female business leaders from diverse backgrounds, experiences and industries. Students can listen to the club-facilitated discussion before participating in a networking session with the panellists.

Guest speakers include:

• Tatyana Sokolyk, Associate Professor of Finance at Brock University — Immigrant Women in Business Fireside Chat
• Jennifer Curry Jahnke, Accessibility Advocate at Accessibility Standards Canada — Digital Equity Fireside Chat
• Smruti Patel, Director, Specialized Learning at RBC — Equity vs. Equality Fireside Chat
• Thanuja Thananayagam, Senior Manager Talent Acquisition and Development at Medline Canada — Equity vs. Equality Fireside Chat
• Andrea Johnson, General Manager at Mohawk College — Main Panel
• Deborah Rosati, Founder and CEO of Women Get On Board Inc. — Main Panel

“We wanted to address as many groups of people as possible because that’s what it’s all about, making sure everyone has a fair chance,” Parikh said. “I’m hoping the audience comes out of the event understanding that equity is about intersectional allyship.”

Registration is open to all Goodman School of Business students.