The Pathway to an International Board

Women in Governance (WiG) is honoured to welcome four exceptional women who sit on Boards all over the globe to offer you inspiration and guidance during a free panel discussion on Thursday, March 24, from noon to 1:00 p.m. EDT.

The alarming statistics on the number of women in senior management positions and on Boards are actually what motivated the creation of WiG in 2010. Although boardroom diversity has undeniably increased over the past 12 years, women remain underrepresented and progress is slow. Too slow. Some countries/jurisdictions have imposed mandatory gender quotas in an effort to improve these numbers, but the challenge is still real—even more so for BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and women with disabilities…

Under such circumstances, it makes us very proud to present to you women who have successfully accessed Board seats in major organizations in London, Paris, New York, and Montréal.

WiG is looking forward to hosting:

• Catherine Barba in Paris (Board Member at Renault Group, Etam Group, and the France-US Chamber of Commerce in New York)
• Ann Cairns in London (Executive Vice-Chair of Mastercard, Global Chair of the 30% Club, Chair of the Financial Alliance for Women, and former Chair of ICE Clear Europe)
• Maria Morris in New York (Board Member at Wells Fargo, and Board Member and Audit Committee Chair at S&P Global)
• Sheila Stamps in New York (Board Member at IQVIA Holdings Inc., Pitney Bowes Inc., MFA Financial Inc., and Board Member and Audit Committee Chair at Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc.)

Caroline Codsi—WiG’s Founder and Chief Equity Officer, also Board Member at the Quebec Labour Council, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and Alexa Translations—will moderate the discussion.
Nicole Piggott—WiG’s Chief Operating Officer, also Chair of Impact, Vice-Chair of Black Academic Scholarship Fund, and Board Member at the National Safety Council—will moderate the public Q&A session.

Closing remarks by Monique F. Leroux, Board Member and Governance Committee Chair at BCE-Bell, Board Member and ESG Committee Chair at Michelin, Board Member at S&P Global, Couche-Tard, and Lallemand, as well as Co-Chair of WiG.

Please see all speakers’ full bios further below.

This virtual event is part of a series of workshops offered to members of WiG’s Mentoring programs.
While the webinar is open to the public, the networking sessions that will follow—facilitated by Business Coach Laure Cohen van Delft—are exclusively available for mentors, mentees, and members of WiG’s Mentoring Committee.

Registration is free.
All participants will receive a Zoom link via email with their registration confirmation.
Mentors, mentees, and members of WiG’s Mentoring Committee will receive a second link to access their private breakout sessions from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. EST. For support, contact info@womeningovernance.world

We look forward to your participation!

Speakers

Catherine Barba—entrepreneur, e-commerce pioneer, expert in digital transformation and Future of Work—is one of the most active female business angels in France and committed to the promotion of diversity for years. After creating and selling several e-commerce companies, she’s about to launch her 4th venture, an educational program for freelancers and solopreneurs. Catherine was awarded with many distinctions among which that of “Femme en Or” in 2011, “Alumni of the Year” of ESCP in 2012, Women of economic influence in France in 2014, the “Inspiring Fifty” prize in 2015 and 2016, Knight of the French National Order of Merit and Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. She serves on the board of directors of Renault Group, Etam Group and the French American Chamber of Commerce. Catherine Barba graduated from the ESCP Business School, ranked among the best business schools in Europe.

Ann Cairns, in her role as Executive Vice Chair, represents Mastercard around the world, focusing on inclusion, diversity and innovation. She plays the important role of senior ambassador and executive leader and sits as part of the company’s global management committee. Prior to her current appointment, Ann was President of International Markets responsible for the management of all Mastercard customer-related activities in over 200 countries. She has also held senior positions within many global organisations, including a tenure as CEO of Transaction Banking at ABN-AMRO, 15 years in senior operational positions at Citigroup, and Chair of ICE Clear Europe, one of the world’s leading clearing houses owned by the Fortune 500 company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Ann is currently Global Chair of the 30% Club and the Chair of the Financial Alliance for Women. In addition, Ann is the lead non-executive board member for the UK government’s department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and is on the board of Lightrock, a global private equity platform investing in sustainable businesses. Finally, Ann Cairns is a member of the UK Government’s AI Council.

Maria Morris is a retired Executive Committee member and Executive Vice President of the Global Employee Benefits business of MetLife, Inc., a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management services. She served as EVP of the Global Employee Benefits business from 2011 to 2017 and headed MetLife’s U.S. Business from 2016 to July 2017. In these roles, Maria led MetLife’s largest business and oversaw the employee benefits and financial institution distribution businesses in over 40 countries. She served in multiple other leadership roles after joining MetLife in 1984, including as interim chief marketing officer in 2014 and as head of Global Technology and Operations from 2008 to 2011, where she led the successful integration of MetLife’s $16.4 billion acquisition of American Life Insurance Company. Maria is a member of the Board of Directors of Well Fargo & Company, where she chairs the Risk Committee. She serves on the Board of Directors of S&P Global and chairs the Audit Committee and is also on the Board of Directors of Resolution Life and chairs the Compensation Committee. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College, magna cum laude. Marie Morris sits on the Boards of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York and Helen Keller International, and chairs the National Board of All Stars Project, Inc.

Sheila Stamps has diverse experience advising on financial and operational requirements of companies in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Sheila is currently a Board member of IQVIA Holdings Inc., Pitney Bowes Inc., Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc., and MFA Financial Inc. Her board committee experience includes Audit (Chair), Regulatory Compliance (Chair), Risk Management, Nominating and Governance, and Executive Compensation. Sheila’s senior level operating roles combine both private sector experience and public service : she most recently served as Executive Vice President of DBI, LLC (a private mortgage company), and as Senior Portfolio Manager and Advisor to the Comptroller of the State of New York for the NYS Common Retirement Fund. Sheila earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago and a BS in Management Sciences from Duke University; she also completed a Fellowship at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Sheila Stamps has been recognized as one of “2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors” by Savoy Magazine and “2019 Most Influential Corporate Directors” by WomenInc Magazine. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Fundación Innovación Bankinter.

Hosts

Caroline Codsi is the Founder and Chief Equity Officer of Women in Governance (WiG), Canada’s preeminent non-profit created in 2010 with mission to help women access decision-making bodies and male dominated fields. She sits on the Boards of the Quebec Labour Council, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Alexa Translations. A Citizen of the world having lived on three continents, Caroline was born in Beirut and grew up through the civil war. A highly sought-after speaker, Caroline has addressed audiences across the globe, including two TEDx. Widely quoted in national and international media, she is the recipient of numerous awards from prestigious organizations such as the United Nations’ Women’s Committee, the Quebec Business Women Network, The Federation of Chambers of Commerce or the New Delhi Women’s Economic Forum, to name a few. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Caroline on Canada’s National Gender Equality Committee and Mayor Valérie Plante on the City of Montreal’s Business Committee. She was also recognized as a Top 20 Diversity Leading Figure in Quebec, Top 75 Canadian Immigrant, Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and Top 100 Entrepreneurs changing the world.

Nicole Piggott has spent her career promoting inclusive workplaces. Before being appointed Chief Operating Officer at Women in Governance (WiG) and Co-Founder, Synclusiv, Nicole held leadership positions at Bombardier Aerospace, RioTinto, Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOCC), and FedEx Canada. Nicole has implemented and overseen all aspects of Human Resources, from policies, programs and practices aimed at fostering more inclusive and motivating work environments. In 2017, Nicole co-led the development of the Gender Parity Certification at WiG; she has since led the expansion into the United States of this innovative program. Nicole is Board Chair of Impact (formerly Partnership Africa Canada), the Vice-Chair of Black Academic Scholarship Fund (which her mother founded in 1994), and a member of the Board of the National Safety Council. She is co-lead for the McGill University Goodman Cancer Research Center Public Lecture Series. Nicole Piggott is also an advisor to Global Affairs Canada and the CN-Paul Tellier chair of the University of Ottawa on gender and diversity issues.

Closing remarks

Monique F. Leroux is a Corporate Director and Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and the Investment Industry Hall of Fame. She served as Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group, leading cooperative financial group in Canada, from March 2008 to April 2016, and as Chair of the Board of Investissement Québec from 2016 to 2020. In May 2020, Monique was appointed Chair of the Industry Strategy Council by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors (F.ICD), and an Independent Director of The Michelin Group (chairing its ESG committee), Bell (chairing its Governance Committee), S&P Global, Couche-Tard, and privately-owned company Lallemand. Monique acts as Senior Advisor (Non Executive) for Fiera Capital Corporation, Deputy Chair (Canada) of the Trilateral Commission. She also chaired the Québec government’s Advisory Council on the Economy and Innovation and was a member of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Monique F. Leroux has received several honours, including being named a Member of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec and a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur (France). Finally, she Co-Chairs Women in Governance’s Board.

About our mentoring programs

Women in Governance’s Mentoring programs were carefully curated by a strategic committee, composed of leaders and professionals with extensive experience in their fields and roles. By applying our mentoring best practices, the mentee is empowered to set personal development goals and steer the mentor-mentee relationship to help reach her goals and succeed in her career. Women in Governance’s mentoring program, previously offered to executive women only has now expanded and is offered to ambitious women at all professional levels. The year-long programs are also available across Canada and internationally. Visit our mentoring page to learn more!