WXN Announces 2025 GAIL Award Winners: Spotlighting Global DEIB Champions

Honouring 25 Visionary Leaders and Organizations Driving Inclusive Excellence Worldwide

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, May 5, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- WXN (Women’s Executive Network), along with Platinum Partner MLSE, today unveiled the names of 25 groundbreaking impact-makers who champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as recipients of the 2025 GAIL Awards, recognizing bold role models among DEIB leaders, practitioners, allies and organizations.

Each winner will be recognized for their accomplishments on the second day of the GAIL Conference and Awards, held virtually on June 4 and 5, 2025.

“The exceptional recipients of WXN’s GAIL Awards embody the meaningful progress being made by leaders and organizations advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging on a global scale. We proudly recognize and celebrate those whose bold vision and unwavering commitment are helping to build a more inclusive world for all women. At WXN, we believe in turning vision into action—creating real, lasting change,” said Sherri Stevens, Owner and CEO of WXN.

The winners of WXN’s 2025 GAIL Awards include:

● Executive Sponsors Awards:
o Daria Batkin
o M. Hans Delly
o Jenny Yuen

● Global Thought Leaders Awards:
o Dr. Latha Christie
o Fellow. Natasha E. Feghali
o Tina Osen

● MLSE Inclusion & Belonging Awards:
o Pascale Alpha
o Joyce Barlow
o Subah Chhabra
o Aisha DeBerry
o Dr. Barbara-Ann Hamilton-Hinch
o Dr. Ruby Latif
o Carolyn Lawrence
o Anthy Lovachis

● Inclusion Vanguard Awards:
o Elise Ahenkorah
o Caroline Codsi
o Carole Shankaruk

● Ally of Excellence Awards:
o Mike Davis
o Kirk Merrett
o Rubén Alejandro Ramírez Torres

● Workplace Impact Awards:
o Bidvest
o Corus Entertainment Inc.
o E.L.F. Beauty
o Johnson & Johnson
o Sodexo Group

“We celebrate this cohort of winners who have demonstrated tenacity, adaptability, and courage in advancing the work of inclusion and belonging serving as role models for the generation of equity advocates and allies,” says Teri Dennis-Davies, Chief People & Inclusion. “As Platinum Partner of the WXN Global Alliance for Inclusive Leadership (GAIL) Awards, and sponsor of the GAIL Inclusion & Belonging Award, we congratulate all the winners for their part in cultivating an enduring ecosystem of learners and change makers.”

The awards are part of a dynamic two-day virtual event focused on professional development and networking, designed to equip attendees with actionable insights and meaningful connections. The event features an engaging lineup that includes a keynote address, an interactive workshop, a fireside chat, and thought-provoking panels led by global experts and practitioners in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Topics will explore the pressing issues shaping today’s workplace and driving long-term organizational progress, including:
• Inclusive AI: Unintended Adversary or Invaluable Ally?
• Data-Driven Diversity and the New ROI: Return on Inclusion
• Think Global, Act Local: Inclusion as a Global Business Driver
• The Great Blur: Rethinking the Roles of Inclusion and Talent

Keynote Speaker Samra Zafar will deliver an inspiring address on building courage through adversity, harnessing inner strength, and embracing self-care as essential tools for thriving in courageous leadership. Workshop Facilitator Sandra Healy will guide participants through strategies for communicating the value of DEI and demonstrating its ROI to C-suite leaders.

The event will also feature a Fireside Chat with WXN Owner and CEO Sherri Stevens and Subha Barry, President of Seramount, as they discuss Beyond Backlash: Charting the Next Frontier of Inclusion.

The two-day conference will culminate in a celebration of this year’s 25 GAIL Award winners, recognizing their extraordinary contributions to building a more inclusive and equitable world.

Launched in 2021 as the CEDI Summit and Awards, this annual event has grown into what is now the GAIL Conference and Awards—a global platform for advancing inclusion and celebrating leadership. While the original summit focused on exploring the challenges, research, and systemic barriers affecting the representation of women—particularly Black, Indigenous, Women of Colour, Women living with disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community—within Canadian organizations, the GAIL Conference has expanded its scope to reflect a broader, global commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Winner biographies, event information, and tickets for WXN’s GAIL Conference and Awards are available at https://wxnetwork.com/page/Gail-Conference-and-Awards-2025-About.

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with Sherri Stevens, Owner and CEO of WXN, please contact Virginia Johnson, Director of Marketing & Communications: VJohnson@wxnetwork.com.

ABOUT WXN

WXN (Women’s Executive Network) is a one-of-a-kind community shaping the future of leadership across North America. We bring together thousands of bold women, allies, and corporate members in a rich and diverse ecosystem of professional development, networking, thought leadership, belonging, and celebration that propels professional women to rise and lead.

Guided by our Owner and CEO, Sherri Stevens, and WXN’s Global Alliance of Inclusive Leadership (GAIL), we lead North America’s most prestigious events for women in business, create professional development programming, and champion thought leadership for professional women. This includes the Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ Awards, the GAIL Conference and Awards, the Bold Convos summit, and programs such as the RAW Courage Coaching Program and the Leadership Learning Series.

For more information, visit https://wxnetwork.com/.

ABOUT MLSE

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), one of the world's premier sports and entertainment companies, owns the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (NBA G League), TFC II (MLS Next Pro) and Raptors Uprising Gaming Club, the Toronto Raptors esports franchise in the NBA 2K League. Its charitable arm, MLSE Foundation, focuses on funding initiatives to support youth through sport and recreational programs. In 2017 MLSE Foundation, with support of community and corporate partners, built MLSE LaunchPad, a 42,000-sq. ft. space dedicated to programming that support its four Pillars: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Ready For School and Ready For Work. MLSE also owns and operates Scotiabank Arena, Canada’s premier sports and entertainment venue hosting more than 200 events each year, digital channels NBA TV Canada and has a partnership with Live Nation - the largest concert promoter in the world.

Virginia Johnson
WXN
vjohnson@wxnetwork.com