The Women’s Executive Network (WXN) has announced its list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 for 2017. It includes U of T Engineering alumnae Nancy Hill (CivE 8T1), Claire Kennedy (ChemE 8T9) and Jeannette Southwood (ChemE 8T6, MASc 8T8).
Founded in 1997, WXN is Canada’s leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. WXN launched Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards in 2003 to celebrate the professional achievements of strong female leaders across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
“These inspiring alumnae illustrate the boundless possibilities of an engineering education,” said U of T Engineering Dean Cristina Amon. “On behalf of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, I congratulate each of them on this richly deserved recognition of their tremendous accomplishments.”
Learn more about U of T Engineering’s recipients:
Nancy Hill
Founding partner, Hill & Schumacher Professional Corp.
A distinguished professional engineer, lawyer, patent agent, trademark agent and founding partner of an award-winning patent and trademark firm, for more than 25 years Nancy Hill has been managing intellectual property rights for clients worldwide. She is a sought-after speaker, a leading expert in her field and an avid volunteer in the engineering profession. Her efforts helped make sexual harassment part of the definition of professional misconduct in the Ontario Professional Engineers Act. For her trailblazing advocacy, Hill was invested as a companion in the Professional Engineers Ontario Order of Honour.
Claire Kennedy
Partner, Corporate Tax & Transfer Pricing Lawyer, Bennett Jones
Recognized as one of Canada’s leading lawyers in tax and transfer pricing, Claire Kennedy provides corporate tax and transfer pricing advice and represents large taxpayers during tax and transfer pricing audits and disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency. A seasoned board director, she serves on the executive of the International Fiscal Association’s Canadian branch and is an officer of the International Bar Association’s taxes committee. She is also a professional engineer and in 2015 received the Citizenship Award from the Professional Engineers of Ontario. She serves as the chair of the Governing Council of the University of Toronto.
Jeanette Southwood
Vice-President, Strategy & Partnerships, Engineers Canada
Award-winning engineer Jeanette Southwood has demonstrated strategic vision and the ability to drive performance throughout her career in senior leadership at the global, national, provincial and local levels. Prior to joining Engineers Canada in November 2015, she was the first visible minority principal at Golder Associates, a global firm of more than 8,000 around the world. This is her second time being named a Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 winner.
