Montréal women to watch
International Women’s Day comes but once a year, but women rule every day. Montréal women are helping shape social, economic, creative and political developments that affects not only the city, but the world. Here’s a selection of Montrealers who continually wow us with their achievements.
Community leaders
Nahid Aboumansour: A Knight of the Ordre de Montréal and a recipient of the Cross for Meritorious Service (Civil Division), Nahid serves immigrant women in Québec daily as co-founder and director of social enterprise Petites-Mains.
Joanna Chevalier (aka Hanna Che): Co-founder and executive creative director of Never Was Average, a creative agency dedicated to creating an inclusive space for BIPOC in artistic and creative fields.
Pauline Wong: Former CEO of food business les Aliments Wong Wing, Wong was named to the Ordre National du Québec for her continued commitment to the Montréal Chinese community.
Nelly Bassily: Anti-racism activist and director of Youth Initiatives and International Relations at DAWN Canada (Disabled Women’s Network Canada), where she works to improve accessibility for young women with disabilities and hearing impairments.
Gabriella G. Kinté: Entrepreneur, activist, author and founder of the Librarie Racines bookstore, Kinté helps the stories, culture and experiences of Black and other racialized people shine on various platforms.
Florence Gagnon: Founder and director of bilingual media platform Lez Spread the Word, Gagnon helps boost LGBTQ+ voices in Québec and around the world.
Valérie Plante: Montréal’s first female mayor has led with an ambitious agenda to make the city friendlier, greener and safer. Before entering the political arena, Plante was involved with numerous community groups, including the Fondation Filles d’action.
Business savants
Marilyne Bouchard: Former microbiologist and founder of BKIND, an eco-friendly cosmetics brand that’s quickly conquering the world.
Geneviève Tanguay: The first female CEO of Anges Québec, Tanguay plays a crucial role in the province’s early-stage investment framework, consistently supporting advancements in technology, especially in the life sciences sector.
Audrey Bernard: Founder of Stimulation Déjà Vu, which combines cognitive science, creativity, and emotion to create one-of-a-kind olfactory experiences for individuals as well as for events.
Raphaëlle Huysmans: Executive vice president and partner at URBANIA Média, spreading the brand’s reach into the French multi-media landscape by launching Urbania France.
France Margaret Bélanger: President of the Sports & Entertainment division at Groupe CH, one of a few women in NHL upper management, Bélanger helps develop actions to fight racism and advance inclusion and diversity in hockey and the NHL.
Dr. Yolande E. Chan: The first Black dean at McGill University, focused on bringing more diversity and inclusion to the program in shaping leaders and entrepreneurs of the future.
Tech thinkers
Esther Youte, Stéphanie Jecrois and Carla Beauvais: Co-founders of technology platform Unite Prosper, an initiative of non-profit organization 0rijin Village, equipping entrepreneurs from Black communities with innovative technology solutions.
Charlotte Savage: Founder of HaiLa Technologies, Savage was recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list a few years ago for her innovative work in creating technology that allows wireless sensors for the Internet of Things to operate without batteries.
Joëlle Pineau: Former leader of the Meta AI Research Lab and co-director of McGill University's Reasoning and Learning Lab, Pineau has been honoured with a Governor General’s Innovation Award.
Doina Precup: An associate professor at McGill University and head of the Montreal office of Deepmind, Precup conducts fundamental research on reinforcement learning, working in particular on AI applications in areas that have a social impact, such as health care.
Chloë Ryan: CEO and founder of Acrylic Robotics, Ryan has revolutionized the art-tech industry by developing methods to scale her own and other artists’ creations, making original artwork more accessible through robotic and AI technologies.
Scientific minds
Dr. Joanne Liu: Recipient of the Order of Canada and longtime epidemic fighter with Doctors Without Borders, Liu is a pediatric emergency physician at CHU Sainte-Justine.
Dr. Lucy Gilbert : The Director of Gynecologic Oncology and the Women’s Health Research Unit at the MUHC was named one of a Top Women of Influence for her work in detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Azadeh Dastmalchi: This Montréal scientist and biomedical engineer is the founder of VitalTracer Ltd. and creator of the VTLab smartwatch, which can aid in early detection of heart disease and viruses.
Sandrine Milante: CEO of ÉcoloPharm, one of the largest manufacturers of prescription drug packaging products in the country, Milante tackles the waste linked to the packaging and overpacking of prescription drugs, giving pharmacists eco-responsible packaging solutions.
Creative forces
Kim Pariseau: The award-winning founding architect of Appareil Architecture, a multidisciplinary architecture and design agency, leads her team in drawing on Nordic aesthetics.
Sylvette Babin: Editor and director of esse art magazine, the longest-running fine arts magazine in print in Québec, Babin heralds the diversity of today’s arts.
Meky Ottawa: Multidisciplinary artist working in video, illustration and installation art specific to Indigenous worlds. She is the author of the mural in homage to filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin at the corner of Atwater and Lincoln downtown.
Tatiana Zinga Botao: As co-founder of Théâtre de la Sentinelle and an actor herself, she is focused on equity, giving racialized people leading roles in meaningful productions.
Farah Khan: Principal and creative director of graphic design firm House9, who emphasizes collaboration and inclusivity with artists, researchers, non-profit organizations and cultural institutions.
Tranna Wintour: Celebrated comedian, singer, podcaster, producer and writer who straddles both the English and French-speaking worlds.
Monique Régimbald-Zeiber: Montréal-based artist whose perspective-shifting works on “invisibilized” history has been shown at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. She’s a recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.
Tawhida Tanya Evanson: Award-winning Antiguan-Québécoise poet, author and spoken-word artist who has performed at literary and arts festivals around the world.
Baharan Baniahmadi: An Iranian-Canadian writer and actor, Baniahmadi has won a Quebec Writers Federation Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction for her novel Prophetess, an allegorical interrogation of trauma, women’s rights and religious tradition.
Heather O’Neill: An awardee of the Writers’ Trust Fellowship for being a “leading light among Canadian writers,” O’Neill has authored many acclaimed books and makes astute book recommendations with her daughter on Instagram.
Natasha Kanapé Fontaine: This Innu slam poet, actress, visual artist and aboriginal and environmental rights activist has published three critically acclaimed collections of poetry and performs worldwide.
Musical mavens
Béatrice Martin (aka Cœur de pirate): This popular musician added a layer to her career when she took the helm of Bravo Musique, a record label with an emphasis on inclusivity and respect for artists and their work.
Elle Barbara: Creator of Montréal vogue-ball mainstay House of Barbara, singer-songwriter, performance artist and activist with a message of queer, Black, trans inclusivity.
Elisapie Isaac: Singing in Inuktitut, English and French, Isaac connects with her heritage in an entrancing folk music of the North.
Alexandra Strélinski: The Félix award-winning pianist and composer has become one of the foremost stars in modern classical music with her minimalist and cinematic compositions.
Dominique Fils-Aimé: Inspired by soul and jazz music icons of the ‘40s to ‘60s, Fils-Aimé won a Félix award for Jazz Album of the Year, a JUNO award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year and was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize.
Gastronomic tastemakers
Dyan Solomon: The famed chef and co-owner of restaurants Olive + Gourmando, Foxy and Un Po’ di Più has inspired many a home chef with the Olive + Gourmando cookbook.
Mandy Wolfe and Rebecca Wolfe: The sisters behind Mandy’s restaurants have cornered the market on Californian style salads in this city.
Élise Tastet: The founder and CEO of the Tastet food and restaurant website encourages discovery of all things food-related in and around Montréal, with restaurant profiles, interview with chefs and best-of lists.
Les Filles Fattoush: A collective of Montréal women that provides an avenue for Syrian women refugees to tackle social, cultural and economic obstacles by harnessing their culinary talents.
Dan Yu: Having made Plaza Saint-Hubert a destination for dumplings, Yu shares the comforting flavours of her mothers’ northern Chinese recipes at La Maison de Mademoiselle Dumpling.
Kate Boushel: Partner and Director of Beverage & Education at Groupe Barroco, this mixologist was also on the Québec team for Speed Rack, a national female-focused bartending competition that raises money for breast cancer research.
Fashion gurus
Gabrielle Laïla Tittley: A visual artist and designer whose colourful boutique Pony (also her nom de plume) features unique pop-culture-inspired clothing, prints and more that encourage levity and self-care.
Marie-Ève Lecavalier: Winner of the Festival d’Hyères prize and a CAFA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award for her nostalgic, psychedelic ‘60s and ‘70s inspired women’s wear for her LECAVALIER label.
Marie-Eve Emond: Designed in Montréal with a philosophy of longevity, unique detail and stylish simplicity, Emond’s brands Betina Lou (womenswear) and Marmier (menswear) are made to stand the test of time.
Sophie Boyer: The entrepreneur transformed the high-quality but old-fashioned Québec coat company Audvik into a fashion-forward premium brand complete with innovative, eco-friendly fabrics.
Myriam and Romy Belzile-Maguire: Co-founders of Maguire shoe boutique, these sisters make high-quality fashion footwear fair and accessible.
Noémie Vaillancourt: Under her label Noémiah, Vaillancourt designs playful dresses, jumpsuits, lingerie and accessories handmade in Montréal according to environmentally conscious practices.
Naomie Caron: This designer takes the plunge into ethical principles with her long-lasting Selfish Swimwear brand, made from premium recycled fibres.
Madeleine Beaulieu: Beaulieu launched luxury leather goods brand Partoem to offer high-quality minimalist designs.
Samantha-Tara Mainville: Hats are wearable art in this milliner’s hands, founder of Heirloom Hats.
Eliza Faulkner: Clean lines, classic silhouettes and femininity are the signature of Faulkner’s designs sourced from quality fabrics woven locally or from reputable mills, with all manufacturing done in Montréal.
Marie-Christine Fortier: Founder of the brand Esser, based on principles of trend-proof authenticity, sustainability and accessibility.
Isa Tousignant
Isa Tousignant is an editor and storyteller with a curiosity that runs deeper than most. She has chatted life philosophies with celebrity chefs, gemologists, arena rockers and furries. (All were transformative.) Her favourite things include discovering new flavours and celebrating the creativity that defines her hometown, Montréal.