October 8, 2025 – VersaFi is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 VersaFi Leadership Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations across seven prestigious categories. The recipients will be honoured November 13 in Toronto.
These honourees have demonstrated exceptional dedication to advancing women in finance through their roles as visionary, innovators, leaders, allies and volunteers. Their impactful contributions are creating meaningful change and establishing new standards for inclusion within their organizations and across the broader Canadian finance industry, directly supporting the advancement and retention of women in finance.
2025 Leadership Award Recipients
VersaFi Rising Star – Celebrates early-in-career women who have shown exceptional promise in advancing women within their organizations or the broader finance sector.
- Julia Bond – CIBC Capital Markets
- Lexy Weinberg – CPP Investments
- Francesca Pietropaolo – Desjardins Group
VersaFi Trailblazer – Honours mid-career level high-performing women who propel meaningful change for women in finance at both the organization and industry level.
- Florence Liberski – Manulife Private Wealth
- Kowshika Thiruparanathan – Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
- Vanina El-Khoury – Scotiabank Global Banking & Markets
VersaFi Transformational Leadership – Celebrates senior-in-career women leaders who drive transformative change, advancing women within their organizations and across the finance industry.
- Allison Comeau – ATB Financial
- Liz Bouthillier – Franklin Templeton
- Cecile Baker – TD Securities
VersaFi Outstanding Volunteer – Awarded to volunteers that have demonstrated leadership and initiative, setting an exceptional example to other volunteers, with a commitment to elevating women in finance.
- Lovelyn Toyo – RBC Capital Markets
- Stacy McBurney – Scotiabank Global Banking & Markets
- Natasha Copeland – TD Securities
VersaFi Ally – Awarded to men who have taken bold steps to accelerate inclusion.
- Patrick Bartlett – BMO Private Wealth
- Stéphan Bourbonnais – iA Wealth
VersaFi Visionary – Awarded to a leader who demonstrates exceptional forward-thinking and strategic vision in advancing inclusion in the finance industry.
- Patti Shugart – RBC Capital Markets
VersaFi Award for Excellence in Innovation – Awarded to one person, group, department or firm that has created meaningful, measurable, and lasting improvements for women through an innovative and impactful approach.
- Taborah Tyson – TD Securities
Acknowledgments
We extend our special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor S&P Global for their unwavering commitment to advancing women in finance and their generous support of this celebration.
Our sincere appreciation to our Supporting Sponsor Tory’s LLP for their dedication to fostering positive change in the industry.
Thank you to our Venue Sponsor RBC Capital Markets for providing the setting for the 2025 VersaFi Leadership Awards Reception and for their ongoing support of our mission.
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About VersaFi
VersaFi is a national, not-for-profit organization focused on elevating women in the finance sector. Founded in 1995 as Women in Capital Markets (WCM), the organization rebranded in 2024 to empower and advocate for women across the finance sector, at all stages of their careers, nationally. It does this by fostering a pipeline of talent at all levels and by working with finance sector leaders to implement impactful and lasting structural and cultural change. Its community has grown to more than 4,000 members across the sector, representing Canadian bank-owned dealers and wealth managers, independent and foreign-owned dealers, asset managers, insurance companies, pension plans, regulatory agencies, exchanges, and advisory firms. To learn more, or to become a member, visit www.versafi.ca.
