About Us

Our Story

  • “The more women help one another, the more we help ourselves.”
    ~Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In

Lean In Canada is a community of professional women empowering each other to build purposeful and fulfilling careers. Since 2013, we have grown from an audience of 20 people to over 6000 members across the country in various professions. We built our organization for people just like us: professional women who are passionate about driving their careers forward to the next level and beyond, and who want to achieve greater success not only in work, but in life as a whole.

We want a world where people of every gender can pursue their dreams without bias or other barriers holding them back. Where girls grow up to be confident, resilient leaders. Where more women run companies and countries. We are driven by the belief our society and economy would be better if women and girls were valued as equal to men and boys.

Our Team

Stacey Dakin

National President and Chair

Juliet Turpin

VP, Network Liaison

Leila Weller

Director, Strategic Partnerships

Daisy Gao

Director, Engagement

Joleena Teo

Director of Finance

Sasha Rana

Director, Marketing and Communications

Kirsten Creber

Corporate Secretary

Melonie de Guzman

Director, Events

"After each Lean In Canada event, I feel like my batteries have been re-charged; I am motivated and have connected with other like minded, driven women."

- Alana Elmaleh

Advisors

Founders

In 2013, when Sheryl Sandberg's book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, was released, it was something that Christina Rupsingh, Despina Zanganas, and Sarah Kwan individually knew they needed to read. One of the key points of the book was this: that we need to actively build our own support systems in order to be successful. After discovering each other's mutual passion for supporting professional women, they began meeting in Despina's office with a group of 20 as Lean In Toronto, and before long, knew they were on to something special. In 2014, they incorporated the organization and became Lean In Canada, with the mandate to build a thriving community of women who come together and celebrate each other's successes and ambitions.


Christina Rupsingh

Christina Rupsingh

Despina Zanganas

Despina Zanganas

Sarah Kwan

Sarah Kwan

Our Partners