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Caroline Codsi

Founder & Chief Equity Officer of Women in Governance

Caroline is the Founder & Chief Equity Officer of Women in Governance, Canada’s preeminent nonprofit created in 2010 with a mission to help women access decision-making bodies and male-dominated fields through advocacy, major events, mentoring, and governance training programs.   

In 2017 Women in Governance (WiG) developed the first North American Parity Certification™ with the pro bono support of McKinsey & Company, Accenture, Mercer, and WTW, to close the gender gap in the workplace in corporate Canada. WiG’s Parity Certification™ was also successfully launched in the US in 2020 through a historic partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA and will be launched in Europe in 2023. Today, more than 700,00 employees work for a Parity Certified organization.    

A Citizen of the world, fluent in four languages, and having lived on three continents, Caroline was born in Beirut and grew up in the civil war. A highly sought-after speaker, Caroline has addressed audiences across the globe, including two TEDx (120k+ views).  

She has also done more than 100 fireside chats with preeminent CEOs, Chairs of Boards, and global public figures, including Hillary Clinton, Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland, Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, Lord Mayor of the City of London, Tarana Burke, Randy Zuckerberg, Winnie Byanyima, Uzo Aduba to name just a few.   

Widely quoted in national and international media, she is the recipient of numerous awards from prestigious organizations including the United Nations’ Women’s Committee, the Quebec Business Women Network, The Federation of Chambers of Commerce, and the New Delhi Women’s Economic Forum.   

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Caroline on Canada’s National Gender Equality Committee and Mayor Valérie Plante on the City of Montreal’s Business Committee.  She was also recognized as a Top 20 Diversity Leading Figure in Quebec, Top 75 Canadian Immigrant, Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and Top 100 Entrepreneurs changing the world. Caroline is a Forbes Business Council member.