A Canadian senator from Windsor says every time we have women in a position to be seen by other women, "it's a big boost" to get more of them to follow.
Sandra Pupatello was the keynote speaker Tuesday at an event at the University of Windsor's Odette School of Business to mark International Women's Day.
Pupatello, the former Windsor West MPP from 1995 to 2011, was an Ontario cabinet minister in Liberal Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's government and spoke about the ever-evolving business industry.
She says life has changed since she first entered provincial politics when there were only three women in the Liberal caucus.
"I'm now in the Senate of Canada, with the majority of them being women, so that is a tremendous change, and it changes the environment and changes how we go to issues. What are we going to include in our decision-making? I can feel the difference," says Pupatello.
The theme of the annual global event is "Women Leading with Intelligence," examining how women leaders are integrating human, emotional, social, strategic, and artificial intelligence to build ethical and resilient organizations.
Pupatello says by the numbers, having more women in leadership positions and how they attack problems make a difference.
"For example, why has the government now gone to a big focus on childcare, caring for the elderly? That is because women are in leadership positions and acknowledging what they have dealt with and making changes for the generations that are going to follow," she says.
Pupatello says technology is helping level the playing field when it comes to getting more women in certain positions.
"Every time we can put women in a position where they can be seen by other women, it's a big boost to get more of them in there. When we had our first female astronaut, for example, now we've got a lot more women going into that level of study. I think it's important. You've got to see it to be it. That means we have to push our women to get into leadership roles," she says.
The event also marked the official launch of the Lenore Simpson Women in Business Award, created to honour Simpson's legacy of leadership and community engagement while supporting the next generation of women leaders at Odette.
The inaugural recipient is Makennah Murphy, a fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) student specializing in human resources with a minor in English language and literature. She serves as president of the Odette Commerce Society and as an Eastern Board representative for the Canadian Association of Business Students.
Murphy was recognized for academic excellence and leadership, earning the Dean's Renewable Scholarship for honour roll standing, the 2024 Made a Difference Award, and the 2026 Dean's Award for Excellence in Leadership. She plans to pursue a career in human resources, consulting, or labour relations, with a focus on employee training and development.