Women’s Collaborative ready to mentor

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“I was hosting events for women in my profession and we really wanted to improve our outcomes and celebrate the successes,” Boismier said. “We didn’t want to dwell on the negative aspects being said about Windsor around the country.”

At the time, Boismier was working in banking but she’s since joined Soave at WaveDirect where she serves as the chief financial officer.

The collaborative is a volunteer-driven effort funded through corporate and community sponsorships.

The website lists its goal as making Windsor-Essex County “Canada’s No. 1 place to be a woman by 2030.”
They started last fall offering group mentoring sessions including ones for Windsor’s Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST). This year they’ll launch a one-on-one mentoring program.

COVID-19 restrictions have slowed the effort but Boismier has assembled a roster of almost 30 female executives, business owners, public figures and entrepreneurs who will work with mentees of all ages and stages from recent graduates to established career women.

“Above all, one of our core values is we want to help women of all ages,” Boismier said. ”We want to help the 55-year-old working in IT who wants to retire or make a change, or the 22-year-old professional in sales and marketing who feels they’ve outgrown their position.”

They also want to offer support and advice to those lacking resources and a pathway to employment.

“Our mentees will come from all demographics and backgrounds, adversity doesn’t discriminate,” Boismier said. “We’re all faced with challenges in our professional and personal lives. Everyone needs someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of.”