Roxanne Joyal

What does empowerment mean for women and how can it be achieved? In this inspiring keynote, Roxanne shares effective strategies that women can use to transform their lives. Although she was the first in her rural Manitoba family to consider higher education, Roxanne went on to become a Stanford graduate, a Rhodes Scholar, a clerk at the Supreme Court and one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. Now a successful social entrepreneur and the CEO of ME to WE, she has dedicated her life to help uplift women in rural areas of Africa and Asia, bringing their products to market at Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom and Fossil. In this inspired and powerful keynote, Roxanne shares stories of the resilient women who are the backbone of ME to WE Artisans—not only providing for their children but emerging as innovative business leaders in their communities, and redefining a woman’s role in the process.

As CEO of ME to WE and founder of ME to WE Artisans, an innovative social enterprise that empowers people to change the world with their everyday consumer choices, Roxanne’s work has taken her from the hallways of Oxford to the villages of rural Asia and Africa with Craig and Marc Kielburger to the top design showrooms of New York and Los Angeles. Under Roxanne’s leadership, ME to WE Artisans has created an international market for the intricate handiwork of more than 1,400 indigenous women in Kenya, allowing them to lift their families out of poverty and establish themselves as leaders in their communities. As social entrepreneurship emerges as leading activity in North America and a dynamic tool for systemic change, her valuable insights will inspire business leaders hungry to make a social impact through their work.

A ground-breaking social entrepreneur, women’s rights advocate, and working mother raising two young girls, Roxanne shares the wisdom of mothers around the world who struggle to not only build a better life for their children, but also raise children who care about the world. In this powerful keynote, Roxanne shares learnings from the mothers she’s worked with in Kenya, Ecuador, India and beyond, and best practices for inspiring the young people in our lives to be socially conscious and caring global citizens.