With millions of women working in Canada, choosing the top 100 can’t be an easy task. But every year, the Women’s Executive Network rises to the challenge and honours 100 women in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors with Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100.
This year, MaRS’ very own Ilse Treurnicht, who has been CEO of the MaRS Discovery District since 2005, shows up on the list in the Trailblazers and Trendsetters category (there are eight categories, including corporate executives, champions and future leaders).
On Monday, November 30, The Globe and Mail published an interview with Ilse, asking how she got onto the Top 100 list, how she integrates work and family life and how she’s changed since high school.
The Globe also asked: what’s the best piece of advice you were ever given? Ilse replied, “It’s important to choose organizations that share the same values and passions that you do.” Wiser words were never spoken—a 2007 survey found that 65% of Canadians believe the values at their workplace are not in tune with their own personal values. Both women and men can get hung up on exact titles or job descriptions, but there is a certain satisfaction that comes with working for an organization that shares your values and philosophies. Anyone who’s met Ilse can verify that she is a living, breathing example of her own advice: when it comes to MaRS, she is the textbook definition of passionate. (Ilse also offered these words of wisdom: “Never work for a jerk.” Good advice.)
To read more about Ilse’s journey to the top, her own work experiences and her views on women CEOs—where they’ve been and where they’re going—read the full article in The Globe and Mail. Click here for more information about Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100.