Gender does not define this business leader

Meaghan Stovel McKnight (BCom ’01) is the Chief Executive Officer at Make-A-Wish Canada. Building on two decades of experience in the private and charitable sectors, she currently leads the mission to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

In 2024, she was named one of Canada’s most powerful women for challenging conventions, fostering inclusive workplace environments, driving innovation and empowering teams to thrive.

DeGroote Women in Business student leaders Emma Kerr, a second-year commerce student and director of multimedia, and Joann Serrao, a second-year commerce student and director of advocacy, sat down with Meaghan to discuss her career and leadership journey, mentorship, inclusion and how she balances work and life.

We have highlighted excerpts of their conversation. Listen to the full interview on YouTube.

Joann: Congratulations on being recognized as one of Canada’s most powerful women! Can you share the key moments or experiences in your career that led to this recognition?

One of the most pivotal moments was when I found my why—and it was probably one of the riskiest moments in my career. After I had my two kids, I had taken maternity leave and had gone back to work. That’s when I knew that ‘earnings per share’ wasn’t going to [propel me] anymore. And while I had great managers and great leaders, I wanted something different.

I remember standing looking at the hospital when I was on the curb with my little newborn son and I said I need to be part of that, and I need to figure out how I’m going to use my skills [to support health care]. I got involved as a volunteer and joined the hospital foundation board. That’s when my eyes were really opened to the transformational power of business skills in healthcare. I learned that in the Canadian health care system the standard of care is funded by taxes, but anything that we really aspire for ourselves and our families—things like research, innovation, expanded facilities—comes from philanthropy, and that comes from fundraising.

That seemed like a fantastic opportunity to have a real impact in an area that inspired me. It started me on my journey to build this core belief that everything starts with health. When someone in your family is sick, everything stops. It doesn’t matter what plans you had. It doesn’t matter how much money you have.

Joann: As a woman in leadership, what obstacles have you faced, and how have you overcome them to build your career and lead Make-A-Wish Canada?

I am absolutely certain there have been things that weren’t fair to me because I was a woman. I’ve been talked over in meetings, and I’m sure I was passed over for a promotion here or there—but my vision was always beyond that. I didn’t let it stop me.

This is not to minimize barriers that are out there, especially for women or men who are marginalized for various reasons. For me, obstacles for women are less about those that I’ve had to overcome and more about the important role I have to play in removing them for others.

As a leader of any gender, and especially as a woman in leadership, my job is to get obstacles out of the way for other people so that they can follow with me, and behind me, and beside me.

Emma: Do you have any female mentors who have shaped your career? How do you actively mentor or support other women within Make-A-Wish or your broader network?

I always go to one woman who was my first director when I worked at Bell Canada. Her name was Tracy Hurst. She was fabulous, smart, tenacious and she played a bit by her own rules. That’s what made her awesome.

I learned what being sponsored and mentored felt like. She was the person who, if I was sitting in the office and she was going to a meeting she would grab me and say, ‘Meaghan, you should come sit and watch this meeting’. That is incredible to have someone who decides they’re going to invest in you.

While I worked with Tracy she was diagnosed with cancer, and she went through a very valiant battle for about 10 years.

She passed away the week I started at Make-A-Wish. She was really special in my life and she’s with me still today. When I got this job, and they issued a press release, the quote I put in is that “I was so excited about this job because it allows me to be both an executive and a mom at the same time.” And I remember in the last conversation I had with Tracy, she said “I’m keeping that article and showing it to my daughter.”

Emma: What advice would you give to young women who feel intimidated by leadership roles or entering male-dominated fields?

Know what’s important to you and what you want to achieve in your life. You have to think about all the goals that you want to have in your life and how do you set up all the aspects of your life to do that. And then bring all those pieces with you to work.

If you’re intimidated by leadership roles, don’t be afraid to network. Take down those facades of feeling like it’s intimidating and just go talk to real people.

Actively seek out mentorship, strengthen your support network and lean on your support system. When you go into a new role, you will have to put a lot in for sure. The first year at this job I was running 150 per cent. I have built a community of people around me that support me and I support them.

Joann: How do you see the future of women in leadership evolving over the next decade, and what role do you believe women leaders like yourself can play in driving that change?

For me, it’s about creating safe workplaces. We definitely want our employees to keep a balance between work, life and personal. That said, I’m still going to expect a lot of results from people, because I expect them for myself.

I think hybrid workplaces can be beneficial, especially in a sector where we can’t compete on salary, we can compete on flexibility.

Emma: Many women feel pressure to “do it all”—lead, support and balance personal life. How do you approach this, and what advice do you have for other women?

Sometimes people come with this pressure of needing to do it all. I feel like today, more than ever, we have the opportunity to do it all.

I can have a career. I can have kids. I can have hobbies. Does it mean it’s going to require a lot of my time? Does it mean I probably won’t sleep as much? Yeah, 100 per cent. But that’s because I’ve decided that’s what a full cup looks like.

I am very tired; I’m not going to lie. But that’s okay, because I’m so filled up with the choices I’ve made. I love my kids. I love my family. I love my career – I absolutely love it – and so I have the opportunity to do it all. And for that I’m very grateful.

Emma: What is the importance of recognizing and celebrating women’s achievements, both within your organization and in society at large? How does International Women’s Day play into that conversation?

It is always important to celebrate wins, no matter big or small. Sometimes it can be a very hard week, and calling out a little win that’s on the team can be all that you need to have wind in your sails.

I think it’s very important for us to celebrate women’s contributions and not just on International Women’s Day, but all year long. It’s important to mentor and sponsor others, remove obstacles, and create space for people to shine. When you can create space for people to lead and grow and shine, that’s a great day at work.