Finding your voice is a powerful step in shaping your career. Speaking up – about your ideas, your goals, and your worth – creates visibility, and pairing that with sponsorship amplifies it even further, as sponsors open doors and put your name forward when you’re not in the room. On International Women’s Day, it’s a reminder that progress isn’t just about individual confidence and skill, but also about building networks of support that help women advance. We sat down with two CPA leaders, Teresa Conway, FCPA, FCA, board director, and Selena Woo, CPA, CMA, vice-president, private wealth – associates at Nicola Wealth, whose career achievements were recently celebrated through CPABC’s Member Recognition Program. Here is their take on the power of sponsorship and finding and using your voice.
Speaking up and seeking challenges will open doors
Teresa Conway: From 2005-2017, I was the first female CEO at Powerex, an energy marketing company. When I went out into the Western energy marketplace and met people from other companies, there were a few women in senior positions in the industry. But often, I was the only woman in the room, so sometimes that’s challenging.
My work involved attending a lot of industry forums and if you were speaking at one and an idea came from you, as a woman, it might not get much traction. But if five minutes later someone else said the same thing, it might get traction. So your voice was not always heard. It always worked better if there were more women in the room and someone else would jump in offer support, but you didn’t always get that from your male colleagues. For me, it was more important that if I had expressed a good idea that it went forward; I didn’t have to get credit for it.
Overall, my advice would be: If you have a good idea, have the courage to speak up and don’t let the environment hold you back. The same advice applies to women seeking leadership roles. My advice is, pursue it. Don’t let the environment intimidate you. I periodically mentor women and new CEOs and they often say, “I’m not sure if I should take the job.” I always say, “Go for it” because gaining that experience can open many more doors. Yes, it’s a challenge, but seek that challenge. You will be a role model for my daughters, for your daughters, for women in general.
Mentorship is valuable, but sponsorship is transformative
Selena Woo: Mentorship is critical, especially for women, but sponsorship is often missing – and sponsorship is the piece that is most transformative. Mentors prepare you for opportunities, but sponsors create opportunities.
To share a personal experience, I have a friend who is like a mentor to me and he saw my passion for teaching and lifting up the next generation. At the time, he was a professor at UBC Sauder, and he invited me to be a guest lecturer in his business communication classes. That invitation changed a lot for me. He didn’t just encourage me. He put my name forward. He opened up his classroom. He shared his platform. And most importantly, he gave me access.
Women who are seeking out sponsors first need to get clarity on where they want to go and then ask for advocacy (not just advice). If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know what to ask for? Which rooms do you want to be invited into? What opportunities do you want to be considered for?
Sponsors don’t guess. They respond to clarity and readiness. This means continuing to do exceptional work, continuing to build trusted relationships with leaders who see your potential, and then ultimately asking for that advocacy.
It’s difficult for a sponsor to advocate for you if you can’t advocate for yourself. Being able to find your voice gives you conviction. That gives you belief and confidence in yourself when you’re able to stand tall and proud and say, “I accomplished this,” or, “I contributed to this impact.” Often, we feel like our work will speak for itself, but that’s not always the case. Finding your voice helps you with confidence and conviction and it helps you give that confidence to others as well.
Celebrate and connect with CPABC’s 2025 Member Recognition Program honourees! Join us for the gala Member Recognition Dinner on April 1, 2026.
Photos courtesy of Kent Kallberg Studios.
