women-of-inspiration Women of Inspiration Awards

Women of Inspiration™ Awards 

The Universal Womens Network™ unlocks the ripple effect to amplify the voice of women together with our male allies as visible champions who SupportHER™.

The Women of Inspiration™ Awards is an annual event recognizing the achievements of women and men who SupportHER™ who lead, inspire and motivate.

We invite you to be in the room to celebrate the achievements of women and experience the Women of Inspiration™ Awards, hear from celebrity keynote, enjoy live performances and rub shoulders with inspiring leaders and Top Companies from diverse industries. You will leave feeling inspired, connected and motivated to inspire change.

BE IN THE ROOM

• Date: Thursday, April 4, 2024
• Location: Metro Toronto Convention Center (MTCC)
• Event Details:  Red Carpet, Awards, Dinners, Celebrity Keynote (Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker), VIP Meet and Greet and DJ After Party
• Attire – Oscar Style Glam (Black Tie)
• Tickets – See below for Tickets, Reserved Tables and VIP Meet and Greet Passes
• Reserved Corporate or Group Tables (10) + (2) VIP Meet and Greet Passes + Table Signage
• VIP Meet and Greet Passes (Photo Op)
• Individual Tickets
• VIP Celebrity Meet and Greet Passes

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?

One word to describe the Women of Inspiration™ Awards is an experience unlike you have experienced!  Women of Inspiration™ Awards is a prestigious award that recognizes inspirational women who have inspired change in their networks, workplaces and communities,  MEET THE FINALISTS 

The 2023 Women of Inspiration™ recipients will be announced on Thursday, April 4, 2024.

We are proud to announce the celebrity keynotes for the Woman of Inspiration ™ Awards, featuring power couple Bobbi Brown, beauty industry titan, author, and serial entrepreneur and SupportHER™, husband, Steven D. Plofker to share the stage for the first time in North America.

We are disrupting the status quo with an unprecedented conversation to inspire change for women and men to lead together. Bobbi will share her remarkable journey of reinvention as a female (serial) entrepreneur, together, sharing their paths to success as a power couple and the significant role men play as SupportHER™ champions to advancing women.

LIMITED Celebrity Keynote Interview (VIP Celebrity Meet and Greet Passes)

CELEBRITY KEYNOTE INTERVIEW – BOBBI BROWN and STEVEN D. PLOFKER

Bobbi Brown is reinventing beauty at every age! World-renowned makeup artist, serial entrepreneur, and bestselling author Bobbi Brown is a titan of the ultra-competitive beauty industry. Bobbi founded Bobbi Brown Cosmetics with her husband, Steven D. Plofker, in 1991 because she was sick of red lipstick. Bobbi created 10 simple lip colors that evolved into a global beauty empire when the brand was acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies in 1995, placing Bobbi as the Chief Creative Officer of a rapidly growing, billion-dollar brand. With her business savvy, determination to follow her passion, and will to never accept no for an answer, Bobbi worked her way from an almost college dropout to the cosmetics queen, wellness expert, and serial entrepreneur that she is today. She speaks on the struggles of founding, launching, and running her own business, as well as the fast-paced world of microtrends today. As an authoritative voice in the beauty and wellness space, Bobbi can give perspectives on anything entrepreneurship, breaking down product ideation, trend analysis,  today’s global luxury market, and more.

Bobbi Brown has grown a beauty empire. Since leaving Bobbi Brown Cosmetics 2016, Bobbi has written numerous beauty and wellness books and launched Beauty Evolution LLC. She has also launched EVOLUTION_18, a line of lifestyle-inspired wellness products, The George, a boutique hotel run with her husband, Steven Plofker, in the heart of Montclair, N.J., and Jones Road Beauty, a line of high-grade, clean beauty projects. Bobbi is the Beauty & Lifestyle Editor of Elvis Duran and the morning Show,  hosts iHeartMedia’s Beyond the Beauty with Bobbi Brown, which is part of iHeartMedia, Inc., and continues to work editorially. She has received the “Glamour Woman of the Year Award,” “The Fashion Group International Night of Stars Beauty Award,” and “The Jackie Robinson Foundation’s ROBIE Humanitarian Award,” to name a few. She was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation and has been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Steven Plofker – Entrepreneur and real estate developer STEVEN D. PLOFKER’s successful business portfolio reflects his hardworking nature and deep understanding of market trends. Steven co-founded Bobbi Brown Cosmetics with his wife, Bobbi, in 1991. The cosmetics brand was acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies in 1995, springboarding Steven and Bobby to global recognition in the beauty industry. His real estate projects include urban infill, historic renovations, new construction, and readaptive uses of commercial, industrial, and residential projects. His other business endeavors include ownership of a film and photography studio, a boutique hotel, and cosmetics and supplements companies.

Plofker is a respected voice in both business and urban development, having served as Board Member of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Member of the Board of Overseers and Governance Committee at Rutgers University, Founding Board Member of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, and member of the American Red Cross Northern New Jersey Board.  Plofker earned his B.A from Rutgers University (1978), a master’s degree in City Planning from Harvard University (1980), and a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law (1993). Steven D. Plofker is currently co-president of the Montclair Police Foundation, Advising Board Member of HomeCorp and Commissioner of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

CO-EMCEE – MICHAEL BURNS – CEO, CANADA’s VALOUR GAMES

Burns was the CEO of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017. The Invictus Games are the largest international adaptive sports competition in the world featuring ill and injured soldiers and veterans. Burns led the execution of the Games, including building the organization from the ground up, which took more than two years. Under his leadership, the Games secured support from all three levels of government and more than 100 corporate and community partners and recruited more than 1,800 volunteers. The Toronto Invictus Games were completely sold out and generated the highest national and worldwide viewing audience ever for the Games.

Burns brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing, financial services, technology, and entrepreneurship. Burns is co-founder of the True Patriot Love Foundation, which supports Canada’s military, veterans, and their families by funding programs for mental health, physical rehabilitation, career transition, and family services. He is the Past Chair of the Michael Garron Hospital Foundation Board (formerly the Toronto East General Hospital Board Foundation). He successfully led the team that secured the Garrons’ $50-million donation.

ROBERTA BATTAGLIA  – PERFORMER | AGT (America’s Got Talent) GOLDEN BUZZER WINNER

AGT Season 15 ⭐ GOLDEN BUZZER WINNER ⭐ 4th Overall Finalist on America’s Got Talent, the WORLD’s BIGGEST STAGE show. Sofia Vergara hits her first-ever Golden Buzzer on AGT for Roberta! To date, 91M people have viewed Roberta’s dazzling performance from around the world.

Roberta Battaglia is a dynamic, new young vocalist from Toronto, Canada. Born in 2009 into a musical family, Roberta began her singing career at the astonishing age of three years alongside her father, Alessandro  Battaglia, and together the duo have graced many stages from local community performances to galas and noted charity events. Roberta has been busy performing at various high-profile events and functions in both Canada and the USA and on the Big Screen singing the CDN Anthem for the Toronto Blue Jays.  A second-generation Italian Canadian, Roberta is fluent in both English and Italian and performs a diverse repertoire of music in both languages ranging from ballads and top-40 hits to high-octane pop.

D.O. (DUANE) GIBSON – PERFORMANCE – Two-time Guinness World Record-Setting Rapper

Duane Gibson, aka D.O., is a two-time Guinness World Record-setting rapper, author, music executive and motivational speaker who has inspired hundreds of thousands of youth since 2001. He set a Guinness World Record by freestyling for 8 hours and 45 minutes and has performed worldwide, performing multiple tours in Asia, Europe, United States and touring nationally in Canada. Gibson has performed more than 3500 shows at schools across Canada.  In 2023, D.O. completed a 100-show cross-Canada Black Canadian history school tour, including a virtual conference, which was attended by over one hundred thousand youth from across Canada.  He has been profiled on CBC, City TV News, Global, Toronto Star, and even guest co-hosted Entertainment Tonight. Gibson co-founded the Northern Power Summit – a Hip-Hop conference based in Toronto. The conference launched its sixth edition in November 2022.  As a music executive, Gibson has helped over fifty artists secure hundreds of grants for recording and touring and coordinated over one hundred performance opportunities for artists internationally. D.O. has had Snoop Dogg provide him with freestyle topics, had several videos play on MuchMusic, and Drake even appeared in one.

OPENING SHOW  – ON PURPOSE

Hannah Isenberg – Co-Owner and Choreographer, Isenberg Entertainment | 2023 Women of Inspiration™ Finalist 

Hannah Isenberg is a multifaceted artist from Toronto, Canada. With much success in the realms of the arts, Hannah is humbled and grateful to be considered a professional dancer, choreographer, adjudicator, musician, actor, designer and photographer. Her work has allowed her to share her passions with communities in 35+ countries, providing learning opportunities to all ages in the arts. Hannah is the co-owner of Isenberg Entertainment and operates Hive Marketing Agency, a digital branding and website design company geared towards providing affordable aid in starting small businesses. Hannah has helped over 30 small businesses bloom. Her goal is that dreamers with tight budgets aren’t deterred from pursuing their goals because tight budgets, everyone deserves a chance. Hannah also owns House of Gemini Productions where she is able to capture memories through artistic portraits.

Hannah is honoured to travel worldwide as a dance adjudicator, providing encouragement for young dancers, as she once was. This year, she has introduced a personal mentoring scholarship to dancers in their senior year of high school, providing them with resources and tools they will need to expand into the professional world of the arts.

• THE VIBE An inspiring and awe-worthy celebration of unity amongst women, kicking off the 2023 Women of Inspiration Awards with the message of strength, resilience, determination, and power. An emotional and encouraging display of the women who have blazed the trails before us, the women currently carrying the torch, and the hope for the next generation of women to come.
• THE VISION A multimedia display of live dance choreography paired with a background video featuring diverse Women of Inspiration from diverse industries, ages and stages.
• THE CAST A cast of multifaceted young women, all up-and-coming in the local arts community. These ladies showcase what we have to look forward to in the next generation of youth, exuding confidence and determination to make their own marks in our society.
• THE CHOREOGRAPHY Expect a dynamic display of both artistic and athletic performance choreographed by Hannah Isenberg (2023 Women of Inspiration Nominee), an active member in the dance community. Fusing together the techniques of jazz, contemporary, hip hop and acrobatics, the show opener will be sure to leave the audience eager to enjoy what’s to come for the duration of the evening!

WHERE TO STAY?

Hotels close to the Metro Convention Centre: Visit Visit Hotels.com

• Radisson Blu Downtown
• Fairmount Royal York Hotel
• Executive Hotel Cosmopolitan
• Hilton Hotel – Canopy
• InterContinental Toronto Centre
• The Soho Hotel
• Sheraton Centre Toronto
• Hyatt Regency Toronto

BECOME A PARTNER 

WHO IS A WOMAN OF INSPIRATION?

A Woman of Inspiration™ is an extraordinary woman who inspires those around her to be more and do more. She is an everyday hero, entrepreneur, CEO, business leader, changemaker, game-changer and role model. She uses her influence and position of power to inspire change. She is admired and respected for her resilience, leadership and humility. She has grit and fights for what she believes in, regardless of the barriers. She isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves. She ignores the naysayers and fearlessly steps outside of her comfort zone to pave the road for others to follow.

• NOMINATE SupportHER™ (Male Allies) – Deadline December 15, 2023.
• Nominate a Woman of Inspiration™ – Nominations will open on January 1, 2024.
• APPLY – Top Company – Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion SupportHER™ Champion – Deadline December 15, 2023.

WOMAN OF INSPIRATION™ Women Driving Change Book

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