Women in Business: June 5, 2025

Lindsay Hillcoat is the Executive Director of Student Services & International Relations at the Schulich School of Business. She is a Schulich MBA ’10, and has spent the past eleven years in a variety of admissions and international relations leadership roles within Schulich. Prior to joining Schulich, Lindsay’s early career was spent working with social entrepreneurs and in the non-profit sector here in Toronto and internationally in West Africa and South Asia.

Penny Wise is 3M’s Vice-President, Global Public Policy and Communications, bringing nearly 25 years of global brand, communications and marketing experience to the role and is based out of the 3M global headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a passionate advocate for women in STEM and business.

Originally from Canada, Penny began her 3M career at the Canadian head office in London, Ontario. She has held a variety of progressive senior leadership roles in business, commercialization, brand and corporate marketing including the former Executive Director of the Canadian Consumer business group.

In 2010, relocated to 3M global headquarters as the 3M International Marketing Director. In 2014, as Chief Branding Officer, Penny led a reinvention of the 3M corporate brand that moved 3M away from a 25-year-old brand concept, positioning and tagline to a strategy more relevant to the market, and then launched it around the globe simultaneously – “3M Science. Applied to Life™.”

In 2020, she was promoted to President, 3M Canada and reimagined the Managing Director role at a subsidiary to have much more active corporate leadership in the country and community. As businesses tried to respond to pandemic disruptions, she and 3M Canada worked with government partners and delivered an N95 mask manufacturing facility in Brockville, Ontario to fulfill demand and build domestic inventories. It shone a light on the important role 3M Canada played in ensuring the safety of Canadians during a challenging time and brought a strong sense of pride to its employees.

Penny is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

She was recognized as one of the WXN’s Top 100 Powerful Women in Canada in 2022.

Penny is a graduate of Glendon College and the Schulich School of Business – both at York University.

Winny Shen is an Associate Professor of Organization Studies at the Schulich School of Business. She conducts high-impact research and is devoted to teaching in an effort to promote inclusive, productive, and healthy work organizations. Specifically, her program of research, currently supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), centers on three themes: (1) organizational leadership, (2) diversity and inclusion in the workplace, with an emphasis on gender-related issues, and (3) worker well-being, particularly work-family issues and the consequences of workplace understaffing. This work has appeared in leading academic outlets, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, and the Leadership Quarterly. She was named a Rising Star in 2016 by the Association for Psychological Science (APS).

In 2021 Benaisha graduated with Schulich BBA, specializing in Operations Management and Information Systems. She then joined Restaurant Brands International through their Leadership Development Program which allowed her to explore different departments such as Supply Chain and Operations. During this time Benaisha also pursued my Masters in Supply Chain Management part time at Schulich, graduating in 2024. She currently serves as Supply Planning Manager for Tim Hortons U.S., leading a team responsible for ensuring consistent product supply to restaurants across the company’s expanding American market. In her free time, Benaisha can be found with a book, baking or traveling!

As a Consulting leader in Deloitte’s Organization Transformation (Strategic Change) practice, Patrice leads Customer & Marketing Transformational Change. She specializes in helping her clients tie their purpose to their outcomes through technology-enabled transformation and to successfully implement enterprise change. A passionate advocate for social change, diversity, and inclusion, Patrice plays at the intersection of evolving customer and employee needs and rapid digital modernization.

Alex Popa is a Vice President in BDO’s the M&A and Capital Markets practice where she advises mid-market clients on divestiture and acquisitions. Prior to joining BDO, Alex worked at Big 4 and mid-market corporate finance groups in Toronto across broad transaction advisory mandates focusing on providing corporate finance, financial due diligence, valuations, and consulting expertise to mid-market business. Alex holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and a Master of Accounting (MAcc) from the Schulich School of Business and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). Alex teaches accounting and taxation part-time at Seneca Polytechnic and the Schulich School of Business alongside being actively involved in public speaking and mentorship.

Alex recently published an accounting casebook under Canadian Scholars with Alla Volodina and Marc Colasanti from Schulich.

Anjelica is a social entrepreneur and marketing strategist dedicated to breaking down systemic barriers and empowering marginalized communities. As Co-Founder and Director of Marketing at Engage, an award-winning nonprofit, she has led initiatives that have impacted thousands of young people through civic education and community-driven programs. She has also spearheaded creative initiatives, including publishing accessible policy magazines that translate complex policies into engaging, easy-to-understand narratives. Beyond advocacy, Anjelica is a Marketing Manager supporting 30+ small businesses in underserved communities. She develops strategic marketing plans, creates compelling content and leverages data-driven storytelling to increase brand awareness and drive business growth. Anjelica’s unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion, ensures individuals and businesses alike have the resources, visibility and opportunities to thrive.

Lindsay Hillcoat is the Executive Director of Student Services & International Relations at the Schulich School of Business. She is a Schulich MBA ’10, and has spent the past eleven years in a variety of admissions and international relations leadership roles within Schulich. Prior to joining Schulich, Lindsay’s early career was spent working with social entrepreneurs and in the non-profit sector here in Toronto and internationally in West Africa and South Asia.