About the Series
Not a conference. A convening.
Power Shift is a national, multi-city, multi-sector thought-leadership series. It convenes women leaders across Canada's most strategically significant sectors to examine how leadership culture is evolving—and what must change for institutions to sustain women's leadership.
Women are stepping into power as architects of new ways of holding authority—governing through complexity rather than dominance, building institutions rather than personal brands, and leading with empathy, moral courage, and strategic clarity.
The 2026 Sectors
Five chapters
Politics
Where democratic legitimacy and public trust are being tested, and where leadership culture must evolve to restore credibility.
Defence & Security
As Canada faces rising geopolitical instability and readiness pressures, women are leading at the frontlines of institutional change.
Infrastructure & Construction
Amid a national housing crisis and labour shortages, women are shaping how Canada builds its physical future.
Energy
At the intersection of climate urgency, energy security, and economic stability, women are designing systemic transitions.
Finance
As trillions in wealth transfer to women, leaders are gaining unprecedented power to move markets and redefine how capital flows.
The Leaders
Institution builders. Cultural translators. System shapers.
The women in these rooms influence how policy, capital, talent, and trust move through Canada's most powerful sectors. They are not exceptions. They are designers of the future.
Founded By
The Convenors
Emily Feairs
A leadership strategist and former Chief of Staff with deep experience working inside political and institutional systems. Founder of The Inner Room and a national convenor focused on how women exercise authority, build institutions, and shape leadership culture at scale.
emily@emilyfeairs.com
Frédérique Tsai-Klassen
Over 30 years of experience across government, politics, and public affairs, including advising federal Ministers and working in international organizations on complex, system-level challenges. As the founder of The Iron Network, she connects and supports women across generations to strengthen leadership capacity and collective impact.
frederique@theironnetwork.ca