September 24 is weeks away — and seats at this sell-out event are running out
Registration for the Women in Mortgage Summit (WIMS) Canada 2026 is in its final weeks — and if history is any guide, seats will not last.
The summit, now in its fourth consecutive year, takes place on September 24 at the International Centre in Toronto. Hosted by Canadian Mortgage Professional (CMP), it is a dedicated one-day leadership event built specifically for women working in Canada's mortgage and finance sector — brokers, lenders, executives, and emerging professionals who want a full day of substantive content, structured networking, and honest conversation about what it takes to build a lasting career in this market.
Previous editions of the summit have sold out, with the 2025 event welcoming over 600 attendees for a day packed with keynote speeches, networking sessions, and industry insights.
This year's edition carries additional weight. For the first time, the summit runs alongside MortgageFest Canada — CMP's flagship two-day industry expo at the same venue on September 23 and 24, expected to draw more than 2,000 mortgage professionals from across the country.
A Women in Mortgage Summit pass includes full access to both days of MortgageFest Canada. That means a single registration unlocks two days of content across two events — a value proposition that has accelerated uptake this year.
A keynote worth clearing your calendar for
The opening keynote features Rola Dagher, a transformational leadership figure who rose from telemarketing at Bell to become president and CEO of Cisco Canada, then global channel chief at Dell Technologies.
Dagher arrived in Canada as a young refugee with no English and no formal credentials.
Her session will outline the leadership philosophy she has built and tested over decades and apply it directly to where mortgage professionals in Canada are right now.
The rest of the programme is equally direct. A power panel titled "What's Actually Happening in This Market" will bring together Sherry Cooper, chief economist at Dominion Lending Centres, alongside Michele Steko, vice president of national broker relations at Sherwood Mortgage Group in Canada, to cut through current noise about tariffs, rate uncertainty, and buyer hesitation.
The session is designed around one question: what are the women winning in this market actually doing differently?
Those looking for practical tools rather than broad strategy will find them in the AI workshop panel. Titled "AI, In Practice: Real Mortgage Workflows, Honest Results," the session is designed to cut through the noise surrounding artificial intelligence and deliver practical, field-tested guidance to mortgage brokers and lending professionals across Canada.
At #WomenInMortgageCA Summit 2026, Rola Dagher will share her remarkable journey from Bell’s telemarketing department to global leadership roles at Cisco Canada and Dell Technologies.
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) August 28, 2026
Register: https://t.co/d4JDfAblro#MortgageFestCA pic.twitter.com/hgk6tci3M0
A programme built for the whole business lifecycle
The afternoon sessions are structured around the decisions that define whether a mortgage business grows or plateaus. A fireside chat on sustainable growth and succession planning — featuring Zamina Walji, who leads growth businesses at EQ Bank in Canada, and Sabeena Bubber, a mortgage broker at Xeva Mortgage in British Columbia — tackles the structures and habits that create long-term business value.
The conversation will address succession planning, navigating ownership transitions, and the financial resilience that insulates businesses through major disruption.
A separate power panel — "The Leadership Shift No One Talks About" — takes on the pattern that derails many high performers: the habits that build early success become the source of later burnout.
Panellists include Ruvani Henriques, vice president of strategy and marketing at Glasslake Funding in Canada, and Sofia Hondrogiannis, associate vice president of national distribution at TD Bank, alongside other senior women leaders across the mortgage sector.
The summit runs from 7:45 a.m. to approximately 4:05 p.m. and is divided into four main session types: keynote addresses, power panels, peer-driven discussion tables, and fireside chats, with dedicated networking time built into each break.
A professional headshot station, themed breakfast networking tables, and informal drinks at day's end are designed to make every touchpoint productive.
The event is also pre-approved by Mortgage Professionals Canada for 3.25 CE units in the Professional Development Category for 2026.
Don't wait for the waitlist
The combined programme is expected to draw more than 600 mortgage professionals. With demand at that level and September 24 now close, waiting on registration carries real risk. Those who attended previous Women in Mortgage Summit Canada editions know that the event fills before the day itself.
For brokers who have been watching the programme build and telling themselves there is still time — there isn't much of it left. Registration is open now at womeninmortgage.ca/register-now
Make sure to get all the latest news to your inbox on Canada’s mortgage and housing markets by signing up for our free daily newsletter here.
