Canada's biggest dedicated gathering for women in the mortgage industry is arriving next week, and seats are running short.
The Women in Mortgage Summit Canada takes place on Wednesday, September 24, at the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Hosted by Canadian Mortgage Professional (CMP), the one-day leadership event is built for brokers, lenders, executives, and emerging professionals who want substantive content, structured networking, and direct conversation about what it takes to build a lasting career in this market.
The summit carries pre-approval from Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) for 3.25 continuing education (CE) units in the Professional Development Category for 2026. For brokers managing licence renewal obligations, that designation alone makes attendance worth considering.
Previous editions of the summit have sold out, with the 2025 event welcoming over 600 attendees.
A keynote built around one career, honestly told
The opening keynote at 8:55 a.m. features Rola Dagher, a transformational leadership speaker and former president and chief executive officer of Cisco Canada.
Dagher came to Canada as a young refugee with no English and no formal education, started in Bell's telemarketing department, and ended up as President and CEO of Cisco Canada and Global Channel Chief at Dell Technologies.
Her session is structured around a three-part leadership framework, applicable whether an attendee is two years or twenty into a career, covering what resilience looks like in a difficult market, and why developing other women in the industry is both the right thing and the strategically sound thing to do.
Leah Zlatkin, chief operating officer of Mortgage Outlet Inc. in Toronto, chairs the day and delivers welcome and closing remarks.
Behind every strong mortgage market are organizations driving confidence, efficiency, and expertise. We're proud to recognize our partners at #WomenInMortgageCA Summit 2026!
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) September 9, 2026
Register: https://t.co/L0jfVYZt75 pic.twitter.com/UWclMPHlKs
What the sessions cover
Three Power Panels run across the day. The first, held at 8:55 a.m., cuts directly into the market conditions brokers are managing right now: tariffs, rate uncertainty, a renewal wave reshaping client books, and buyers who are hesitating for reasons that have little to do with rates and everything to do with fear.
Sherry Cooper, chief economist at Dominion Lending Centres, and Michele Steko, vice president of national broker relations at Sherwood Mortgage Group, are among the panellists.
The second panel examines the leadership patterns that lead to burnout — specifically, how the dependability and hands-on approach that builds early careers can, if unchecked, become the habits that grind professionals down.
Sofia Hondrogiannis, associate vice president of national distribution and broker services at TD Bank, and Elena Robinson, vice president of residential sales at First National Financial LP in Canada, join the panel.
The third panel, in the afternoon, is focused on client communication: what to actually say when clients tell you they're waiting, how to stay connected after funding in a way that builds loyalty and referrals, and how to talk about life events — not just rates — so clients think of you first when things change.
Jamie Doolittle, head of BMO BrokerEdge, is on that panel. Doolittle is also among CMP's Top 50 Women of Influence in mortgage for 2026, a list that recognised 50 leaders across the full breadth of Canada's mortgage sector this year.
An AI workshop at 1:00 p.m. covers real tools and workflows mortgage professionals are already using — in client communication, file preparation, follow-ups, and marketing — alongside a direct conversation about compliance, data privacy, and the risks of cutting corners.
The session is led by Dalia Barsoum, founder of Streetwise Mortgages and co-founder of Wisely AI Technologies, whose brokerage has funded more than $2 billion in real estate mortgages.
A fireside chat in the late afternoon turns to long-term business questions: succession planning, building systems that reduce owner dependency, and navigating major life disruptions — from illness to ownership transitions — without losing the business underneath you.
Part of a two-day industry event
This year, Women in Mortgage Summit Canada is part of MortgageFest Canada, which means a summit pass includes full access to Canada's biggest mortgage event on both days — more content, more connections, the whole industry in one place.
MortgageFest Canada runs September 23 and 24 at the same venue, with a speaker lineup that signals where the Canadian broker industry is heading over the next two years.
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