A full day of professional development is designed specifically for women leading in mortgage and finance
The Women in Mortgage Summit Canada returns for its fourth year with a singular focus: creating the industry's most meaningful professional development experience designed specifically for women in mortgage and finance. Canadian Mortgage Professional is proud to bring it back — because the momentum this event has built matters, and so does the community it serves.
Taking place on September 24 at the International Centre in Toronto, the summit runs alongside MortgageFest Canada for the first time, with both events at the same venue over consecutive days. But they are not the same event, and the difference is worth understanding clearly.
Jesse Friedl, KMI Business Information’s global head of event production, explained the deliberate distinction between the two events.
"MortgageFest and Women in Mortgage Summit are two different events with two different models," Friedl told CMP.
"MortgageFest is a sponsor-powered festival built for the whole industry. Women in Mortgage is a leadership event — independently programmed, with a headline keynote and a programme built around the challenges, ambitions, and opportunities specific to women leading in this industry. That curatorial independence is what the ticket makes possible. At a 2,000-person event, having a space that was genuinely set up for you makes a difference."
What to expect on the day
The content programme centres on more than 25 expert speakers and industry leaders, with interactive peer-driven discussion tables woven into the agenda alongside the main sessions — small-group conversations designed to go deeper than a standard panel, working through real leadership challenges with peers who understand the pressures they face.
Sessions include a practical look at how top-performing mortgage professionals are building long-term trust and referrals; a candid exploration of burnout, boundaries, and how strong leaders protect their energy; an AI session focused on practical tools mortgage professionals are already using; and "Building a Business That Lasts," which tackles sustainable growth, succession planning, and long-term value creation.
Who's speaking
Rola Dagher opens the day. She came to Canada as a young refugee, started as a telemarketer at Bell Canada, and rose to become President and CEO of Cisco Canada before serving as Global Channel Chief at Dell Technologies. Her keynote isn't a motivational talk — it's a practical leadership framework she has built and tested over more than two decades, and she'll share it plainly.
Also taking the stage: Ruvani Henriques, vice president of strategy and marketing at Glasslake Funding; Zamina Walji, vice president, growth business, personal lending at EQ Bank; Jamie Doolittle, head of BMO BrokerEdge; Sofia Hondrogiannis, associate vice president of national distribution at TD Bank; and Tracey Robinson, principal, relationship management and strategic development at Finastra.
Registration for the Women in Mortgage Summit Canada is open now – make sure to reserve your spot today.
