What to expect at the Women in Mortgage Summit Canada 2026

The Women in Mortgage Summit Canada returns for its fourth consecutive year on September 24, at the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario — and this edition is the most ambitious yet.

Hosted by Canadian Mortgage Professional (CMP), the dedicated one-day event is designed specifically for women leading 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 actually takes to build a sustainable career in this market.

Here is everything you need to know about what the day holds.

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. J

esse Friedl, KMI Business Information's global head of event production, was clear on what distinguishes the two events: "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." 

How the day is structured

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.

Doors open at 7:45 a.m. with intentional breakfast networking. Attendees receive a conversation prompt card at the door and are encouraged to introduce themselves to someone new before the formal programme begins.

Leah Zlatkin, chief operating officer of Mortgage Outlet Inc. in Toronto, serves as chairperson and delivers welcome remarks at 8:45 a.m.

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 arrived in Canada as a young refugee without formal English education and began her career in Bell's telemarketing department; she went on to serve as global channel chief at Dell Technologies.

Her session presents a three-part leadership framework she has developed and tested over decades, with direct application for mortgage professionals at any career stage.

The sessions that matter most to brokers

Three Power Panels run across the day, each built around challenges the mortgage community identified as most pressing for 2026.

The first, "What's Actually Happening in This Market — and What the Women Winning in It Are Doing Differently," tackles rate uncertainty, the renewal wave reshaping client books, and buyer hesitation that has less to do with rates than with fear.

Speakers include Sherry Cooper, chief economist at Dominion Lending Centres, a national mortgage brokerage; Michele Steko, vice president of national broker relations at Sherwood Mortgage Group; and Jen Watts, regional sales manager for mortgages at Questbank.

Amanda Deveaux, partner at Grechi Carter Professional Corporation, moderates.

The second Power Panel, "The Leadership Shift No One Talks About," takes a frank look at burnout, specifically, the pattern by which the habits that build early success can eventually become the habits that erode it. This is a theme mortgage professionals have consistently identified as critical, with the demanding market environment of recent years requiring long hours and heavy workloads across the sector.

Panellists include Sofia Hondrogiannis, associate vice president of national distribution and broker services at TD Bank; Elena Robinson, vice president of residential sales at First National Financial LP; Ruvani Henriques, vice president of strategy and marketing at Glasslake Funding; and Janne Farais, chief internal auditor at Wealth One Bank.

Leanne Conroy, regional director of sales at MCAN Home Mortgage Corporation, moderates. 

The third Power Panel, held mid-afternoon, is "The Client Conversations That Actually Build Your Business." It addresses communication strategies for hesitant buyers, how to stay connected with clients after funding in a way that generates referrals, and how to position yourself around life events, not just rates.

Michelle Campbell, mortgage broker at Mortgage Architects in Canada, moderates, with Jamie Doolittle, head of BMO BrokerEdge, and Tracy Valko, co-founder and managing partner of DLC AIMI Mortgage Collective Group, on the panel.

An AI workshop at 1:10 p.m. focuses on practical tools and workflows mortgage professionals are already using, covering client communication, file preparation, follow-ups, and marketing, alongside a direct discussion of compliance, data privacy, and the risks of cutting corners.

Dalia Barsoum, founder of Streetwise Mortgages in Toronto, moderates, with Tracey Robinson, principal of relationship management and strategic development at Filogix, and Lisa Evans, director of underwriting at Magenta Capital Corporation.

Networking and peer discussion built into the day

Ten small-group discussion tables run from 10:55 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., a signature element of the summit's format. Topics include what is currently driving referrals, AI tools mortgage professionals are actively using, navigating a slower market without losing momentum, tough client conversations, personal brand strategy, building a team, and scaling sustainably. Attendees choose the tables most relevant to their practice.

A seated lunch runs from 12:10 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. and is designed for connection rather than content, with access to the MortgageFest Canada expo floor.

Past editions of the summit have drawn over 600 attendees, selling out in prior years, a figure that underscores how the event has grown from its inaugural year into one of the most anticipated gatherings in Canada's mortgage calendar. 

The day closes with a fireside chat on sustainable business growth — examining systems, succession planning, and how to build a practice that can evolve with you — followed by a rapid-fire closing session where mortgage leaders share candid reflections on what they know now that they wish they had known earlier. Drinks follow for those who want to continue conversations informally.

Registration and ticketing details are available directly at womeninmortgage.ca. 

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