Women represent 45% of candidates for senior and middle management roles in the Canadian mortgage industry. At the C-suite that figure drops to roughly 25%. At the CEO level, 4%. Full boardroom gender parity is not projected to arrive until 2129. Leaders from First National, Haventree Bank, MCAN Home Mortgage, Sherwood Mortgage Group, and EQ Bank convened for this roundtable to examine not the statistics but what it actually takes — structurally and culturally — to build, hold, and advance a career in Canadian mortgage finance.
Women represent 45% of candidates for senior and middle management roles in the Canadian mortgage industry, but only approximately 25% of C-suite positions and 4% of CEO roles. Full gender parity in the boardroom is not projected to arrive until 2129, according to research cited by roundtable participants. Within individual organisations, progress is uneven. At First National, four of six senior managers in residential sales are female and 60% of the residential department's senior leadership are women. At EQ Bank's Personal Lending division, two of four executives are women. At Haventree Bank, the executive team has reached parity, with a female CEO. The pipeline is full; the structures that allow women to rise through it consistently are not.
The roundtable was consistent on this point: the industry's challenge is not getting women in the door but keeping them through the most demanding years of their careers. The period where ambition collides with caregiving — managing children, aging parents, and professional growth simultaneously — is where most organisations lose talented women. Retention has to be proactive, not reactive. Once someone has decided to leave, it is almost impossible to bring them back. Retention means ensuring people do not want to leave in the first place, which requires understanding what each individual needs — whether that is flexibility around school drop-off and pick-up, stretch assignments, or clarity on advancement criteria — and then actually delivering it.
Mentorship surfaced repeatedly as the connective tissue that holds careers together during vulnerable years. The roundtable identified a specific gap: women often do not advocate for themselves as forcefully as they could during hiring and promotion processes, and without mentors and sponsors actively tapping them on the shoulder, capable candidates fall through the cracks. The most effective mentorship is intentional rather than organic — structured conversations about what genuinely energises someone, what their skill set is, and what roles might suit them from a different angle. Lateral moves, which are often misread as stalling, were consistently described as among the most valuable career experiences the participants had undertaken.
The roundtable pushed back strongly on the assumption that advancement means a straight line upward. Career growth was described as a jungle gym, not a ladder — with lateral moves building a fuller understanding of the business that pays dividends at every subsequent level. Personal brand was identified as a compounding asset that operates whether you are in the room or not. Industry events, conference presentations, and visible participation in professional conversations all contribute to a reputation that precedes you when hiring decisions are made. Several participants noted they actively observe behaviour at industry events when considering future hires — brand follows people everywhere, and it begins forming long before any formal leadership opportunity.
The roundtable was direct about the double standard: the same behaviour is often read differently depending on who delivers it. Rather than adjusting leadership style to fit expectations designed by and for others, the participants described building confidence in leading authentically — being clear, consistent, and outcome-oriented while treating empathy and accountability as strengths rather than competing qualities. The outdated idea that women need to be cutthroat to earn credibility was explicitly rejected. Leading with kindness and understanding, maintaining open dialogue, and building a genuine support system are described as effective — and sustainable — leadership approaches that produce results without requiring anyone to perform a version of leadership designed by someone else.
Several roundtable participants traced the professional patterns they observe — self-doubt, reluctance to self-advocate, discomfort with risk — directly to what girls are taught at home and in school from a young age. Girls are conditioned toward safety and compliance; boys toward strength and assertion. If that conditioning is not actively countered, it carries forward into careers. Participants described working to interrupt this pattern deliberately — both as parents and as leaders — by encouraging girls to think bigger, take risks, and treat lateral and unconventional career moves as part of a strategy rather than a sign of falling behind.
Line Allaire, CPA, CA — VP of operations and client experience, Haventree Bank. Senior leadership background at Laurentian Bank and Bell Canada. Fluently bilingual. Passionate advocate for advancing women in finance and talent development.
Leanne Conroy — regional director of sales, MCAN Home Mortgage. Three-time CMP Woman of Influence. Member of the Global Top 100 Mortgage Professionals list. Over 20 years in financial services, more than a decade in alternative lending.
Elena Robinson — VP residential sales national, First National. Three-decade career spanning business development, management, and training. CMP Woman of Influence 2021–2025. Mortgage Global 100, 2025.
Michele Steko — VP national broker relations, Sherwood Mortgage Group. Founder of RISE Consulting and Communications. Began career as a mortgage broker in 2004. Specialises in coaching, masterminds, business planning, and mentorship.
Zamina Walji — executive, EQ Bank (Equitable Bank). Leads reverse mortgage and insurance lending businesses. Extensive background in high-growth, scale-up, and transformation environments across strategy, execution, and P&L management.