Empowering Women, Strengthening Our Economy

ZUBAIR CHOUDHRY

President & CEO RPA Canada

This year marks the 7th edition of the RPA Women Entrepreneur Awards—a powerful milestone and a reflection of RPA Canada’s deep-rooted commitment to community involvement and the advancement of women in business.

We founded this initiative in 2019 with a clear vision: to recognize and uplift the women who are innovating, persevering, and transforming the entrepreneurial landscape in Canada and beyond. It was never just about accolades. It was, and continues to be, about empowering women through entrepreneurship—by giving visibility to their work, encouraging economic independence, and enabling longterm impact in their communities.

At The Society of Professional Accountants of Canada, we recognize that small businesses are the foundation of our national economy, and women entrepreneurs are its fastestgrowing force. Yet despite this progress, we remain acutely aware of the systemic challenges women often face— barriers to funding, mentorship gaps, and inequities that make their path harder than it should be.

That’s why RPA Canada has made women empowerment through entrepreneurship a cornerstone of our community involvement. Our philosophy is to reduce women’s dependency on systems that may not fully serve them, by encouraging, supporting, and assisting them to become successful contributors to both society and the economy. We believe that when a woman is supported to build her business, she builds more than a company—she builds a future for herself, her family, and her community.

Through the RPA Women Entrepreneur Awards, we are creating a platform to showcase resilience, encourage leadership, and share the success stories that will inspire the next generation of women to dream bigger and act bolder. These awards are more than a celebration—they are a movement for equity, courage, and economic transformation.

We are excited to host our Gala Celebration on Saturday, October 25, 2025, and pleased to announce that nominations are now open at www.rpacanada.org. Whether you are nominating a colleague, a client, a friend—or yourself—your story could be the spark that empowers another woman to step into her full potential.

As we enter our seventh year, we invite you to be part of this journey. Empower a woman. Nominate a leader. Strengthen our community.

Here’s to another year of bold ideas and fearless leadership.