Dr. Wendy Cukier is a professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Founder and Academic Director of the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, Academic Director of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) and Research Lead of the Future Skills Centre. She co-authored the bestseller “Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership From Java to Jurassic Park" and is a leader in disruptive technologies and innovation. She is the former vice-president of Research and Innovation at Toronto Metropolitan University and has authored more than 200 articles on diversity, inclusion and innovation. The Diversity Institute has more than 130 staff, 100 research associates from around the world and more than 200 industry partners focused on dimensions of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, future skills. and entrepreneurship. She also leads WEKH, funded by the Government of Canada, which promotes inclusive supports for women and other diverse entrepreneurs, and the Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network (IIE-Net). She is also the research lead for the Future Skills Centre, overseeing a comprehensive research agenda and supporting innovative pilot projects. Her work on DiversityLeads helped shape Bill C-25 and the 50 – 30 Challenge, in which the Diversity Institute is an ecosystem partner. As a partner, the institute promotes the Challenge and helps organizations that sign up work toward gender parity and increased diversity on their boards and/or in senior leadership. She has been recognized with many awards, including the Harry Jerome Diversity Award, the Bob Marley Award, the Metropolis Research Award, the CATA Alliance and the Sara Kirke Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and she has been recognized in the 100 Most Powerful Women by WXN. She has been named a YWCA Woman of Distinction, one of the "100 Alumni who shaped the Century" by the University of Toronto and an International Women’s Forum 2020 Women Who Make a Difference. She holds a PhD in Information Systems, an MBA, an MA, and honorary doctorates from Laval and Concordia. She has also received Canada’s Meritorious Service Cross, one of Canada’s highest civilian honours, and is the founder of several startups, social enterprises and nonprofits.