AHF Founder Recognized as one of 50 Changemakers by The Globe and Mail

Feb 28, 2021
Image description: headshot of smiling woman, the AHF founder
We are honoured and beyond thrilled to announce Accelerate Her Future (AHF) as a Globe and Mail 2021 Report on Business Changemakers Award winner.

Congratulations to our Founder, Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi, recognized as one of 50 entrepreneurs, academics and executives who have risen to address challenges facing Canada’s business community and for their bold ideas, accomplishments and impact. We are thrilled that the impact of social entrepreneurship is being recognized in solving complex problems in business, our communities and Canada.

This award is in recognition of Golnaz’s years of work and research in the areas of identity, equity, inclusion and justice that have led to AHF’s vision and mission and community-based approach. AHF officially launched in 2019 and has evolved into a national career accelerator providing tailored programs for Black, Indigenous and other self-identifying women of colour to launch their careers in business and tech while building networks of solidarity, allyship and action. This work seeks to build workplaces and a Canada that is equitable, prosperous and sustainable for all.

AHF’s Fellowship Circle, a flagship program that launched in Winter 2021, has welcomed over 50 early-career women from 5 provinces, providing a tailored 10-week experience including mentorship, access to networks of peers and allies, career readiness and leadership skill-building and pathways to employers.

“Accelerate Her Future was a seed of an idea in 2015 as I was navigating my own lived experiences in the workplace as a racialized woman, wanting to create solutions grounded in my research, and my learning from mentoring over 200 racialized women,” explains Golnaz. “I knew that we needed solutions that move beyond one size fits all approaches. Our programs are developed by BIWOC for BIWOC and apply an intersectional lens to ensure what we offer is tailored to the needs of early-women.” What started as an initial design session in 2018, led to a pilot Summit in 2019, and iterated into a 10-week Fellowship Circle.

“It is an absolute honour to be recognized as one of 50 changemakers,” says Golnaz. “What has made our progress and impact possible is putting the voices of our early-career talent, social impact and community at the centre of our work. I dedicate this recognition to the amazing AHF team, our advisory group, fellows and mentors, corporate partners,  coaches and allies, incubators, and many others who have supported us and our mission.”

The Report on Business Changemakers Award

Changemakers is a new editorial award program produced by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine. Its intent is to showcase the emerging leaders transforming business today.

Report on Business solicited nominations for the Changemakers award in late 2020. Winners were selected by The Globe and Mail’s award-winning editorial team based their ideas, accomplishments and impact, as determined by their nominations, subsequent interviews and reference checks.

“As the Canadian economy recovers from the pandemic, many people are seeking ways to make business more sustainable, inclusive, innovative and fair,” says James Cowan, editor of Report on Business magazine. “The 50 Changemakers on our inaugural list serve as inspiration and instruction for any business leader seeking to effect meaningful change.”

Golnaz is joined by other Canadian changemakers and emerging leaders recognized by The Globe and Mail including Dr. Sonia Kang, Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity & Inclusion, University of Toronto, Katie Squires-Thompson, Chief Strategy Officer, Women in Capital Markets, Ravina Anand Co-founder & COO, FLIK.

Learn More about AHF’s Fellowship Circle

Learn more about AHF’s Fellowship Circle. Our Spring/Summer Cohort applications opens in March. Follow us to apply to become a Fellow, apply to become a Mentor, or join us a Corporate Partner.

Coverage of all 2021 Changemakers can be found in the March 2021 issue of Report on Business magazine, distributed with The Globe and Mail on Saturday, February 27 and online now at tgam.ca/Changemakers.
Accelerate Her Future™ was founded on land and waters of the traditional territory of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabeg, the Attawandaron, and the Metis within the lands protected by the “Dish with One Spoon” wampum agreement. We respect Indigenous peoples’ deep connections to the land and waters, and affirm our commitment to continued learning while engaging our head, heart and hands to advance the TRC Calls to Action 92 and the MMIWG2S+ Calls to Justice 6.1, 11.1 and 15. We invite you to learn more about the history and presence of the Indigenous communities on the land and waters you gather on and work to build a better future for all and have included learning resources in your onboarding materials some of which are required for your completion. We encourage visitors to our website to learn about the land they are currently on.

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Accelerate Her Future™ was founded on land and waters of the traditional territory of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabeg, the Attawandaron, and the Metis within the lands protected by the “Dish with One Spoon” wampum agreement. We respect Indigenous peoples’ deep connections to the land and waters, and affirm our commitment to continued learning while engaging our head, heart and hands to advance the TRC Calls to Action 92 and the MMIWG2S+ Calls to Justice 6.1, 11.1 and 15. We invite you to learn more about the history and presence of the Indigenous communities on the land and waters you gather on and work to build a better future for all and have included learning resources in your onboarding materials some of which are required for your completion. We encourage visitors to our website to learn about the land they are currently on.