Sharla Brown

Nominated for the award: Philanthropy

Company: One Woman/One Girl, Keynote Events

Position: Founder and President

Biography: Sharla Brown is a Canadian social entrepreneur, philanthropist and humanitarian who has been passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership and social issues her entire life. In the last 10 years Sharla has received 13 business and social impact awards, including the international WEF Iconic Women in Social Enterprise Award in 2016, the 2019 Ruby Award from Soroptimist International of Central Alberta, and a nomination for the Ontario Premier’s Award in 2017. For more than 20 years, through her entrepreneurial endeavors, Sharla has supported numerous community organizations. As the president of her event management company Keynote Events, she has created and executed more than 200 events and contributed more than 1.4 million dollars to various community and international charities in the last 6 years. Sharla mentors, teaches and inspires other women to embrace their leadership potential and entrepreneurial spirit. She empowers those around her to use their gifts to create a purpose-driven life doing what they love because she believes that each person’s gifts are like pebbles they can toss into the water, creating ripples that positively impact the world around them. In 2012, Sharla traveled to Ecuador with Me to WE, and a world-changing ripple effect began through her creation of One Woman and One Girl. These global social enterprises are on a mission to help women and girls around the globe live their dreams and reach their full potential through education, skills development and entrepreneurship. Sharla has also been an impactful Shaw TV host for the past 5 years, and in 2018 she launched the One Woman TV show, interviewing amazing women making a difference in their communities and sharing their stories from around the world. In 2019, Sharla will speak at over 60 One Woman Fearless events in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Her vision is igniting a ripple that turns into an international wave of empowerment for women and girls around the globe.