Women take charge at Powerplay leading into Sens win

From left, moderator Patricia Boal with panelists Erin Crowe, Veronica Farmer, Claudette Knight and Julie Beun at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Women take charge at Powerplay leading into Sens win

Published On: April 3, 2026By Caroline Phillips

Ahead of last night’s Ottawa Senators game, the Powerplay: Women in Business Night was calling its own shots, bringing together nearly 200 women to network and grow as leaders, all while supporting initiatives that help women and girls access sport.

The two-hour-plus event, held in partnership with CIBC, created the kind of positive energy that carried into the Canadian Tire Centre arena, where the Sens went on to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4–1.

Patricia Boal, normally the anchor of the local CTV news, took a rare night off to host Powerplay. She also led the panel discussion with four accomplished women: CIBC senior vice president Claudette Knight; Canada Soccer COO and CFO Erin Crowe; CAA managing director of communications and public relations Julie Beun; and Veronica Farmer, chief marketing officer at Wesley Clover International. It’s a private investment management and holding company owned by Terry Matthews that supports entrepreneurs, invests in technology and has interests in real estate, hotels and leisure properties.

From left, Julie Beun (CAA), Claudette Knight (CIBC), Patricia Boal (CTV News Ottawa), Kaylee Press (Senators Sports & Entertainment), Erin Crowe (Canada Soccer) and Veronica Farmer (Wesley Clover International), at Powerplay: Women in Business. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The panelists came from a variety of backgrounds, including finance, technology, journalism and sport. They reminded their audience that actively networking at such women’s events is a must for anyone looking to connect. “It’s critically important,” said Farmer of having a well-managed network.

“It’s not how many people you know; it’s who trusts you,” she said of having relationships that will be there when you ask for help.

That sentiment resonated with Michelle Crogie, executive director of Pleo — Family Peer Support. At the inaugural Powerplay in January 2025, she met Katie Faloon-Drew, who’s now her leadership and confidence coach. “She’s been my rock,” said Crogie, who returned Thursday for her third Powerplay. “This is where I make a lot of connections.”

From left, Michelle Crogie, executive director of Pleo — Family Peer Support, and her coach, Katie Faloon-Drew, whom she first met at the inaugural Powerplay event in January 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The panelists shared a wealth of advice, including how they handled the kind of challenges and setbacks considered an inevitable part of any career journey.

“I have made some epic fails in my life — like, massive mistakes,” acknowledged Farmer. “I tell my team, I tell my mentees, I tell everybody: you’re going to fail — it’s part of the process. We’re human. How you recover and how you figure out what to do next is what’s most important. What did you learn? Let’s not do it again. That’s the biggest thing.”

Beun compared career obstacles to giant boulders, the kind that can make goals feel impossible. “They’re going to seem insurmountable. I try to visualize those obstacles like a rockfall. It’s right on your path, on your road, and it’s, like, ‘How am I going to get over all these rocks?’”

Beun’s approach isn’t to climb over them but to break the problems down into small, solvable challenges. “It becomes the gravel for the path that you’re going to go forward on.”

Knight was clearly impressed that they were at a women’s business networking event held just before a hockey game. The game itself was also celebrating the LGBTQ+ community through its Pride Night. “It’s just amazing,” said Knight, who oversees leadership, learning and inclusion at CIBC.

She stressed the importance of broadening your perspective and being open to a variety of viewpoints. “Think about how you can co-create solutions, not just with people who think like you or look like you,” she said.

The audience heard about the role that mentorship has played in Crowe’s career, much of which has been spent as an executive with the Ottawa Senators. She recalled how, during her early years, her boss made sure to lift her up with him as his own career advanced.

“He very deliberately, I would say, really took a chance on me. Having someone take a chance on you visibly within the organization is a huge help. For me, it was pivotal in my career to have that support.”

Crowe described her decision to leave the Senators last year as “really tough, but, at the end of the day, I also love soccer, and this was a great opportunity for me that I just felt I couldn’t pass up at the time.”

The discussion ended just in time for the women to head to the hockey game, but not before Boal and Knight drew a name for a jersey signed by Sens captain Brady Tkachuk. It was won by Jaime Whetstone, senior manager of business banking at CIBC.

As a nice bonus, Whetstone now knows exactly what she’ll wear to the next Powerplay event.

From left, Kim Curran, interim executive director of Bruyère Health Foundation, KoW Connected founder Karen Wood, and Veronica Farmer, chief marketing officer at Wesley Clover International, at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Veronica Farmer (Wesley Clover International), Claudette Knight (CIBC) and Julie Beun (CAA) were panelists at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Tammy McMullen, vice president of marketing at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa, in the crowd at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night, held at Canadian Tire Centre prior to the Ottawa Senators’ game against Buffalo. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Annie Premachuk, manager of partnerships and innovation for the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation, and Danielle McGee, senior advisor of government and stakeholder relations for Ottawa Community Housing Corporation, at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Katie Rankin, senior consultant at Oracle NetSuite, asked a question from the audience during the Powerplay: Women in Business Night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, moderator Patricia Boal, from CTV News Ottawa, with Canada Soccer COO and CFO Erin Crowe during the panel discussion they participated in during the Powerplay: Women in Business Night. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Many attendees of the Powerplay: Women in Business Night wore their jerseys to the event, held at the Canadian Tire Centre prior to the Ottawa Senators’ win against Buffalo. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Jacqueline Belsito, president of the Senators Community Foundation, and Erin Crowe, former Ottawa Senators executive now serving as COO and CFO of Canada Soccer. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Jennifer Cross, director of regional development for Chandos Construction and co-founder of City BuildHERS; Kristina Hamilton, principal at Hamilton Recruiting; and Sarah Vandenbelt, broker of record and founder of Paradigm Commercial, at the Powerplay: Women in Business. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Veronica Farmer (Wesley Clover International), Claudette Knight (CIBC) and Julie Beun (CAA) shared a laugh on stage during the panel discussion they participated in at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Louise Panneton, president of P1 Consulting, asked a question from the audience during the Powerplay: Women in Business Night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Former journalist Julie Beun, managing director of communications and public relations at CAA North and East Ontario and book author, with Patricia Boal, anchor of CTV News Ottawa, at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night held at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Many attendees of the Powerplay: Women in Business Night, including Mary Jelley, wore their jerseys to the event, held at the Canadian Tire Centre prior to the Ottawa Senators’ win against Buffalo. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Maria Myssina, safety coordinator at Kiewit, asked a question from the audience during the panel discussion at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Kim Curran (Bruyère Health Foundation), Andrea Debbane (JLR), Julie Findlay (Ottawa in the Know on Rogers TV), Karen Wood (KoW Connected), Tammy McMullen (Hard Rock Ottawa), Mary Jelley (KoW Ottawa), Aqilah Rahim (KoW Connected) and Whitney Zelmer (KoW Connected) at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Jaime Whetstone, senior manager of business banking at CIBC, makes her way to the front of the room after winning the signed hockey jersey at the Powerplay: Women in Business Night. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Syntax Strategic, RBC, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, Welch LLP, and Brazeau Seller Law.
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