For International Women’s Day, Quill has decided to highlight 50 influential women in podcasting who continue to inspire us!

Claudette McGowan

Global Executive Officer for Cyber Security, TD

Host: C Suite

Claudette is an experienced Technology Executive with demonstrated results working in financial services, healthcare, government and consulting. She’s skilled in Change Management Methodologies, Large Scale Technology Transformations, Talent Management, Artificial Intelligence, and more. 

An award-winning technology and business thought-leader with strong management training, she’s also the host of C Suite, a podcast dedicated to elevating cyber literacy for everyday people.

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Mary Nielson & Taylor Phillip

Founder, Fearless Beauties; Social Media Coordinator, Fearless Beauties

Co Hosts: Fearless Beauties

Mary is the originator and creative thinker behind Spectrum Advanced Aesthetics Institute, Cascade Aesthetic Alliance, Skintelligent Resources, and Fearless Beauties. She is also the author of several books on esthetics, including the Compendium for Advanced Aesthetics and the newest edition of the Milady Esthetics Textbook, released in Spring 2019.

Taylor has completed her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and while working on her Master's, she supports Fearless Beauties' social media and  behind the scenes logistics. She is firmly committed to the Fearless Beauties' mission of inclusivity and inspiration, also having her own YouTube channel dedicated to single moms, lifestyle, cleaning and everything in between.  

May and Taylor are co-hosts to the Fearless Beauties podcast, a show that highlights skincare professionals of color to learn their stories of success in order to elevate the industry to become more inclusive.

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Heather Gordon

Managing Director, Canada, Acast

LinkedIn: Heather Gordon

With a successful career in television that has spanned two decades with Canada’s largest media outlets, including CHUM, Bell Media, and CBC, Heather is now the Managing Director, Canada of global podcast marketplace, Acast. 

She has also become an author with two children’s books under her belt, Does the Queen Fart? and I am Lazarus: A Goat Story. 

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Fatima Zaidi

Founder & CEO, Quill Inc.

LinkedIn: Fatima Zaidi

Fatima is the co-founder of Quill, the world’s first one-stop marketplace + agency where podcasters can find vetted expert freelancers who will save them time, improve their podcast quality, and help grow their audience. She comes with over a decade of experience in scaling startups. She is also the owner of the Listen In Conference held in LA that supports brands moving into podcasting.

As a member of the National Speakers Bureau, Fatima has spoken at various events around the world on media trends + the importance of creating a diverse and inclusive culture, leading her to keynote on world stages alongside speakers like Gary Vaynerchuk, Arlene Dickenson, and most recently, Richard Branson.

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Jessica Kupferman

Co-Founder & CEO, She Podcasts

LinkedIn: Jessica Kupferman

Jessica is the co-host and co-founder of the She Podcasts brand, which currently supports over 18,000 female podcasters and has a digital marketing reach of over 55,000 content creators. She’s passionate about helping podcasters get paid what they're worth for advertising and loves helping them reach goals through podcasting. 

Recently, she thought "hey, planning conferences looks easy" and decided to host She Podcasts LIVE 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was fundraised through Kickstarter and the event was a success (but as she sys, it was NOT easy). 

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Sarah Koenig 

Host & Co-Creator, Serial

Host: Serial

Sarah Koenig is the host and co-creator of the award-winning podcast Serial. Launched in 2014, Serial is credited with bringing mainstream attention to the podcast format and has been downloaded more than 420 million times, making it the most listened-to podcast in the history of the form. 

Among other honors, Serial won the 2014 Peabody Award, the first time the award has been given to a podcast. In 2015, Koenig was named one of Time Magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People.”

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Jen Sargent

CEO, Wondery

LinkedIn: Jen Sargent

A digital Media executive with 15+ years of leadership experience in the US and Europe, Jen has experience managing a multi-million dollar P&L and teams across various organizational structures. 

Jen has a Harvard Business School MBA, B.S. in Electrical Engineering and she’s an advisor to several early-stage companies. Recently, Jen has taken the position of CEO to the famous podcast network, Wondery. Wondery has produced hit podcasts such as Dity John, Business Wars, Dr. Death, and more. 
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Espree Devora

Host & Founder, We are LA Tech

Host & Producer: Women in Tech

Espree is listed by Inc Magazine as top 30 Women in Tech to follow. Harpers Bazaar says her podcast is the top 10 to listen to and she is one of the faces of Clubhouse app icon, the most influential audio social app.

Espree is the creator of WeareLATech.com, which is unifying the LA tech eco system via the 1st LA Tech Startups Podcast, a localized Silicon Beach community event calendar, and offline experiences. She is also the producer and host of the #womenintech Podcast (Women in Tech) which is sharing stories of 'actionable empowerment'.
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Sarah Zandbergen and Kim Kukulowicz

Senior Program Specialist, EQ Bank; Senior Vice President, Marketing & Residential Sales, EQ Bank

Co-Hosts: Take Back Talk Back

Sarah is the Senior Program Specialist for stnce at EQ Bank, a truly grassroots community of like-minded women. Her goal through stnce is to inspire women to confidently take ownership of their finances, through open and informative conversations. She believes everyone benefits when women are self-reliant, self-assured, and well-informed about their financial affairs.

Kim is the founder of stnce, a nonprofit organization that empowers financial literacy in women across Canada. Women often find themselves in vulnerable situations, but through stnce, they are encouraged to take control of their finances with confidence. This shift has the power to transform their lives and the lives of their families.

Both Sarah and Kim are hosts of the Take Back Talk Back podcast, a show that is going beyond the realm of everyday finance and taking back the conversation to build financial literacy and confidence among fellow women.

Helen Hayes

Managing Director & Head, International Equity Sales & Trading, CIBC Capital Markets

Host: The Holler

Helen is an impact driven leader in Capital Markets with over 20+ years of experience in Equity Markets across North America, UK, Europe, Asia and South Africa. Entrepreneurial minded with proven track record as Builder of High Performance teams & Business Development Strategist across Global Markets. Helen is board member of the CIBC Pension Committee, the United Way Major Giving Cabinet in Greater Toronto and is a member of the Advisory Committee of 100 Women in Finance in Toronto.

Beyond the firm, Helen is a strong supporter of the United way and Mental Health "not for profit”. She is a certified Yoga and Meditation Teacher and actively teaches workshops on mindfulness and Yoga Nidra at Power Yoga Canada donating any teaching fees to local community charities. Helen is also the host of a weekly CIBC Podcast: The Holler, which is highlighting key market trends around the globe.

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Julia Kassam, Aleksandra Nedialkova, Roxana Esmailji, and Victoria Kutovsky

Managing Director, Innovation Banking, CIBC; Senior Consultant, Client Experience, CIBC; Director, Client Experience, CIBC; Senior Analyst, Client Experience, CIBC  

Producers: CIBC Innovation Banking

Julia is the Managing Director with the Innovation Banking team at CIBC, which provides capital to entrepreneurs and investors in the innovation economy. She started her career as a Corporate Strategy consultant with Deloitte, where she developed a passion for disrupting and driving innovation in Canadian markets that lacked competition. 

Aleksandra is a highly-strategic, collaborative, and results-oriented Sales Management Professional, recognized as a multi-year strategic planner, delivering ongoing revenue growth and generating win-win agreements. She offers 12+ years of experience in leading sales and marketing efforts, facilitating consultative solutions, and elevating the client experience. 

Roxane is a customer strategy and product innovation leader with proven success in Retail, Telco, and CPG. She is passionate about building engaging customer experiences and partnering across business lines and geographies to achieve results. 

Victoria started her career at CIBC as a customer service representative in 2008, and is now working as a Senior Analyst at CIBC Commercial Banking, Client Experience. She supports this amazing team on a variety of initiatives, including the Innovation Banking Podcast Series. Victoria graduated from York University with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, and a Certificate in Human Resource Management. 

Julia, Aleksandra, Roxane, and Victoria are all on the producing team of the CIBC Innovation Banking podcast, a series where you hear from leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and venture capitalists about the changing dynamics of the North American innovation economy. 

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Hannah Bank

Senior Specialist, Development Writing, SickKids Foundation

Host: SickKids VS

Hannah is a talented, creative and enterprising communications specialist. She is currently taking on the role as the Senior Specialist, Development Writing at the SickKids Foundation, the foundation is  committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment, where all individuals feel valued, respected and supported. 

Hannah is also the host of the SickKids VS podcast, a show that takes you to the frontlines in the fight for child health. From wonder drugs that treat hypermutant tumours to machines that keep hearts beating outside the body, each episode tells the story of a different breakthrough, revealing all the hope and heartache on the tumultuous road to discovery. 

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Jenna Weiss-Berman

Co-founder, Pineapple Street Media

LinkedIn: Jenna Weiss-Berman

Jenna is the co-founder of Pineapple Street Studios, a podcast studio with the goal to work with the most interesting and ambitious creative and corporate partners to create the highest quality audio stories in a variety of forms and across a range of genres. 

After almost a decade working in public radio on such shows as The Moth and StoryCorps, Jenna started the podcast department at BuzzFeed and created Another Round and Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham. 

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Heben Nigatu & Tracy Clayton

Co-Hosts

Co-Host: Another Round

Currently, Heben is a writer for Desus & Mero, a ShowTime series where Desus Nice and The Kid Mero bring their savvy spin and infectious chemistry to late night, mixing it up with megastar guests in a new season of comedy and freestyle commentary on current events. From pop culture to politics, they’re not just shifting the talk show paradigm – they’re a step ahead of it.

Tracy is now the host of Strong Black Legends, a weekly show brought to you by Netflix and Strong Black Lead that honors the best of black Hollywood. Tracy sits down with the legends that paved the way for black representation both on and off screen.

Heben and Tracy were previously the co-hosts of Another Round, a podcast that covers everything from race, gender and pop culture to squirrels. Mangoes, and bad jokes. 

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Starlee Kine

Host

Host: Mystery Show

Starlee is an American public radio producer and writer. She was previously the creator and host of the Gimlet Media podcast Mystery Show. Her work has been featured on This American Life and she was a frequent guest on the CBC Radio show, WireTap. 

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Anna Sale

Host & Creator

Host: Death, Sex, and Money

Anna is the creator and host of Death, Sex, and Money with the New York Public Radio. The podcast is about the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation. Anna talks to celebrities you’ve heard of - and to regular people you haven’t - about the Big Stuff: relationships, money, family, work and making it all count while we’re here. 

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Julie Shapiro

Executive Producer, Radiotopia/PRX & Ear Hustle

Executive Producer: Ear Hustle

Julie is the executive producer of Radiotopia from PRX - a curated network of extraordinary, cutting-edge podcasts, as well as Ear Hustle, a series that brings you the daily realities of life inside prison shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration.  

She was the executive producer of ABC RN's Creative Audio Unit from 2014 - 2015 and was the co-founder and artistic director of the Third Coast International Audio Festival from 2000 - 2013.

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Lydia Polgreen

Managing Director, Gimlet

LinkedIn: Lydia Polgreen 

Lydia is the Managing Director of Gimlet, which was acquired by Spotify in 2019. Previously, Lydia was the Editor in Chief and General Manager at the HuffPost as well as the Editorial Director and Associate Masthead Editor at The New York Times. 

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Lulu Miller & Alix Spiegel

Hosts

Co-Hosts: Invisibilia

Lulu is a Co-Host and Reporter at WNYC Radio as well as a Reporter and Producer at NPR Science Desk. 

Alix is a Co-Host and podcast producer as well as a children’s book author. She was previously a Podcast Producer at FiveThirtyEight where she worked on their weekly coronavirus podcast, PODCAST-19. 

Lulu and Alix are co-hosts of Invisibilia, a podcast that fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently. 

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Ellen Horne

Founder, Story Mechanics 

LinkedIn: Ellen Horne

Ellen is the Founder of Story Mechanics, a production company that specializes in producing podcasts. They also create original scoring and sound design for podcasts and apps. 

Previously, Ellen was the Executive Producer, Original Content at Audible, as well as the Senior Director, National Production at WNYC Radio. 

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Eleanor Kagan

Senior Producer, Pineapple Street

Website: Eleanor Kagen 

Eleanor strives to build communities with her work whether it be through audio (podcasts, radio), live events, or public enthusiasm. Prior to joining Pineapple Street Media in 2018, she was BuzzFeed's Director of Audio and spearheaded several critically-acclaimed podcasts, including Another Round, See Something Say Something, and Thirst Aid Kit. 

She’s produced more than 100 live events in three countries, and has been on staff at NPR’s Ask Me Another, NPR Music, and WFUV. 

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Crissle West

Co-Host

Co-Host: The Read

Crissle is one of two hosts (other being Kid Furry) on The Read podcast, a weekly series covering hip-hop culture's most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea with a flippant and humorous attitude, no star is safe from Fury and Crissle unless their name is Beyoncé (or Blue Ivy). 

As transplants to New York City (Kid Fury from Miami and Crissle from Oklahoma City), The Read also serves as an on-air therapy session for two friends trying to adjust to life (and rats) in the big city.

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Kate Linebaugh

Co-Host

Co-Host: The Journal.

Kate is the co-host of The Journal., a show produced in partnership with The Wall Street Journal and Gimlet Media. The Journal. dives into the most important stories, explained through the lens of business. A podcast about money, business, and power. 

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Kelly McEvers

Host

Host: Embedded

Kelly is the host of Embedded, a podcast that takes a news story and goes deep. Whether that means digging into the Trump administration’s past, the stories behind police shootings caught on video, or visiting a town ravaged by the opioid epidemic, Embedded takes you where the news is happening. 

Embedded is a podcast created by NPR. 

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Hillary Frank

Host

Host: The Longest Shortest Time

In 2010, Hilary started The Longest Shortest Time, a podcast about the surprises and absurdities of raising other humans. On the show, she covered topics ranging from birth injuries to transgender pregnancy to the sex lives of parents, as well as a  series on discrimination against working moms called It's a Real Mother.  

In 2018, she wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about the special misogyny she’s faced as a mom working in podcasting. Despite those struggles, The Longest Shortest Time became one of the first self-sustaining podcasts and it earned some critical acclaim. The show was named one of the 50 Best Podcasts by The Atlantic and TIME and won several awards, including two from the Third Coast International Audio Festival and two Webby awards. The Longest Shortest Time’s signature event, Speed Dating for Mom Friends, was profiled in The New Yorker.

She’s also had the great pleasure of editing other people’s podcasts, including Andrea Silenzi’s Why Oh Why, Ian Chillag’s Everything Is Alive, and 30 for 30’s documentary Six Who Sat, about the women who helped turn the New York Marathon co-ed by sitting on their tushies.

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Kristen Meinzer

Co-Host, Co-Creator & Producer, Movie Therapy with Rafer & Kristen; Co-Host, Co-Creator & Co-Writer, By the Book (Stitcher)

Co-Host: Movie Therapy with Rafer & Kristen 

Kristen is an award-winning writer/host/producer/culture critic specializing in contemporary social issues and popular culture. Her areas of expertise include movies, TV, self-help books, and the British royals, as viewed from an intersectional feminist perspective. 

She was named “one of the 22 most influential women in podcasting” by Washington Post contributor Alex Laughlin, as well as the winner of the 2020 Audie Award for best business/personal development audiobook, So You Want to Start a Podcast. 

She was named a 2020 Woman of the Year by The Women's Center. Featured in O The Oprah Magazine, Time, Bust, Forbes, Real Simple, Slate, Cosmopolitan, Parade, Buzzfeed, Vox, BBC, CBC, NPR, NBC, CBS, Lifetime, and dozens of other outlets. 

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Kerri Hoffman

President & CEO, PRX

LinkedIn: Kerri Hoffman

Kerri has played a key role in the building and evolution of PRX, and led the launch of Radiotopia, Ear Hustle, The Moth Radio Hour, Reveal and recently all aspects of the successful merger between PRX and PRI. 

She was also part of the leadership team that created Matter Ventures and RadioPublic, PBC. She currently serves on the boards of Greater Public, RadioPublic, PRPD, The Podcast Academy Awards, and The Peabody Awards. She also advises and mentors media entrepreneurs, especially those who are underrepresented. 

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Pandora Sykes

Host

Host: Doing it Right

Pandora  is the host of Doing it Right, a podcast where she interviews an expert in their field, about their life, their work, and the trivialities, myths and anxieties of modern life. This is a show that combines the big things and the little things - because a good life is made up of both. 

She is also a journalist and podcaster for The High Low Show and The Missing, as well as the author of Sunday Times Bestseller, How Do We Know We’re Doing it Right? 

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Amanda Duberman

Host

Host: The Betches SUP Podcast

In addition to hosting, The Betches SUP Podcast, Amanada is an experienced journalist and editorial leader who creates social destinations with credibility and voice. She built the Betches Sup social presence to become the go-to community for progressive-minded millennials, growing the audience exponentially while establishing Sup as a recognized authority in the political space across platforms and driving revenue via podcast ads, e-commerce, and branded content. 

She is a seasoned content and project manager with an eye towards growing sustainable properties. Podcast producer and host with on-camera experience. 

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AJ Holiday & TamBam

Co-Hosts

Co-Hosts: We Talk Back

AJ and TamBam are the co-hosts of We Talk Back, a podcast that’s helping women maneuver through the Sea of Men. The show is here to guide femininity to its ultimate greatness, giving listeners the raw and unfiltered comedic gift of repartee. With thought-provoking conversations about sex, relationships, and money with a dash of danger and glitter. The two will also help listeners seeking non-professional guidance, as these ladies deliver advice and their personal thoughts on topics. 

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Amy Elisa Jackson

Host

Host: IN PURSUIT

Amy is the host and executive producer of IN PURSUIT, Glassdoor’s branded podcast that launched in 2019 and fast became the #1 Careers Podcast on Apple in the U.S. With 15 years of content and journalism experience, she has interviewed celebrities, policymakers and top executives about pressing topics in their lives, careers and beyond.

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Ellen Hyslop & Stephanie Rotz 

Co-Host

Co-Hosts: The Gist of It

Ellen is the Co-founder and Head of Content of The GIST, a platform that creates sports content, experiences and community that are by women and for all sports fans.

Stephanie is an Admissions Officer at Ryerson University, previously, she was the Editorial Director and Co-founder of Sophomore Media. 

Ellen and Stephanie are the co-hosts of The Gist of It, a weekly podcast about what's going on in the sports world. The two discuss current sports topics likke what to expect (and eat) for the Super Bowl, how Coco Gauff broke onto the tennis scene, and more. 

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Melissa Monte

Host

Host: Mind Love

Melissa is the host of the popular podcast Mind Love. As an entrepreneur and former VP of Marketing, Melissa has applied her strategic mindset to achieve explosive growth. 

Her show reached #2 her category in Apple Podcasts. It's a top Mental Health Podcast in 29 countries. Forbes named her show the #1 Podcast for your Life and Career. Harper’s Bazaar called it a “must listen.” She’s been invited to share the stage with top influencers in podcasting like Pat Flynn and Jordan Harbinger. And now she’s spilling her secrets!

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Sarah Stockdale

Host

Host: The Growth Effect

Sarah is the CEO and Founder of Growclass, a course and community to teach you growth marketing and help you build a thriving business and career. She is also the host of The Growth Effect, a podcast that delves into what it’s really like to launch and scale a business. Sarah speaks to the leaders of some of Canada’s top growing companies to learn how they did it. 

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Erica Mandy

Founder & Host

Host: The NewsWorthy

Award-winning broadcast journalist and former CBS news reporter Erica Mandy is on a mission to help people stay informed in a convenient, unbiased and less depressing way with the daily news podcast, The NewsWorthy. It provides a wide variety of the day's news in about 10 minutes each weekday.

The NewsWorthy has been listed as a top 25 daily news podcast on Apple Podcasts, and in the past year, the show has been named a 'Best Podcast' by Harper's Bazaar, recommended as a 'Best News App' by Fast Company, featured as a 'Can't Miss' podcast on Stitcher, and more.

The NewsWorthy has continued to grow since launch in 2017, getting millions of downloads and at least doubling its loyal audience size each year without fail. The impressive growth led to a 2019 investment from PodFund, which invests in extraordinary emerging creators, and whose portfolio includes well-known names like Malcolm Gladwell.

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Christina Barsi

Founder, Avant Haus Media 

LinkedIn: Christina Barsi

Christina is the Founder of Avant Haüs Media, a Podcast Producer, Consultant, Content Creator, Speaker/Workshop Leader and Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach. She places a focus on empowering and inspiring creatives to create. 

She is the Executive Producer at Lipstick and Vinyl, a platform that provides podcast support, tools and training for those whose voices deserve to be heard.  

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Allyson Marino 

Founder, Lipstick & Vinyl

LinkedIn: Allyson Marino 

Allyson is the founder of Lipstick & Vinyl, a podcast network supporting the work of female creators through creative development and advertising sales.

Before juggernauts like “Serial” introduced the medium to broader audiences, Allyson recognized the unique power of podcast advertising. Since 2010 she has held senior roles at some of the most successful media brands in audio. PodcastOne, Acast, Midroll and Westwood One.

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Lindsay Tjepkema

CEO & Co-Founder, Casted

LinkedIn: Lindsay Tjepkema

Lindsay is a marketing maven turned SaaS founder, a first-time CEO and a lifelong information junkie.

She is passionate about authentic brand-building based on conversation, women in leadership, strong workplace cultures, and content marketing that prioritizes audiences over algorithms. Lindsay is the CEO and Co-Founder of Casted, the first Amplified Marketing Platform and only podcast solution for B2B marketers.

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Krystina Rubino

Head of Offline Marketing, Right Side Up

LinkedIn: Krystina Rubino

Krystina is a marketing leader with 15 years of experience. She’s spent her career advising brands on media decisions, and planning and executing campaigns across digital and offline channels that meet and exceed goals. She loves exploring new ways to monetize media channels for the mutual benefit of content creators and advertisers. She currently leads the offline growth marketing practice at Right Side Up.

Her specialties include podcast advertising, paid and organic search engine marketing, radio, streaming audio and video/OTT, communications planning, TV, creative strategy, media measurement, paid social advertising (Facebook et al), programmatic, display, and partnerships.

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Kathleen Unwin

Independent Podcasting and Digital Media Strategist and Consultant

LinkedIn: Kathleen Unwin

Kathleen has been driving podcast strategy and sponsorship revenue growth for the best content creators for 6+ years. Previously, she was the SVP, National Sponsorship at PRX where she managed revenue strategy, advertising ops, BD, and more. 

Her specialties include: Podcast Development and Strategy, Podcast Sponsorship and Revenue Strategies, Marketing and Distribution, Sales Management, Producer and Talent Relations, and more. 

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Renee Wang 

CEO & Founder, Castbox

LinkedIn: Renee Wang 

Renee is a xGoogler, pioneer Android developer and global mobile app monetization expert. As the founder and CEO of Castbox, Renee strives to create a better world through connecting people with the power of sound using technology.

Castbox is an award-winning global podcast platform that enables anyone to easily find, access, create and enjoy spoken audio content. We provide our users with access to endless content in multiple languages, from anywhere, across any platform including Android, iOS, desktop, car and smart home devices.

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Arielle Nissenblatt

Community Manager, Squadcast & Founder, Earbuds Collective

Linkedin: Arielle Nissenblatt

Arielle started EarBuds in 2017 and has since worked in many aspects of the podcast industry, including as a studio manager, an in-app curator at Castbox, a festival organizer at Outlier PodFest, and more. Currently, she is the Community Manager at SquadCast, a remote recording software. Arielle is a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. She is on the organizing team behind the Podcast Taxonomy project, an international, multidisciplinary collaborative standard for recognizing roles and credits in podcast production.

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Amber Mac

Keynote Speaker, Bestselling Author, TV Host & Tech Expert

Host: The Feed

Amber Mac is an entrepreneur (AmberMac Media), innovation keynote speaker, and bestselling author. She hosts TV shows and appears as an expert on networks such Bloomberg TV and CNN. Amber is currently the co-host of The Feed. 

Each week on The Feed Amber showcases the latest in the world of technology and social media with their SiriusXM CanadaTalks Channel 167 audience across North America

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Courtney Spritzer & Stephanie Cartin

Co-Founders, Socialfly

Co-Hosts: The Entreprenista 

The Entreprenista Podcast is a weekly show featuring the stories of successful female founders and what it’s really like to run a business. Hosted by Stephanie Cartin & Courtney Spritzer, co-founders of Socialfly, a leading social media marketing agency, each episode goes beyond what you see on Instagram and into the nitty-gritty of growing and scaling a company effectively from women who’ve done it. Consider this the most fun business meeting you’ll ever have.

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Rachael King

Founder & CEO, Pod People

Linkedin: Rachael King

Rachael is the Founder and CEO of Pod People. Pod People (Techstars 2020) is the on-demand workforce for audio production, with a vast network of hand-picked audio professionals across the globe. We work with best-in-class clients like Netflix, Spotify, Twitter, Travel + Leisure, and more. 

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Jeanine Wright 

CFO, Adswizz & Simplecast

LinkedIn: Jeanine Wright 

Jeanine is the CFO at AdsWizz & Simplecast, the market leaders in audio advertising and podcasting technology. Jeanine's worked with startup, high growth and turn-around companies for over a decade, specializing in technology, finance and entertainment & media. Jeanine was the first investor in Simplecast and was responsible for scaling its operations and its fundraising from seed through to its sale to SiriusXM Radio in the Spring of 2020. 

Before that, Jeanine co-led the team that sold Media Temple, Inc. to GoDaddy, launched an international joint venture and other partnerships with some of the world's largest companies, solicited and closed traditional, mezzanine, and warehouse financing facilities, and assisted with equity raises from both institutional and strategic investors. Jeanine prides herself on being able to see and overcome business and legal hurdles to propel a company’s growth and innovation.

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Aine Corby & Cait Martin Newnham 

Co-Hosts

Co-hosts: Pandora's Box

Aine Corby is the head of Production at Media One. She is an experienced and dedicated Media professional with over a decade of experience producing events, ads, television, and documentaries. 

Cait Martin Newnham is a director, writer and producer specializing in documentary films and branded content. She has created content for distribution on TV, in film festivals and for digital campaigns with companies like Knix, DivaCup, YMCA and Rael.

Aine and Cait co-host the new podcast, Pandora’s Box: Lifting the Lid on Menstruation, a new series created in partnership with Diva International and Media One Creative. The podcast is on a mission to uncover how periods affect the lives of those that experience them around the world. 

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Leslie Merklinger

Head of Audio, CBC

Linkedin: Leslie Merklinger

Leslie Merklinger is the Senior Director of CBC Podcasts. She launched the department in 2015 and serves as its creative and strategic head. She also leads the development of terrestrial radio programming for CBC Radio One.   

Prior to moving to audio, Leslie was an award winning media veteran with over 3 decades as a producer, director and Commissioning Editor.  Her career has spanned many independent production companies and every major broadcaster in Canada, including CTV, CBC, Global Television, Shaw Media, Alliance Atlantis and CBC.

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Katie Jensen

Principal of Vocal Fry Studios 

Linkedin: Katie Jensen 

Katie has made podcasts for CBC Podcasts, Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, The Globe and Mail, St. Joseph Media, Canada Media Fund, StarMetro, Polaris Music Prize, The Atkinson Foundation, and Canadaland. She has also been a Camp Tech instructor and Transmedia Zone mentor.