Joanna Griffiths is the Founder and President of Knix and Kt by Knix the direct-to-consumer intimate apparel brands reinventing intimates for real life. Since launching the company in 2013, Joanna has built Knix into one of the fastest-growing intimate apparel brands globally. Through a focus on impact work and product innovation the brand is on a mission to empower people to be unapologetically free.

Joanna holds multiple patents and has been cited in hundreds of media publications including Forbes, Fast Company, The New York Times and more. Having faced adversity along the journey to normalize leaking and end stigma, including being told in the early days that leakproof underwear was a “niche” idea, Griffiths has made major strides in changing the face of the intimates industry. Joanna has been recognized on both the national and international stage for her work as a marketing disruptor championing the topics of body inclusivity, fertility, mental health and postpartum.

Global health and hygiene brand, Essity recently acquired 80% of Knix, with Griffiths holding the remaining 20% share. This sale marks the largest publicly disclosed private sale of a DTC company by a female founder in Canada.

Born in Jordan, Noura Sakkijha is the third generation in a family of jewelers, exposing her to the production techniques and the complexity of fine jewelry design at an early age. While she loved fine jewelry, the traditional aspect of men purchasing for women didn’t resonate with her. She chose to pursue another passion, and studied industrial engineering at the University of Jordan. This led her to immigrate to Canada to receive her MBA at Ryerson University, and work in consulting at one of the top financial institutions in Toronto. Though she loved her job, fine jewelry was always on her mind.

In 2015, Noura made the decision to leverage her learnings from the industry and her deep understanding of supply chain to create Mejuri, the category defining jewelry brand. In doing so, Noura and her team have redefined the way individuals think of and purchase fine jewelry—for themselves.

Since inception, Noura has built a brand on the foundational principles of empowerment, inclusivity and innovation – one that encourages everyone to buy the diamond for your damn self and design the life you want.

Karen Greve Young is CEO of Futurpreneur, a national non-profit whose proven financing and mentorship model has supported the success of 16,500+ young entrepreneurs since 1996. Building on her global finance and strategy experience, Karen is an accomplished leader dedicated to fostering inclusive economic and social prosperity through new approaches and partnerships. Her pan-Canadian Futurpreneur team is proud of their work helping diverse, young entrepreneurs launch businesses that contribute to sustainable economic development in their communities and for Canada.

Karen previously worked at Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District and in San Francisco, New York and London, at organizations including Bain & Company, Gap Inc. and the UK’s Institute of Cancer Research.  Karen serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Ovarian Cancer Canada.  She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA in Economics from Harvard University.