If you can get a ticket to the hottest conference in town, the Winnipeg Women’s Conference, then you might consider yourself lucky.
Christine Thiessen (BA 06) is the founder of the Winnipeg Women’s Conference. A graduate of The University of Winnipeg Faculty of Business and Economics, Christine says she’s always had a natural business inclination, even if she didn’t know what career she wanted to pursue. “I guess it just runs within,” said Christine. “I don’t always consider myself as an entrepreneur, but as someone who likes to push boundaries and push forward.”
In 2019, the Winnipeg Women’s Conference began as a little spark and is now one of the most popular conferences in Winnipeg, selling out long before the first keynote speaker hits the stage. The conference was inspired by Global Summit of Women based in Berlin, Germany, and is now one of a few of its kind in Canada. “There was a need and market for it in Winnipeg. We are not looking to appeal to the masses, but there was an area of opportunity for higher achieving individuals at an executive level to come together and learn different things.”
With capacity set at only 350 attendees, the full-day event features keynote speakers, panelists, breakout sessions, networking, and a little bit of local shopping. The Winnipeg Women’s Conference is put on by a committee and handful of volunteers and held during the month of International Women’s Day. The event is about building community, encouragement and team building in a different capacity. “It’s just about bringing women together and supporting each other. Women have the ability to nurture and go forth to do things and its inherent for women to want to help each other. This conference helps to foster that.”
The theme for the 2025 conference is difficult conversations. “The conference brings topics to light that maybe we haven’t spoken about before.” Difficult conversations was chosen as a theme because it became a recurring conversation at the committee level. “There is no way you can get around difficult conversations. But sometimes out of difficult conversations, come better things.”
In addition to the Winnipeg Women’s Conference, Christine works to support business owners year-round. She is also the founder of the Winnipeg Women’s Community, a networking arm of the conference and members-only platform that hosts monthly events for women to connect, learn, and grow. There is also a mastermind group for women called The Alliance. This space is for female-identifying business owners, creatives, and visionary professionals to mindfully grow themselves, their business, and their community.
“There is always evolution,” said Christine. “I don’t always know what I’m evolving to, but I know I want to have a long-lasting impact. I saw a gap in the market and wanted to pursue it. Now the work I do is not about me, and I do believe there is a bigger purpose to this. The conference has become a pillar, and I think we are changing the Winnipeg landscape for the better.”
March 8 is International Women’s Day. The University of Winnipeg is honoured to have alumni like Christine Thiessen, and many more, making outstanding contributions through their work in the community.
