A special IWD message from Gillian Stein

Small Business Canada

The leader of the future leads with vulnerability, leans on her team, and works to raise and celebrate those around her. She surrounds herself by those who respect her enough to do the same; cheer her on when she’s winning and give her the honest truth, no matter how hard it is to hear, when she needs it. Leaders who act human and show they are human are the ones who build the strongest cultures, the most trusting teams, and as a result, the most resilient organizations. Be unapologetically honest, courageous, and most importantly, be you. Let’s embrace the future and each other. This is the time for women to shine!


A special IWD message from Gillian Stein Share on X

Gillian Stein

CEO of Henry’s

I am very proud to be the CEO of Henry’s, the largest independent digital imaging retailer in Canada. Under my leadership, Henry’s has undergone a transformation from a traditional electronics retailer into one that encourages and builds on our customers’ creativity and passion. Our evolution includes delivering the best specialty retail experience across Canada, driving innovation to meet the future needs of our customers, expanding the brand to connect with the rapidly growing segment of content creators, including podcasters, YouTubers and other digital storytellers, and re-inventing the digital imaging category to take the business to greater heights.

As a people-first leader, it’s important to me that my role extends well past driving the bottom line. Corporate social responsibility and employee well-being are critically important to me, our success as a business and members of the community. I am a proud board member of the Henry’s Foundation, a non-profit charity that supports the improvement of mental health for Canadians everywhere. In 2021, in an effort to destigmatize mental health in the business community, I became the first Canadian CEO to announce I have a mental illness.

The COVID-19 pandemic was very difficult for most retailers, Henry’s included. I was deeply committed to leading this business, which has been owned and run by members of my family since 1909, through the global crisis to position it for success. With strategic forethought and planning, and, most importantly, an incredible team that worked hard every day to accelerate our strategy, we led Henry’s through the process of restructuring our business under the Business and Insolvency Act and ultimately emerging stronger than ever before. I’m proud to say that Henry’s is very successful today, with 300+ amazing employees, 22 retail stores across the country, a thriving eCommerce business and a sophisticated B2B division.

I have a master’s degree in International Development from the University of Sussex in England, a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of McGill, and am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). In addition to the Henry’s Foundation, I also sit on the Board of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and the Maple Leaf chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). I live with my husband and two wonderful sons in Toronto. In my free time you can find me travelling and exploring the globe, being a foodie and spending time outdoors with my family.

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CanadianSME
With an aim to contribute to the development of Canada’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s), Cmarketing Inc is a potential marketing agency and a boutique business management company progressing rapidly in its scope. By acknowledging a firm reliance of the Canadian economy over its SMEs, the agency has resolved to launch a magazine, the pure focus of which will be the furtherance of Canadian SMEs, and to assist their progress with the scheduled token of enlightenment via the magazine’s pertinent content.
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