Women Who Inspire
All women are inspiring. This campaign was created to celebrate their success and independence.
Dress For Success Montréal is proud to launch its new campaign, “Women Who Inspire,” which will begin on March 3, 2025. Throughout the year, this initiative will highlight the exceptional journeys of women who have overcome challenges and successfully achieved their goals.
The “Women Who Inspire” campaign aims to showcase these extraordinary women who, through their resilience and determination, have transformed their own lives and made a significant impact on their community.
Join us to inspire, mobilize, and build a future where economic independence is within reach for all women.
Our Sponsors
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Since its inception, Dress For Success Montréal has supported over 3,000 women on their journey towards economic independence and professional success. We are proud to assist these extraordinary women at every step of their path.
Our 2025 Ambassadors
We are Proud to Present the Ambassadors of the "Women Who Inspire" Campaign
We are thrilled to introduce the ambassadors of our “Women Who Inspire” campaign. These remarkable women embody the spirit of resilience, determination, and success that our initiative aims to celebrate. Stay tuned as we share their inspiring stories and achievements throughout the year.
Inspiring Women - September 2025 :
Kiara Piccolo et Sarah Harroch
Kiara Piccolo is the Co-Founder of Stressed but Backwards and a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist. She earned her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from McGill University. With over a decade of experience working with children with special needs, her passion for helping others began through volunteering. As an SLP, Kiara supports children in developing independence across all areas of receptive, expressive, and social communication. As the co-founder of SBB, she values the opportunity to express her creativity, connect with clients, and contribute to life’s most memorable celebrations.
Sarah Harroch co-founded Stressed but Backwards, a creative bakery venture specializing in personalized lunchbox cakes, while completing her law studies at the University of Montreal. With a vision to create a new cake culture that blends personalization, accessibility, and creativity, she helped transform a small idea into a growing business. Her entrepreneurial journey sparked a deep interest in business law, as she experienced firsthand the challenges of building, marketing, and scaling a business. Before law, Sarah earned a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. She is now an articling student at one of Canada’s largest full-service law firms, where she plans to specialize in commercial real estate law.
We believe that confidence is the key to success. Whether it is supporting a child to express themselves or preparing someone to step into an important meeting, confidence creates the foundation for growth and achievement. Our connection to this mission extends beyond our individual fields of speech therapy and law. Through our cake company, Stressed but Backwards, we continue to celebrate women every day. The majority of our clients are women, and each cake we create serves as a tribute to their milestones, accomplishments, and life’s meaningful moments.
For us, working alongside Dress for Success Montreal is an opportunity to carry forward a shared vision: empowering women to feel strong, capable, and confident in every sphere of their lives.
Inspiring Woman - August 2025 :
Giuliana Maglione
As a dedicated entrepreneur, mother, and philanthropist, I have spent nearly 25 years building a successful legacy with my husband at Presti Homes. With a strong legal background and extensive experience in real estate, I have played a key role in guiding the company’s growth and direction, including our newest venture to innovate real estate transactions through Ownspace Solutions.
As the Financial and Administrative Director of Presti Homes and founder of the Presti Foundation, I have championed initiatives to give back to the community, including raising funds to establish the first food allergy clinic at Sainte-Justine Hospital and supporting the Cedars Cancer Association through various Galas. In addition to my business pursuits, I am committed to empowering women to realize their professional potential while balancing family life, believing that support and encouragement are essential for success.
I am passionate about supporting each other and lifting one another up, striving to create a future where women can thrive both personally and professionally. Balancing family and career, I am grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact in my community and honoured to be an ambassador for Dress for Success Montreal, an organization whose values and mission are in direct alignment with my own.
Inspiring Woman - July 2025 :
Alexandra Choquette, President of Burovision, was deeply moved and honored when we asked her to be our inspiring woman of the month. As a businesswoman surrounded by an incredible team, largely made up of women, she firmly believes in the collective power of women.
For her, Dress for Success Montreal is an organization that brings us together and helps women shine so they can reach their full potential.
“Let me tell you that women are powerful, I support that. We get stuff done! Which is amazing. And the organization Dress for Success sets women up for them to be successful. So that is a choice of words that I love, Dress for Success, and I buy into that 100%.”
A huge thank you to Alexandra for reminding us just how strong we are when we stand together.
Alexandra Choquette is the Founder and President of Burovision, co-owner of d|vision 21, Branch Associate of Falkbuilt Greater Montreal and Ottawa.
Alexandra provides executive leadership over multiple platforms and is dedicated to building an organization recognized as consultative workplace partners to our customers.
Alexandra orchestrates a seamless customer experience with our project team and supplier partners and is passionate about using design-based thinking to solve complete, customer problems.
Alexandra is a proud member of the Montreal chapter of the Women President’s organization – a group of dynamic women business owners who gather monthly to enhance leaning and share best business practices. She also sits on the LOVE (Canada) organization Board.
Inspiring Woman - June 2025 :
Martine Roy accepted the title of Inspiring Woman of the Month for the Dress for Success Montréal campaign because she believes in the power of women supporting each other to succeed—regardless of sexual orientation, appearance, or ability. She highlights that the workplace still poses challenges for women due to persistent prejudices and myths, and that meaningful action is needed to bring about change.
She sees Dress for Success Montréal as a gateway to new possibilities, especially for women navigating career changes, overcoming difficult situations such as domestic violence, or finding their place despite personal challenges. Martine is particularly attuned to the inclusion and visibility of women in the LGBTQ+ community, who are often overlooked, and she believes in celebrating their stories to inspire courage in others.
Martine is proud and honored by this recognition. She hopes to inspire the next generation by listening to, supporting, and empowering women in their professional journeys. Above all, she emphasizes the importance of authenticity at work—a key to success that aligns deeply with our organization’s core values of inclusion, equity, and diversity.
Martine Roy worked for 20 years at IBM, where she held positions such as Critical Incident Resolution Coordinator and Account Manager. At IBM, she set up resource groups to support LGBT employees and was deeply committed to raising staff and management awareness of LGBT realities and promoting an inclusive workplace. Now Regional Director, 2SLGBTQ+ Business Development Quebec & Eastern Canada for TD Bank, Martine is once again taking up the challenge with passion. A strong advocate for LGBT rights, she has her heart set on her business. Dismissed from the Canadian Armed Forces for her homosexuality at age 19, Martine led the class action that concluded with an apology from the federal government in 2017. Martine served as a member of the Board of Directors of Pride at Work Canada for 10 years, a Toronto-based organization she founded with seven other individuals. She was also President of Fondation Émergence until 2015. Over the years, a leader in workplace inclusion, Martine has received numerous awards and distinctions. In 2017, she was awarded the Medal of the National Assembly of Quebec. In 2023, Martine Roy was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her tireless efforts as a leader, activist and advocate for diversity, inclusion and equity in Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Inspiring Women - May 2025:
Annie and Sharleen Young
Annie and Sharleen Young are a mother-daughter team with deep roots in Montreal’s beauty industry. Annie founded Annie Young Cosmétiques in 1980, and Sharleen joined her in 1996. Together, they spent nearly three decades growing the business into one of the city’s most trusted names in beauty. While they still see select clients for makeup, Annie is now retired and actively involved in community organizations. Sharleen has expanded her path into life coaching and wellness—natural extensions of her lifelong passion for empowering others. She also hosts the podcast People, Their Passion & Purpose, where she shares inspiring stories of growth and transformation. As ambassadors for Dress for Success Montreal this May, they’re proud to continue uplifting women—together.
Inspiring Woman - April 2025:
Katia Piccolino
A Powerhouse in Luxury Hospitality & Philanthropy
Katia is a dynamic force in luxury hospitality, entertainment, and philanthropy. As Director of Sales & Marketing at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal, she excels in PR, sponsorships, and partnerships, organizing high-profile events like the Grand Prix Ritz Party. Starting in show business at 17, she quickly rose to Director of Promotions at Gillette Entertainment Group, then transitioned to fashion as PR Director for Lady Dutch before launching her own PR agency. Deeply committed to philanthropy, Katia sits on the board of More Than a Cure, supporting underprivileged women with breast cancer. Despite her public persona, she remains humble, prioritizing time with her children, Rosalie and Giovanni. Known as “Katia from the Ritz,” she champions Montreal’s charm and aims to focus more on philanthropy, mentorship, and meaningful projects, while continuing to redefine luxury hospitality.
Inspiring Woman - March 2025:
Adriana Garcia Cruz
On March 8th, International Women’s Rights Day, we announced the start of our Inspiring Women campaign.
We began this wonderful journey with Adriana Garcia Cruz, a talented photographer originally from Colombia who immigrated to Canada in 2006. Through her works, Adriana explores human complexity, highlighting dreams, regrets, hopes, and the beauty of the human experience. In 2017, she received the CALQ research and creation grant for her project La mémoire et l’oubli.
If anyone has inspired me in life, it is the women I grew up with and those who surround me every day. Today, I am happy to be part of this multicultural group of inspiring women. For me, being a woman has always been a source of pride !
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Sponsor a woman throughout her journey toward financial independence, from her first appointment to long-term employment integration.