Meaghan Stovel McKnight Named Among Top 100 Women Leaders

Meaghan Stovel McKnight recognized by the Women’s Executive Network as a Top 100 Award Winner for her transformative contributions to the health of Canadians

October 30,  2024, Toronto, Ontario—Make-A-Wish Canada’s Chief Executive Officer, Meaghan Stovel McKnight, has been recognized by WXN (Women’s Executive Network) as “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner” for transformational leadership of Canada’s top health charities.

A winner in the Canadian Tire Community Impact category, Stovel McKnight is named alongside other women whose bold leadership has had a profound impact on Canadians.

“I’m humbled to be recognized alongside such an inspiring group of women who have fearlessly taken on leadership roles in their fields, driving meaningful change and positively impacting communities across the country,” Stovel McKnight says. “Women’s leadership in health organizations like Make-A-Wish Canada is essential to fostering innovation and building a healthier future.”

Stovel McKnight has made significant contributions for over a decade to the health of Canadians. She has led teams that have raised more than $500 million to fund life-changing healthcare and research and has transformed three major nonprofit organizations to ensure their long-term growth and impact. This includes leading the successful operational merger to form Trillium Health Partners Foundation in 2013.  Now at the helm of Make-A-Wish Canada, a charity that helps improve health outcomes for sick children through the granting of a wish, Stovel McKnight has led the organization through a remarkable evolution. Last year alone, over 400,000 people from 576 communities across Canada were touched by a wish granted to 1,389 children. This work was funded by donations that grew 47% from the previous year under Stovel McKnight’s leadership.

With the sharpened focus she’s known for, Stovel McKnight is driving towards a new goal: ensuring that all eligible sick children in Canada have their wishes granted. Wishes are widely recognized by medical teams as an important aspect of sick children’s treatment. Stovel McKnight’s commitment is why Dr. Heather Hodgson-Viden, pediatric palliative care doctor and member of Make-A-Wish Canada’s Medical Advisory Committee, helped nominate Stovel McKnight for the award.

“I’ve witnessed Meaghan taking bold, decisive action and leading the way for others so that kids could have their wishes granted,” Dr. Hodgson-Viden says. Leveraging the expertise of Dr. Hodgson-Viden and her medical peers, Make-A-Wish Canada was led by Stovel McKnight to become the first Make-A-Wish affiliate in 2022 to safely reopen travel after the COVID-19 pandemic for wish kids, setting a new standard globally. It’s just one example of many that have ultimately earned Stovel McKnight recognition.

The Women’s Executive Network will be celebrating Stovel McKnight and all of the 2024 winners at the 22nd annual Top 100 Awards Gala, hosted at the Fairmont Royal York Toronto on November 27, 2024, featuring award-winning international journalist Lisa LaFlamme.

ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH^® CANADA   

Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. As an independently operating affiliate of Make-A-Wish International, Make-A-Wish Canada is part of the network of the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization. We serve children in every community in Canada, and in 50 countries worldwide. Make-A-Wish Canada has granted over 39,000 wishes over the past 40 years with 1,389 of them last year alone. For the second year in a row, Make-A-Wish Canada has been named a Great Place to Work and in 2024 was named to the Top 100 Best Workplaces for Giving Back.

ABOUT WXN  

WXN (Women’s Executive Network) is a one-of-a-kind community shaping the future of leadership across North America. We bring together thousands of bold women, allies, and corporate members in a rich and diverse ecosystem of professional development, networking, thought leadership, belonging, and celebration that propels professional women to rise and lead.

Guided by our Owner and CEO, Sherri Stevens, and WXN’s Global Alliance of Inclusive Leadership (GAIL), we lead North America’s most prestigious events for women in business, create professional development programming, and champion thought leadership for professional women. This includes the Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ Awards, the GAIL Conference and Awards, the Bold Convos series, and programs such as the RAW Courage Coaching Program, Master Coach Xcelerator and the Boldly Forward Leadership Learning Series.

For more information, visit https://wxnetwork.com/Opens in new tab.

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with Sherri Stevens, please contact: Virginia Johnson [email protected].