For decades, women have remained underrepresented in Canada’s manufacturing industry. According to Statistics Canada, women made up just 29 per cent of the sector’s workforce at the end of 2023 — a number that has barely changed in 40 years. To support and raise awareness for women in manufacturing, Annex Business Media’s 14 manufacturing brands came together for the 5th year to host the Advance: Women in Manufacturing virtual summit, which was centred around the theme of International Women’s Day 2025, “Accelerate Action.” The event took place virtually on March 5, 2025. Opening remarks The summit began with a welcome from Nithya Caleb, editor of Food in Canada and PrintAction, Sukanya Ray Ghosh, former editor of Manufacturing Automation, and Kirstyn Brown, editor of Plant and MRO. The event, sponsored by MNP, Valmet and Sonami, included a keynote titled ‘Leading the way,’ a panel discussion on ‘Trailblazing innovation – How women are shaping the future of Canadian manufacturing,’ a workshop named ‘Speak up, stand out – Building assertiveness skills,’ a fireside chat on accelerating action, and a final panel discussion called ‘Ask the boss – Navigating tough conversations.’