Meet Lindsey Walton, new Board Member at Nellie’s
As a student at Brock University, Nellie’s newest Board Director Lindsey Walton was one of just a few women who graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Mathematics Integrated with Computers and Applications (MICA) degree in 2006. She went on to work in the capital markets industry in Toronto, starting in venture capital and eventually becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst managing risk on the trading floor at CIBC. She experienced gender inequity in different forms throughout her career in the industry, inspiring her to want to get involved and make change.
It was at this time that Lindsey went to work as a Director at Women in Capital Markets (WCM), a firm aimed at accelerating gender diversity in finance. “I’ve always been an active advocate for gender equity and assumed I was well versed in the space, however, after joining WCM I realized how little I truly knew about diversity, inclusion and equity generally and how complicated a topic it was. I started to pay more attention to everywhere where I was in a privileged group and how different other peoples’ experiences were” says Lindsey.
“When the COVID‐19 pandemic hit, I started to hear about the shadow epidemic—how abusive situations were amplified as a result of the quarantine—and I felt a responsibility to help in whatever way I could” says Lindsey. “When I saw that there was a Board seat open at Nellie’s, I applied because I felt I could lend my skill set to the organization and contribute to this important work.”
Lindsey currently works as the Head of Canada at the UN supported Principles for Responsible Investment. A mom to two girls, aged 6 and almost 9, Lindsey has been a tough advocate within their school community. She successfully garnered support from local politicians, including the Premier of Ontario, for her comprehensive plans to address overcrowding in public schools.
And, she played a key role in securing increased safety measures around the Eglinton-LRT construction near the school as well as donations from Metrolinx to fund school activities as partial compensation for the disruptive construction.
Nellie’s Board of Directors is comprised of incredible women in our community who are passionate about ending violence against women and children. Working with Nellie’s, Lindsey believes both her work as a woman in finance and her local advocacy skills will be an advantage to the organization.
“I hope to leverage my network and make connections where I can to support the incredible work that Nellies is doing,” says Lindsey. “I will continue to apply my knowledge of Canadian policy and advocacy experience towards driving change including garnering more support for the crucial services Nellies provides. Progress for women is meaningless if it doesn’t include all women. We are only as strong as the most marginalized and that’s where we need to focus.”
Welcome Lindsey! We’re so happy you’re here.
