The Women’s Executive Network (WXN) has once again included Queen’s Law alumnae in its roster of “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards.” The three named are all in the corporate executive category: Judy Goldring, Law’91, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer, AGF Management; Leslie O’Donoghue, QC, Law’88, Executive VP, Corporate Development & Strategy and Chief Risk Officer, Agrium Inc.; and Linda Mantia, Law’92, Executive VP, Cards and Payment Solutions, RBC. The awards celebrate the professional achievements of strong female leaders across the country.

For Goldring and O’Donoghue, it’s a repeat of their 2012 honour, as reported here last year. (See "Two alumnae among Canada’s 'Most Powerful Women'.") O’Donoghue has also been inducted into the Women’s Executive Network Hall of Fame after being named four times.

Mantia is the newest alumna recognized. Previously a corporate securities lawyer and management consultant, she joined RBC in 2003 as senior VP of the Innovation & Process Design teams. After a stint in London, England, as Chief Operating Officer of Global Private Banking, she returned to Canada as head of the bank’s Enterprise Services and Chief Procurement Officer.  She is currently responsible for RBC’s personal and business credit card business, the RBC Rewards and partnership program, Moneris Acquiring Business Services, and the development and execution of RBC’s retail and merchant payments strategy, including mobile payments.

Mantia is a member of RBC’s Personal and Commercial Banking Operating Committee and of VISA’s Advisory Board, sits on the board of directors for Moneris Solutions (a leading North American payment processor), and in recent years has co-chaired two major community programs: Women Against Multiple Sclerosis and CivicAction’s Greening Greater Toronto. For other women pursuing leadership positions, she has this advice: “Whenever I’ve been intimidated by something, I’ve always gravitated towards it instead of away. The more things you can tackle early in your career – things you think you aren’t good at -- the more experience you’ll have to draw upon as you become more senior; nothing will seem foreign to you.”

As for her years at Queen’s Law, Mantia says she loved the clinical programs, especially working for the Correctional Law Project in maximum security prisons. “That real-world experience was excellent training – a huge asset for people.”