Calgary-based Movement51 (M51), the not-for-profit sister organization of women-led investment firm The51, has appointed Emily Smiley as its new executive director.
Smiley joins M51 following her eight year tenure at Toronto-based incubator DMZ, most recently acting as its director of partnerships and investor relations. Smiley helped scale entrepreneurship programs, secure corporate partnerships, and launch national initiatives to support women founders while at DMZ, M51 said in a statement.
“We are confident in her ability to elevate M51 as a national leader in financial education and economic development.”
Alison Pidskalny
“We are at a defining moment for women’s financial influence, and I am thrilled to join Movement51 as we scale our impact,” Smiley said in a statement.
Launched in 2021, M51 aims to drive change in the areas of financial acumen, financial education, and entrepreneurship, and investing by providing opportunities for woman-identifying and gender-diverse people to acquire tools, practice skills, and build financial confidence.
The organization’s flagship programs include the Financial Feminism Investing Lab, Founder Lab, and Investor Bootcamp. Smiley follows previous executive director Danielle Gifford, who joined in September 2022 to head the organization’s early growth and departed in December 2023.
Under Smiley, M51 said that it is set to accelerate its expansion beyond Alberta, strengthen its partnerships, and create greater access to financial education, investment, and entrepreneurship.
“Her proven track record in fundraising, program development, and stakeholder engagement will be instrumental as we expand our reach and deepen our impact,” M51 board chair and former interim executive director Alison Pidskalny said in a statement. “We are confident in her ability to elevate M51 as a national leader in financial education and economic development.”
RELATED: The51 appoints Highline Beta founder Lauren Robinson as managing partner
Last year, M51 ran five programs with more than 400 program participants, and expanded its reach to 48 cities, according to its 2024 Impact Report. The report also states M51’s Financial Feminist Investing Lab graduates raised $1.4 million in capital over the year, bringing its total impact to $2.3 million. M51 has a goal of activating $2.5 billion in women-led capital by 2030, a spokesperson told BetaKit in an email statement.
Earlier this month, The51 made a leadership addition of its own, appointing Highline Beta co-founder Lauren Robinson as managing partner. The appointment allowed general partners Shelley Kuipers and Judy Fairburn to focus on their roles as the firm prepares to scale its presence across the country.
The51 also closed its $51-million CAD Food and AgTech Fund in January after actively raising for nearly four years. The Food and AgTech Fund invests in diverse founders who are transforming food and agriculture with advanced technology between the pre-seed and Series A stages.
Feature image courtesy Movement51.