Carolyn Cross, Chairman and CEO of Ondine Biomedical, was a recipient of the 2015 BIV Influential Women in Business Awards. In celebration of International Women's Day, we are very excited to share her acceptance speech from March 4th 2015:

"Over the next five years, the women's market is expected to grow by $5 trillion, that's almost twice the growth in China and India combined.

Over the next decade, growth in women's wealth will have a profound impact on society since we invest heavily in family, community, health, and education.

Over the next decade, the impact of women on the global economy - as producers, entrepreneurs, employees, and consumers - will be massive. Who better than women to leverage the growth in women's rising global incomes?

Imagine the impact of all the women in this room pulling together towards a common goal! Imagine the successes that we could achieve united and aligned. Imagine the reach of the combined global networks. Imagine the money we can raise and the businesses we can support. Imagine the public policies that we can affect, and the political clout that we would have. Think of women connecting all around the world, and not just in one room. Now... Isn't that an inspiring vision?

Well, it's a vision that is becoming a reality, as women get wealthier, wiser, and much more connected.

'No economy can afford to squander any resource, particularly a resource as valuable as the energy and talents of half its population." This EY quote is a call to action.

In Canada, women are 47% of the workforce and are 58% of university graduates. Yet our talents are largely over-looked as a vital resource and the statistics tell us that our economic advancement seems to have stalled:

1. Female employees tend to be concentrated in entry or middle level positions.
2. Female entrepreneurs remain concentrated in the unscalable service industries.
3. And most importantly, women remain under-represented in private sector leadership positions. Sadly, 40% of the FT 100 companies still lack women on their boards.

As part of Federal Minister Kellie Leitch's task force on Women's Entrepreneurship, we were asked to sort out what was going on and how to help. I had the opportunity to hear from women across Canada about the major barriers for women in business which are unsurprisingly the:

1. Lack of access to capital for growing companies;
2. Lack of access to markets (international or domestic);
3. Lack of access to know-how and leadership opportunities;
4. Historical biases and lack of access to visibility, promotion, and networks.

We also learned that there are plenty of reports that justify gender diversity in Canadian business leadership. What we are missing though, is the sense of urgency due to the lack of transparency of gender-related data and the lack of political and social sensitivity to the economic relevance of this important issue.

As a society, we are still talking about women's economic advancement as an issue of gender equality instead of being a strategic national economic growth imperative.

We need to advocate for women in business and we need to use our collective voice to support the policies and organizations that will reduce the barriers impacting women's economic advancement.

There is the opportunity for great impact in our numbers and we cannot squander this. We need to influence the public and our politicians and inform them of the need to put women as a catalyst for growth on the economic agenda. I am asking each one of you to join me in this mission, and become a member of WEBAC, Women's Economic Business Advisory Council, a group dedicated to advocating for the advancement of women in business in BC.

I feel quite humbled to be up here, and quite lucky.

As you have heard, I almost died 3 1/2 years ago when the small plane I was in plummeted from the sky and crashed onto eight lanes of highway at 4:15 PM on a Thursday afternoon. I awoke to find myself trapped, unable to move, inside a plane that had burst into flames.

I am alive today because of the heroic efforts of a handful of men that risked their lives to perform an incredible act of human kindness.

None of these rescuers woke up that day planning to be a hero; they were in the right place at the right time and collectively seized the opportunity to make a difference because they believed it was the right thing to do.

I thank God every day for the gift of life. For the opportunity to see my children grow up. For the chance to enjoy time with family and friends and for the ability to advance my non-antibiotic infection fighting technologies that are already making a big difference to patient outcomes.

I am also very thankful for the privilege and opportunity to serve this incredible country through the advancement of women.

Whether through being a mentor, a political advocate, or a champion of change, it is imperative that we join forces to step up, lean in, and collectively do our part for women in business. It's just the right thing to do.

The need is immediate and the time is now. Canada's future depends on advancing all, not half, of our human resources.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for this award. I dedicate it to the heroes who let me live to see this day."

To view a video of the speech, click here!

Learn more about WEBAC and how you can support the economic advancement of women here.