Kirsten Koppang Telford, the newly appointed CEO of The Forum, leads one of Canada’s most impactful charitable organizations dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs. With a deep entrepreneurial background herself, Kirsten brings both passion and insight to her role at The Forum, a national charity committed to unlocking access to the wisdom, financial, and social capital that women need to build and scale thriving businesses.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
The Forum is a national, registered Canadian charity whose purpose is to deliver impactful community, education and mentorship programs that are designed to elevate women entrepreneurs in their unique journeys. Our mission is to unlock access to the wisdom, financial, and social capital that they need to build and scale the businesses that our country needs.
To date, we’ve supported over 18,000 women entrepreneurs across Canada through programs and events including The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch, The Forum Mentor Program, The Forum E-Series and more.
What problem does it aim to solve?
The Forum addresses the significant barriers that prevent women entrepreneurs from accessing three critical forms of capital they need to succeed: wisdom capital (knowledge, skills, and expertise), financial capital (funding, grants, and investment), and social capital (networks, mentorship, and community connections).
In 2025, women entrepreneurs are still half as likely as men to reach $500,000 in annual revenue. The odds of hitting $1M—or $10M—are even steeper. Systemic challenges range from bias in funding decisions to limited access to the networks and mentorship that fuel business growth.
The Forum works to level the playing field by providing programming, mentorship, and community that gives women entrepreneurs the tools and connections they need to not just start businesses, but to scale and sustain them.
When did you start/join it?
I officially stepped into the role in May 2024 and was part of The Forum’s board prior to that.
What made you want to get involved?
I’ve spent the majority of my career as an entrepreneur, and recognize how much support and courage it takes to start and grow a business. Having seen and experienced the barriers that prevent women from building the impactful businesses they envision, I wanted to help create the opportunities they’ve always deserved through The Forum. I love that The Forum supports entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey, while working to build a world where all women have an equal opportunity to achieve their goals.
What was the situation like when you started?
When I joined The Forum, the organization was scaling rapidly, fueled by incredible momentum and a strong, trusted brand built over years of impact. We were at a unique inflexion point—one where experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, and industry experts across the country were actively raising their hands to get involved. They wanted to give back and be part of advancing our mission. That surge of interest created a powerful opportunity for us to accelerate our growth even further. Our challenge—and our privilege—was to figure out how to mobilize this energy and create meaningful roles for those ready to step into the ring with us. Strengthening network engagement has become a top priority because it’s key to maximizing our impact at scale.
It’s also a remarkable moment in time. We’re seeing more women in leadership and more champions of this work than ever before. There’s a collective sense that the time is now to move the needle and reshape the business landscape for future generations. The support is there. This truly feels like a tipping point for the women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
What more needs to be done?
We’re at a critical moment where supporting women entrepreneurs isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s an economic imperative. As The Forum marks its 23rd year, we continue to see a rise in the need for programming across the country as more women turn towards building businesses.
To meet them where they’re at, we need to deepen our support systems and continue breaking down systemic barriers along their journeys to ensure women entrepreneurs have access to the support they need to sustain and scale their vision of success.
Today, The Forum has a three-year strategy to activate, elevate and educate our community, as that’s what our research indicates is needed most to tackle this moment in time. This means activating our networks and opening doors for women entrepreneurs, elevating women through media, press and events to tackle bias, and continuing to educate women by surrounding them with the right people who hold the knowledge and advice they’re searching for for their business to help them succeed.
How can our readers help?
There are many meaningful ways to support The Forum and the women entrepreneurs we serve.
- You can make a financial contribution through donations
- Sponsor a program or fund bursaries that expand access to our programming
- You can donate your time and expertise as a mentor or expert Faculty speaker – we’re always aiming to expand our network across Canada to ensure program participants have access to the knowledge and support they need
Whether you’re an entrepreneur yourself or a champion of women in business, we invite you to join our growing community of supporters. You can learn more about all the ways to get involved at theforum.ca/support.
Do you have any events coming up?
Applications for The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch 2025/26 and The Forum E-Series 2025/26 will be opening in September 2025. Both programs are designed to support women entrepreneurs with education, mentorship, and access to capital and community. Stay tuned for more details on how to apply.
Where can we follow you?
Sign up for The Forum’s newsletter at www.theforum.ca or follow @theforumca on Instagram to stay in the loop!
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
