Charlie Wall-Andrews
Women In Music Canada has awarded the 14 recipients of its 2025 WIM Canada Honours, including SOCAN Foundation Executive Director Charlie Wall-Andrews, who was named Change Maker of the Year. SOCAN congratulates her on this great achievement!
The third annual Honours event, held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and Annabel’s in Toronto, on March 6, 2025, celebrated Canadian innovators and creators who’ve had outstanding success in their fields from December 2023 to December 2024. Emceed by CBC Radio host Saroja Coelho, the night featured showcase performances from Kimmortal, Cozmic Cat, Nyssa, and Kibra.
The 2025 Women In Music Honours recipients are:
Entrepreneur of the Year
Ebonnie Rowe (Honey Jam)
Artist of the Year
Nemahsis
Organization of the Year
ArtHaus Community
Change Maker of the Year
Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews (SOCAN Foundation)
Excellence in Live Music
Carly McFadden (Folk On The Rocks)
International Leader of the Year
Alysha Brilla
Career Achievement Honour
Leela Gilday
Lisa Logutenkow
Veronica Syrtash
Women In Music Canada Rising Leaders
Alexandra Idiart-Benavides (The Vault)
Harpo Mander (5X Fest)
Alex Simpson (Live Nation / Lavender Wild)
Kingsley Swim (Project Warp and the Framework)
Laura Wilson-Lewis (Warner Music Canada)
Catherine Saxberg
The evening of celebration followed the sold-out Women in Music Canada 2025 Summit, held March 4-5 at the Allied Music Centre in downtown Toronto. The Summit gathered more than 40 industry leaders to speak, present interactive workshops, and provide mentorship opportunities designed to empower and elevate women and gender minorities in the music industry.
One of the conference highlights was the “Authentic Marketing and Real Connections” panel, where up-and-coming artists learned tips and tricks from managers, label representatives, and DSP personnel to help further their careers. They discussed how TikTok and Instagram are essential to being discovered and building a following; how to invest in social media platforms, and leverage the free analytics each software provides, to get noticed more; and the importance of deploying the appropriate posting times, methods, and platforms to convert casual viewers into fans.
At another session, “Balancing the Unseen: Navigating Invisible Challenges in the Workplace,” Catherine Saxberg – SOCAN Vice President of International Relations – discussed a Dutch study being undertaken to help mental health in the music industry. She also talked about the lack of research being done to help neurodivergent members of society, and the value of ensuring that employees benefit from the working conditions they require to perform, rather than demanding an unreasonable workload that can result in improper work, and subsequent mental suffering.
Kit Wheeler, SOCAN Vice President of Royalty Collections, led another gathering, “Know Your Rights: Maximize Your Music’s Value.” Entertainment lawyer Sarah Falzon, of Taylor Oballa Murray Leyland LLP, advised emerging artists on red flags to look for in music deals, and suggested that a lawyer look over any agreement or contract, to ensure that they don’t lose out on rights to their music when signing.