What comes after you "lean in?" In Our Turn, Kirstine Stewart, Chief Strategy Officer of Diply GoViral--and recently named to Canadian Business's Power 50 of 2016 list because she "helps women discover their leadership potential"--draws on her own extensive experience to answer that question in smart and practical ways.
Canada's own Kirstine Stewart has joined the ranks of other stand-out new technology leaders such as Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer, but she has come to that position by a very different route. She got her first job when she applied for a position as a "girl Friday" at a film distribution house. Having worked her way up from the bottom--under women and men, leaders good and bad--she believes it's time we leaped past the question of how women might create change in the working world and exploit the fact that profound change is already under way. The digital revolution, and the wave of millennials who are entering the work force with very different expectations than the generations who preceded them, have created a new reality that demands a new style of leader with attributes and perspectives that make women the natural front-runners. The opportunity is there. The question Stewart tackles in Our Turn is how do we seize it. Stewart's own track in the world has been exceptional, and littered with firsts, including being the first woman and the youngest person ever to head the CBC. Not only does she illuminate the broad strokes of the way forward for women, and her own principles of leadership, she digs down into the nitty-gritty of how she has managed to excel and to lead while staying true to who she is as a person. Whether you're the CEO or the administrative assistant, there is something for you in Our Turn.

Kirstine is the Chief Strategy Officer for Diply, a content platform with over 1 billion monthly views and 34 million monthly unique US visitors. Until Fall 2016, Kirstine was the Vice-President of media at Twitter, overseeing North American media partnerships across all verticals, including television, sports, gaming, news and music. She previously served as Managing Director for Twitter Canada, leading Canadian operations as well as advertising business and partnerships. Prior to joining Twitter in May 2013, Kirstine was the Executive Vice-President of CBC’s English services, CBC/Radio-Canada, where she oversaw the network’s English-language radio, television and digital programming and operations. Earlier, she was Senior Vice-President of programming for Alliance Atlantis, overseeing HGTV, Food Network, National Geographic, BBC Canada and others.
 
Kirstine earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, and is a graduate of the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century programme at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government as well as the Transition to Leadership Programme Young Global Voices at the Oxford Saïd Business School. She is also an alumna of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, an integral part of the World Economic Forum. Most recently, Kirstine was named to Maclean’s list of the most powerful Canadians (just two places behind Justin Trudeau), to Toronto Life’s list of the most influential Torontonians and to Canadian Business’s 2015 list of the top 50 most powerful business people in Canada. She sits on the board of theScore.com and is a member of the DMZ Advisory Council at Ryerson University. She is also author of the bestselling business book Our Turn. She’s @kirstinestewart on Twitter.

Kirstine Stewart's profile page

• Long-listed, National Business Book Award

“Read Our Turn and you’ll understand how Canada’s own Kirstine Stewart joined the ranks of other stand-out technology leaders like Marissa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg. Kirstine’s career is inspiring, and the ideas and strategies she shares about how to lead in times when change is the only constant are common-sense, down-to-earth and yet revolutionary. This is a great read from a leader I respect and admire.” —Arlene Dickinson

“Having spent nearly a decade working with Kirstine, I’ve seen these ideas in action and know they work! In Our Turn, she’s written a new blueprint for leadership and creativity. She has also delivered an honest look at how and why she has been so successful—and shows you practical ways that you can be successful, too.” —George Stroumboulopoulos

“I have known Kirstine for over twenty years as a colleague and a friend. In Our Turn, she has delivered a priceless read for any woman navigating the ins and outs of the working world. As I read, I made a list of every young and not so young woman I want to share it with, from my nieces to my employees to my girlfriends and my female peers. This is the time for all of us to speak up and share our vision for the working world of the future.” —Debbie Travis
“With her new book, Our Turn, the Twitter VP (and the first woman ever to helm the CBC) has penned a powerful manifesto for the flawed yet fabulous iteration of the modern working woman. Oh, she also hates networking and loves wearing jumpsuits in professional settings. What a boss.” —Chatelaine

“[A] great book and a great message for women.” —Alex Johnston, Executive Director of Catalyst Canada

“[A] how-to for women aiming at executive jobs. . . . [P]art memoir, part motivational treatise, part review of the current literature on leadership and technology.” —Jim Coyle, Toronto Star

“Stewart’s a trailblazer but she’s also normal, and her handbook for ambitious women is invaluable. . . . Stewart writes plain and tall. She speaks honestly about awkward subjects. . . . Stewart’s is a remarkable voice and I shall give the book to my daughters.” —Heather Mallick, Toronto Star

“[N]o-nonsense. . . . [Our Turn] exposes the barriers that often stand between women and their career objectives. . . . Through the lens of her experience, [Stewart] offers a realistic glimpse of the workplace. . . . On every page, Stewart offers a fresh perspective on old beliefs.” —Marie-Josée Boucher, CPA Magazine

“Stewart provides useful tips for any current or aspiring business leader in today’s workplace plus an insider look at the CBC and Twitter.” —BCBusiness