Shannon Pestun

Organization:
The Finance Cafe

Title:
Co-Founder

Shannon Pestun is a board member, entrepreneur and executive leader who shares the ambition of unlocking the full potential of an inclusive economy.

Over her 25 year career, Shannon has worked with academic, nonprofit, industry and governments from across Canada to build a more inclusive economy. Her experience, advocacy and leadership have made her a sought-after advisor and trusted voice on inclusive economic reconciliation and transformation.

A former business banker, Shannon led one of Canada’s first women’s banking strategies. Her leadership in helping to set the stage for gender equality in Canada's financial services sector has been widely recognized. In 2018 she was named a UN SHEInnovator by SHEInnovates Alberta – a chapter for UN Women and in 2019 was a finalist for the Diversity Ambassador of the Year award by Women in Finance – Canada. That same year she was appointed to serve on The Government of Canada’s women entrepreneurship strategy expert panel led by the Honourable Mary Ng, former Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.

Shannon is the founder of Pestun Consulting Inc, an Indigenous-owned consulting firm focused on advancing economic reconciliation by creating pathways to rebuild Indigenous economies and closing socioeconomic gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Grounded in the belief that reconciliation is a personal, organizational, societal and systemic journey, Pestun Consulting is a bridge building consultancy that co-creates insightful solutions to empower people, governments, industry, and institutions to advance their reconciliation work in the areas of policy reform, corporate accountability, and Indigenous economic self-determination.

She is also the co-founder of The Finance Cafe is Canada’s first financial learning platform for women entrepreneurs delivering trauma-informed, strength-based financial learning experiences to accelerate the growth and scale up of women-led businesses.

Shannon is an accomplished speaker who has spoken not only across Canada but internationally, sharing the challenges and successes of building an inclusive and sustainable economy. Her compassionate and warm expertise speaks across differences to show how together we can break down barriers, build sustainable partnerships, unlock innovation and create a more inclusive economy.

As a Métis woman, Shannon is passionate about reconciliation and the economic empowerment of Indigenous Peoples. In 2020, she created the Gifting Circle Bursary for Indigenous women entrepreneurs raising nearly $200,000 in support of advancing Indigenous women’s entrepreneurship through bursaries and scholarships across Canada’s post secondary institutions. Shannon currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of Mount Royal University in Calgary and is a member of the Métis Settlement Development Fund Investment Committee.