Profession: Director of Process Optimization

Years of Experience:11 Years

Vanessa Lewis, a Jamaican-Canadian, was born and raised in Toronto. She is a Seneca Business Administration honours graduate, a Ryerson Business Commerce graduate, a certified Project Management Professional and is currently working towards a Lean Six Sigma certification.

Vanessa has always envisioned owning her own business, she still does. In her current role, she is responsible for business process development and new product launches, which allows her to run small-sized enterprises within a company. The risk is lower but the pressure, the experience and the challenges are the same.

Experienced leader with a demonstrated history working in the financial services industry, Vanessa’s journey was built upon hard work and determination, but also by circumstance. She lost her father at a young age, and watched her mother experience a near death illness, which propelled her desire to achieve her goals and provide for her family. Vanessa worked part-time during school and started saving for the future at 15 years old, which allowed her to pay her way through college, university and purchase her first home. Her financial acumen has been the cornerstone of her lifestyle.

The thing about success, is that there’s always a new goal or milestone to achieve, at least for Vanessa. She continues to set new goals while taking time to enjoy life. Vanessa defines success as a continuous journey with a lot of uncertainty and challenges to overcome.

Vanessa’s advice to like minded dreamers:  It’s not about how smart you are, but how hard you are willing to work, how much you are willing to learn, and how well you can work with people.