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Heavy Hitter

Excavator

Established business owner in heavy construction and proven entrepreneurial innovator.

Leaving Legacy

woman in construction

Recognized internationally for women in leadership advocacy and for supporting of mental health initiatives.

Community Connector

north direction

Established leader in northern and Indigenous communities.

"Colleen Munro mesmerized the audience with her super charged presentation at SHEday.  Her lived experience as a woman working in and then transitioning to owning her family’s heavy construction business showed us firsthand how her tenacious guts and determination were needed to face the most difficult of adversity and discrimination. If you want an epic speaker who will leave your audience with a true grit revelation on leading a Canadian business and confronting the truth on overcoming obstacles, Colleen should be at the top of your list."

Marina James, MBA
CEO
Winnipeg Real Estate Board
"Colleen Munro draws the audience into her story. She is bold, honest, and real. She leaves the audience with a resonating message and a new perspective that makes listeners think differently. Colleen is the speaker you want to get to know because she is what all leaders dream of becoming a determined, confident business owner with a passion to advocate for others."

Carol Paul
Executive Director
Manitoba Construction Sector Council
“Colleen Munro in hearing her speak exemplifies what every female entrepreneur wants to find: an engaging speaker and a committed mentor who takes an active interest in the work and lives of those inspired by her journey and her successes. Colleen has helped advance my business thinking and planning processes in ways no course or certification could, by instilling in me a confidence to lean into my ambitions and make my dreams a reality.”

Donna Mathieson
Founder and Managing Director
Raven Ozhigaa Development
“Colleen Munro’s presentations are real, born of a lived experience, demonstrative of a passionate leader, progressive in views, challenging the audience to engage, improve and make a difference. A true leader, a consummate strategic business thinker. A role model by excellent example. That is Colleen Munro.”

Chris Lorenc, B.A., LL.B.
President & CEO
Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA)

Story of...

Colleen Munro

 

Keynote

Lessons From The Old Boys Club: A Girl’s Guide to Building a Better Business

Colleen Munro
Upon high school graduation, when her friends were going travelling "to find themselves," Colleen Munro's dad told her she could be "found" by walking across the yard and getting to work on the family business. Colleen immediately got to work on the legacy heavy construction company started by her late father, Hugh. Still, any privilege or special treatment that came with the Munro name was buried like a freshly laid pipe underneath a newly paved road.  


Colleen was often delegated the hardest and grittiest jobs on the construction site by her dad, "Hughie," a poster boy for the old boys' club, who was relentlessly tough on Colleen, and everyone around her at the company soon followed her father's tough-guy lead with enthusiasm, most notably the other men. While she was knocked down many times on the job, both figuratively and literally, she constantly challenged herself to get back up, steadfast in her resolve to not let the boys bury her.  

Four decades later (and counting!) Colleen shares she ultimately benefited from Hughie's "help," taking over the company and leading it through an excruciating yet groundbreaking period of innovation that has seen The Munro Group expand into extremely successful new ventures. Along the way, Colleen has become an internationally recognized advocate for women in leadership and a sought-after advisor and speaker for her business acumen. She not only survived but thrived in the long run due to her experience of being thrust into a business led by a heavily dysfunctional family in a notoriously male-dominated industry. Accordingly, Colleen has learned some extraordinary lessons in life and business from the ol' boys' club, and you will, too.  

In Colleen’s popular keynote presentation, Lessons From the Old Boys Club: A Girl’s Guide to Building a Better Business, you will:

  • Learn Colleen’s top-five Dig Deep Lessons learned from running a family business, transitioned from an enigmatic first-generation owner. 

  • Learn Colleen’s top five Bury or Beware Lessons that will keep you savvy and sane in any industry that may not always welcome you – at first. 

  • Learn why it is essential for women to only look back when striving to always move forward. 

  • Learn how men can support women, especially in male-dominated industries, and why doing so is proven to bolster the bottom line. 

  • Learn how Colleen saved her company by embracing innovation and technology, when others constantly asked her “why would we change it?” 

  • Learn why the biggest challenges inside Colleen’s company, and any company for that matter, can’t always be seen or heard, but can cause the most profound damage to the people that matter most to the success of your business. 

  • And more! 

Book Colleen Now!

For more information about Colleen Munro or to book her now for your event or conference, please Contact Us.