Trailblazing women reflect the spirit of Viola Desmond
February 22, 2026
Honouring women business leaders as part of this year’s Viola Desmond Awards is a fitting and powerful tribute to her enduring legacy as both an accomplished entrepreneur and a courageous civil rights trailblazer.
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) administer the annual awards and bursary program launched in 2009.
Before becoming a national symbol of resistance, Desmond was a successful Nova Scotia businesswoman who built a beauty culture enterprise, developed products for Black women who were excluded from mainstream markets and established a training school that empowered other women to achieve economic independence.
The selection of Dr. Luz Longsworth, Claudette McGowan and Deborah Flint as the recipients reflects a strong alignment between Desmond’s entrepreneurial courage and contemporary excellence in leadership.
TMU Black Business Students’ Association member Ekram Yimer presented the award to Bradson Longsworth, the son of Dr. Luz Longsworth who was unable to attend the event (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
The significance of the honour is not lost on Longsworth who has demonstrated visionary academic and executive leadership, advancing institutional growth and global engagement while championing inclusion and innovation.
“Just to be associated with the amazing work done by Viola Desmond is a tremendous honour,” she said. “As a Caribbean woman who has spanned several industries in my career, Viola Desmond’s life of service and community contribution resonates with what I have endeavoured to do in my own life. She provides me and other women of colour in business and leadership with the inspiration to overcome obstacles that can seem insurmountable in our career and life journeys.”
That same spirit of perseverance and purpose is reflected in Longsworth’s leadership at Sandals Corporate University (SCU), the only corporate institution of higher learning of its kind in the Caribbean.
Last March, SCU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with TMU, marking a strategic step toward strengthening talent development across Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
“Our partnership with TMU, and more specifically with the Ted Rogers School of Management, gives Sandals and Beaches Resorts team members an amazing opportunity to be exposed to experts in various areas of business and leadership,” Longsworth said. “It also strengthens our bonds with Canada, from which a large percentage of our guests originate. With this partnership, we have access to some of the best teachers and researchers in the field of business in Canada and beyond.”
The MOU, she explained, is built around three primary objectives.
“First, to facilitate visits by faculty, staff and students from TMU and SCU to establish at least annual exchanges that could be embedded in each institution’s curriculum, whether for course credit, as extracurricular programming or through executive education,” Longsworth said. “Second, to create expanded opportunities for students to participate in co-operative education placements. And third, to explore the development and delivery of immersive executive education programs in Hospitality, Tourism, Business and Management. In less than a year, we have already seen meaningful progress across all three areas.”
Internships and placements, she emphasized, are central to this vision.
“In tourism and hospitality, it is an integral part of the real-world exposure students need during their academic journey, preparing them for the work environment,” said Longsworth, who also managed a family business and worked in the private sector. “Sandals, as a unique all-inclusive luxury resort group, exposes interns to the entire guest lifecycle.
“Each of our resorts is an ecosystem encompassing restaurants, spas, watersports, nightly entertainment, engineering, cost and revenue management, human resources management, learning and development and more. Interns from TMU have the opportunity to understand all aspects of hotel operations at any of our resorts across nine beautiful Caribbean islands. Who would not want that experience?”
Operating across several Caribbean islands, each with its own culture and workforce needs, creates both significant opportunities and distinct challenges.
Longsworth stressed the importance of keeping learning relevant, inclusive and grounded in regional realities while maintaining close collaboration with TMU.
“That is a very important part of the learning model adopted by the Sandals Corporate University,” noted the former Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Affairs) and Principal of the University of the West Indies Open Campus. “Each resort is treated as a campus, and we have learning and development professionals on the ground at each one. So, we receive significant on-the-ground feedback about the specific needs of the resorts, which helps the corporate team customize programming to suit the needs of various stakeholders. Of course, there are standard training programs that must be delivered to ensure consistency in service, but these are complemented by bespoke programming developed in close collaboration with regional marketing directors, general managers and their teams at each resort.”
The partnership is also advancing executive education.
Recently, senior leaders in Jamaica and St. Lucia completed a leadership development program developed by the Ted Rogers School of Management’s executive education arm in collaboration with SCU.
“It focused on key leadership skills such as decision-making with big data, strategic planning, emotional intelligence, mindful leadership and executive communication,” Longsworth said. “We received some of the highest scores from our participants for the quality and expertise of our faculty in the last three years. This program has already impacted many of our senior and emerging leaders and has set a bar for leadership development that will benefit not only the participants, but also the people they lead as they apply these innovative principles to their leadership practice.”
As the relationship evolves, she emphasized that success must be measured over the long term, particularly in terms of human development.
“I believe that as we continue to achieve the goals of the MOU, we will see the successful transformation of our team members as well as that of the TMU students and faculty who come to Sandals,” said Longsworth. “It is our hope that we can increase the number of students who come to Sandals for internships and widen that net beyond the strict boundaries of hospitality and tourism. We have an entire ecosystem that can benefit from interns in almost every career path.
“Success, then, would mean seeing a wider range of interns who can envision their own career success represented within the hospitality and tourism industry. It would also mean experts at both TMU and Sandals collaborating closely to produce innovative programming. I think we are already on the right path with the outstanding team from TMU, including Chancellor Donette Chin-Loy Chang, Provost Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano and Dr. Cynthia Holmes, Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management. Their support, energy and commitment to the success of this partnership have already put us on the road to success.”
Longsworth’s own academic journey shaped her philosophy.
Having studied Hispanic Studies at Queen’s University, she speaks warmly of the experience.
“I had a very rich and fulfilling experience during my time at Queen’s, which made me a strong advocate for the importance of international exposure for Caribbean students,” Longsworth said. “It also taught me how to layer clothes at sub-zero temperatures. Most of my career after I left Queen’s was spent at the University of the West Indies, and I am a passionate advocate of ‘academia with a purpose,’ particularly as we build a future-ready workforce here in the Caribbean. In that regard, I am a fan of the co-op model adopted by Canadian higher education institutions, as it provides students with both work experience and a solid academic foundation. I would love to see this model widely adopted by institutions across the Caribbean.”
As President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), Flint stewards one of Canada’s most consequential public infrastructure institutions with strategic clarity, operational discipline and a deep awareness of aviation’s role in national prosperity.
The GTAA operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, the country’s busiest aviation hub and a critical gateway for trade, tourism and global connectivity. In 2025, Pearson once again led Canada in passenger volume, handling approximately 50 million travellers, a reflection not only of recovery but of renewed momentum under her leadership.
Deborah Flint (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Flint arrived in Toronto six years ago following a transformative tenure as CEO of Los Angeles World Airports. There, she helped guide the sweeping modernization of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), one of the most ambitious airport infrastructure programs in North America. She oversaw the awarding of multi-billion-dollar contracts for the $2-billion automated people mover system connecting terminals to regional rail, bus networks and rental car facilities, as well as the $1-billion consolidated car rental centre.
Her portfolio at LAX also included the construction of a new terminal behind the Tom Bradley International Terminal and the renovation of nearly every terminal at the airport, projects that reshaped the passenger experience while positioning the airport for long-term global competitiveness.
In 2023, TMU awarded Flint an honorary degree in recognition of her distinguished executive leadership and her significant contributions to economic development and public infrastructure.
McGowan stands at the forefront of technology and human-centred cybersecurity, combining corporate acumen with a deep commitment to mentorship and expanding opportunities for underrepresented communities in STEM.
To help businesses protect their systems from unauthorized access or theft, the global information technology leader founded Protexxa, a business-to-business Software-as-a-Service cybersecurity company.
Using AI, the Protexxa Defender platform rapidly identifies, evaluates, predicts and resolves common cyber issues.
Two years ago, the company closed a $10-million Series A round, the largest secured by a Black woman founder in Canada.
Claudette McGowan (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Before starting Protexxa in 2021, McGowan led digital transformations and cybersecurity initiatives across prominent organizations, including the Bank of Montreal and TD Bank.
She was appointed to the Order of Ontario this month.
The Ted Rogers School of Management partnered with TMU’s Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion to present the Leadership in Business Awards recognizing Black women and gender-diverse community leaders.
“We wanted to highlight some of the excellent Black women who inspire the next generation of leaders,” said Holmes. “We rightly remember Viola Desmond for her leadership in civil rights, but she was also, at her core, a business owner and an entrepreneur. In her time, she was a bold pioneer who fought for equality and fairness. Today, she remains a beacon and an inspiration.
“The Viola Desmond Awards have done an amazing job over the years of focusing on Black excellence, and when the Ted Rogers School was asked to partner on this year’s awards, the conversation naturally turned to shining a light on Black women and gender-diverse persons who are successful C-suite executives or senior leaders. These are individuals who have led new initiatives, strategies or technologies that drive significant change in equity, diversity, inclusion, human rights, social justice, community engagement and community-building.”
Members of TMU and the Ted Rogers School submitted nominations, and a selection committee made the final decisions. The committee included Holmes, Dr. Mark Lee, Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion, and Celestine Saddler, co-chair of the Ted Rogers School’s Anti-Black Racism Committee.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response to this year’s awards, and our involvement in the event has been a real pleasure and a model of how strength comes from collaboration and honouring achievement,” Holmes added. “I’m sure we will discuss the future of the Business Leadership Awards with the awards team.”
Longsworth, McGowan and Flint’s accomplishments embody enterprise, integrity and transformative leadership, qualities that mirror Desmond’s legacy as a businesswoman who built institutions, created opportunity and challenged systemic barriers.
