They are successful business executives and leaders in their field. Now they can add Canadian Women in Communications awards to their CVs.

The CWC – a national, Toronto-based organization that helps promote and advance women working in the communications field – will hand out its annual honors to four female industry role models on Feb. 27 at an Ottawa awards gala expected to draw more than 600 industry representatives.

‘These women have accomplished some amazing things and been quietly leading the way for years, but we may not necessarily have heard of them,’ says CWC president Stephanie MacKendrick. ‘One of the key areas of focus for our organization is to raise the awareness of successful women and recognize their achievements.’

The CWC board is also honoring CanWest MediaWorks as employer of the year for taking strides to ensure women are well represented in senior levels at the company.

The prestigious woman of the year award is going to Karen Radford, executive VP and president at TELUS Quebec, for her significant influence on the communications industry and for serving as a role model to other women. Radford’s business success includes growing TELUS Partner Solutions and TELUS Quebec into a $2-billion organization, while spearheading programs that foster women’s leadership skills.

Cynthia Reyes, VP at DiversiPro, which guides companies to succeed in an environment of diversity, has been named trailblazer of the year, an award that honors risk-takers whose actions have cleared the path for other women.

Reyes was among the first women of color to work as a reporter with CBC TV in the early 1980s, and cofounded Innoversity and the Innoversity Creative Summit, an international annual event that unites broadcasters and media professionals from underrepresented groups.

Barbara Williams, senior VP, programming and production at CanWest MediaWorks, is the 2007 mentor of the year, for inspiring other women through her open-door management style and serving as a strong advocate for women in the TV business (see story, above.)

The nine nationwide CWC chapters have chosen Christiane Vaillancourt, a manager in government, industry and community affairs at Rogers Cable, Atlantic Canada, as chapter leader of the year. Five years ago, Vaillancourt launched the CWC chapter in Saint John, NB, and has helped grow the local affiliate into a strong and supportive organization.

In addition to presenting its awards, the CWC helps women advance their careers through internships, professional development programs, a national mentorship initiative, executive training workshops and networking opportunities. There are more than 1,400 CWC members across Canada.

While MacKendrick says women have made a lot of progress, she adds that there are still battles to be won. ‘My ideal scenario is to work myself out of a job, but I don’t see that happening soon,’ she says.

CWC recently conducted research that shows while women are well represented in mid-level management roles in the communications industries, they remain underrepresented at the senior management and board level.

‘It is still very challenging for women,’ MacKendrick says. ‘The bar has been moved up, the glass ceiling has been raised, but it definitely hasn’t disappeared.’

www.cwc-afc.com