Canadian Women & Sport announces new Advisory Group led by former TSN VP Cook

Canadian Women & Sport announced on Tuesday the appointment of Nathalie Cook as the Chair of its new Commercial Women Sport Advisory Group, which will provide Canada-specific insights to sport properties, media and brands.

“We believe that gender equity builds better sport,” said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO of Canadian Women & Sport in a statement. “A thriving commercial women’s sport market in Canada will enrich the sport landscape in Canada and help expand opportunities for women and girls at all levels of sport.

"Canadian Women & Sport is uniquely positioned to positively influence decision-makers at this pivotal moment.”

Cook has held many high-profile roles, including Vice-President of TSN and RDS.

The Advisory Group, part of a series of initiatives to help the Canadian sport system capitalize on the potential of professional women’s sports in the Canadian market, is comprised of individuals representing media, corporate brands, sport properties, and represents the diversity of Canada all with a primary objective of sharing their experiences to help inform and advance progress in growing women’s professional sports in Canada.

Other prominent board members include:

- Stacey Allaster C.C., Chief Executive, Professional Tennis and US Open Tournament Director, United States Tennis Association
- Ashley Curran, Associate Vice President, Sport Partnerships, Canadian Tire Corporation
- Kia Nurse, Professional Basketball Player and Broadcaster
- Teresa Resch, Vice-President Basketball Operations, Toronto Raptors
- Alyson Walker, Chief Commercial Officer, OverActive Media Group
- Camille Wallace, Media Partnerships Lead - Sports, TikTok

Under the academic leadership of Dr. Cheri Bradish and the Future of Sport Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Advisory Group will provide insights and perspectives specific to the Canadian market for a forthcoming report.

The first-of-its-kind report, to be released in Fall 2022, will help inform the decisions being made on professional women’s sport so that leaders can optimize the economic and social potential of their women’s sport ventures. The primary audience for the report includes sport properties, including leading ownership groups, sport partners, including corporate support and sport marketing agencies, and sport media.