Dr. Shyra Barberstock

Shyra Barberstock is the President & CEO of Okwaho Equal Source. Her academic career and entrepreneurship expertise in Indigenous social innovation and social impact is highly sought-after by Canadian public and private institutions. Shyra brings over a decade of experience as a professional Indigenous researcher and has extensive knowledge in Indigenous entrepreneurship, Indigenous economic development, and Indigenous business relations. She received formal training by the Rotman School of Management in Design Thinking and the Playing to Win framework used by Fortune 500 companies world-wide. Of notable interest, Shyra was the first Indigenous Innovator-in-Residence at the former Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Lab in Ottawa and is a recognized practitioner of Indigenous social innovation and Indigenous business development by the Government of Canada. As a business leader, Shyra has championed several key initiatives, including the Indigenous Climate Hub, and the highly successful WES Ecosystem funded Queen’s University Kwe-Biz program for Indigenous women entrepreneurs and SMEs. Shyra has recently completed her Ph.D. at Queen’s University in Geography and Planning, with a research focus on Indigenous supply chain and procurement. Shyra is Anishinaabe and a member of Kebaowek First Nation in Kipawa, Quebec.