Dominican Ketlyn Maitland-Blades cited ‘Top 100 Black Canadian Women to Watch in 2017’

​Dominican Ketlyn Maitland-Blades was twice recognized in Canada this year. She was recently cited as a ‘Top 100 Black Canadian Women to Watch in 2017’, at the Canadian International Black Women Event (CIBWE) Awards Gala in Toronto, in the summer of 2017. This award celebrates Women’s achievements in Family, Communities, Corporations and Society in Canada.
 
A lifelong Banker and past Vice-President of Securities Clearing Committee for six Canadian Banks, she was also earlier this year honoured as a Laureate for Black History Month in Quebec. Each year the Black History Month Committee celebrates 12 exceptional persons from the black community who are featured on their yearly calendar. Ketlyn is featured as the December 2017 Laureate.  The calendar describes her as the recipient of the Stephen Aismocopoulos Scholarship for Citizenship, and as having excelled in her Banking-Finance Career, as the first Black Securities Bank Manager in Montreal.
 
A dynamic professional, strong negotiator and influential team-builder, Ketlyn has over the years been an ardent promoter of community and cultural organizations, and has encouraged cultural participation among children through the “Children of the World” project, which she successfully launched at the 2006 Carifiesta parade. This year’s recognition adds to her growing list of awards, including Quebec’s ‘woman of distinction’ award/ homage aux Femme 2016, and a Certificate of Accomplishment from House of Commons Ottawa Canada. Maitland-Blades said, “These awards have been quite a surprising and humbling experience after 40 years of volunteering in the community. They have given me more motivation to continue working”.
 
Ms Maitland who is past president of the Dominica Island Cultural Association of Montreal has been an ardent promoter of Dominica’s culture and Natural beauty in Canada. She currently spearheads the Montreal Quebec- Hurricane Maria relief effort aimed at collecting basic relief supplies for Dominica. Ketlyn was born and raised in Goodwill and attended the Convent Preparatory School, before migrating to Canada as a Child in the early 1970s. She said, “I hope this helps bridge some gaps, by giving Dominica more visibility in Quebec, in having Quebecers know more about us, raise eco-awareness and by extension, contribute, especially at this critical time”.