In celebration of Black History Month, we are sitting down with Emma Asiedu-Akrofi, the Toronto-based CEO of Fora: Network for Change. With over a decade of experience supporting young people at the pivotal moment where “ambition meets uncertainty,” Emma is a powerhouse in the national nonprofit sector. As a Black Canadian woman of Ghanaian descent, she brings a unique blend of lived experience and operational leadership to her mission of expanding access to education and employment for young women and gender-diverse leaders across Canada.
Whether she is navigating the complexities of a shifting labor market or redefining what long-term success looks like for the next generation, Emma’s work sits at the vital intersection of community impact and career development. We caught up with her to discuss her leadership journey, the importance of inclusive pathways, and what this month of reflection means for the future of leadership in Canada. —Noa Nichol
You’ve spent over a decade working at the intersection of “ambition and uncertainty”—what was the specific spark that led you to dedicate your career to helping young women and gender-diverse leaders bridge that gap?
Early on, I noticed how often young women were told that ambition alone would carry them through. Work hard, go to school, get experience, and everything else will follow. In practice, that hasn’t always been the case.
I saw how access to opportunity was often shaped by proximity to networks, mentorship, and decision-making spaces.
In the roles I held before Fora, I worked closely with young girls who were doing everything they had been told to do based on an outdated formula for success.
Over time, I became more interested in what sits between aspiration and opportunity. That is where many young women get stuck. My work now focuses on helping them navigate that transition with better information, stronger networks, and access to spaces that have historically been closed to them.
That realization shaped my commitment to work that focuses not only on skill-building, but on access. At Fora, this shows up through our Rise programming, which prepares young women and gender-marginalized youth to serve on nonprofit governance boards and participate meaningfully in leadership environments early in their careers.
As a Black Canadian woman of Ghanaian descent, how does your personal heritage and lived experience shape the operational leadership you bring to a national nonprofit like Fora?
Growing up in a Ghanaian-Canadian household, education was always emphasized. At the same time, I saw early on how expectations could differ depending on gender.
That awareness stayed with me as I entered the workforce and began to notice similar patterns in professional spaces. Leadership often reflected a narrow set of lived experiences. Access to mentorship, advancement, or even visibility was not evenly distributed or even seen as a viable option.
My lived experience has shaped how I think about leadership as something that must be intentionally structured to include a range of perspectives. Leadership environments often reflect historical patterns of exclusion. That reality influences how I approach organizational policies, partnerships, and program design.
Today, I try to lead with an understanding that people move through institutions differently. Socio-economic status, racial and cultural background, and gender can shape how early someone is encouraged to lead, how seriously they are taken, or whether they are given space to grow into new roles. Recognizing that informs how we design our programs and how we think about access more broadly.
At Fora, this includes work such as our Intentional Inclusion on Boards training, which supports organizations in creating governance environments that allow young leaders from racialized and gender-diverse communities to participate fully with an intersectional lens once they are invited into leadership spaces.
The current labor market often lacks clear pathways for young people. What are the most common “invisible” hurdles you see young women facing as they transition from education into meaningful employment today?
One of the most common challenges is underemployment that is difficult to identify from the outside. Someone may have a job and still be working outside of their field, taking on short-term contracts, or managing multiple jobs to meet basic expenses.
Another challenge is access to formal and informal networks that influence hiring or advancement. Many early opportunities are not publicly posted. They are shared through professional relationships that some young people have not yet had the chance to build.
There is also the question of skill development. Early roles do not always offer meaningful mentorship or progression, which can delay the point at which someone feels confident applying for more senior positions.
Fora focuses on being a “Network for Change.” In a world that often prioritizes “what you know,” how are you teaching the next generation to master the “who you know” in a way that feels authentic and inclusive?
We hear the phrase often, “your network is your net worth,” and at Fora, we believe that plays an important role in a young person’s career. Networking is often framed as a transactional activity. Instead, we focus on relationship-building that is grounded in shared values and community accountability.
For many young people, networking can feel like self-promotion. At Fora, we encourage participants to focus on curiosity and shared interests. Asking thoughtful questions, staying in touch after a meeting, or showing up consistently for group initiatives can build trust over time. We also strongly encourage the spirit of reciprocity in the sense it’s not only what you can get, but also what you can give back to the network.When relationships are grounded in mutual respect and shared purpose, they tend to open doors in a way that feels sustainable.
Our programming, for example, brings together young leaders from across sectors and regions, offering mentorship, experiential learning, and opportunities to collaborate on social impact initiatives. Participants build networks through shared work and leadership practice, which supports connections that feel meaningful and sustainable.
How has your definition of leadership evolved from when you first started in the nonprofit sector to now being the CEO of a national organization?
Earlier in my career, I associated leadership with visibility or formal authority.
Now I see it more as a responsibility. Leadership often involves creating conditions where others can succeed. That can look like advocating for someone’s promotion, making room for new perspectives in decision-making spaces, or questioning processes that exclude capable candidates. I’m not always the subject-matter expert, so I know part of my responsibility is to make space for subject-matter experts to lead and receive recognition for their labour.
It is less about directing outcomes and more about ensuring that opportunity is not limited to those who already have access.
Black History Month is a time for reflection and celebration. What does this month mean to you specifically through the lens of your work in expanding access and advancement for young Black women in Canada?
Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect on how leadership has often emerged in spite of limited access to formal power. Equity-centred leadership is inseparable from racial justice, community engagement, and intergenerational accountability.
The work we’re sharing today is about changing that pattern. It’s about ensuring leadership spaces reflect the communities they serve, and that young women and gender-marginalized youth, across all their intersectional identities, are not just welcomed into decision-making spaces, but trusted, supported, and able to lead with impact.
In my work, I see young Black women entering spaces where they may not see themselves represented. Supporting them as they move into leadership roles feels connected to that broader history.
It is also a time to consider how institutions can do more to not just recognize talent, but to foster and actively include talent that may have been overlooked in the past.
Many young leaders today feel the weight of “perfectionism.” How do you coach the youth in your programs to view setbacks as a necessary part of their long-term leadership journey?
We try to normalize the idea that growth is not always linear.
Career decisions are made with limited information, especially early on. A role that seemed promising may not provide the development someone expected. That does not mean the decision was wrong.
Encouraging reflection after a setback can help participants identify what they learned and how they want to move forward. In many cases, those experiences shape their leadership approach later on.
Fora champions gender-diverse leaders. How is the organization evolving its programs to ensure that “leadership” is defined broadly enough to include those who have traditionally been left out of the boardroom?
We are paying closer attention to where leadership already exists outside formal titles.
Our program design reflects a commitment to expanding who is considered for governance roles. Through partnerships with nonprofit boards , we work to create placement opportunities for trained young leaders who may not have had access to these spaces previously.
For example, participants may have experience organizing community initiatives, supporting family businesses, or advocating for peers. These forms of leadership are not always recognized in traditional recruitment processes.
This includes collaboration with organizations interested in updating recruitment practices and leadership pathways to reflect a broader range of lived experiences.
Our goal is to help individuals translate those experiences into language that resonates in professional environments, while also encouraging organizations to reconsider what leadership potential can look like.
You speak about moving from ambition into meaningful work. In today’s economic climate, how can young women protect their personal values while still striving for financial independence and stability?
Financial stability is often treated as separate from personal values, but the two are closely linked.
Understanding what matters to you can help guide decisions about where to work, how to spend your time, and what opportunities to pursue. It may also influence the kind of workplace culture you are willing to accept.
Having clarity on those priorities can make it easier to evaluate trade-offs as they arise.
We support participants in identifying environments that align with their values while offering opportunities to build leadership experience.
Exposure to governance roles, mentorship networks, and creating social impact initiatives can support decision-making that balances personal priorities with long-term professional development.
If you could go back and give one piece of advice to yourself at the very start of your career journey in Toronto, what would it be?
I would remind myself that progress takes time, especially in unfamiliar environments.
There is value in asking questions early, seeking mentorship, and allowing yourself to learn in public without assuming that everyone else has it figured out.
Confidence often grows through experience rather than certainty.
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