EquiTalks: Economic Prosperity & Human Rights

Kerlande started Zwart communication, a communication agency that specializes in multicultural marketing. She is interested in issues relative to economic development, international development, gender equality and social innovation. 

Prior to that, she was a political advisor in the Office of the Mayor of Montréal for social development, social economy and youth issues. She worked for more than 15 years in economic development, employability and women’s entrepreneurship. Among other things, she designed and managed marketing programs for women entrepreneurs and developed partnerships for the creation of a women entrepreneurship fund. She is a commentator at Radio-Canada. 

She is currently the Vice-President of TOHU and a board member of the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations (CORIM), the Quartier des spectacles de Montréal, ENSEMBLE pour le respect de la diversité, and also the chair of Village Urbain. She is also part of Centraide du Grand Montréal investment committee. 

A member of the International Women’s Forum, Kerlande Mibel holds a graduate degree (DESS) in Organizational Management from Université Laval, after completing a bachelor’s degree in Communication at UQAM. 

She advocates for marginalized communities against gender-based violence and discrimination, and works on legal reform and gender equality initiatives. Her projects include menstrual health, access to education, and women’s economic empowerment, combining litigation, advocacy, and community engagement to ensure that women and girls can fully participate in society.

As head of CADES/Guinée, he has led initiatives that contributed to the adoption of the “5 Women’s Entrepreneurial Rights” in the National Gender Policy. His work combines traditional methods with participatory tools to strengthen community leadership, promote social justice, and combat discrimination against women.

He led multi-year international projects, securing into seven+ figures in funding, designing scalable frameworks, and fostering partnerships across public/private sectors that advance sustainable economic growth. Cass is passionate about building systems and programs that prioritize growth with purpose, ensuring long-term success.