“Celebrating Women Who Build” UPEI CCCE Hosts Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Panel& Mixer
The UPEI Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship (CCCE) hosted its Women’s Entrepreneurship Day event on November 19 in McDougall Hall’s Schurman Market Square. The panel, called Celebrating Women Who Build, brought together four Island entrepreneurs whose work spans luxury experiences, nutrition and wellness, venture capital, and digital fitness instruction. The discussion was moderated by Funbi Ogunmuyiwa and guided by a series of questions focused on inspiration, pivoting, finance, and work life balance.
The first panelist, Natalie Haddad, is the founder of Cordial Picnics, PEI’s first luxury picnic company and recipient of the 2025 Rising Entrepreneur Award. She also works in social media coordination and digital marketing with Murphy Hospitality Group. Asked about how storytelling shaped her brand, Haddad explained how meaningful it was to build something that connects with people both online and in person.
The second panelist, Melanie Wildman, is the founder and CEO of Nutracelle, a natural, allergen free nutrition company recognized with a Platinum award in the 2025 CommunityVotes Charlottetown Awards. She spoke about pivoting from the weight loss industry and emphasized that learning when to shift direction is an important skill for any entrepreneur.
Students described the event as inspiring and grounding. One entrepreneurship student said, “They made me think about entrepreneurship in a more personal way. It is not just building a company, it is building a life that fits who you are.”
The third panelist, Katie Arsenault, is a partner at Island Capital Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in tech companies across PEI and Atlantic Canada. A UPEI graduate and CA, she shared insights from both the founder and investor perspective, especially the financial blind spots that early stage entrepreneurs often overlook.
The fourth panelist, Kathleen MacPhee, is the founder of Kathleen Grace Fitness, an online fitness platform that supports women across Canada. With more than fifteen years of experience in fitness instruction, she spoke about growing her business during the pandemic and building a company that fits into the realities of raising four children.
At the end of the panel, each speaker shared a reflection on their experience. Kathleen said, “It feels like a privilege to be able to speak to all of you about these things, and I am just hoping that you learned something or took away something that made sense and that you will be able to use going forward.” Katie shared, “It is always great to come back to UPEI. I am a graduate from 2007 and this place was very special to me. It is great to meet new students and I hope that those getting ready to graduate can connect with us and find employment on PEI in a role they will be really happy with.” Melanie said, “It is really fun speaking in front of students. I hope that someone listening who is going through the UPEI experience thinks of entrepreneurship as a path for them and not just trying to find a job.” Natalie added, “I absolutely love speaking in front of students, because I was one back in 2020. It was really nice connecting with students and hearing their stories. Overall, a really good experience.”
