Dr. Sanja Cancar-Todorovic; Change Maker of the Year
Dr. Sanja Cancar-Todorovic Honored as 2025 Change Maker of the Year for Her Transformative Leadership and Commitment to Diversity and Innovation
Dr. Sanja Cancar-Todorovic (Dr. SCT) has been named the Change Maker of the Year Award winner at the 2025 Women Changing the World Awards Americas, with a Runner-Up distinction for the Woman of the Year Award.
The Women Changing the World Americas Awards celebrate and recognize women achieving outstanding success in areas such as sustainability, humanitarian work, leadership, advocacy, technology, product development, education, health, and innovation. The awards are designed to recognize the growing number of women who are leading the way in making the world a better place for all and to inspire other women to answer the call to take action.
With over 25 years of leadership experience across the telecom, finance, and tech sectors, Dr. SCT is a seasoned business executive, published author, keynote speaker, and award-winning leader. As a leader in Microsoft’s Cloud Operations + Innovation (CO+I) Global Supply Chain team, she leads global initiatives focused on sourcing capacity and demand planning for commercial cloud and AI data center integration.
Dr. SCT is academically accomplished, holding a Doctor of Business Administration, an Executive MBA, a Master of Management, and an Honours BA with a double major in Law and Political Science. Her extensive expertise spans data center integration, BPO, ITO, category and vendor management, third-party risk management, AI in business, CX strategy, and transformational leadership.
A passionate advocate for diversity of thought, Dr. SCT has spent decades mentoring emerging leaders, firmly believing that diversity of thought fuels innovation. Since 2013, she has supported entrepreneurs from women- and minority-owned businesses through partnerships with various nonprofit organizations. In 2020, she partnered with the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee to advance supplier diversity and economic inclusion initiatives.
In 2023, she expanded her influence by advising the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), a Canadian government-funded initiative, on its “Pathways for Success: Women’s Economic Empowerment in Canada’s Digital Economy” toolkit. That same year, she became a mentor for NPower and co-founded goBeyondBounds.org, an initiative focused on breaking barriers, shattering glass ceilings, and championing inclusive empowerment.
That same passion inspired her to write Be Bold and Brilliant (2023), her debut book, which became an Amazon bestseller in the Career Guide category and later earned the 2025 International Impact Book Award. Designed as a practical playbook for career advancement, the book reflects her deep commitment to equal representation and diversity of thought. In 2025, as a proud York University alumna, Dr. SCT further extended her mentorship impact by joining the university’s Advancing YU program, where she supports third- and fourth-year students in their academic and professional growth.
Expanding on her 2025 doctoral research in AI and cybersecurity, Dr. SCT joined “AI Future Leaders” as a strategic advisor. Building on her academic expertise and decades of diverse industry leadership, she authored the Practitioner’s Guide to AI-Driven Cybersecurity Implementation. Rooted in insights from her doctoral research, this guide equips leaders across industries with practical strategies to foster cross-departmental collaboration, harness AI-powered cybersecurity systems, and strengthen technological resilience against emerging threats.
Active on numerous boards dedicated to professional development, Dr. SCT is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader. Since 2019, her insights have been featured across international media outlets, publications, podcasts, and major industry events. In 2021, she appeared on the covers of two prominent industry magazines, and throughout her career she has earned multiple leadership awards, including a nomination for the Order of Canada. Driven by an unwavering commitment to innovation and professional excellence, Dr. SCT continues to inspire individuals and shape industries around the world.
In recognition of her years of collaboration with nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and policymakers, Dr. SCT is now a finalist for the Global Women Changing the World Awards in the Changemaker of the Year and Woman of the Year categories. Winners will be announced on April 22, 2026, during the Women Changing the World Global Summit in Paris.
The vision for these awards is to empower women everywhere to step into their power and to call on women across the globe to unite and pave the way toward a better future for all.
The complete list of winners can be found at: https://wcwawards.com/winners-americas
The complete list of global finalists can be found at: https://wcwawards.com/finalists/
For more information on the Women Changing the World Awards, visit: https://wcwawards.com/
