A champion of equity, research and innovation in Canada’s music ecosystem, Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews bridges academia and industry to create meaningful change. As executive director of the SOCAN Foundation and an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (recently named one of the world’s top music business schools by Billboard) she continues to connect theory to practice. The 39-year-old scholar and industry voice worked with ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective and Speaking Non-English on landmark studies on the value of Black music in Canada and the rise of Latin music — the latter of which led ot the Junos’ first-ever Latin Music category.

Wall-Andrews also partnered with CBC to launch the Reverie Program for Indigenous artists and helped shape the first graduating class of TMU’s Professional Music program. “Canada’s music industry is entering an inspiring new era,” she says. “It’s a vital force for connection, culture and economic growth.”