Osler leader honoured in recognition of International Women’s Day

Kiki Ferrari receives Brampton Board of Trade’s Naseem Somani Memorial Leadership Excellence Award

William Osler Health System (Osler) is proud to share that Kiki Ferrari, Executive Vice President, and Chief Clinical Officer, has received the Naseem Somani Memorial Leadership Excellence Award from the Brampton Board of Trade. This unique recognition is bestowed onto women living or working in the Brampton community who demonstrate leadership, innovation and service, and who encourage women's leadership in both personal and professional areas.

Kiki Ferrari is a compassionate, results-driven health care leader with a passion for integrated, high-quality, people-centred care. With more than three decades of experience in health care including more than 15 years at Osler, Kiki leads the advancement and enhancement of clinical services to help continue to meet the community’s health care needs. Through her leadership, Osler’s teams have successfully expanded innovative programs such as virtual care, pioneered many “firsts” for oncology and seniors care, and improved access to care across hospital sites.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award – it not only represents my journey, but the collective contributions of every female leader and the barriers they might have had to overcome,” said Kiki Ferrari. “Leadership isn’t defined by a title or a gender, but by the courage to act with integrity, the willingness to lift others as we rise, and the commitment to lead with kindness. This recognition is a reminder that when we lead, we hopefully can inspire our colleagues and future generations to reach their full potential, both personally and professionally.”

Since arriving at Osler in 2009, Kiki has served in progressively senior roles where she has inspired high performing teams to transform how Osler delivers care and how patients and families experience care. Nowhere has this been more evident than during the height of the pandemic when Kiki led Osler to seamlessly pivot operations to enable the organization to care for a region grappling with the most COVID-19 cases in Ontario. Kiki began her career as a Registered Respiratory Therapist; she has a Master of Business Administration from Charles Sturt University and is a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

“All of us at Osler are proud to celebrate Kiki’s extraordinary leadership,” said Dr. Frank Martino President and CEO, William Osler Health System. “Kiki’s vision, resilience and commitment to our staff, our patients, and our community have not only helped shape our world-class health system, but also inspired all of us to aim higher and lead with purpose. We are deeply grateful for Kiki’s invaluable contributions to the hospital and to our community, and we are so fortunate to have her on our team."

The Naseem Somani Memorial Leadership Excellence Award honors the legacy of Naseem Somani, former CEO of Dynacare. Kiki Ferrari was announced as the 2025 award winner at the Brampton Board of Trade’s inspiHER Gala, an annual event honouring women's achievements and marking a call for gender parity.