Merling Sapene

Latina women shining in Montreal

International Women's Day is commemorated in March, and Spotlight Montreal has the purpose of making visible five brilliant Latina women who, with their work, talent and perseverance, are generating economic, social and cultural value in Montreal. The solidity of their trajectories, their social involvement and their entrepreneurial spirit inspire migrant women not to give up and achieve their dreams.

Merling is a social entrepreneur, immigrant from Venezuela in Canada, specialist in the field of innovation and creation of systemic and sustainable high-impact social programs.

Winner of the "Hello America 2022" award for the development and implementation of the "Corazón Migrante" program, with the passion and dream of impacting millions of migrants around the world and supporting them to reach their maximum integration potential in their new country. Currently impacting Chile, Ecuador, Quebec and Belgium. She participated with the ASHOKA group in the definition of a systemic solution to the migration problem in Costa Rica, working directly with the World Migration Organization and the local government.

She was recognized as the "Femme Hispanique du Quebec 2021" Social Commitment Category, "Lyse de la Diversite" 2017. Also she is the author of the book "A bumpy or smooth road", international speaker and ambassador of the global network of business women "SheEmprendedoras".

Having developed her career in the world of strategic consulting, and after 15 years as Director of Change Management at Bombardier, Merling is recognized as an expert in transformation, integration of people, processes and technology, with a master's degree in change management "Intervention in human systems" and certification of social responsibility.

Merling is capable of innovating and leading comprehensive and global multicultural teams and projects in contexts of progressive and radical change. She also lead the creation of corporate social responsibility “Passion for Aviation” that today impacts more than 80,000 young people in Quebec every year.