Ann Divine is the Board Chair for the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and the founder and CEO of Ashanti Leadership and Professional Development Services, a Halifax-based company that empowers Black and immigrant women to fulfill their economic and business goals. Born in Guyana, Divine grew up in England, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of East London, a post-graduate diploma in Social Work, and a Master’s in Human Resource Management from Middlesex University. She worked as a social worker and probation officer before moving to Canada in 2004. Divine served with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission from 2007 to 2014, when she left to devote herself to Ashanti. A tireless and outspoken advocate for women, Divine is constantly innovating and adapting her services to meet the needs of her clients. She received unprecedented support for her work when Atlantic Business Magazine took the bold step of featuring her on the cover of their January 2017 issue, the first-ever issue devoted to women. Divine has received many prestigious awards and honors, including being named one of My Halifax Experience’s Top Five Immigrant Women Influencers in 2018.