An accomplished visionary leader in arts and culture, Sandra Laronde, M.S.C., O.M.C., OOnt, B.A. (Hon), Hon. LL.D. has three decades of experience in the cultural industry. She is from the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water) in Temagami, northern Ontario and based in Toronto.Sandra stands at the forefront of the Indigenous cultural resurgence of Canada. Through her work, she elevates the ecology of arts and culture in this country while strengthening an international presence. Sandra founded Red Sky Performance in 2000, a leading company of contemporary Indigenous performance in Canada and worldwide. Her mission is to lead in the creation, elevation, and evolution of contemporary Indigenous performance.In 2024, she developed Aki Creators, the world’s first Indigenous streaming platform to focus on Indigenous wisdom, art, and land. With Red Sky, her world stage line-up includes two Cultural Olympiads (Beijing and Vancouver); Venice Biennale, Kennedy Center, Canadian Stage, World Expo Shanghai, among others. At the same time, she remains committed to urban, rural, and reserve communities across Canada.For nearly a decade, Sandra held the position of Director of Indigenous Arts at the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, leaving an indelible mark of extraordinary growth and innovation. She provided visionary leadership and artistic and strategic direction for a compelling future and designed Indigenous-led programming across all artistic disciplines on campus. Sandra actively engages in diplomacy through the arts, forging stronger ties by representing the nation at prominent international delegations, events and platforms including the Venice Biennale, Canadian Heritage’s first Creative Industries Trade Mission to China, a Trade Mission to Europe, 6th edition of La Bienal de Danza de Cali, Colombia, a Global Affairs Canada visit to northern Sweden, and as an Official Delegate/Speaker at a World Congress in South Africa.Sandra is an inspirational speaker and guest lecturer at universities, colleges, and summits across Canada, United States, Asia, and Europe. Currently, she serves on the Steering Committee of CSC Global Leaders to build leadership capacity across the Commonwealth.Sandra published her debut award-winning novel, 'She Holds Up the Stars' (Annick Press) and received the coveted Kirkus Star Review (marking books of exceptional merit), won the 2023 Horace Mann Upstander Award, joint winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Center, among other significant recognitions.