Haley Daniels | Top 40 Under 40 2025

Age: 34

Occupation: Strategic Sponsorship Manager, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

In the world of canoe slalom, Haley Daniels is a trailblazer. Historically, only men could participate in the Olympic sport. But, in 2016, Daniels began a global-advocacy campaign to change that, independently raising the funding necessary to reach the Olympics through sponsorships, community fundraising and securing more than 100 media features.

Thanks to Daniels, along with a global group of women, the women’s canoe slalom debuted at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. She was the first Canadian woman to compete in the event.

Daniels retired as an athlete in 2022. Since then, she’s used her unique experience to build a career as a world-renowned keynote speaker and brand-partnership professional, helping people secure essential sponsorship support and funding from brands.

In 2022, she launched Peak Sponsorships, a consultancy that guides clients, including female-identifying athletes, in building partnerships with like-minded brands, furthering gender equality in sport. She also co-founded the Canmore Women’s Enduro, one of North America’s largest female adaptive mountain bike races.

“Sponsorships are like a sandbox where we’re all building a beautiful castle together,” she says.

Daniels also works as the strategic sponsorship manager at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She secures multi-year sponsorship agreements with both local and global brands, including Durston Gear and Wild Life Distillery, whose support makes world-class events such as the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival possible.

As a keynote speaker, Daniels speaks about the value of gender equity and diversity in sport across the globe, including telling the story of one of her parents, Kimberly Daniels, who became the first openly transgender woman to officiate at the Olympics, at the same time Daniels made history as the first Canadian female canoeist to race for Canada.

“There’s three things I love doing: coaching athletes on how to build their sponsorships; speaking and sharing my story of fighting for gender equality; and supporting my dad, a transgender woman,” she says.

Thank yous
“I would like to thank so many people who have shaped the person I am today and continue to become. To my family (mom, dad and my brother), my partner Alex, and my mentors Jerilyn Daniels, Shaun Jones, Guillaume Bédard, Mike Holroyd, and Karen Palmer, thank you for your unwavering support and belief in me and in our family; to my race co-founder Sarah Pittard, the incredible team at the Banff Centre, my generous sponsors, and everyone who stood behind my Olympic journey, thank you for lifting me up; to my community of passionate outdoor adventurers, equality champions, and amazing friends, your encouragement gives me the strength to keep going, even when the path ahead isn’t clear.”