2017 Governor General’s Innovation Award Winners
OTTAWA—The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General is pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Governor General’s
Montreal, Quebec
WWH is helping underprivileged people with hearing loss
Nominated by:
GRAND CHALLENGES CANADA
Year: 2017
About the Innovation
Audra Renyi co-founded World Wide Hearing (WWH) Foundation, which uses affordable technology, market incentives and rapid training to help underprivileged people affected by hearing loss. Ms. Renyi is also the founder and CEO of earAccess, a for-profit social enterprise that aims to cut the price of hearing aids by 75 per cent. earAccess uses innovative distribution models to ensure hearing aids and related services are available to those who need them the most.
About the Innovator
Audra Renyi is the executive director of the non-profit World Wide Hearing and the founder of earAccess. She has worked as an investment banker on Wall Street dealing with private equity firms. Ms. Renyi has worked with Doctors Without Borders, in Chad; in Rwanda she served as the CFO of the One Acre Fund, and she worked as director of development at Canada World Youth. Ms. Renyi holds bachelor’s degrees in economics (Wharton School) and international studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and has completed an executive leadership program at Harvard Business School. She was named Wharton Top 40 under 40, recognized as the Young International Leader of Quebec by ARISTA, and named a Rising Talent by the Women’s Forum.
