Astrid Pregel is the President of Feminomics Inc. a boutique consulting company focused on empowering women through their increased participation in the economy. Astrid is writing a book called “Feminomics: Unleashing the Economic Power of Women” while completing her doctorate degree in gender, leadership, entrepreneurship and the economy. Astrid is a passionate advocate for women's economic empowerment globally and in her local community, is a member of a number of non profit boards and advisory committees focused on women's issues and works with governments, non profits, international institutions and private sector companies to build win-win relationships, enabling policy environments, and economic and social benefit for all.

Early in 2009, Astrid will be working with the Ministry of  the Status of Women in Canada as the Senior Advisor, Women and Economic Prosperity where her task will be to create for Canada a series of strategic global and domestic partnerships that will form the foundation for an ambitious program to promote Canadian women's domestic and global economic empowerment in the coming years.

Astrid began her career in the Canadian foreign service and her lasting posting in 2000  was as the first woman to be appointed Canada’s Consul General to the South Eastern USA , resident in Atlanta. She was also the first woman appointed to the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC to lead the development of Canada’s trade relationship with the United States, the largest in the world.

Astrid has worked around the globe, speaks four going on five languages and feels she is a confirmed gypsy. One of her favourite places on the planet is India where she spent 4 years running Canada’s commercial interests in the oil and gas sector. She has extensive development assistance experience working closely with Canadian non-profits and the private sector on development projects funded by the world’s largest International Financial Institutions. She began her career in Nairobi, Kenya where she developed commercial and development assistance relationships with 10 East African countries, traveling extensively from Madagascar through to Uganda. She was posted twice to the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, spent several years building commercial relationships with the Republic of South Korea and even served her country by leading the development of the commercial software that is the backbone of Canada's international commercial service for Canadian exporters.

Throughout her diplomatic career, Astrid has been a passionate advocate for the economic empowerment of women. Her award-winning programs to support Canadian and American women entrepreneurs to do business internationally have been recognized around the globe. Astrid is convinced that women have an enormous potential to improve the well being of their families, communities and humanity, particularly in the developing world where the need is greatest. Her global wanderings have shown her that where women have been educated and empowered, economic growth and stability have followed. Where women have been denied these basic rights, the result is too frequently, economic stagnation, and civil unrest.

Astrid has four daughters who have accompanied her around the world. She and her husband, Dr. Bill McKelvie will be moving to Ottawa, Canada in 2009.