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Juliette Powell

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Juliette Powell
Powell in 2010
Born(1970-06-22)June 22, 1970
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 3, 2025(2025-06-03) (aged 54)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materVanier College
McGill University
University of Toronto
Columbia University
Occupations
  • VJ
  • business advisor

  • tech ethicist
  • author
Beauty pageant titleholder
TitleMiss Canada 1989
Websitewww.juliettepowell.com

Juliette Powell (June 22, 1970 – June 3, 2025) was an American-Canadian media expert, tech ethicist, business advisor, author and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Canada 1989, the contest's first Black Canadian winner.[1][2]

Early life

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Powell was born in Manhattan, New York, on June 22, 1970,[3] and moved to Montreal, Quebec, with her French-Canadian mother at the age of eight.[4] In high school, she excelled in math and science courses and swam twice a week, and stated she saw herself as a shy and unpopular student.[5]

Her time in the world of beauty pageants began with her outrage when she heard a rumour that the second place winner of the Miss Montreal pageant had scored higher than the first-place winner, but the judges had not accepted her as the winner because she was black.[5] She stated that she did not want to be a beauty queen but wanted to prove a point when she entered the Miss Montreal pageant herself, later entering and ultimately winning the 1989 Miss Canada Pageant.[5] During this time, she also studied Commerce at Vanier College, graduating in 1992.[4]

Career

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After her reign as Miss Canada, including representing the country at Miss Universe 1989, Powell joined MusiquePlus in 1992 as a VJ, while also studying finance and business at McGill University.[4] She was host of MusiquePlus' weekly dance music show, Bouge de là! until 1996.[1][6] That same year, she moved to Toronto, transferring to MuchMusic and becoming host of Electric Circus and French Kiss, while also studying economics at the University of Toronto.

In 1999, Powell began working for CablePulse 24 as a business reporter and founded media and consulting company Powell International Entertainment Inc. (PIE Inc.) which produced features with personalities such as Nelson Mandela, Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, Sir Richard Branson, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, and Prince Charles.[4][7]

In 2001, she co-authored the media section for the UN Plan of Action of the World Conference against Racism. This began an ongoing advisory role with international institutions that grew to include the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and the World Bank, among others.[8] In 2011, she began working with the E-G8, an extension of the G8 Summit, created to inform G8 leaders on the future of the internet and connected society.[9]

Powell's writing first gained notoriety with her 2009 book 33 Million People in the Room: How to Create, Influence and Run a Successful Business using Social Networking (Financial Times Press, ISBN 978-0-13-715435-7).[10] Her early publications on the business applications of social media were translated into Chinese, Korean, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

Powell's live commentary on NBC, CNN, ABC, BBC, BNN and combined TV appearances and columns for Bloomberg raised business and ethical issues stemming from social media, including privacy, cybersecurity, and bias. She became a frequent keynote speaker and media collaborator examining the implications of big data. In 2016, Powell gave a TED Talk on Unconscious Bias at TEDx St Louis Women's event titled It's About Time We Challenge Our Unconscious Biases.[11]

Powell later translated her Canadian degree into a US-recognized degree, graduating from Columbia University summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Phi Beta Kappa membership.[7] Her thesis research, “The Limits and Possibilities in the Self-Regulation of Artificial Intelligence,” drew on her consulting for Intel Labs and other multinational companies and later served as the foundation of her book The AI Dilema.

In 2021, Powell joined the Faculty of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, teaching courses at the intersection of media, technology, and ethics.

Death

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Powell died of complications from acute bacterial meningitis in New York on June 3, 2025, at the age of 54.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lumley, Elizabeth (2003). Canadian Who's Who. University of Toronto Press. p. 1101. ISBN 978-0-8020-8865-9. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  2. ^ Farewell, Miss Canada, CBC News: The National, January 3, 1992, retrieved February 15, 2009{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  3. ^ "In Memoriam: Juliette Powell – A trailblazing voice in Canadian media and AI ethics". AfroToronto. June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "Vanier College Notable Alumni". www.vaniercollege.qc.ca. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Beam, Liane (December 25, 2014). "Juliette Powell: Working Her Way To The Top".
  6. ^ Petrowski, Nathalie (December 20, 2008). "Daniel Desnoyers: Docteur House". La Presse (in French). Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Juliette Powell's 'Data' with Destiny". September 6, 2018.
  8. ^ "World Bank Speaker Bio".
  9. ^ "JuliettePowell.com".
  10. ^ 33 Million People in the Room at FT Press Juliette currently works for TMZ.
  11. ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. November 15, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  12. ^ Nault, Sarah-Émilie (June 10, 2025). "L'ex-VJ à MusiquePlus Juliette Powell décède à 54 ans". TVA Nouvelles (in French). Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  13. ^ Talbot, Michael (June 10, 2025). "Juliette Powell, former MuchMusic VJ and host of Electric Circus, dies at 54". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
[edit]
Preceded by
Melinda Gillies
 Miss Canada
1989 		Succeeded by
Robin Lee Ouzunoff
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