Since launching Knix in 2013, Founder and President Joanna Griffiths is credited with helping change the lives of millions of people around the world. Her intimate apparel and activewear brand, now joined by her additional brands Kt by Knix, and MNTD, reinvented intimate hygiene globally.
In 2022, Joanna broke the Canadian record for the largest publicly disclosed sale of a private company by a solo female founder when Swedish health and hygiene giant Essity purchased 80% of Knix, valuing the company at $400M USD.
Over the past decade, Joanna has fought for representation in body diversity, paving the way for a needed shift towards inclusivity in the intimates category, and in advertising more broadly. Under her leadership, Knix has championed countless important conversations related to women’s health – from fertility, to the postpartum experience, from perimenopause to periods in sports. A firm believer that it is every business’s responsibility to give back to the community, Joanna launched Knix Fund, committing $1M in giving.
Joanna is a champion for female entrepreneurship, stressing the importance of supporting female-founded businesses and being vocal about the stereotypes that exist around women in business today. In 2021, Joanna made headlines for disqualifying any potential investors of Knix that questioned her ability to run a company while being a mother. Holding her ground worked – Joanna closed Knix’s $50M Series B financing just three days before giving birth to her twin daughters, on International Women’s Day, no less.
Joanna’s long list of accolades include Waterstone’s Most Admired CEO, Glossy’s 2024 Founder of the Year, an AdWeek Women Trailblazer and being a guest Dragon on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. In 2023, Joanna was named Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, and represented Canada for the Global title.
Joanna holds an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD; sits on the board of the Toronto International Film Festival; holds multiple patents; and released her first book Life After Birth in 2021, and her first children’s book Some Period, in 2023.
