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Where: Online

When: Wednesday Sept 23, 7-9PM

Register: https://wptvirtualpubnightsep23.eventbrite.ca

As our first event of the year, it will be an introduction to this season’s theme of Managing your Career in a Pandemic. We will be looking at different topics and how to continue to survive and thrive in a virtual world. With fewer informal opportunities for communication at work, how do you get the mentorship and advice you need, manage the additional challenges at home and find new opportunities? We will explore these topics in a mix of panels and pubnights over the season.

Our first pubnight will be looking at mentorship. We will start with a discussion on the values of mentoring to both the mentor and the mentee, featuring Palvashah Durrani and Andrea Herscovich. They will talk about their experiences as mentor and mentee and the impact it has had. We will then move into breakout rooms for networking and small group discussions on mentoring, including considerations for online mentoring.

Zoom details, mocktail / cocktail recipe and hors d’oeurves recipe will be provided to registered attendees closer to the event.

Where:  Invest Ottawa, 7 Bayview Station Road, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 2C5
When:  Monday, March 9, 2020, 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost:  $12 early bird, $15 after March 2 – includes drinks and snacks
Tickets:  https://wptwctiopubnight.eventbrite.ca

Please join Women Powering Technology, Women in Communications and Technology and Invest Ottawa, March 9th at Bayview Yards, to expand your network and build your skills as we continue to break the barriers for women in tech. In pub night tradition, we will begin the evening with networking over drinks and light refreshments.

During the evening, we will have small group discussions on salary, career and contract negotiations. Experienced women who sit on both sides of the negotiation table will be sharing tips, and leading a table discussion on one of the three types of negotiations. You will have the opportunity to participate in different discussions, gaining broad insight in a supportive environment.

Learn valuable techniques from experienced negotiators, share with your peers your own experiences of what has worked for you, and gain tips that you can take in to your next negotiation. With the right strategies and tactics, anyone can walk into a negotiation with courage and walk out confident in having achieved a mutually beneficial outcome.

Where: Trend Micro, 40 Hines Rd, Kanata, On, K2K2M5
When: Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $12 early bird, $15 after January 14 – includes drinks and snacks

Register now: https://wptemergingtech.eventbrite.ca

Whether you are looking to enrich your knowledge in support of your current career path, or support a change in direction, familiarity with emerging technologies is an important component of your personal toolkit.

In this panel discussion, we will examine three of these technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IOT).

Our panel of talented women who work with emerging technologies will discuss how they became involved in their fields, what they love about their work and potential paths for others to work with these emerging and rapidly evolving technologies.

The panelists are:

Laura Grove Technical Solutions Manager, IT Data Team, Lixar

Laura interprets the client’s vision for her team. She works on data issues of IOT projects, and has reported on autonomous vehicle fleet management, machine vision reports from drones, proximate devices at airports, and even experimental “smart stage” live-data-art at Halifax Pop Explosion. Laura has a Bachelor of Commerce with an option in Marketing, and started her digital analytics career by delving into Google Analytics for online advertisements.

Kasey Hemington,  Research Scientist, Canada Post

Kasey works as a data scientist at Canada Post. She holds a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Toronto, where she became passionate about using advanced analytics and machine learning to tell stories with data.

Vanessa Scott, User Experience Researcher, Trend Micro

Vanessa is a User Experience Researcher at Trend Micro. When her lifelong dream of being an RCMP detective was dashed because she failed to meet the eye vision requirements, Vanessa had to figure out what to do with a BA in History. She moved to Germany to teach ESL and while there, became a technical translator in the field of logistics. After moving back to Canada, she used her technical translation experience to break into the tech industry as a technical writer, then transitioned into her current role at Trend Micro as a user experience researcher, where she combines her strong user advocacy with her love of making things better.

Where: Bitheads, 1309 Carling Ave, Ottawa

When: Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 6:30 pm

Cost: $15, Register here: eventbrite

Just Say Yes – Don’t pre-select yourself out of an opportunity

Women have a lot of different things going on in their lives. Between work and family, it is hard to find time even for yourself. Jumping up to say “yes” to a new opportunity is not our first instinct.

Frequently, we reason ourselves out of asking for the promotion or applying for a new job:

“I am too busy already”…“I only have 65% of the requirements for this job posting”…“Other people in the office deserve this promotion more”… “I am not spending enough time with my kids”

In this panel session, we will hear from three fascinating women that have been in this situation. We will hear how they analyzed the risk vs. the benefit of each opportunity and the results.

Suzanne Grant, CEO, Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA)

Stef Scrivens, Partner and Executive Director of Sales, Transparent Kitchen

Sandra Saric, former VP, Talent Innovation, Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC)

Moderator:

Julia Elvidge, Advisor, Investor, Board Member and former President of Chipworks

Where: Microsoft, 100 Queen Street, Suite 500
When: Tuesday, Oct 1 – 7:00 to 9:30 PM

Cost: $15 includes drinks and snacks

Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/wpt-season-opener-at-microsoft-tickets-73169653403

This year’s theme is Breaking Barriers for Women in Tech. We will spend this season discussing topics from how to influence change to how to say yes.

Please join us for informal networking and small-group discussions about what this season will look like.

When: April 24, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Bitheads, 1309 Carling Ave

Cost: $12 early bird, $15 after Oct April 17

Register at https://wptleadapril24.eventbrite.ca

As part of this year’s WPT theme of Optimizing Performance this panel’s topic focuses on leadership. Leaders are not just the CEOs in the corporation. The organizations that are the most successful inspire and empower leadership at all levels.

This panel session will discuss what leadership looks like at different levels of the organization and what leadership skills are important to develop early on. We will hear from three women who will share their leadership development stories and why they believe it is important for progressing in your career.

Moderator

Julia Elvidge, Past President, Chipworks (now retired) 

Panelists

Margo Crawford, President/CEO, Business Sherpa 

Mary O’Neill, VP Security, Nokia Software 

Vicki Iverson, CTO/co-founder, Iversoft

Join WPT at Adobe to learn how to negotiate your way to success.

When: 6:30-8:30PM Feb 12, 2019

Where: Adobe, 343 Preston St, Ottawa

Tickets: $12 Early Bird until Feb 5, $15 General Admission. Snacks and drinks included.

Purchase Now: https://wptadobenegotiate.eventbrite.ca

Learn valuable techniques from expert negotiators. With the right strategies and tactics, anyone can walk into a negotiation with courage and walk out confident in having achieved a mutually beneficial outcome.

There will be time for networking before and after the panel.

Moderator: Katharine Griffiths

Panelists:

Leslie Eisener, Head of Procurement at Canopy Growth.

Morag Cowell, Director Business Support Team at National Research Council Canada,

Stephanie Lewis, Lawyer, Partner at Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP

Joanne Read, Consultant, Supply Chain & Operations

Personal Development and Performance: What can business learn from sport?

When: Thursday, November 1, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Bitheads, 1309 Carling Ave

Cost: $12 early bird, $15 after Oct 25

Register at wptpersonaldev.eventbrite.ca

To kick off this season’s theme of Optimizing Performance, WPT Ottawa is hosting a speaker panel on Personal Performance and Development, which we’ll approach with the question of “what can business learn from sport?”.

Our inspiring speakers will discuss strategies from the world of sport that can translate to a high-performance business environment: emphasis on preparation and practice, specialty coaching and support (think nutrition, skills, strength, etc.), game-day strategy, planning and goal-setting for long-term success, as well as the role of health and wellness in professional success.

Our panelists are performance-focused professionals with insight into sport and wellness. They will share their lessons learned in the sport of business, the keys to their performance, and best practices for women seeking to be high performers in their own careers.

Join us for an informal networking session with light refreshments from 6:30-7:00pm, and for the panel discussion from 7:00-8:00pm.

Moderator: Shannon O’Higgins, Invitae & Crossfit1855

Speakers:

Dr. Trish Brooks, Executive business coach

Christiane Fox, Deputy Minster, Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth at Privy Council Office

Register at: wpt2018kickoff.eventbrite.ca

When: Wednesday May 9, 2018 – 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Where: bitHeads, 1309 Carling Avenue (Westgate Mall), Ottawa On
Cost: $12 early bird, $15 general (includes refreshments)

Register now: wptclosegap.eventbrite.ca

Building on this year’s theme of Changing the Landscape, our May 9 panel discussion will be on Closing the Gap – making change that will promote and support women in tech.

Meet three inspiring panelists who have successfully influenced positive change in the industry. They are involved in bringing about improvements and closing the gap both in and beyond their own workplaces. We will discuss strategies that you too, can use to drive change.

There will be networking time and light refreshments before and after the panel.

Speakers are:

Krista Shibata – Leader Public Affairs and Women in Technology, IBM Canada

Krista is the leader of the IBM Canada strategic initiative focused on closing the gap for Girls in STEM/Women in Technology. In this role she guides IBM’s presence as a leader in driving positive change and engagement for girls in STEM and women in technology. Prior to accepting her current role, Krista has held global leadership roles for IBM and Cognos in the areas of communications and marketing, mergers and acquisitions, as well as sales. Prior to joining high tech, Krista spent time in small business as well as amateur sports. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Queens University.

Alyson Gaffney – VP Marketing and Partnerships, Leonovus Inc and is Owner, Gaffney consulting

Alyson’s skills in business, sales and marketing strategy development, combined with 20+ years global experience helps seasoned business owners and new entrepreneurs accelerate their business success. Alyson assists clients in developing successful and executable business, sales and/or marketing strategies, for new ventures or expansionary projects, either direct to the end customer or indirectly through channel partners. Her clients have varied from one person social enterprise start-ups to mid-size technology companies. She has lived and worked globally, is a former marketing corporate executive of a Fortune 500 company.. Specialties: direct/indirect business models strategy and program development, partner enablement, customer/partner/team management, program project management and critical/entrepreneurial thinking.

Alyson is the founder of Women in Data Science Ottawa. She is a volunteer with Technovation, inspiring girls to consider a STEM career and a founding member of Women for Mental Health, Royal Ottawa Hospital.

Susan Richards – Virtual CFO and Co-Founder Numbercrunch; Givopoly

Susan is equal parts Accountant and Entrepreneur. She provides strategic financial guidance to Startups and SMEs with virtualCFO and accounting support services provided by her team at Numbercrunch.ca, a forward thinking accounting support company featuring cost effective CFO/Controller/Bookkeeping team solutions with a specialty in SaaS. Susan co-founded Givopoly, an online gift delivery marketplace, launched in Ottawa and now delivering in Toronto and Vancouver.

Susan is passionate about addressing gender inequality and getting more women on boards. She provides financial literacy training for Female Founders to ensure they are getting their fair share of available funds. Susan is also on the Board of Directors for Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards, and has served on Advisory Boards for Algonquin College, AmbiSHEous and Equal Voice.