30th Anniversary Leadership Excellence Awards Gala

The WCT Leadership Excellence Awards recognize the contributions and leadership of women, men and organizations who champion diversity and opportunity for women in Canada's communications and technology sectors. Our award winners exemplify leadership excellence and diversity in Canada's innovation industries.

Thank you to our Gala sponsors:

WCT Leadership Excellence Awards

The Leadership Excellence awards celebrate individuals of achievement who have distinguished themselves in any sector of the communications and technology industries. 

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Catherine Tait, CBC/Radio-Canada

This award is the highest individual honour bestowed by WCT. It is presented to a woman executive who has made a significant contribution to the digital industries - broadcasting, telecommunications and technology - while also making a major contribution to the advancement of all women. This award recognizes extraordinary leaders and visionaries who have made a material difference to the roles women play and their influence in the digital economy. Nominations for this award must highlight the nominee's contribution to her industry and to the overall advancement of women.

DIVERSITY CHAMPION: Steve Cuccione, IBM

This award recognizes the contributions of men in advancing women's engagement and leadership in the digital economy. These recipients demonstrate their belief that diverse organizations are better run, more successful and more innovative than homogeneous ones through personal action and advocacy.  They are active sponsors, mentors and promoters of gender equality.  Within their organizations they set policy and processes to maximize the contributions and influence of women in their workforce and across the whole Canadian economy. 

EMPOWERMENT (Individual): Sana Abou-Shabaan: Manager, Environmental Policy and Planning, Canada Border Services Agency, Government of Canada

This award is for engaging girls in STEM recognizes an individual, program, organization or company that demonstrates success in empowering girls to continue their participation and education in STEM. It salutes an organization or program that has demonstrated leadership in inspiring girls to enter STEM and developing best practices as role models for girls in STEM.

EMPOWERMENT: SuperNova (Organization) - Executive Director, Alexandra Fenton

This award is for engaging girls in STEM recognizes an individual, program, organization or company that demonstrates success in empowering girls to continue their participation and education in STEM. It salutes an organization or program that has demonstrated leadership in inspiring girls to enter STEM and developing best practices as role models for girls in STEM.

ENTREPRENEUR: Caitlin Kealey, Emdash

They have the courage to go it alone, as a start-up or a woman-led business. Recipients of the award for Entrepreneur have blazed new trails or built the equivalent of a better mousetrap in technology, communications, broadcasting, social media or gaming. They’ve broken away from the pack to find their own version of success, contributing to our industry in new and definitive ways.

MENTOR: Jennifer Chan, Rogers Communications

For Mentor award recipients, guiding and helping to develop women leaders in the tech and communications sectors is a fundamental responsibility. Nominees may be involved in industry-wide initiatives, or helping younger women bolster their careers at their own workplaces. Some mentors are natural, informal guides and coaches, always ready to listen and advise. Others are in more structured mentoring arrangements, working with selected candidates, helping develop programs, or getting their employer to support more mentorship programs, especially for women. This category is open to both women and men.

RISING STAR: Doris Qian, Environment and Climate Change Canada 

Preparing the industry’s next generation of leaders is a key tenet of WCT. This award is presented to a young person whose talent and leadership abilities are evident early in their career. They are quick off the mark and setting a new pace, influencing thought and charting new directions in tech/communications industries and organizations. 

TRAILBLAZER: Hadeer Hassaan: Vice President, Shared Services, Bell

Trailblazers create their own career path in sectors, disciplines or professions where women are absent or under-represented. Their pathways to success have demanded a strong vision and determination that vanquishes isolation and self-doubt to create a place not only for themselves but for other women who will follow.

WCT LEADER: Liette Vigneault, COGECO

Recipients of this special category of award have made exceptional contributions to WCT. They may have volunteered their time to help guide and run our organization or championed our mission with potential funders. They may have led and overseen the development of our training and scholarship programs, helping to shape the experience of women who will soon be leading our industries’ most influential companies and organizations.