WCT Annual Leadership Awards Recognize Canada's Sparks of Change in Closing the Gender Gap

OTTAWA, March 9, 2020. Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) announced today the recipients of their prestigious Leadership Excellence Awards, which recognize women, men and organizations committed to gender diversity in Canada’s digital industries.

Celebrating the contributions and achievements of women and diversity champions is a critical element in closing the gender gap. Women comprise just 4.5% of CEOs in Canadian ICT companies. Without role models, young women are up to 32 per cent less likely to aspire to leadership roles. 

“Every year, WCT recognizes the individuals who are taking action every day to close the gender gap,” says Joanne Stanley, Executive Director of WCT. “With the rate of women’s participation in the tech industry unchanged for almost a decade, particularly at senior levels, recognizing these sparks of change has never been more critical.”

Microsoft is the presenting sponsor of the 2020 Annual Awards and Gala.

The awards will be presented at WCT’s Annual Awards Gala on May 7th, 2020 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. [Cancelled due to COVID-19—to attend the WCT Celebrates virtual event series honouring our 2020 winners, register here.]

The 2020 Annual Leadership Awards recipients are: 

Woman of the Year

Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Manager, Google

Company of the Year

Symcor

Chameli Naraine, President & CEO

Trailblazer

Françoise Gagnon, CEO, ADGA Group

Entrepreneur

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, President & CEO, Profound Impact Corporation

Diversity Champion

Xerxes Cooper, General Manager, Global Technology Services, IBM Canada

Rising Star

Eilidh Lindsay-Sinclair, Director, Marketing, CloudKettle

Mentor

Victoria Pelletier, VP, North America Talent & Transformation, IBM Canada

Innovator

Sonia Brar, VP–IT, Bell Media and BCE Corporate Systems

Empowerment

Kate Arthur, CEO, Kids Code Jeunesse

Public Sector Champion (Government)

Sarah Paquet, Executive Vice President, Shared Services Canada

Public Sector Champion (Academia)

Dr Wendy Cukier, Diversity Institute, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University

WCT Leader

CORUS

Cheryl Fullerton, EVP, People & Communications, CORUS

For more information, contact WCT at info [at] wct-fct.com (French version available).

For more information and ticket/table purchases, contact awards [at] wct-fct.com.

About Women in Communications and Technology 

For nearly 30 years, Women in Communications and Technology has been a leader in advocating the benefits of gender equality in the workplace. WCT is Canada's only national organization with chapters coast-to-coast dedicated to keeping a persistent focus on the under-representation of women in digital industries.

Media Contact:

Emma Morris

Marketing and Social Media Coordinator, Women in Communications and Technology

emorris [at] wct-fct.com

613-706-0607x103