OTTAWA — Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) announced Monday the recipients of the organization’s annual Leadership Excellence Awards, which recognize women, men and organizations committed to gender diversity in Canada’s digital industries.
“Every year, WCT recognizes the individuals who are taking action every day to close the gender gap,” said Joanne Stanley, executive director of WCT, in the news release. “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.”
The 2020 Annual Leadership Awards recipients are:
Woman of the Year — Sabrina Geremia, vice-president and country manager, Google
Company of the Year — Symcor — Chameli Naraine, president and CEO
Trailblazer — Françoise Gagnon, CEO, ADGA Group
Entrepreneur — Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, president and CEO, Profound Impact Corporation
Diversity Champion — Xerxes Cooper, general manager, global technology services, IBM Canada
Rising Star — Eilidh Lindsay-Sinclair, director of marketing, CloudKettle
Mentor — Victoria Pelletier, vice-president, North America talent and transformation, IBM Canada
Innovator — Sonia Brar, vice-president of 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, executive vice-president, people and communications, Corus
The annual Leadership Excellence Awards will be presented at WCT’s Annual Awards Gala on May 7, 2020 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Microsoft is the presenting sponsor of the 2020 Annual Awards Gala.
For nearly 30 years, WCT 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.
For more information about WCT and the 2020 Annual Awards Gala, visit www.wct-fct.com
