Girl Geek Dinners Ottawa

Last Wednesday, Serena Ngai of Girl Develop It Ottawa presented her case about the revolution of women in technology. From Mattel’s Barbie career innovations to five-year old girls dreaming of being astronauts, Serena pointed out the large social gap between girls and boys in the field of computer science and everything related.

When you Google search “computer scientist”, what’s the first image that appears? Is it a guy with glasses and a plaid shirt? Trust us, we’re not being biased. In fact, research has shown the number of women with bachelor degrees in computer sciences has decreased rapidly over the past 20 years from 37 per cent to less than 20 per cent. Today, less than one per cent of women would be interested in studying computer science as an elective in university. But, there is hope!

In 2010, Mattel posted a public survey asking girls which career they would like Barbie to pursue. To everyone’s surprise, the number one career was computer engineer. Are women beginning to see technology as a fun, innovative, career savvy form of income?  Let’s hope so!

To help regain the number of women in computer sciences, Serena and Gail Carmichael founded Girl Develop It Ottawa to bring back the flare and fun of building websites in a supportive environment. Serena taught us how technical skills can be valuable for your career and any career, why this “women in technology” thing really matters, and how their upcoming workshops can help you become the next Marissa Mayer. Well, in part.

Girl Develop It is hosting their next workshop Intro to HTML and CSS on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. They’re also looking for volunteers to help teach workshops and share technological skills with Ottawa women. If you or someone you know likes to teach and is tech savvy, contact Serena or Gail.

And lastly, congratulations to our Girl Geek prize winners who went home with fabulous gifts from our event sponsors – the National Arts Centre, Media Miser, UsedOttawa.com and Ingrid Aesthetics.

To read more about this month’s event, check out the following reviews from our Girl Geek attendees:

Amy Campsall (blog post)– @AmyCampsall

Alexandra Reid – @TechAlly

Mel Gallant – @MelGallant

Hana Abaza – @HanaAbaza

I first heard about the Lead to Win program while I was a graduate student at Carleton University.  Professor Tony Bailetti used the program as an example of what being a serial entrepreneur meant.  He talked about a group of people who had been part of lay offs during the burst of the tech bubble and who got tired of waiting around for their next job.  They took action and decided to create their own jobs.  The results were outstanding!  The first class of the Lead to Win program (2002) created over 50 business in the national capital region, raised over 90M in VC money and created over 300 full time technology jobs.
 
You can imagine my excitement when our friend Natasha D’Souza approached us with the news of Lead to Win for Women (LTW-W).
 

LTW-W provides women entrepreneurs with resources and expertise essential to business prosperity and success. LTW-W supports women founders at any stage of entrepreneurship who share a common goal to build a business with significant growth potential. There is an opportunity for women to learn, access critical resources, and network with like-minded entrepreneurs and successful business owners. LTW-W aim is to be a catalyst for growth for Canadian women entrepreneurs. LTW-W is unique and will have a positive impact on the success of women owned business in the National Capital Region and Canada.
 
Is Lead To Win for Women Right for You?

Do you have a great idea, but don’t know how to turn it into a business?

Do you already have a business, but growth is stagnating?

Are you interested in attending an intensive free bootcamp that will help you set business goals and achieve them? 

Want to help LTW-W reach their goal of making Canada the best place for women to launch and grow their businesses?  If this sounds like something you need to be a part of, you can start by attending the info session at the Code Factory on September 30, 2011 from 12:00pm-1:00pm.  Then you can apply at http://ltw-women.ca/info
 
Good Luck!  And make sure to let us know how it goes.

Join us Wednesday, January 26th at The Black Tomato for a panel discussion featuring three female business leaders, representing both the public and private sector. The panelists are:

• Jennifer MacKinnon – Founder and CEO of Fenix Solutions Inc.
• Sherry Noble – Senior VP, Business Development at Export Development Canada
• Janet Harris-Campbell – Chief Information Officer, IM-IT, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada

Our panelists will share their career journey to the top, including lessons learned in striving for work-life balance, setting career goals, mentorship and more. Please join us for an insightful and engaging discussion on leadership and coaching in the workplace!

What: Panel discussion on career journey, leadership and coaching

Where: The Black Tomato, 11 George Street at Sussex (get directions)

When: 6 p.m.

Register now: To register, please visit our event registration page.

More About Our Speakers

Sherry L. Noble

A native of Waterloo, Ontario, Sherry Noble joined Export Development Canada (EDC) in 1977. Since joining EDC, Sherry has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Corporate Communications, Treasury and Business Development & Operations groups. Effective July 2003, she was appointed Senior Vice President, Business Solutions & Technology, a newly created group.

With oversight of the information technology function at EDC, Sherry is responsible for ensuring alignment of the corporate IT strategy and architecture with business objectives; reliability of the technical and communications infrastructure for clients and employees; and effective project management and application development.  Her Group is also looked to for leadership in the areas of Business Process Management, and Enterprise Information Management.

Ms. Noble has an undergraduate degree in Science in Language (French and Spanish) and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa. Travelling is something Sherry has always enjoyed, and working at EDC has given her the opportunity to visit interesting cities around the world.

Jennifer MacKinnon

Jennifer is the founder and CEO of Fenix Solutions Inc. a web software development company specializing in online application development and the use of emerging technologies & trends.

A previous Top Forty Under 40 win ner, Jennifer is a businesswoman who counts her role as mom the most rewarding.

Janet Harris-Campbell

Janet is CIO for The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI). Janet joined this federal government agency, which is responsible for regulating Canada’s banks, insurance companies and federally regulated private pension funds, in 2009. As the organization’s first CIO, Janet established and is now leading a five-year information and technology renewal program that supports the agency’s ability to respond to the increasingly complex regulatory environment.

Previously, Janet had been the CIO at the City of Ottawa for five years. Under her leadership, in 2008, the City’s IT Services team won four GTEC awards for technology innovation in the public sector. Janet focused her career on IM/IT ten years ago; before then her management experience with the municipal government had been in areas outside the IT field.

Aside from work, Janet is mom to a competitive soccer playing daughter, and enjoys golf, yoga, skiing and volunteering.

Our Event Sponsors

Logistics and door prizes for our January GGD Ottawa event  is made possible by the generous contribution of our sponsors – a big thank you to the following organizations.

Beyond Events

Blend Creations

The National Arts Centre

Sara McConnell Photography

The Lemon Kitchen

ThornleyFallis