Join us on Thursday, August 24th at the Aga Khan Museum for the CDN Women in the IT Channel Luncheon, where we will shine a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of women in Canada’s IT Channel.
We will be honouring outstanding women with two prestigious awards: the Rising Star, acknowledging a trailblazer whose recent accomplishments promise an even brighter future. We will also recognize 2023’s Mentor of the Year, a woman who has dedicated herself to guiding others in their personal and professional growth. We will also pay special tribute to Fawn Annan, past CEO of IT World Canada. Women in Canada’s IT Channel are making an impact together, and this luncheon presents a unique opportunity to celebrate our collective successes. Join us for lunch and cocktails as we come together to honour the achievements of women in our industry.
2023 AGENDA
11:30 AM
Registration and Networking Cocktail
12:00 PM
Program and Luncheon
Welcome
Tribute to Fawn Annan
Keynote Address by Samra Zafar
Induction of four honourees into the Hall of Fame
Presentation by
Lori Scarlet, Ingram Micro
Rising Star Award
Presentation by
Heather Harrison, VMware
Mentor of the Year Award
Wiz Kid Presentation
3:00 PM
Cocktail Reception
2023
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Samra Zafar
This year’s keynote speaker is best-selling author and gender equity, inclusion and human rights advocate Samra Zafar. Samra’s remarkable journey and recognition as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2019 makes her an inspiring voice to listen to.
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Making an Impact Together
“The difference between a broken community and a thriving one is the presence of women who are valued” – Michelle Obama
This has to be one of my favourite quotes and sums up last week perfectly. As I reflect on last week’s celebration with a fabulous community of women coming together at the CDN Women in the IT Channel Recognition Luncheon, I am grateful to be a part of this community and excited about the possibilities. The theme for the event was ‘Making an Impact Together’ and this long-standing partnership with IT World Canada is testament to how powerful partnerships can drive positive change.
I know I walked away from the event energized, and positive that we could all inspire change through the work we do as part of the community of women in the channel. Here are my takeaways from the event:
- The power of belonging – When Samra Zafar, the keynote speaker was sharing her story, it was heartwarming to see how one act of kindness can spark hope and change. What resonated the most with me was our need to belong, to be a part of a community. At Ingram Micro, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program – Together Ingram Micro celebrates what makes each of us unique, because it is our uniqueness that brings us together. Our people and their diverse talents define us. Our unique perspectives generate innovative ideas; our lived differences help us find new futures; our varied strengths and weaknesses enable our growth. Through our partnerships with vendors and resellers we will continue to make a meaningful impact in the channel. We learn from each other, and share best practices, and this momentum will pave the way for the future.
- Collaboration is the key to success – In today’s world of hybrid work, collaboration is at the centre of innovation and success. When we come together and share stories and experiences it sparks creativity, innovation and paves the way for unique ideas. For organizations, these moments of collaboration help drive the business, promote a great workplace culture and help associates thrive and bring their whole self to work. At Ingram Micro, we are focused on the associate experience, creating opportunities for meaningful collaboration that sparks innovation. Our Listening and Engagement Strategy is designed to promote a sense of belonging through different engagement events, open and honest communication, and continuous feedback.
- Storytelling – The one thing that stood out to me through the networking sessions, the keynote session and the honourees was the powerful stories I heard. Each one of us has a unique story and it deserves to be told. Events like this are a great platform to build new relationships, strengthen old relationships and share your unique story. For us at Ingram Micro, storytelling is an integral part of how we do business. Our brand helps us amplify our story of being the business behind the world’s brands. Internally, our communication strategy helps tell unique associate stories and also drives the employee experience. Stories are a great way to show your authentic self and shine a spotlight on your unique experiences.
As I wrap up my takeaways from this event, I want to recognize the valuable contributions of Fawn Annan whom I miss dearly. Fawn was not only a mentor, an inspiration, and a dear friend, but she personally made an impact on every individual at the event, and to those who were lucky enough to know her. I know she was with us in spirit throughout the event. In her honour, we will continue to amplify the voices of powerful women and continue to inspire all women in the IT Channel.
Jennifer Villers
Director, Marketing & Commerce
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ABOUT THE SPONSORS
Ingram Micro
Ingram Micro helps businesses fully realize the promise of technology™ – helping them maximize the value of the technology that they make, sell or use. With its vast global infrastructure and focus on cloud, mobility, technology lifecycle, supply chain and technology solutions, Ingram Micro enables business partners to operate more efficiently and successfully in the markets they serve. Ingram Micro amplifies the value of its position at the intersection of thousands of vendor, reseller and retailer partners by customizing and delivering highly targeted applications for industry verticals, business to business customers and commercial needs. From provisioning solutions for system integrators working at the heart of the network to offerings through the full lifecycle of mobile devices, SMB to global enterprise software and computing, point of sale to cloud services, professional AV to physical security—Ingram Micro is trusted by customers to have the expertise and resources to help them define and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
VMware
VMware provides multi-cloud services for all apps, accelerating innovation with a cloud-smart approach. Our software delivers the freedom and control organizations need to move faster and spend less.
Eaton
At Eaton “we make what matters, work”. We develop more efficient, sustainable, power management solutions to meet the needs of our changing world. Our comprehensive portfolio of back up power, power distribution, and integrated power management software, offers protection and disaster avoidance from power outages that are devastating to any business.
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies that give people the power to discover new experiences. With a constant focus on innovation and discovery, we keep redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions.
HP
We are a technology company born of the belief that companies should do more than just make a profit. They should make the world a better place. Our efforts in climate action, human rights, and digital equity prove that we are doing everything in our power to make it so. With over 80 years of actions that prove our intentions, we have the confidence to envision a world where innovation drives extraordinary contributions to humanity. And our technology – a product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions – was created to inspire this meaningful progress. We know that thoughtful ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. And all it takes is one to change the world.
Optiv
Optiv is the cyber advisory and solutions leader, delivering strategic and technical expertise to nearly 6,000 companies across every major industry. We partner with organizations to advise, deploy and operate cybersecurity programs from strategy and managed security services to risk, integration and technology solutions. With clients at the center of our unmatched ecosystem of people, products, partners and programs, we accelerate business progress like no other company can. We manage cyber risk so you can secure your full potential.
Nominations for the 2023 Rising Star and Mentor of the Year are now closed.
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Past Coverage
2021 Women in the IT Channel Recognition Luncheon
This virtual 90-minute session will bring together all the networking, inspirational presentations, awards, and surprises that you have come to expect. The luncheon will feature a mix of live and pre-recorded material and opportunities for exciting, unstructured conversation in networking rooms. Look for a little music trivia and some flower power. Can you dig it?
The event will take place on WIT-TV, a unique platform that offers the audience the opportunity to watch videos, download white papers, live chat, and socialize in established sponsor breakout rooms.
The annual luncheon is also the time we celebrate the induction of three honourees into the Women in the IT Channel Hall of Fame and honour both a Rising Star and a Mentor of the Year.
Far out! How do I become part of this shindig?
2020 coverage
For the first time ever, its year’s event was virtual. ITWC’s unique WIT-TV platform featured special networking breakout rooms that allowed us to be together during the 90-minute celebration.
The event featured inspiring speakers, the induction of three women channel leaders in the Hall of Fame, and recognition of a Rising Star and a Mentor of the Year.
This year was the 10th anniversary of this event. Take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the highlights from the past decade.
2019 coverage
2018 coverage
Guest Speaker
Our 2018 guest speaker was Lisa Lisson, President of FedEx Canada and author of the book Resilience: Navigating Life, Loss and the Road to Success.
As President of FedEx Canada, Lisson is responsible for 5,700 employees and eight airport hubs feeding into a worldwide network that handles 8 million shipments a day in 220 countries. While she has reached the upper echelons in her professional life, the journey has not been an easy one. In August 2007, her husband and high school sweetheart Patrick, suffered a massive heart attack that left him in a vegetative state for more than two years. There were some dark times for the 38-years-old mother of four young children, but she cared for her husband and continued to work full -time in an executive position. Many co-workers in her office never even knew her husband was sick. Almost a year to the day after Patrick died, she was named the President of FedEx Canada.
She will share her inspirational story at the Women in the IT Channel Appreciation luncheon in the hope that by telling her story she can provide inspiration and motivation to others that that life goes on and you can overcome hardships no matter what they may be. READ MORE
2017 coverage
The 2017 Women in the IT Channel held on August 17, 2017 at the stunningly beautiful Credit Valley Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ontario.
The luncheon – was one of the most exciting networking opportunities in the Channel this year – sponsored by Ingram Micro Canada. The theme of the event is FIND YOUR TRIBE – an effort to underscore the importance of community in the channel ecosystem.
In addition to our traditional awards honouring worthy industry veterans, and the Rising Star Award recognizing a bright up- and-comer, VMware Canada presented a Mentor of the Year Award, and Rogers held a workshop session, Digital Transformation and the Customer Experience.
Guest Speaker
This year’s guest speaker Barb Stegemann, an author and social entrepreneur ranked as one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women, as well as one of Profit Guide’s top 30 Cool and Fabulous entrepreneurs.
Barb’s entrepreneurial vision was formed after her best friend—a soldier—was severely wounded in Afghanistan. Understanding that supporting Afghanistan’s economy was key to building stability for its people, Stegemann created The 7 Virtues, a company that sources organic oils from countries experiencing turmoil (such as Afghanistan, Haiti and Rwanda). Addressing complex global matters in her talks, Stegemann uses humour to explain how individuals can use business for good and effect change, both at home and worlds away.