Speakers

• 

  Svetlana Zlobina

  RBC - Keynote

  VP Global IT Risk

  See Bio
• 

  Selena Jackson

  Google - Keynote

  Account Management Lead

  See Bio
• 

  Deepti Vashishtha

  Google - Keynote

  Product Cost Management Lead

  See Bio
• 

  Carmela Guizar-Sanchez

  Google - Keynote

  HW Program Manager

  See Bio
• 

  Caitlin Morrissey

  Google - Workshop

  Global Program Lead

  See Bio
• 

  Rose Hastreiter

  Leonty3C - Workshop

  Founder and Senior Advisor

  See Bio
• 

  Tanya Chapman

  Chapman Group - Workshop

  President and Senior Consultant

  See Bio
• 

  Terri-Ann Richards

  Balance Equation - Workshop

  Business Coach

  See Bio

×

Svetlana Zlobina

RBC - Keynote

Svetlana Zlobina is the Vice President, Global IT Risk within Global Cyber Security at RBC. She leads the Technology Risk Management function globally, partnering with business stakeholders and Enterprise Risk and Security teams, to deliver enterprise-wide strategic and regulatory Cyber Security initiatives that enables RBC to mitigate risk globally through effective risk processes, protection of assets (applications, data, infrastructure), and implementation of state-of-the-art technology solutions, while ensuring RBC’s compliance with regulatory requirements.Svetlana has over 16 years of IT experience spanning across IT application development, data management, technology risk, and business management, responsible for budgets of $150+ MM. She has an extensive track record of successfully delivering large-scale, complex initiatives, and is well known for her ability to align business and technology objectives to achieve target goals. As an accomplished leader, Svetlana attributes her success to the ability to build efficient teams, develop strong partnerships, and foster innovation, collaboration and coordination between teams.Svetlana holds two Bachelor degrees in Business, majoring in Accounting and Computer Science, as well as an MBA from Queen’s University. She is certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC).Svetlana has lived and worked in three countries, including Canada, U.S., and Dubai. She is passionate about travel and psychology, and is an avid athlete.

×

Selena Jackson

Google - Keynote

Selena Jackson has worked in the tech industry for the past 10 years and is currently focussed on delivering cloud services to customers based in the UK. She joined Google as an individual contributor five years ago and since that time has become a certified Cloud Architect and Data Engineer and transitioned from individual contributor to manager. Alongside her work she is passionate about promoting the inclusion of women in tech through mentorship and coaching of women and our allies.

×

Deepti Vashishtha

Google - Keynote

Deepti Vashishtha is a Product Cost Management lead for Google Nest. She has 18+ years of professional experience across multiple domains and firms. Prior to Google, Deepti managed supply for batteries at Apple and strategy for GAP's global supply chain. In the earlier years of her career, Deepti did management consulting at L.E.K and marketing analytics at GE. Deepti has an MBA degree from Wharton and Masters in Economics from Delhi School of Economics. Deepti loves the outdoors and likes to go hiking and biking with her husband and two daughters. She also loves singing and is pursuing training in Indian classical music. 

×

Carmela Guizar-Sanchez

Google - Keynote

Carmela Guizar-Sanchez is the Chief of Staff for the Nest Hardware Development team at Google Nest. She has spent her career in Program Management working on hardware engineering teams at Apple and Google to help bring exciting products to market. Over the 12 years of her career, she has worked on all stages of product development on several of Apple's MacBooks, Google's Daydream VR products, and now, Nest smart home solutions. Carmela has a degree in Product Design from Stanford University. She enjoys spending time with her 3 children, her Australian Shepherd fur-baby and sometimes even finds time to put nib and ink to paper with her calligraphy skills.

×

Caitlin Morrissey

Google - Workshop

Caitlin Morrissey is a program manager on the Women Techmakers global team at Google, where she's worked for the past 8 years. She focuses her energy around building innovative learning initiatives and producing events that help empower women in tech to join, lead and thrive in the industry - including leading IWD! Before joining the Women Techmakers team, Caitlin worked at YouTube where she ran bootcamps and workshops for up and coming YouTube creators. She's based in San Francisco, CA.Workshop description: In this workshop, we will explore the source of credibility and how to establish it. We’ll spend time thinking through how you can re-contextualize your own strengths, skills, and experiences and how all this factors the unique value you provide. You’ll walk away with a first draft of a bio you can use for your LinkedIn, professional website, cover letter or wherever you’re looking to share who you are and why you’re so amazing.

×

Rose Hastreiter

Leonty3C - Workshop

Hi! I'm Rose Hastreiter, founder of L3C Learning - Our mission is to foster human-centered approaches to leadership, projects, collaboration and communication. With a comprehensive 20+ year background in project leadership, my commitment is to help you strengthen your project ecosystems, results, and team collaboration via principles-based methods. As an international speaker, facilitator, and project management professional (PMP), I've delivered workshops to over 25,000 professionals to date, and continue to advise organizations from start-ups to international groups. I specialize in helping multi-disciplinary teams with communication, change management, and project leadership. I'm also the founder and Chief Creative Officer for LMG Creative Audio, specializing in scoring film and screen projects. My team and I have achieved international awards for our scores, productions, and music. We have 2 studio suites located here in southwest NB, and I'm proud to be a composer/producer that stands for equality in our field. Did you know: as of 2020, only 5% of all commercial films + TV shows were scored by women? We aim to bring more opportunity to women in tech, projects, music, and film. If you have the vision, then build your skill with boldness, and create an authentic professional network, and know that you if you truly desire to contribute to any field - you certainly can.   Redefining + Realizing: In a changing world, how we plan, communicate, and follow-through needs to integrate with those changes. I'm thrilled to be able to contribute to this year's Courage to Create event with a short tactics-based workshop that will help you bust out of old mindsets and help you maximize the value you can bring to your every day. In 75 minutes, this intensive is designed to help boost your focus, energy and right effort aligned with what you envision for yourself. 

×

Tanya Chapman

Chapman Group - Workshop

I am an experienced business executive specializing in human resource management, with a background in developing human resource strategy and programs, organizational effectiveness and facilitating change along with acquisition, outsourcing, technology implementation, supply chain and new build projects. 

×

Terri-Ann Richards

Balance Equation - Workshop

With over 16+ years in the entrepreneurial realm, Terri-Ann Richards has earned her stripes as a solid leader in business. Having started, bought, sold and partnered in over 8 companies, including top names as PropertyGuys.com and Marlin Travel Atlantic, she understands the sheer will required to both grow a company and lead a team to success.As a business coach, she takes overwhelmed, impact-driven entrepreneurs on a journey to create and grow a profitable business, all without sacrificing the life they love. Terri-Ann is a Facilitator & Leadership Development Coach with LMI Slight Edge Group in Moncton. A Best Selling Author. Founder of BE-the balance retreat. Certified in Choice Theory and Reality Therapy ®, through the William Glasser Institute of Canada, Certified in Personality Dimensions, and a trained Emotional Intelligence Facilitator.

Panelists

• 

  Cathy Simpson

  TechImpact

  CEO

  See Bio
• 

  Kathryn Cameron

  Beauceron Security

  COO

  See Bio
• 

  Dahlia Das

  J. D. Irving Ltd.

  IT Project Manager

  See Bio
• 

  Sushmitha Suresh

  Introhive

  Data Scientist

  See Bio
• 

  Bethany Deshpande

  SomaDetect

  CEO

  See Bio
• 

  Sally Ng

  Highline Beta

  Senior Director

  See Bio
• 

  Lily Lynch

  Sankara

  Co-founder

  See Bio
• 

  Kayla Johnson

  Arcacia

  CEO

  See Bio

×

Cathy Simpson

TechImpact

Her entire career has been in the tech sector. Everything she have done in the past 30 years has focused on advancing the technology and innovation sector in Atlantic Canada. That means growing our digital economy to create jobs, building more talent and skills, finding access to more capital, connecting companies and people to interesting problems, mentoring founders and leaders, and exposing more women and girls to the sector.Cathy does this in a few ways. As CEO of TechImpact, an industry-led organization with a mission to help Atlantic Canada embrace and accelerate technology adoption and innovation as the cornerstone of our economic future. As Board Chair of NBIF, an independent, private organization focused on venture capital and research funding. As the founder and CEO of UP+GO, which builds and delivers leadership programs for high school girls, exposing them to mental and mindset skill-building and incredible women in STEM, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Cathy is a lifelong learner and her personal philosophy is Be Brave. Be You.

×

Kathryn Cameron

Beauceron Security

Kathryn started with Beauceron in 2017 working hand-in-hand with clients to improve their cyber risk posture by focussing, as she always has, on the people. Now, she is helping fuel Beauceron's growth building the Sales, Marketing, Customer Success and Operations teams. Kathryn is passionate about building businesses, is an alumni of Venture for Canada, and a member of the Wallace McCain Institute. Kathryn holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in Mathematics from Mount Allison University.

×

Dahlia Das

J. D. Irving Ltd.

Dahlia Das is an IT Project Manager and a part-time University Instructor of business and leadership courses. Dahlia is originally from Kolkata, India and is now a proud resident of Saint John, where she has lived and worked for almost ten years after completing her MBA from UNB Saint John. Dahlia is an ever-enthusiastic volunteer in her community. Aside from teaching and mentoring students and young professionals, Dahlia has led and contributed to non-profit organizations such as the Toastmasters clubs which help people develop their public speaking and leadership skills, and the Project Management Institute (PMI)'s New Brunswick Chapter which allows project management professionals at all levels of their career to network, upgrade their skills and share best practices. She is also on the board of Fresh Start Services for Women Inc., the Saint John Community Arts Board, and often volunteers with the Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick and the Indo-Canadian Society of Saint John where she is actively involved in sharing her culture of origin and participating in cultural programs. Dahlia is a talented dancer, an eloquent speaker, and a passionate advocate of cross-cultural diversity, exchange and inclusion, through which she seeks to enrich her city and community. 

×

Sushmitha Suresh

Introhive

“In God we trust, all others bring data.” — W Edwards DemingEvery data has a story to tell - story that helps companies forecast their decisions, unravel actionable insights to achieve business goals by understanding the customers better. And I help mediate the communication between data and people who rely on it. As a Data Scientist I help clients to transform the insights into foresight, and stakeholders with high-priority business initiatives, through predictive and prescriptive analysis of data. My specialties include natural language processing, neural networks, machine learning, ad-hoc reporting, operational research and analytics and statistical and quantitative techniques to analyse data. 

×

Bethany Deshpande

SomaDetect

Bethany Deshpande is the CEO of SomaDetect. She is a highly motivated, big-picture thinker who has more than a decade of experience in science and entrepreneurship, and is always excited to tackle big problems in big ways. SomaDetect was founded in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 2016 with the mission of providing farmers with the information they need to make the best possible milk.Since it began, SomaDetect has grown from 4 people working in a small apartment to now having a team of twenty-five people in both Canada and the United States. SomaDetect was selected as the recipient of the Ag Innovation Showcase prize (St. Louis, 2017), one of the Canadian Innovation Exchange Top 20 companies (Toronto, 2017), Grand Prize winner of $1 M from Buffalo's 43North Competition (Buffalo, 2017), and Rabobank's Foodbytes' Judges Choice Award (NYC, 2018). SomaDetect represents a major innovation in dairy technology, providing milk quality and health data to farmers when they need it most. We also recently closed our Series A - this is being announced in the upcoming week. It also makes me sound fancy, if we want to throw that in somewhere.

×

Sally Ng

Highline Beta

Sally Ng has been focused on building entrepreneurial communities across Atlantic Canada for the past decade and is now part of the team at Highline Beta as Senior Director, Partner Success. Highline Beta(HLB) is a hybrid VC firm corporate venture studio working alongside leading enterprises and world-class founders.We’re focused on solving corporate problems through models of corporate innovation, co-creation, and accelerators. We also have Female Funders under our umbrella, it is focused on changing the landscape for women in relation to the future of funding and investments. Previously, Sally started and ran her company The Triple Effect, which focused on developing best practices in corporate innovation, entrepreneurial development for under-represented communities, and technology coaching (DigiLearn). Through her work, she has developed several entrepreneurial centres and startups programs across the Atlantic region, such as Planet Hatch and Startup Zone. Her clients were from all across North America and even Tridinad. As a community leader, Sally is actively involved with the startup community through her work with Techstars and Startup Weekend and has traveled around the world facilitating events. She currently serves on the national Board of Directors for the Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), a charity with $6B worth of assets within its network. She also currently serves as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Forces, working with the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program. Sally was chosen to represent Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Summit 2017 in Berlin and joined the Canada C3 Expedition on Leg 10 across the North West Passage. She has been recognized as a young leader in Atlantic Canada through a number of different publications. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallycng/

×

Lily Lynch

Sankara

Lily Lynch graduated from the University of King’s College in 2016 where she majored in History and French. Upon moving to New Brunswick, she was eager to meet people with similar interests and soon co-founded Sankara. Operating in Atlantic Canada, Sankara is an Online Multicultural Marketplace to buy cultural products like Catering, Meal Plans, and Handcrafts from local cultural vendors. As a multiracial individual, Lily is passionate about creating exchanges, experiences and public commemorations centered around the identity and culture of BIPOC people. In February 2020, the month after the passing of her paternal grandfather, a descendant of Black Loyalists, she helped organize the inaugural raising of the Pan-African flag in New Brunswick to celebrate Black History Month. This past February the flag raising was coordinated across 9 communities in the province. Lily works to catalyze more opportunities for the community to participate in cross-cultural appreciation.

×

Kayla Johnson

Arcacia

As an active CEO and the founder of Arcacia, Kayla Johnson is responsible for all facets of the business. Kayla began her company as an independent study project developed while studying at UNB Saint John. Throughout her education, Kayla was awarded valuable co-op placements, which allowed for invaluable experience in a variety of fields such as tech services, human resources, sales and marketing, and project management. After graduating from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Business Administration, and an Event Management Certificate from the New Brunswick Community College, Kayla incorporated Arcacia as an all-encompassing events management company. For Kayla, founding an Event Management company was a very natural progression in her career, which has developed over 5 years. As a child, Kayla always had her sights set on entrepreneurship, and for her establishing an events management company that focuses on events that contribute to a triple bottom line was the best way to give back to her community. The idea of making a positive impact through profit, planet, and purpose is at the core of all Arcacia executed events, and why Kayla chose to create her own company.