The SmartSimple Women in Tech Open House took place on April 25, providing an open and inclusive setting for the nearly 60 attendees to learn from our female industry leaders about how to break into — and succeed — in the tech sector.
In a recent blog post, we shared some rather dismal stats reflecting the overwhelming imbalance between the number of men versus women working in the tech sector. Because employment equity is important to SmartSimple, we decided to throw open our doors and invite women to come meet, speak, and mingle with us.
“There’s so much more to the tech industry than coding and programming,” says Dr. Teresa Clarke, Director of Research Solutions. “I don’t have a background in technology, but I’ve been able to put the skills I developed as a scientist to good use. With the right preparation and an open mind, I think more women can have a fulfilling career in IT.”
It was an action-packed afternoon that featured talks and presentations led by women from our Customer Support, Business Development, Platform Development, and Implementation teams.
A popular session was the resume review workshop, giving participants a unique opportunity to have their CVs evaluated by our experts. The workshop provided valuable feedback, designed to enhance marketability and increase employment options.
“Our goal was to open our doors for growth oriented women to showcase their skills and talents and share strategies to break through the glass ceiling in what is perceived as a male–dominated industry.” adds Madhulika Sharma, Director of Community Support. Madhulika came to Canada in 2007, and has been building her career at SmartSimple since 2008. “Women do face barriers that make achieving success in management challenging. The good news is that companies are walking the talk by offering environment to attract and promote female talent.”
Thanks to everyone in the SmartSimple community who promoted our event on various social media channels. A special shout out goes to the folks at Blog TO for including the open house on their events page.
We're excited that this event is only the first one in what will be an annual open house and dialogue venturing further toward gender equality in the technology world. We hope to see you next year!