A Community Conversation in Waterloo
By: By Aileen Cham
Driving Women in Tech World brings their Community Conversation to Waterloo to meet with the local women in technology on October 5, 2017. Image is of the Community Conversation in Waterloo where a room full of people sitting at tables are watching a panel of four women and one man sitting in front of the room discussing topics.
On October 5th, 2017 Driving WinTech met with a dynamic and diverse group of women at Velocity Start, University of Waterloo. The Community Conversation was full of laughs, insightful discussion and immersive storytelling by a panel of captivating speakers. They included Brenda Halloran, Chair of the Board Startup Canada and 2006-2014 Mayor of Waterloo; Lara Swift, Co-Founder and COO of Swift Labs Inc.; Angelique Mohring, Founder and CEO of GainX; Ruth Casselman, Co-Founder and COO of Alert Labs; and Dan Mathers, Chairman and Co-Founder of eleven-x, who also moderated the Conversation.
When asked how she got started in the tech sector, Brenda noted she wasn’t a woman in tech per se, but was mayor of Waterloo during the rapidly growing tech sector. “I’ve been involved in this city for the really exciting years of technology. I saw the challenges women faced, it was hard getting a foothold in tech, women didn’t have the same support or finances as men.” She cited the importance of talking about these issues, and thanked Driving WinTech for the Conversation.
The topics of pay equity and sexism in the tech industry became the central theme of the discussion. Each panelist shared stories of their unique experiences dealing with prejudice during their careers, and offered valuable words of advice.
Angelique said, “women’s access to funding globally is startling, and when I saw that, it was hard for me not to be angry. My male co-worker made $25 000 more than me. I went to my boss and demanded a raise. Though I got it, I was still pissed off.”
Ruth contributed a similar experience, a pivotal moment in her career when she realized hard work alone wasn’t going get her recognition. She saw that her career development was in her own hands. “I went up to my boss and told him I wanted to be paid the same as my peers, I didn’t care about the money, I just wanted to be paid the same,” Ruth explained. “If you want something, you go and get it.” This resolute statement sparked all the women in the room to applaud in agreement.
Image is of Brenda Halloran, Chair of the Board Startup Canada and 2006-2014 Mayor of Waterloo; Lara Swift, Co-Founder and COO of Swift Labs Inc.; Angelique Mohring, Founder and CEO of GainX; Ruth Casselman, Co-Founder and COO of Alert Labs; and Dan Mathers, Chairman and Co-Founder of eleven-x, who also moderated the Conversation.
During Q&A, a woman asked the panelists if they had any insights as to why there is salary inequality among women. “I wish there was one answer to that question,” Ruth replied, and suggested that women are often too timid to share their successes, and should continually promote themselves. Lara shared her own piece of knowledge, explaining that a man will apply for a job even when they have only 50% of the qualifications, whereas women will not go for the job unless they have 100% qualifications. “It is our inability to push ourselves,” Lara concluded.
The Waterloo Community Conversation was revealing as well as uplifting, and through intimate storytelling and discussion, the event evolved to be a celebration of solidarity among all women in tech.
We thank all the wonderful Waterloo attendees, and our sponsors, Velocity for providing our venue and CommuniTech for the event refreshments.We thank you for generously supporting our Driving WinTech initiative!
Recommendations:
Angelique Mohring:
Lara Swift:
I saw that all my past mentors have never been a woman-- find someone that is going to empower you, who you can learn from, that is kind and empathetic and someone you’re proud to work for.
Ruth Casselman:
If you want something, go and get it.
Constantly do self-promotion.
Brenda Halloran:
Enough is enough; start telling your story.
We are hoarding back, shying away from a lot of things-- if we’re not going to step up, we won’t be able to push and make the change we want.