Updated 3:27 E.S.T. Today at noon we held yet another a spectacular Twitter chat that was filled with meaningful dialogue on careers and women in technology, IT and the channel. We were joined by some great guest experts and community participants that weighed in on important issues that still remain unresolved in the tech industry. Check below for a recap of some notable tweets from the chat. Tune into our monthly Twitter chats on the last Thursday of every month. We look forward to seeing you at the next one!
Never mind ‘leaning in’, many women in the technology industry are leading their companies to business success! In August, Computer Dealer News will be hosting its fifth annual Women in the IT Channel event, honouring some of the top women executives in the IT channel. It’s a day of professional development, networking, and awards that’s all geared towards one thing – celebrating the contribution that women are making in the IT channel community.
Join us on August 27, between noon-1 PM ET at #CDNwomen as we recap the day’s events with a Twitter chat. We’ll have some of the award winners and keynote speakers on hand to answer your questions about career development and business success. If you missed the event, it will be a great way to connect with the community and catch up on the conversation. If you were there, it’s the next step in strengthening our community for the future.
This chat will be moderated by the Canadian Channel Chiefs Council (C4), a non-profit association that is the voice of technology channel professionals in Canada and works in association with CDN. Follow @CDNChannelChief now to get updates about the chat and other related news.
Never taken part in a Twitter chat before? No problem, this video will tell you everything you need to know.
 Ayelet Baron | Ayelet Baron is a futurist, author, speaker and activist for the human spirit at CreatingIs. She is the former chief strategy and innovation officer for Cisco Canada and held numerous global positions at Cisco. Follow her @ayeletb. |
 Laura Wittig | Laura is a young woman starting out in the corporate world as a Technology Consultant, and also a proponent of women helping other women advance in their careers. Follow her @LauraWittig1. |
 Mandy Grewal | An entrepreneur and soccer mom that is passionate about what she does, speaks her mind and always strives to be her best every day! Follow her @mandygrewal_. |
 Lynda Partner | Lynda Partner is the vice president of marketing at Pythian and chairwoman of Women in Communications and Technology. She was recently named WXN 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. Follow her @lpartner. |
 Vanessa Simmons | Currently the director of business development at Pythian, Vanessa is an experienced business development professional with over 15 years’ experience in all aspects of the business development and marketing disciplines. Follow her @pythianpartners. |
Q1 You often hear of the disparity in the ratio of men to women that work in IT. What do those numbers look like? #CDNwomen
A1 Reports claim it’s 75/25 in favor of men, what’s bleak is the lack of women in Sr positions or on Boards #CDNwomen
— Mandy Grewal (@mandygrewal_) August 27, 2015
A1: Still far fewer women graduating with STEM degrees compared to non-STEM degrees. Let’s change this! http://t.co/5Ajeu7Q1Al #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
#CDNWomen A1:Need to change conversation from numbers If we keep the question around how many women vs men we are limiting ourselves
— Ayelet Baron (@ayeletb) August 27, 2015
Q1 Major US tech companies have overall 29% women #CDNwomen
— Lynda Partner (@lpartner) August 27, 2015
A1 I suspect numbers are about what you’d expect. I’m more interested in the trendlines though. Is progress being made? Hope so #CDNWomen
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) August 27, 2015
A1. #CDNwomen Looks like a major gender gap according to statistics in major #tech companies. pic.twitter.com/uf42FCjmXg
— Wolston Lobo (@WolstonL) August 27, 2015
Q2 Why do you think so few women choose IT as a career? Is this a fault of our education system or social conditioning? #CDNwomen
A2: Stereotypes and gender biases can be present from a very young age. We help can avoid them; http://t.co/RSIIaA1nip #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
Q2 Both. research shows that education system isn’t tuned to girls, social doesn’t encourage #cdnwomen
— Lynda Partner (@lpartner) August 27, 2015
A2 @lpartner agreed – messages aren’t getting out about coolness of IT/impact of those careers, saving lives, changing the world #CDNWomen
— Vanessa Simmons (@pythianpartners) August 27, 2015
A2 We’re all born to be great,it’s human nature,we’re socially conditioned to believe we’re not,or that things are gender specific #CDNwomen
— Mandy Grewal (@mandygrewal_) August 27, 2015
A2 This was a neat video by @verizon on how girls are discouraged from pursuing STEM #CDNwomen http://t.co/odXfJlCBiR
— Hibah Ahmed (@AhmedHibah) August 27, 2015
Q3 What responsibility to women leaders have to mentor other women pursuing careers in IT? #CDNwomen
A3:Same responsibility as being a contributor to the overall health of our society #cdnwomen
— fawnannan (@fawnannan) August 27, 2015
maybe we should create a recognition award for male leader valuing the different leadership style women bring forward #CDNWomen
— Suzie Labonne (@suzielabonne) August 27, 2015
Q3 lots of research about the importance of mentors, still hard to get them to come forward – not sure why #cdnwomen
— Lynda Partner (@lpartner) August 27, 2015
A3 It seems unfair to tell every senior woman IT leader she needs to be a mentor. A lot of responsibility #CDNWomen
— Jeff Jedras (@jeffjedras) August 27, 2015
It is important to share not only our success, but also our failures! This is how we can all learn #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
A3 We share responsibility to raise each other up. New initiative to bring women onto IT boards: http://t.co/kyFQ1swIvT #CDNWomen
— Dave Yin (@daveyinCDN) August 27, 2015
Q4 What types of positive initiatives has your company put in place to foster gender equality or diversity? #CDNwomen
A4 @pythian has female talent focus, flex work env., programs for prof. dev., career planning, community support #CDNWomen
— Vanessa Simmons (@pythianpartners) August 27, 2015
A4 My team in CA is 50/50 split between male/female,hire based on who can do the job and not stereotype,let it naturally happen #CDNwomen
— Mandy Grewal (@mandygrewal_) August 27, 2015
A4: @ClearConceptsMB is a small MSP in YWG. We treat everyone within the organization with the exact same respect/opportunities #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
@mandygrewal_ I think its rare people think they are acting on stereotypes when hiring, but often are #CDNwomen
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) August 27, 2015
A4: we have women friendly work policies: work from home, flex hours #cdnwomen
— Lynda Partner (@lpartner) August 27, 2015
@brianjjackson @mandygrewal_ Agree. We don’t see our own biases and business culture. Bring awareness to both to create change #CDNwomen
— Cheryl Sylvester (@csylvester) August 27, 2015
Q5 Where there any moments where, as a woman, you experienced difficulty to move forward in your career because of your gender? #CDNwomen
@brianjjackson @mandygrewal_ Agree. We don’t see our own biases and business culture. Bring awareness to both to create change #CDNwomen
— Cheryl Sylvester (@csylvester) August 27, 2015
A5: Any challenges that I have faced in my career due to gender have only made me work harder to overcome them! #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
Q5: if there were I was too blind to see them! #cdnwomen
— Lynda Partner (@lpartner) August 27, 2015
A5 – I was fortunate to never have been held back due to gender…to my knowledge #CDNwomen
— Natalie Ireland (@MainlandIS_CFO) August 27, 2015
#CDNwomen A5 Yes. Didn’t let it stop me, but not everyone is so willing to face unnecessary obstacles. Less blatant today. Bigger challenge?
— Cheryl Sylvester (@csylvester) August 27, 2015
#CDNWomen A5: I got support from men around me as well as women. It was about changing the game. But it is sad to see so many women leave
— Ayelet Baron (@ayeletb) August 27, 2015
Q6 How have you succeeded in your career in this male-dominated industry? #CDNwomen
One issue we have not touched on is what @ayeletb mentioned – retaining the women we have in IT – big problem for many #cdnwomen
— Lynda Partner (@lpartner) August 27, 2015
When facing difficulty due to gender…be yourself. It’s your best strength to overcome ignorance #cdnwomen
— fawnannan (@fawnannan) August 27, 2015
A6 Comm is key,don’t make assumptions, be present in what you do,be clear on who you are and what you want #CDNwomen https://t.co/Mlv5tHp83L
— Mandy Grewal (@mandygrewal_) August 27, 2015
A6: My last @CompDealerNews blog post was about this: http://t.co/7qXP3TBRtw #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
@CDNChannelChief Q6 #CDNwomen focus on the value you deliver. Keep things simple, crisp and the messaging clear.
— cShell Consulting (@cshellinc) August 27, 2015
Yes, bringing more young women into IT alone won’t solve the issue of drop out @lpartner @ayeletb #CDNWomen
— Dave Yin (@yindavid) August 27, 2015
A6 Encouragement, encouragement, encouragement. Build each other up. We were never meant to take on life alone. #CDNwomen
— Hibah Ahmed (@AhmedHibah) August 27, 2015
Q7 What are the key characteristics you believe a woman should have to succeed in the Channel? #CDNcwomen
#CDNWomen A7 persistence. perseverance. patience. drive. And a great network.
— Carrie Davis-Sydor (@carrieds) August 27, 2015
A7 The same as anyone: a positive attitude, an ability to connect with people, and a willingness to work hard. #cdnwomen
— Jeff Jedras (@JeffJedrasITW) August 27, 2015
#CDNWomen A7: Community, trust and relationships are key to 21st century business. The world needs #CDNWomen
— Ayelet Baron (@ayeletb) August 27, 2015
A7: One has to be able to make known their value while not seeming like a braggart or diminishing others #CDNwomen
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) August 27, 2015
A7 – Strong values and a can-do attitude #CDNwomen
— Natalie Ireland (@MainlandIS_CFO) August 27, 2015
A7 Key to success: Be willing to go where no woman has gone before! Be courageous, Create community within/outside org. #CDNWomen
— Cheryl Sylvester (@csylvester) August 27, 2015
A7. I like what @SherylSandberg said…”Lean in”. #CDNWomen
— Nina Doiron (@ninadoiron) August 27, 2015
Q8 Marissa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg are examples of successful female tech leaders. What can women in IT learn from them? #CDNwomen
#CDNWomen A8: Ok I am going to be controversial <shocking> we need to learn from each other. You have @mandygrewal_ & others who are amazing
— Ayelet Baron (@ayeletb) August 27, 2015
A8 It’s okay to be a woman, we don’t need to act like men to make it in IT, we are valuable members, our contributions matter #CDNwomen
— Mandy Grewal (@mandygrewal_) August 27, 2015
@CDNChannelChief The fact they are in these leadership roles and in the public eye changes what young women see is possible. #CDNwomen
— Cheryl Sylvester (@csylvester) August 27, 2015
A8:@sherylsandberg consistently promotes and encourages women in the industry. Have you heard latest new term in STEM? #Wogrammer #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
A8 – both of them & great advice here http://t.co/cb3UIe6wuk #CDNWomen
— Vanessa Simmons (@pythianpartners) August 27, 2015
Sandberg’s big message to women is “don’t be afraid.” It’s OK to lead. #CDNwomen
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) August 27, 2015
Q9 What was a memorable lesson you learned at CDN’s Women in the IT Channel event earlier this month? #CDNwomen
A9: Women in the IT Channel events remind me that I have tons of peers, friends, leaders and amazing mentors within the industry #CDNwomen
— Laura Wittig (@LauraWittig1) August 27, 2015
A9 such an awesome afternoon! To quote @ayeletb work out loud, pick yourself, killer app of the 21st century is people #CDNWomen
— Vanessa Simmons (@pythianpartners) August 27, 2015
A9 Every step is important and we should support each other to be great! #CDNwomen
— Mandy Grewal (@mandygrewal_) August 27, 2015
I liked Rising Star award winner Aoife McMonagle’s reminder to push yourself out of your comfort zone http://t.co/KiQiO5ABAA #CDNwomen
— Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) August 27, 2015
A9 Be alive and live your life every minute, at home and at work #CDNwomen
— Mandy Grewal (@mandygrewal_) August 27, 2015