The TADA ACE conference started off on day two with some very motivating women speakers talking about topics ranging from technological innovation to cyber security, to Diversity Equity and Inclusion in the auto realm as part of the event’s Women Driven content. The day kicked off with an inspirational and motivational speech by Janet Bannister, currently a managing partner at Real Ventures, and the founder of Kijiji.ca.
Janet started out at eBay in Silicon Valley, and worked her way to the top before deciding that she wanted to move back to Canada and have a family here. In her talk she recounts the successes, and also the failures, she experienced along the path to becoming a successful executive and entrepreneur. She specifically spoke about how she used negative events and experiences in a positive way to motivate herself to think differently and innovate her way past obstacles.
The next session in the Women Driven schedule was a panel discussion about dismantling barriers for women in the auto industry, which was hosted by award-winning automotive journalist Petrina Gentile, and featured Maureen A. Harquail, CEO of OMVIC; Yolanda Biswah, Senior VP and GM of Canadian Black Book; Natalie Varey, HR advisor at DealerPILOT, and Edith Pencil, Director of Employee Services at Performance Auto Group.
Cybersecurity expert Cat Coode then took the stage to talk about how you can make your employees the best first defence against cyber crime in your business. She explained about how online behaviors can affect data security, and tangible ways that companies can improve their privacy and keep hackers out.
The day concluded with Celina Caesar-Chavannes talking about how dealerships can advance Diversity Equity and Inclusion goals within their companies, and why it’s good for business to do so. She used her past experiences as empowering teaching tools to rethink equity in business, and left the audience inspired and with the confidence to tackle changes in our organizations and systems for a more just world.
