Glass ceiling still tough to crack
- Details
- Written by Dave Carey
Kudos to three leading women IT executives in Canada who were recognized for their outstanding achievements in 2011. In December, Dr. Catherine Aczel Boivie and Susan Doniz were on the Top 100 list of Canada’s most powerful women, released by WXN (Women’s Executive Network), Canada’s leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. Two months earlier, Gale Blank, VP & CIO of Wal-Mart Canada Corp, was named one of ten IT executive “2011 Breakaway Leaders” at the Global CIO Executive Summit in South Carolina.
I’ve known Catherine Boivie for many years. Based in Vancouver, she has long been one of the West Coast’s leading CIOs. Today she is Senior VP, Information and Technology Management, for Vancity, and Chief Executive Officer of Inventure Solutions. Catherine is one of these people with boundless energy and a passion for applying it in all sorts of creative and beneficial ways. She is a real pioneer of the CIO profession in Canada. As founding president of the CIO Association of Canada, she was instrumental in launching that influential organization. She’s also received several prestigious honours for her work over the years, including the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance’s 2008 Chief Information Officers Leadership Award, and Gartner’s 2003 North American IT Executive of the Year Award for Midsize Enterprises.
I first met Susan Doniz a few years ago at a roundtable I conducted while editor of CIO Canada. At the time, she was CIO of Procter and Gamble Canada. Shortly after, I interviewed her for an article I was writing on the use of social media by corporations. I remember coming away from that interview being most impressed. What Susan and her colleagues were doing at P&G with social media was definitely out on the leading edge for Canada at the time. Susan’s career has continued to be exemplary. She is currently SVP and CIO of Amia, and she is on the Board of Directors of the CIO Association of Canada and the Board Centre of Outsourcing & Research. She is also on the National Advisory Board of the Salvation Army.
I have not yet met Gale Blank, although she’s on my ‘people to meet bucket list’. Her career, though, has been a stellar one, especially in the retail sector, where she has been SVP Supply Chain, CIO at Indigo; VP & CIO at Eatons; and VP ISD East at Loblaw Companies. She’s also been an Associate Partner with IBM Canada, and CIO, Department of Canadian Heritage, with the Federal Government.
The fact that these three women have performed in such outstanding fashion at the top of their profession begs the question, “Why aren’t there more women in the senior ranks of IT?” I have a pretty extensive network of IT executive contacts, which I’m certain is representative of the industry, yet only about one in every seven or eight are women.
Clearly, women have the ability to excel as IT executives. I suspect that the reason so few of them attain C-level IT positions has something to do with the profession itself – perhaps IT management simply doesn’t appeal, as a career path, to as many women as it does men.
But I’m sure there’s a lot more to it than that. Unfortunately, the glass ceiling exists in IT management as it does in many other professions – much to the detriment of Canadian organizations, which could benefit greatly from this tremendous underutilized talent pool. Sadly, the glass ceiling seems every bit as resilient now as it did five years ago.
Past Attendees
ADP - VP Architecture & Infrastructure
AESO - VP, Information Technology
Agnico Eagle Mines - VP, IT
Agrium - Global Mgr., IT Security
Agrium - Senior Director IT Shared Services
Aimia - SVP & Global CIO
Ainsworth Engineered - Director IT
Air Canada Vacations - Director IT
Alberta Energy Regulator - Director, Office of the CIO
Anthem Properties - VP IS
AON Risk Solutions Canada - Head of IT
Aviva Canada - VP, Architecture & Strategy
Bank of America Merrill Lynch - CTO
BC Ferry Services - VP & CIO
Bell Business Markets - Director, Strategy & Planning
Bell Canada - National Director, Digital Transformation
Bellatrix Exploration - Director, Information Technology
Bentall Kennedy - VP IT
Black Press - CTO
BlackBerry - VP Corporate IT
BMO Financial Group - Head of Services Delivery
Bombardier Aerospace - CISO
Bonavista Petroleum - Head of IT
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP - Global CIO
Bow Valley College - Director, IT Services
Bridgewater Bank - Head of IT
BuildDirect - VP IT
Bulk Barn - Head, IT
Burnco - CIO
Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec - VP, IT Planning, Architecture, Governance, Operations
Calfrac Well Services - Head of IT
Canada Mortgage and Housing - VP, Information & Technology
Canadian Depository for Securities - CIO
Canadian Direct Insurance - CTO
Canadian Payments Association - VP & CIO
Canucks Sports - Head of IT
Capgemini - Service Delivery Director
CAPREIT - CIO
Cardel Homes - VP MIS
Cargojet - CIO
CCS Corp. - VP IT
CDSPI - Board Director
Centerra Gold - Director IT & Comm
CIBC - Senior Director, Infrastructure Planning & Engineering
CIBC - SVP & CIO, Retail and Business Banking Technology
CIBC Mellon - AVP, Enterprise Architecture
CIBC Mellon - SVP & CIO
Cineplex Entertainment - CTO
City of Brampton - Senior Manager, IT Architecture & Planning
City of Richmond Hill - CIO
City of Toronto - Director of Strategic Planning & Architecture
CN Rail Service - Chief Information Security Officer
Coast Capital Savings - VP Technology
Concordia University - AVP & CIO
Crescent Point Energy - Head of IT
Dairy Farmers of Ontario - Head of IT and Administration
Dale Parizeau Morris Mackenzie - VP, IT
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP - Director, Information Technology
DealerTrack Canada - Director, Technology
Defence Construction Canada - Corporate Manager, IT
Deloitte - Director, Risk Advisory
Dentons - Canada CIO
Devon Energy - Director, Integrated Business Services
Direct Cash - VP IT & Security
Dynamic Tire Corp - CIO
D+H Partnership - VP, Head of Canadian Mortgage Technology
eHealth - EVP, Technology
eHealth Ontario - VP, IT Systems & Services
Encana - Director, InfoSec
Enbridge Inc. - VP, Technology and Information Services
Enerflex - CIO
Enerplus - VP. IS
ENMAX - VP, IT & PMO
Equity Financial Trust - VP, IT
Essential Energy Services - Director, IT
Expedia Cruise Ship Centers - VP IS
FGL Sports - VP, Information Technology
Finastra - SVP, Head Technology Managed Services
Fix Auto Canada - COO & SVP
Flightnetwork.com - CIO
Freedom Mobile - Head, Customer Applications, Experience, & Strategy
FT Services - CIO
FundServ - CIO
Genus Capital Management - CTO
Genworth Financial Inc. - VP IT
Golder Associates - CTO
Gran Tierra Energy - Director IT
Grant Thornton LLP - CIO
Greenwin Inc - VP, Information Technology
Groupe Dynamite - Director, IT
GSK Canada - IT Director
GTAA - Acting CIO
H&R Block Canada - VP IT
Haventree Bank - VP, Technology
Hewitt Equipment Ltd. - VP & CIO
Hitachi Vantara - GVP & Global CTO
Home Trust Company - CIO
Home Trust Company - CTO
Home Trust Company - VP & CISO
Horizon North Logistics - CIO
IBM Canada - Associate Partner, Payments Industry
Indigo Books and Music - CIO
ivari - SVP & CIO
JP Morgan Chase Canada - Executive Director, Information Risk Management
Keyera Energy - Director, Information Technology
KnowledgeOne - CIO
LaFarge Canada - Director, IT
Landmark Cinemas Canada - VP, IT
LCBO - Director, Applications Systems
LCBO - SVP & CIO
Leisureworld Senior Care Corp - VP IS
Lightstream Resources - Head, Information Services
London Drugs - GM IT
Loto-Quebec - Corporate Director, InfoSec
Magna International Inc - VP & Global Leader, IT (CIO)
Manulife - Global Head of Private Markets & Real Estate Technology
March Networks - VP Professional Services & CIO
MaRS Discovery District - Managing Director, Fintech and Commerce
McCain Foods Limited - Manager InfoSec
McInnis Cement - Director of Information Technology
Medical Pharmacies Group - VP, Information Technology
MEG Energy - Manager, Information Technology Solutions & Services
MMM Group - CIO
Montreal Police Service - CIO
Morguard Investments - CIO
Moulding & Millwork - CIO
National Bank of Canada - Information Security Officer
National Capital Commission - Chief, IT infrastructure & Support Services
NHL Players' Association - Head, Security & Technology
Northbridge Financial Corp - CIO
OEC Group Canada - Vice President, Information Technology and Client solutions
Oildex - VP, Architecture & Infrastructure
Olympia Financial Group - CIO
OMERS - EVP, Data & Technology
OMERS - SVP IT
Ontario Pension Board - CTO
Ontario Trillium Foundation - CIO
Osum Oil Sands Corp - Manager, IS
Ottawa Police Service - CIO
Pacific Western Transportation - CIO
Packers Plus - Global IT Director
Pason Systems - Manager, Digital Communications & Corporate IT
Patient News - CTO
Peel District School Board - CIO
Pengrowth Corp - Director IS
Penn West Exploration - Snr. Manager, IT Operations
Peterson Investment Group - Head of IT
PFB Corp. - CIO
Pizza Pizza - CIO & VP, IT
Precision Drilling - VP, IT
Precision Drilling - Director, IT Infrastructure & Security
PSP Investments - Snr. Director, Internal Audit & Business Infosec
Public Works and Government Services Canada - Director, IT Security Directorate
PwC - Managing Director, Real Estate Technology Advisory
Qantas - Global CIO
Queen's University - Director, Information Technology
RBC Royal Bank - Head of Application Security, Data Protection & Security Consulting
Regal Lifestyle Communities - CIO
Revera Inc. - CIO
Revera Inc. - Security Architect
Ricoh Canada - VP,IT
RioCan Property Services - VP IT
Roche - Head of IT Americas – Operations
Rogers Communications - SVP, Customer Experience IT
ROM - CIO
Russel Metals - VP,IS
Scotiabank - Head, Systems Architecture & Platform Modernization
Scotiabank - VP - International Systems Technology
Scotiabank - Head, System Architecture & Platform Modernization
Scotiabank - Global Head, GBM Compliance & Transformation
Sears Canada - Divisional VP, Information Technology Services
Secure Energy Services - GM, IT
Shaw - Head, Customer Applications, Experience, & Strategy
Shaw Communications - VP, Technology Operations
Shaw Communications - Director, Risk Management
SMART Technologies - Director, IS Corporate Services
Smartcentres - Director IS, IT
SmartOne Solutions - President & CIO
Societe de Transport de Montreal - Division Head - Security and Compliance
Street Capital Financial - CIO
Sun Life Financial - AVP, Data & Business Intelligence Services
Sun Life Financial - VP Application Ops & Services
Suncor Energy Inc. - Director, Application Portfolio Optimization, I&PM, Business Services
Symcor - CTO, VP Technology Services
Talisman Energy - SVP IT & Business Services
TD Bank - Enterprise Architect
Teknion - SVP, CIO
TELUS - Chief Security Architect
Tervita Corporation - VP, Information Technology
The Hudsons Bay Company - VP Technology
The Hudson's Bay Company - SVP & CIO
The Source - VP, Information Technology
TMX Group - CISO & Global Head of Infrastructure Services
Toromont Industries - VP & CIO
Toronto District School Board - Chief Technology Officer
Toronto Hospital for Sick Children - Director of Technology
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) - Chief Enterprise Architect
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) - CIO
Toyota Canada - National Manager, IS
Transamerica Life Canada - CIO
Trican Well Services Ltd. - Director, Business Information Systems
Tridel Corporation - CIO
Trillium Health Partners - IT Director, Applications & Clinical Informatics
UFA Cooperative - VP & CIO
University of Calgary - Executive Director, Development Services
University of Ottawa - CIO
University of Ottawa - Senior Director IT Services & Infrastructure
University of Toronto - Director, Centre for Management & Technology
University of Waterloo - Director, Technology Entrepreneurship
Vancity - VP Technology & Solutions
Viterra - Director Enterprise Technology
Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company - Director of Innovation Outpost
World Health - Director IT
Wolseley Canada - CIO & COO
Yellow Pages Group - Director - Enterprise Data Management
York Region District School Board - CIO
Leadership Archive
- ► 2018 (4)
- ► 2017 (3)
- ► 2016 (4)
- ► 2015 (8)
- ► 2014 (1)
- ► 2013 (14)
- ► 2012 (11)
- ► 2011 (1)
I had the opportunity to interview 
I first met 
Information technology influenced disruption is impacting most organizations today. It is helping to accelerate globalization, intensify competition and transform markets, business models, ecosystems, products, services and processes. Most leaders understand that rapid advances in technological capabilities provide revolutionary organizational performance opportunities and also introduce threats that may be existential. For many, investing in and successfully applying information technology is now a much greater priority.
I have been extremely fortunate to have enjoyed a stimulating career in high tech sales and leadership. As a woman, the world of technology afforded me a wonderful profession and as I progressed up the ranks, I actively sought to ensure that I developed balanced teams and mentored women into what I saw was an incredibly rewarding field. I had the great fortune to work with some inspiring women along the way, but we were sorely under-represented, particularly in executive ranks. I hope to encourage more young women to take advantage of the opportunities that a career in technology can offer. It is a demanding, lucrative, and constantly evolving field. I hope that my experience and voice can help encourage the upcoming generation to pursue technology careers.
There are many articles, conferences and general banter about Smart Communities, Smart Cities and IOT. – AND - I am not complaining, because it is an area of great opportunity and a place where North America lags much of the world in implementation. Any attention is good attention, as far as I am concerned, and it is an area where I would love to see flourishing activity.
Technological innovation is viewed as more strategically important to organisations today than it has been in the past. Being able to change products, services and processes in response to higher levels of competition and rapidly advancing technology is a challenge for most organisations in the private, public and not for profit sectors. At the University of Waterloo, we are developing a new online certificate programme that is intended to support the development of organisations’ technology oriented innovation capability. We are looking for feedback from the CIO community on our new programme design.
Globalisation is concentrating the minds of leaders of organisations on innovation. For most, there is a need to improve or introduce products and processes more quickly in response to increased competition. Whether the desired innovation is disruptive or sustaining the challenge is usually to make it happen – to turn good ideas into improvements in organisational performance.
I watch an inappropriate amount of television.
