Women Breaking Barriers Conference
Thursday, March 2nd, 2023
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
hosted by the Saskatchewan Science Centre
and supported by the Status of Women Office
with Satellite Locations available throughout the province
By the numbers
Women are 30% less likely to be promoted out of entry-level jobs
Women are 60% less likely to be promoted out of middle management into executive level roles
Women of colour make up less than 6% of all board of director positions
Women only represent ¼ of all STEM jobs
Building on the success of the 2022 Girls in STEAM Conference (hosted by the SSC with support from the Status of Women Office), Women Breaking Barriers is an accessible professional development and networking opportunity for mid-career professionals. They will meet and learn from executives on how to take the next step in their careers, not just breaking the glass ceiling, but also changing culture and innovating in the workplace.
The conference will be hosted in-person in Regina at the Saskatchewan Science Centre, with satellite locations throughout the province and country including Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Yorkton, and others. Help us meet our goal of reaching women across Canada by getting involved as a sponsor by contacting Tenielle Bogdan (tbogdan@sasksciencecentre.com).
Sponsors
Speakers and Presenters
Lunch Keynote – Karen O’Brien | Partner, Deloitte Canada
Lunch Keynote – Christine Hrudka | Past Chair Canadian Pharmacists Association Advocate for Women in Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Afternoon Keynote – Rebecca Shambaugh | Owner, SHAMBAUGH Leadership
Panel Discussion – Moderated by Lisa Peters:
Nicole Westerlund – VP Membership and Community Engagement, Conexus Credit Union
Lori Ireland – CFO, AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.
Lori Romanoski – President, Brown Communications
Tina Svedahl – Managing Director, Hill Company Holdings
Victoria Gagné — Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs Program & Business Development and Community Relations Specialist, Clarence Campeau Development Fund
Jennifer Stiglitz – General Manager, Co-op Refinery
Dinner Keynote – Prabha Ramaswamy | CEO, Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
Keynote speaker Biographies
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Christine Hrudka is a pharmacist entrepreneur in Saskatoon. She previously owned Shoppers Drug Mart franchises in both Saskatoon and Regina and now owns independent pharmacies in Saskatoon. Christine is the Past Chair of the Canadian Pharmacists Association and lead the Women in Pharmacy Leadership Summit.
Christine has spoke all over the world on the topic and continues to mentor young women in business. Christine was the recipient of the Women Entrepreneur Award of Excellence and has been featured in many magazine articles.
Christine has identified that one reason women are not in leadership roles is lack of role models and network. Her slogan is “You Can’t Be What you Can’t See”and hopes to help women take on leadership and entrepreneurship roles in our communities.
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Karen O’Brien is a senior partner at Deloitte. Her career spans over thirty years. Growing up as a humble farm kid outside of Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan she never imagined that she would be where she is now. She is a Certified Information Systems Auditor, a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Management Consultant.
Spanning the gap between business and technology, Karen has been providing risk management services since 2001. She has served client sin banking, insurance, technology, liquor distribution, gaming, airport authorities, universities, utilities, mining, real estate and the public sector. And the firm itself!
Karen has been passionate about supporting women throughout her career. And her proudest moments are when female leaders are admitted to the partnership. Or get that big job in industry.
Karen has been very active in professional associations including founding President of the Regina Information Services Audit and Control Association (ISACA) chapter and the Past President, Board of Governors, Institute of Internal Auditors Saskatchewan Chapter. -
Rebecca Shambaugh is one of the country’s leading experts on gender equity and inclusion. She is the President of SHAMBAUGH Leadership, a global leadership development organization whose mission is to develop high-performing and inclusive leaders who transform workplace cultures to drive greater innovation and business results.
She is respected for her lifetime of groundbreaking research and thought leadership for developing and advancing women leaders and executives, creating equitable cultures where everyone can thrive.
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Prabha is a champion of Saskatchewan business, a passionate community leader and an organizational visionary.
With a Masters of Social Work in Community Development, Policy and Planning, Prabha has a diverse career spanning 28 years. Her career has included leading organizations through change for strategic growth, achievement of vision/mission and competitive positioning. Driven by the principle “begin with the end in mind,” Prabha is passionate about defining a vision and steering organizations in the right direction. Fuelled by the spirit of “doing the right thing,” Prabha embraces courage and integrity as a leader.
Prior to beginning her role with the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Prabha spent eight years as the CEO of Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK), launching several breakthrough programs designed to support the business community and close the gender entrepreneurship gap in Saskatchewan.
Prabha served as the first President of the Leaders Council of the Paul J. Hill and Kenneth Levene Schools of Business at the University of Regina and currently serves as a member of the Paul J. Hill School of Business Advisory Board.
panel moderator
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Lisa Peters has a been the host of Talk of The Town on AccessNow TV for over 10 years, and just over a year ago launched the LeaderImpact Canada Podcast. Lisa interviews leaders around the world and the podcast has been heard in 52 countries to date. After many years of encouraging Lisa to join politics, I am happy to say that Lisa has recently become a Councillor in the RM of Edenwold, the 2nd largest RM in Saskatchewan.
panelists
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Victoria Gagné is responsible for the Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship Program at the Clarence Campeau Development Fund. In addition to her work at CCDF, Victoria studies in the Master of Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous Communities program at the University of Saskatchewan and UiT the Arctic University of Norway.
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Lori has been the CFO for AGT Food and Ingredients for the past 20 years. As the 2nd employee, Lori was on the ground floor of a start up company that went public then back to private and has grown to over 2500 employees in 5 continents.
Lori is also the Chair of the Board of the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce. In her role as Chair, Lori’s job is to oversee the strategic direction of the Chamber, manage the Chamber Board, and make recommendations for the Chamber’s activities to best help the Regina business community. In a typical year, the Board meets regularly to discuss ongoing strategy, working with the Chamber CEO, and identifying issues and topics of importance to the Chamber’s member businesses.
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Lori Romanoski is the President of Brown Communications Group, a full service marketing agency based in Regina.
Lori has more than 26 years experience in the marketing communications industry. She comes from a background in media, where she worked at the Leader Post with a wide range of local and national clients.
For the past 11 years Lori has been working with Regina-based Brown Communications Group, where she is currently President. If you’ve had the pleasure of working with her, you know that clients always come first for Lori. Her interest in Indigenous culture prompted Lori to attend a 10-week Indigenous Cultural Awareness program, and the “How to Incorporate Truth and Reconciliation into Communications Strategies” course at the First Nations University of Canada. Interestingly, Lori is part of a group of six women in Regina who have been close friends since grade one - over 50 years.
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With over 30 years experience in the real estate industry and more than two decades of progressive leadership with The Hill Companies, Tina provides strategic collaboration, governance oversight, risk management, and operational leadership to the Hill Companies’ diverse interests in real estate, broadcasting, manufacturing, and insurance sectors. She also leads all mergers and acquisitions for the various businesses. In January 2019, Tina became a member of the Hill Companies Executive Committee.
Tina is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Designation (ICD.D).
Tina currently serves on the Board of Directors of Economic Development Regina (EDR), SaskEnergy, Harvard Western Insurance, and One Life Makes a Difference Foundation.
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Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Nicole moved to the west coast to complete her post-secondary studies and begin her career, spending time in Vancouver and Calgary before returning to Regina in 2011.
A passionate and dedicated leader with diverse experience leading purposeful brand strategies, creative multi-media marketing campaigns, and impactful community investment initiatives – at the core, Nicole is a creative problem-solver and a hopeless optimist who strives to improve the world around her.
At Conexus, Nicole leads a dynamic team of marketing and communications professionals in shaping the brand presence and community engagement for one of Saskatchewan’s largest credit unions. At home, Nicole enjoys time with family, sharing good food, and leaning into all of life’s adventures with her husband and two sons.
Women Breaking Barriers is truly a Saskatchewan conference and has locations hosting the event in 11 locations across the province:
Regina (Host Streaming Location)
Satellite Locations:
Saskatoon – Western Development Museum
Humboldt – Canalta Hotel Humboldt
North Battleford – Western Development Museum
Prince Albert – Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Lloydminster – Lakeland College
Each Satellite Location will host a unique event for delegates in and around their community. The conference will be streamed into the venues, while allowing for delegates to mingle and network in person. Each Satellite Location Registration includes access to the conference in-person, lunch, and networking opportunities. Networking Dinner tickets are sold separately and managed by each individual satellite location.
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED!
Thank you to everyone who has registered for this year's event. We are proud to have representation across Saskatchewan with events in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Lloydminster, and Humboldt. We can't wait to see you all on March 2nd!