Leading the Way: A National Conversation on Women's Entrepreneurship, Growth, and Canada's Economic Future

Join the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) for this high-impact national virtual event during International Women's Month! Bringing together women entrepreneurs, senior policymakers, executive leaders, and EDI advocates, this national conversation will discuss how public policy, targeted programs, and industry can ensure women are equal architects in the next chapter of Canada's digital economy, particularly in the accelerated era of AI.

Canada's economy is being reshaped by forces that are simultaneous in their urgency — shifting trade relationships, the imperative of sustainability, and the accelerating rise of digital technologies, most notably AI. Women entrepreneurs are not bystanders to this transformation; they are among its most dynamic contributors. Yet structural barriers persist, limiting access to capital, constraining participation in global markets, and slowing digital adoption of transformative technologies, such as AI, among women-led businesses.

This event brings together the voices that matter most in closing these gaps: senior policymakers and women executives and entrepreneurs who are actively working at the intersection of AI, innovation, and inclusive economic growth. Anchored by keynote speaker, Bobbie Racette, this national discussion will trace one entrepreneur's successful journey through the real obstacles women face in building and scaling a business into a frank, high-level panel discussion on how policy, targeted programs, and industry can ensure women are equal architects in the next chapter of Canada's digital economy, particularly in the accelerated era of AI.

The critical discussion will include fantastic speakers including:  

• Keynote: Bobbie Racette, Founder of Virtual Gurus and the first Indigenous woman in Canada to close a Series A funding round  

• Frances McRae, Deputy Minister for Women & Gender Equality & Youth  

• Mark Schaan, Associate Deputy Minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada  

• Iliana Oris Valiente, Managing Director & Head of North America Innovation Centers at Accenture

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