Welcome Remarks

Fawn Annan CEO, ITWC
Cynthia Fortlage, Event Host

Keynote Address:
Breaking Down the Strength in Numbers

How to be an Active Ally is an engaging and informative look at the concept of allyship, and the key factors in being an active ally. Based on his new book Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work, Michael Bach focuses on the individual and how each person plays a role in creating an inclusive space for LGBTQ2+ people.

Michael Bach Author, Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work

Community story

Panel Session: Progress and the Path Ahead for the LGBTQ2S+ Community in IT

In this panel, we will be doing a brief presentation on the findings from the research study QueerTech conducted and discuss the results with our panelists.
Moderator: Amanda Chalupa, McGill University
Panelists:
Ketra Schmitt, Centre for Engineering in Society, Concordia University
Robert-Paul Juster, Universite de Montreal
Katerine Lehmann, Concordia University
Samuel Villeneuve, Universite de Montreal

Live Q&A: Allyship is a Verb not a Noun

Sandeep Nair, Manager of Business Development, Pride at Work Canada
Helen Ahrens, Co-Chair of OUT at Shopify ERG

Community Story

Closing Fireside Chat : Intersectionality and the LGBTQ2S+ Community

The closing panel will look at the concept of intersectionality and how the LGBTQ2S+ community can collaborate with members of other equity seeking groups to further equity for all.
Panelists:
Vanessa Thomas, Senior Advisor, Technology Review, Government of of Canada
Umang Choudhary, Senior Director, Marketplace Pricing, Convoy
Naoufel Testaouni, Co-founder and CEO, QueerTech

Community Story

Concluding Remarks