Happy new year, everyone! To kick off the new year, we’re hosting a panel discussion on challenges, learnings & tips for cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment!
We have 4 amazing panelists for you to learn from and ask questions about ways to integrate more diversity and inclusion into your teams. Which diversity and inclusion initiatives failed? Which ones have been most successful? What new strategies are you trying for 2021?
Check out our panelists below!
Ainsley Robertson
Ainsley Robertson is the Manager of Developer Experience at Clio, which means she works on anything to do with building a high performing software development organization, focused on areas like culture, hiring, operations and diversity & inclusion. In 2018, Ainsley led an effort to more than double the women in software development at Clio in less than six months (check out the Clio Labs blog for the full story). Ainsley has also been a key leader in Clio’s diversity and inclusion efforts over the past 4 years and is a member of Clio’s inaugural DIBE Council, comprised of 7 representatives to champion diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity efforts on behalf of their fellow Clions.
Hussain Dhanani
He’s a Product Manager focusing on building digital confidence through visual testing at Sauce Labs in Vancouver, Canada. One of his biggest values is the power of connection. He puts time and effort into meeting with folx from all walks of life because he believes this is an important action each one of us can take to build a better understanding of those around us. He plays an active role around DEI initiatives in Vancouver, including his speaking engagements at various events and meetups, including DisruptHR YVR to speak about what’s missing in the DEI conversation in workplaces. He is passionate about encouraging folx to seek understanding, new learnings, and unlearnings in order to create a space for others to thrive, whether it be in their personal lives or professional lives.
Manu Varma
Manu has spent over 20 years in the People and Culture field working in the US, China, Hong Kong, India and France. Today, he is at Traction on Demand which is a cloud based software consulting company that helps businesses become more efficient by using cloud based technology. He is now bringing an employee wellness platform to market, which analyzes how you spend your time, gives insights, content and suggestions to help you live well, reach your potential and inspire others.
Paige Meekison
Paige’s background is in leadership, organizing and motivating people towards shared goals and creating amazing customer experiences. Through time in the Canadian military, in Physics and Astronomy in university and over 15 years in video game and software development, she has navigated male-dominated spaces over most of her life. In these experiences, she has discovered ways to generate empathy between individuals, creating understanding and resolving conflict in professional settings. She has steered her career in tech while being a full-time single parent, which is reflected in uniquely resilient and creative problem-solving skills that she has brought to bear in startups, scale-ups, and larger corporations such as Microsoft Game Studios and Disney Interactive.
At Procurify she leads the People team with a focus on each team members’ journey from applicant through their career growth where people thrive through mutual support and respect. The culture of Procurify is dedicated to optimizing the team environment towards innovation and empowerment.
Event details
5:00-5:15p.m. Zoom Breakout Rooms Social
5:15-6:30p.m. Panel discussion and Q&A