What we’re about
This is a networking and career resource group for women in male-dominated industries (eg: mining, tech, engineering, construction, politics, etc.). WIMDI hosts a monthly speaker series focused on actionable advice that will help you achieve your career goals. We also meet once a month for coffee/tea to chat, commiserate, strategize, and cheer each other on. It's a great way to connect with women facing your issues when they are few and far between in your work life. \
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I hope to see you at one of our events soon!
Holly Burton\
WIMDI Founder & CEO + \
Leadership Coach for Women in Male-Dominated Industries\
e: [hello@wimdi.com](mailto:hello@wimdi.com)\
w: wimdi.com</a>
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Walk, Talk & Ice Cream – WIMDI x Tech2StepThe Drop Sculpture, Vancouver, BC
WIMDI’s taking it outside to enjoy our gorgeous Vancouver weather while we have it!
This summer we’re teaming up with our friends at Tech2Step for Friday evening networking fun.
Join us for an evening of fresh air, movement, networking, chit-chat, and strategy sharing between women in male-dominated industries.
Here's the plan:
5:30 - 6:00 pm – Meet
We’ll meet up in front of The Drop at Coal Harbour (1055 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3).
6:15 pm – Walk/Roll
We’ll go for a 45-minute walk or roll along the beautiful Coal Harbour seawall, heading west towards the Westin Bayshore, chatting up a storm and meeting your new WIMDI besties.
7:00 pm – Ice Cream
We’ll head over to Uno Gelato Café (1055 Canada Pl #36, Vancouver, BC V6C 3T4) for summer-friendly frozen treats and more outdoor socializing
8:00 pm – The End of the Night!
We’ll exchange cards, phone numbers, facepages, myfriend accounts, tweetster, instapics, snaptexts, tictaks, or whatever it is that the kids are using these days to stay in touch – and then head home!
Hope to see you there!Holly Burton
WIMDI Founder & CEO + Executive Coach for Women in Male-Dominated Industries
e: hello@wimdi.com
w: wimdi.com
p: she/herSpecific Mobility Accessibility Needs? Join us!
- If you use a mobility aid (wheelchair, scooter, cane, walker, etc), are bringing kids and a stroller, or have any specific needs around pacing, we are happy to have you join us – and we’ll happily meet you where you’re at in terms of route or pace.
- Route: We’ll be walking and/or rolling along the seawall starting at The Drop in Coal Harbour. We’ll be doing 45-minute there-and-back routes heading along seawall walking paths of Coal Harbour, heading West towards the Westin Bayshore. The path is fully paved and mostly flat in both directions.
- Accessible Washrooms: Canada Place, which is open until 11:00 pm on Friday nights, has accessible washrooms.
- Parking: The closest parking to our meeting place is located at Vancouver Convention Centre - Centre W Lot, and the nearest mass transit hub is one block away at Waterfront Station. Additional information about transit, accessible parking can be found here: https://www.vancouverconventioncentre.com/visiting/getting-here
- Transit: The nearest mass transit hub is one block away at Waterfront Skytrain Station (Expo & Canada Line). Additional information about transit, accessible parking can be found here: vancouverconventioncentre.com/visiting/getting-here
Additional information about planning your trip via transit can be found here: Translink Trip Planner
Covid Cautious? We’ve Got You!
- This in-person event is being held outdoors to reduce risk for our covid-cautious, and immunocompromised members.
- For anyone who wants to add outdoor masking and practice 6+ feet of social distancing, we’ll have a special covid cautious walking pod so you can socialize safely with other folks who are masking and distancing too.
- Worried about being the only one in a mask? You won’t be alone! WIMDI’s founder Holly is committed to wearing a mask with any WIMDI member who wants to so you have an automatic friend and ally.
- The Ice Cream portion of the event will be mask-off time (for obvious reasons), so you may or may not plan to participate in that part, depending on your personal risk tolerance. But we’ve planned that part of the event after the walk, so you can join us for only the first part of the event and still have a great time.
- Need anything else to make it as safe as possible for you to join us at Walk, Talk & Ice Cream? Drop Holly a note at hello@wimdi.com and we’ll make a plan so you can have a great (& safe) time with your fellow WIMDIs!
Attendance Notes:
1) Gender:
WIMDI Walk, Talk & Ice Cream networking events are restricted to those who do not currently identify as cisgender men. These events have limited attendance and often involve personal discussion, debate, and advice specific to dynamics underrepresented minorities in these industries experience. We are happy for cisgender men to learn and participate in WIMDI conversation at most of our other events, but we reserve the networking events as a space for women* to connect with each other freely and openly.
2) Code of Conduct:
By attending this event, you agree to adhere to WIMDI's code of conduct, which you can find at wimdi.com/code-of-conduct-and-policy.
3) No Selling, Pitching, or Finding Your Next Client:
Our networking events are different than most traditional networking events. They're not focused on entrepreneurs, and aren't a place to pitch your business or service. Our first priority is making sure our community gets to connect with each other and it's no fun when everyone is trying to meet their next client.
4) Privacy & Photography:
WIMDI will not be taking photos at this event, but individual participants may take photos during the event. We understand that some of our members may not be comfortable having their photo taken, and we don’t want this to stop anyone from attending. We will organize a group photo at the start of the event for anyone who wants to take one, so anyone who’s not keen to be photographed can opt-out. For the rest of the event, attendees may only take photos of people if they have explicit verbal consent of everyone in the photo frame.
5) Donations to PAFNW (Pacific Association of First Nations Women)
As part of this event we have the option of donation to the Pacific Association of First Nations Women for their scholarship fund for Indigenous women and girls. This is a concrete way - beyond land acknowledgement - to redistribute some of our collective financial privilege to support Indigenous women.
*WIMDI uses an inclusive definition of women that means "people who are in a gender minority in their field". This includes trans individuals, genderqueer, agender, intersex, two spirit, and non-binary folks. If you are not sure if you are included, please err on the side of attending our events! Feel free to reach out to the Organizer, Holly Burton, with any questions and for an automatic welcoming face and first-friend at any WIMDI event. - How to Work Effectively with Executives - WIMDI In-Person EventSpare, Vancouver, BC
There’s nothing more stressful than proposing an idea to an executive. No sooner do you stroll into the room with your goofy little powerpoint do you start sweating through your shirt and second guessing every decision you’ve made leading up to this point. Is your proposal crisp enough? Will they even care about what you have to say? And how can you possibly convey everything they need to make a decision in the 5 minutes you have to speak?
If you feel like you hit a wall of yuck every time you interact with senior leaders, then you’re certainly not alone. If you’re not used to working with them, C-suite executives can feel mercurial and hard to please. But there are some key tips and tricks you can use to improve your chances of success when you’re dealing with company big-wigs.
This talk will focus on building your understanding of senior leadership and expanding your toolkit so you can engage them effectively.
We’ll cover:
- What kinds of problems do CEOs care about?
- Techniques to communicate effectively with busy executives
- How to best engage stakeholders & key decision makers
- How to assess organizational readiness, appetite for change, and timing for your proposals to maximize your ability to generate buy-in
The goal of this talk is to help you understand how executives work so you can become the c-suite whisperer at your work.
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Speakers
Allison Lickley
Management Consultant, Cascadia Strategy Consulting Partners
Allison works closely with Executives at large organizations across BC to help solve tough organizational problems and drive transformational change. She brings together creativity, strategy, and relationship-building to tackle tough problems, often at the intersection of process, technology, and people.
As a management consultant for over a decade, Allison began her consulting career at KPMG in Montreal before moving to Vancouver and joining Cascadia Strategy Consulting Partners. She holds and MBA from McGill and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Mount Allison University.Diana Vuong
Fractional CFO, Board Member & Leadership Coach
Diana Vuong is a Coach, Consultant and Fractional CFO. She is an experienced executive and Chartered Professional Accountant with a 25+ year career in various leadership roles, including CFO for the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and a Senior Manager at KPMG.
She is passionate about coaching individuals at all stages of their career, regardless of whether they are in formal leadership roles. She believes in empowering individuals to exercise their personal agency and supporting them in their journey towards their professional and personal goals. Diana has led women’s coaching circles, coached individuals inside and outside her work organizations and is a frequent speaker on topics from finance and sustainability to organizational leadership and workplace challenges.
Diana is an active board member at both the Richmond Hospital Foundation and The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.Monique Staals
Director Project Delivery, RAM
Monique is a Project Manager and has worked in a variety of industries including pulp & paper, thermal power, hydro power and mining. She has a strong background in construction and contract management as well as stakeholder engagement. Monique currently leads a program that involves extensive consultation and engagement with First Nations across the BC province, as well as federal, provincial, and municipal governments, regulatory agencies and the public.Fun fact: Monique completed the Naval Architecture program as part of her Mechanical Engineering degree and co-founded Sailbot, which is now the largest engineering student team on campus at UBC.
Shauna Wilton
VP Event Operations, The PNE
Shauna Wilton is the VP of Event Operations at the Pacific National Exhibition. Over her 25+ year career, she has worked in HR, Strategy, and Operations at companies such as Cascadia Partners, The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, CHC Helicopter, SAP and Pepsi.Shauna has strong community involvement, including current positions as The President of British Columbia Golf, a position on the Board of Directors for The Vancouver Cantata Singers and a member of the Provincial Council for Golf Canada. She previously volunteered in event operations for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic games.
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Attendance Notes:
- Gender:
This event is open to individuals of any gender identity. - Code of Conduct:
By Attending this event, you agree to adhere to WIMDI's code of conduct, which you can find at wimdi.com/code-of-conduct-and-policy. - Privacy, Photography and Recording*:
This event is being recorded for release on the WIMDI YouTube channel. By attending this event you consent to the terms laid out at wimdi.com/video-release/.
