Development and facilitation of a Women's Leadership Development Forum

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada’s Women’s Network brings employees together to learn, share, and collaborate, to further the personal and professional development of women, and to foster a culture of inclusion. The Community’s inaugural event, held on June 30, 2020, was a Women’s Leadership Panel featuring federal and provincial government ADMs and DMs (all of which were previous ISED Executives) who shared their experiences and insights on women’s leadership in mobilizing government responses to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Panel was highly successful with over 220 participants in attendance, complemented with high interest among participants (and panelists) in a continued dialogue and future events. Since then, the Women’s Network has hosted a series of panels on topics including intergenerational barriers, women in technology and diversity, inclusion and belonging.ISED is looking to establish a peer-cohort pilot which will provide a space for sharing and learning from mutual experiences. This Forum will challenge participants to establish and strive to meet professional goals, using its collaborative nature to encourage group accountability and transparency in their efforts, guided by an independent facilitator. It will also seek to create a community standard of wellness, by encouraging regular check-ins regarding mental health and wellbeing. The Forum will include seasoned “experts” on leadership development as keynote speakers and the facilitators will prompt deep-dives on personal reflection and goal setting.