Tech leader committed to investing in women

On the morning of Tuesday, March 5, 130 people gathered at the Women Angel Investor Breakfast, an event as part of Invest Ottawa’s month-long International Women’s Month celebrations.  

Attendees engaged in thoughtful panel discussions and Q&As with women founders and CEOs like Seema Aurora, Shelina Lalji, Sarah Sedgman, and Julia Elvidge, to name a few. Following their insightful conversations, Sonya Shorey, Interim President and CEO at Invest Ottawa had a fireside chat with Manjit Minhas, Co-founder and CEO at Minhas Breweries, Distilleries and Wineries, and a Dragon from Dragons’ Den, about how Manjit got into investing. 

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Invest in Women. To celebrate, Jennifer Madigan, Chief Operating Officer at Syntax Strategic and a United Way East Ontario Board Member helped us honour a tech sector leader who has been investing in women for years.  

Jennifer Francis is our latest Community Builder Award recipient. She goes above and beyond to mentor and empower women and girls to excel in work and life. Her continuous examples of hard work and mentorship inspire others to build stronger, healthier, and inclusive communities for everyone.