Technology is pervasive across all fields and sectors. This event offers Black students industry knowledge, access to Black professionals, and pathways to careers in Tech.
This event is intended for those who are intentionally pursuing a career in tech, and for those who are curious about tech opportunities but may not have a tech background.
You will get a chance to hear from a panel of professionals and then break out into smaller groups to engage in deeper discussions around their journey into Tech.
You can get a head start by coming out at 5 pm to drop-in to our Career Prep and Ready Session. Here you have the chance to get your resume or LinkedIn profile reviewed and revamped by a Career Peer Advisor and also get your professional photo done by a professional photographer. Please note that this service is first come first serve.
Food and Beverages will be served!!
Guest Speakers
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Andrew Bromfield
President and Chief Technology Officer
Andrew's goal is to help organizations and people grow and he achieves this by aligning Information Technology with business strategy. It is through this commitment that he founded Formative Innovations Inc. in 2005 - a Toronto based creative+ technology firm that specializes in the design, development, and management of technology solutions that power business and workforce competitiveness.
As Formative's President, Andrew's primary responsibilities include the creation and management of strategic initiatives and the realization of the company's long-term vision. In addition, Andrew plays a key role in the design and development of all product and service offerings as the Chief Technology Officer. Over the past 11 years, Andrew and his team has developed and deployed several highly effective custom software solutions that span multiple industries, including healthcare and financial services.
Prior to founding Formative Innovations Inc., Andrew acquired his diverse skillset by earning a Bachelor of Commerce in Information Technology Management from Ryerson University, where he majored in systems development and implementation. He immediately applied that knowledge with meaningful tenures at DoubleClick and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Outside of Formative, Andrew currently serves as a Board Member to the following organizations that are committed to Canadian economic development: Driven Accelerator (2012) and 100 Strong (2017). He has also served as a Board Member to The African and Caribbean Board of Industry & Trade (ACBIT, 2014) and The Francophone Workforce Development Council (FWDC, 2015).
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Colleen Ward
VP of Canadian Cards, Technology
Colleen joined TD in October 2014 as Associate Vice President and Head of TD Merchant Solutions. She was promoted to Vice President of Canadian Credit Cards and Merchant Solutions Technology in August 2015, leading the Delivery Shared Services organization consisting of Portfolio Directors, Project Management and QA Practice. Her role expanded in April 2016 to include the application development, solution architecture, solution design, and business systems analysis teams.
In early 2017, Colleen's role expanded further to include the Operations Shared Services which included all production support, change/problem management, and audit/controls leadership. This experience allowed her to lead the end-to-end technology teams and have a truly holistic view of her businesses.
In October of 2017, Colleen's portfolio increased to include Debit Cards, expanding her team to 6 locations across Canada.
In May 2018, Customer Assistance (formerly known as Collections) joined our team adding operational expertise for all our currently assigned lines of businesses and adding Personal Lending and Auto Finance.
Colleen is currently the Vice President of Technology Solutions leading the Canadian Debit Card, Canadian Credit Card (TD Credit Cards, Aeroplan, MBNA and CUETS), Merchant Solutions and Customer Assistance technology teams.
Colleen started her career while in university, working full time at HSBC learning about lending and credit card processing in operations and sales support roles. Colleen was eventually promoted to AVP of National Sales, leading the top Canadian private label credit card account in that era – The Brick. Working closely with technology, she acquired much card processor knowledge, building technical enhancements to support The Brick's growth. This experience led her to a role at American Express holding several global technology leadership roles for almost 11 years.
Colleen moved to JPMorgan Chase Card Canada as the Chief Technology Officer for 5 years prior to joining TD.
Colleen has a demonstrated history of working in the banking industry and possesses skills in talent management, strategic planning, enterprise architecture, progressive technical delivery. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in Economics and Math. Colleen is a leader in TD's Women in Technology, the Black Executive Steering Committee leading the Black Employee Network, and the Visible Leadership network.
Colleen is a single mom with an athletic, teenage son. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, hiking, yoga, fellowship with loved ones, and all things health and wellness.
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Janey Buzugbe
IT Network Analyst, Digital Marketing, Tech Sales and Consulting
Janey is an award-winning, eclectic and innovative professional who believes in living life by giving; and what she has to give is humanity at the intersection of business and technology.
Janey started her career in Information Technology where she was mostly the only woman in the room. An avid storyteller, she wanted a career that could be more colourful and less defiant. So, she moved to Canada in 2015 to study Advertising where another kind of shock hit her – a type that came with a new identity. This cultural shock led to the creation of her Startup, JaneyofCanada, a company that serves 7000+ newcomer Students, Professionals and Entrepreneurs on navigating life in Canada. Amidst her entrepreneurial journey, Janey has had a diverse experience working in Corporate and Startup as an IT Network Analyst, Digital Marketing, Tech Sales and now Tech consulting.
Having spent 88% of her life as a student, Janey considers herself a student of life – constantly learning new ways to advocate for personal and professional development in young professionals and women in leadership. She does this through her Newcomer coaching business and in her current role as Chief of Staff at Talent X/BPTN; helping leaders in organizations attain their goals of a diverse workforce. She also an undergraduate degree in Information Technology, postgraduate certificate in Media Management and Advertising and a Masters in Management Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Smith School of Business (Queen’s University)
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Therese Owusu
UX Researcher
Therese Owusu is a Toronto based UX Researcher passionate about using technology & design to co-create inclusive learning experiences. She has worked on UX and service design projects for startups and organizations such as the Parkdale Centre for Innovation, an incubator focused on inclusion in Tech. An advocate for greater inclusion, diversity, and equity in tech, Therese is also a co-founder of Tech Teahouse, an inclusive community focused on professional development. She completed the Master of Information in User Experience Design at UofT's Faculty of Information. Prior to that, she completed an undergraduate degree in Book and Media Studies from U of T.
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Dak Turner
Product Designer
Dak is a product designer with an initial background in advertising and marketing, using his skills to create practical and inclusive experiences for users. With experience working for some of Canada's biggest retail clients on the account management side, Dak pursued further education to make a pivot into product design where he has been able to leverage the skills he learned working with clients and other creatives, to now working at 7shifts, a start-up focused on simplifying labor management and improving performance for restaurants.
Dak is also the co-founder and podcast co-host of The MAD Mix, a platform for young professionals featuring discussions about the world in terms of pop-culture and current events from a marketing perspective, through articles/video content, and a weekly podcast.
Dak is always focused on helping out where he can in the design community whether that's through working as a UX coach for a cohort of BrainStation students to participating in alumni panel events where he's been able to share his work and life experiences with prospective and current UX students.
When he's not at work, going on coffee chats, or working on his podcast, you can catch him learning new skills online or simply trying to be funny on Twitter.
Partners
We thank OnRAMP Entrepreneurship and HR & Equity Office who will be present and provide recruitment and other information.
