Former governor general Michaëlle Jean addresses uOttawa Telfer business students at ELLE Gala
Philippe Duhamel
Popular event includes a networking hour for students with female Ottawa professionals
BY: Caroline Phillips
PUBLISHED: Oct 1, 2019 11:00am EDT
Former governor general Michaëlle Jean immediately picked up on the enthusiasm and energy in the room as she arrived Monday night to deliver the keynote speech at the 22nd Annual ELLE Gala, organized by The Entrepreneurs' Club of the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management.
It was the largest turnout yet for the event, with more than 200 attendees at the Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar in the ByWard Market. The lively chatter and laughter made for a pretty noisy environment.
“It was so loud that I panicked,” the Canadian stateswoman said light-heartedly as she described her first reaction upon arriving. “I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I have to speak to this crowd!’ ”
Yet, everyone hushed up to listen when it came time for Jean to deliver her remarks and, afterward, many waited patiently for the chance to meet the former chancellor for the University of Ottawa. Jean's distinguished resumé also includes working with the United Nations as a special envoy to Haiti and serving as the former secretary general of La Francophonie, a group of governments that share French as a common language.
The ELLE (Excellence in Leadership, Legacy in Entrepreneurship) Gala is about recognizing the work of women entrepreneurs and leaders who are fighting to break the glass ceiling. Students got an opportunity that night to meet with 11 Ottawa female mentors from a variety of professional backgrounds.
The 22nd Annual ELLE Gala drew more than 200 attendees to the event, held at Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar in the ByWard Market on Monday, Sept. 30, 2019. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Melissa Reeves, co-founder and COO of Linebox Studio, with fellow female mentors Jennifer McGahan, owner and principal designer of Jennifer McGahan Interiors, intellectual property and trademark lawyer Paula Clancy and Shannon Lambert, chief people officer at IT consulting firm Experis-Veritaaq, at the ELLE Gala hosted by The Entrepreneurs' Club at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Representing The Entrepreneurs’ Club were its president, Priya Aduvala, and ELLE Gala project manager, Rosalie Lévesque-Giguère, both of whom are fourth-year students in the Telfer School of Management program.
Attendees included Telfer’s dean, François Julien, and vice-dean, Julie Beauchamp, as well as Stephen Daze, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence.
The ELLE Gala had Accenture on its side as the presenting sponsor, along with the backing of the Telfer School of Management, CLV Group and InterRent REIT, CéTSC and Linebox Studio.
From left, ELLE Gala project manager Rosalie Lévesque-Giguère with keynote speaker and former governor general Michaëlle Jean and Priya Aduvala, president of The Entrepreneurs’ Club at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management. Photo by Caroline Phillips.
Female mentor Lisa McDermott, director and group lead of commercial banking at Scotiabank, with second-year finance student Danna Yassine at the ELLE Gala organized by The Entrepreneurs' Club at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management program. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Gillian Fischer, manager of adoption and advocacy at MindBridge Ai, with electrical engineering student Miracle Nkemdirim at the ELLE Gala organized by The Entrepreneurs' Club at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Jean Scott, director at Microsoft Canada, with students Heather Officer and Natali Hamilton at the ELLE Gala organized by The Entrepreneurs' Club at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management program. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Stephen Daze, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence, at the ELLE Gala with Priya Aduvala, president of The Entrepreneurs’ Club at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management program. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, ELLE Gala project manager Rosalie Lévesque-Giguère with female mentor Melissa Reeves, co-founder and COO of Ottawa-based Linebox Studio architecture firm, at Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar in the ByWard Market. Photo by Caroline Phillips.
Jean touched on the history of female entrepreneurs, whose roots stretch back to brewing beer in ancient times. She focused on the unique success story of African-American entrepreneur C.J. Walker, who made a fortune selling a line of cosmetics and hair care products for black women in the early 20th Century. Walker became the wealthiest self-made woman in America at the time – predating Oprah by 100 years, she noted.
In less-developed countries, as much as 40- to 50-percent of small businesses are owned by women, said Jean. “They carry on their shoulders the economy of their country.”
She recalled how her own grandmother, a widow, worked endless hours on her sewing machine in order to raise her five children and send them to school.
Jean — who is a warm and engaging bilingual speaker — was there that night having just returned from her birth country of Haiti, where she's been helping cocoa farmers. She shared with the room inspiring stories and wisdom from her time there.
Keynote speaker and former governor general Michaëlle Jean with Chantal Lanoy, technology consulting manager with presenting sponsor Accenture, and Telfer School of Management professor Catherine Elliott at the ELLE Gala, held at Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar in the ByWard Market on Monday, Sept. 30, 2019. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Jean tackled the subject of stalled gender parity. So few women hold the positions of CEOs and top executive in Canada. Even when they do, they’re earning less money than their male counterparts, she said while citing statistics from a recent study released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
It's difficult for women to be seen and recognized as entrepreneurs, she emphasized.
“Girls, have you ever expressed an idea quite clearly in a group, only to see it fall flat with no reaction?" she asked the women in the crowd. "Then, a man says exactly the same thing and he gets instant approval and kudos. Have you experienced that? I have, I have.”
But, Jean also reached out to the men in the room, asking them to be their allies.
“We need you to stand with us,” said Jean. “When you see mostly men in a boardroom, we need you to ask the question: Why are there so few women in here? We want you to do that. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t say, ‘Oh, well, it’s normal’. No. Ask the question. It’s a deficit when you don’t have women in the room. It’s a deficit of participation, of energy, of perspectives, of ideas.”
From left, uOttawa student Liam Blevins, a junior financial analyst with InterRent REIT, seen at the ELLE Gala with Catherine Wood, vice-president of talent, development and recruiting for InterRent REIT/CLV Group, Priya Aduvala, and Connor Schyvenaars, a Telfer School graduate who's now working at CLV Group. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Telfer School of Management dean François Julien, centre, at the ELLE Gala with alumni Adam Tomaszewski, vice-president of sales at Capital Meat, and Kathleen Kemp, manager of uOttawa's eHub. Photo by Caroline Phillips
The 22nd Annual ELLE Gala drew more than 200 attendees to the event, held at Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar in the ByWard Market on Monday, Sept. 30, 2019. Photo by Caroline Phillips