WCT’s Executive Sponsorship Program Launches Third Year of Success

Ottawa, February 22 2017. Women in Communications and Technology announces applications are now open for positions in its ground-breaking Protégé Project. The WCT Protégé Project, funded by Corus Entertainment and Status of Women Canada, is a career sponsorship program designed to address the fact that only 5.1% of Canadian CEOs and company leaders are women. The WCT Protégé Project is the first of its kind in Canada as the only cross-industry and cross-sector career sponsorship program.

Career sponsorship is an important strategy in promoting women into top roles, sitting on boards and starting their own companies. Sponsorship differs from mentorship in that it is designed to move beyond  guidance and advice to be more “active” in supporting women to reach the next step in their careers. Executive Champions in the program leverage their experience and networks to propel women into top decision making roles and to ultimately up the number of women in the Canadian C-Suite. (See a full list of participating executives)

“We started this program three years ago to help women break down the barriers into the C-Suite,” says Joanne Stanley, executive director of WCT. “Since then, we have seen a number of our protégés accelerate their careers into top decision-making roles and we firmly believe that career sponsorship works”

Now accepting applications for 2017, WCT looks to add to the number of success stories created by the Protégé Project.  Jaime Leverton, with a long career in technology and previously a Vice-President at Blackberry, is now a financial executive at National Bank. Jaime worked with her executive champion Craig Muhlhauser, former CEO of Celestica, on moving up the corporate ladder and bringing her technology background into an entirely different sector.

“As I continue to chart a course to the C-suite I realized the skills I had from the technology sector were transferable to other industries,” says Jaime Leverton. “The perspective I gained from the Protégé Project, and by working with Craig allowed me to make a significant change. WCT did a great job matching us based on our skills, experiences and goals.”

Muhlhauser says he would recommend the Protégé Project to colleagues in Canada. “I enjoyed working with Jaime on creating a plan for her future and introducing her to my network.” He says. “The Protégé Project really confirmed how important career sponsorship is in advancing women into leadership roles.”

WCT is seeking applications from women who are in senior roles and looking for opportunities to break into the C-Suite. WCT will be accepting for the Protégé Project applications until April, 2017. For more information about the value of career sponsorship and the WCT Protégé Project, contact Mathea Stevens at mstevens [at] wct-fct.com.

About WCT

Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) is a national association committed to advancing women in Canadian communications, media and technology. WCT inspires and engages women through professional development programming, networking and opportunities to recognize achievements in Canada’s digital economy.