Virtual Events
ADVANCE: Women in Engineering 2026
June 23, 2026 at 11:30am ET
Advance Women in Engineering is an annual virtual summit that promotes gender equity, diversity and inclusion in Canada’s engineering sector.
Hosted by Canadian Consulting Engineer, this year’s event will provide an update and overview of current challenges and achievements, accompanied by special focus on immigrants’ experiences. There will be two keynote presentations, two engaging panel discussions and speaker-specific breakout sessions.
Schedule
11:30 am
Part 1 Introduction
Speaker: Peter Saunders, editor, Canadian Consulting Engineer
11:35 am
Keynote Address #1: From Engineer to Influencer
Speaker: Florence Morin-Laurin, president and co-founder, FML Consultation
12:10 pm
Panel #1: Roadblocks and Paths Forward
In addition to longstanding challenges facing women in engineering, new issues like biases in AI have arisen in recent years. This panel will address these roadblocks and strive toward new benchmarks for welcoming women into an inclusive profession.
Moderator: Jeanette Southwood, EVP of corporate affairs and strategic partnerships, Engineers Canada
Panelists:
Emma Sanderson, national councillor and former president, Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES)
Vanessa Wong, associate, RJC Engineers
Regina Inaya, quality manager, PBN Construction
Stephanie Nuttall-Pesheau, CAD development supervisor, TBT Engineering Consulting Group, and president-elect, OACETT
12:50 pm
Breakout Rooms
Preregistered attendees can ask specific questions of selected speakers. (For the rest of us, this is break time!)
1:10 pm
Part 2 Introduction
Speaker: Peter Saunders, editor, Canadian Consulting Engineer
Sponsor Video: Reliable Controls
1:15 pm
Keynote Address #2: Active Allyship
Speaker: Jocelyn Peltier-Huntley, principal and owner, Prairie Catalyst Consulting
1:50 pm
Panel #2: The Immigration Transition
Canadian consulting engineering firms’ future growth for will rely on international talent. This panel comprises women engineers who chose to move their careers here. They will share their stories and discuss what Canada needs to do to improve the immigration process.
Moderator: Iretomiwa Olukiyesi, country facilities manager, 3M, and founding executive director and president, Black Engineers Canada
Panelists:
Jackeline Benato, project engineer, City of Cambridge
Romina Gozashti, safety engineer
Sara Mighan, principal, MCW Consultants
2:30 pm
Closing Remarks and Audience Survey
Speaker: Peter Saunders, editor, Canadian Consulting Engineer
