Tony Pialis of Alphawave IP

The largest ever initial public offering (IPO) of a semiconductor company was not Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm, or Nvidia.  It was Alphawave IP - a company founded in Toronto by a group of engineers with ties to local academia and industry, which is now worth billions.  Come learn how to transform a cash-strapped startup, work through aggressive expansion and scaling, and achieve the formation of a public company that is now a globally recognized industry leader in cutting edge integrated circuit design.

Biography:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-pialis-8500b42/

Address:Toronto, Canada

Lorraine Gray, P. Eng., MBA of Hydro One Networks Inc.

Does an organization need to make a choice between hiring the brightest technical talent and having a diverse workforce?  If you are friendly to all of your coworkers, does that mean that you've done all that you can to make your company an inclusive one?  In this talk, Lorraine Gray explains the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from the perspective of a leadership role within a technical organization.  She then explains how in order to achieve DEI goals, organizations must think about the topic from a high-level view of the entire system, and not as a piecemeal strategy that can be left to individuals.

Biography:

Lorraine Gray is a Professional Engineer with 16 years of experience at Hydro One, 13 of which have been in leadership positions. In her current role as Director, Station Services, she leads a team of over 700 that ensures the safe and efficient execution of all capital, preventive, corrective, and regulatory work programs for Transmission and Distribution Stations across Ontario. The team also liaises with major customers such as nuclear and renewable generators, local distribution companies, and large industrial customers. In 2020, Lorraine was recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) and just this year she was recognized as a Catalyst Honours Champion for her work in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She holds a B.Eng.Mgmt. in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University and an MBA from York University.