Anyone who goes to the CIO Association of Canada (CIOCAN) website today and lands on Page Counting the different chapters of the group would miss a major area of the country.
Since its formation in 2004, siocanAn organization whose membership is made up of chief information officers (CIOs) and senior IT executives, it has established chapters in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Manitoba, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, but so far, the Maritimes have not been a part of it. the equation.
While CIOCAN members from areas of the country without local groups are served by national chapters, Derrick Whalen, director of information and technology services, port of halifaxthinks it’s time to change that, largely due to the fact that, he said, “Atlantic Canada is an important part of the landscape in Canada when it comes to CIOs and the work we all do.”
in an interview with IT World Canada This morning, he said an opportunity exists to expand the organization’s platform in the region.
Wednesday Night, Chapter K first event Will take place at The Barrington Hotel – Harbor City Bar & Grill in Halifax. Officer Reinvent Your IT Talent ArchitectureThis will include a networking session, a presentation, followed by dinner and more networking.
The formal invitation reads, “Atlantic Canada CIOs and senior IT leaders are invited to join an interactive discussion as we learn from each other how organizations are narrowing the technical skills gap.” “Discussions will address how to create opportunities with a focus on talent, technology and the objective of well-thought-out long- and short-term employee retention strategies.”
The guest speaker for the evening will be Michelle Murray, Director of Sales Randstad Technologies GroupA company that specializes in “matching IT talent to large enterprises across Canada”.
The first event’s theme, Whelan said, was chosen because first, it is “top of mind”, and second, because finding and recruiting the right personnel is a huge challenge in many industries.
“What we’re hoping to get is a very interactive group together,” he said. “Hopefully this will be a session where we can collaborate and share and talk about some common topics.”
And while he wasn’t expecting a line-up at the door, Whelan said that if he could get “a dozen or so IT leaders in the room to talk about the value of having a chapter and what people want from it, can talk about. The event will be considered a success.
“Like anything, the first few sessions can be a little tricky to get off the ground until people start to understand the value that’s here,” he added. “But at the end of the day, you have to start somewhere. And if we have a good turnout, great; if we need to keep picking up the phone and calling people, we’ll do that.”
A key ally in their effort to form the new chapter is Diane Lapierre, who moved to Nova Scotia last year and brings a wealth of CIOCAN knowledge, including being past president of the Vancouver chapter and serving on the national board.
She describes Whelan as someone who “has a great perspective on a chapter’s worth that will bring to the field,” while she points out that he will be an invaluable resource in terms of “helping get that off the ground.” Has been
