This International Women’s Day, the world is celebrating the unifying theme of Innovation and technology for gender equality. It’s a propitious opportunity to applaud the social, economic and cultural achievements of women working in tech in Montréal. The city has a thriving tech industry, in everything from the life sciences to aeronautics. Here are just a few of the incredible Montréal women who are making waves in the field.
Founder of Stimulation Déjà Vu, Audrey Bernard combines cognitive science, creativity and emotion to create one-of-a-kind olfactory experiences for individuals as well as for events – including their latest, a three-in-one antibacterial spray with a pleasing scent.
CEO and Founder of art-tech startup Acrylic Robotics, Chloë Ryan found a way to scale up her own and other artists’ creations – and make original artwork more accessible – using robotic and AI technologies.
Esther Youte, Stéphanie Jecrois and Carla Beauvais are three of the co-founders of technology platform Unite Prosper (UP), an initiative of non-profit organization 0rijin Village, equipping entrepreneurs from Black communities with innovative technology solutions.
Dr. Joanne Liu is a pediatric emergency physician at Sainte-Justine Hospital, recipient of the Order of Canada and long-time epidemic fighter with Doctors Without Borders, of which she was president for six years. She joined the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response in 2020-21 to evaluate the world’s response to the pandemic.
Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and the Women’s Health Research Unit at the MUHC, Dr. Lucy Gilbert was named one of the Top Women of Influence for 2021 for her work in detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers and was named Robert Kinch Chair in Women’s Health at the MUHC in 2022.
Co-leader of the Facebook AI Research (FAIR) Lab and co-director of McGill University’s Reasoning and Learning Lab at McGill University, Joëlle Pineau has received a Governor General's Innovation Award and continues her cutting-edge research as part of Montréal’s AI community.
As the first woman CEO of Anges Québec, a leader in the province’s early-stage investment ecosystem, Geneviève Tanguay is instrumental in advancing Montréal innovators in technology, particularly in the life sciences.
Montréal scientist and biomedical engineer Azadeh Dastmalchi is the founder of VitalTracer Ltd. and creator of the new VTLab smartwatch, set to monitor all vital signs and aid in early detection of heart disease and COVID-19 – in 2021 she was one of the top 25 women of INFLUENCE 2021, a Canadian G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance.
Named on Forbes’ 30 under 30: Energy list for 2021, HaiLa Technologies founder Charlotte Savage developed technology that enables battery-free operation of wireless sensors for the Internet of Things.
Sandrine Milante, CEO of ÉcoloPharm, was named one of the 100 entrepreneurs who are changing the world. She tackles the waste linked to the packaging and overpacking of prescription drugs, giving pharmacists eco-responsible packaging solutions – today the company is one of the largest manufacturers of prescription drug packaging products in the country.
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