Did you know that soft skills are the new hard skills?

Soft skills are the new requirement, and we’re here to help you hone in on yours?

Chic Geek and TD’s Women in Enterprise team up to create the next cohort of leaders through a BESPOKE training and learning experience still available to those who sign up before September 7, 2022.?

News Release

August 18, 2022 — Startup-style organization of women in tech redefine "soft skills" through training made available via $$ boost from TD Bank’s Women in Enterprise. The Practice of Coaching for Chic Geek's Peer Circles, is facilitated by renowned Roy Group Training. Spots are valued at upwards of $1750 per person.

Becoming a leader is about more than climbing the corporate ladder. So, how do we support women in senior tech leadership positions to ensure they’re honing their skills while simultaneously addressing the leaky funnel of mid and senior women leaving the sector?

Guided training and support.

Chic Geek’s The Practice of Coaching Peer Circles , a six-week coaching training program facilitated by the renowned Roy Group, is presented by Chic Geek and TD Bank.

TD Bank’s Women in Enterprise is generously topping up their sponsorship by funding 10 extra spots for women who self-identify as role models in technology.

Why? Because when we have more role models, it creates a positive ripple effect that inspires other women to continue growing their careers in technology. It impacts attrition in our organizations, leads to better corporate culture and ultimately attracts and retains more women to our tech sector.

The Practice of Coaching Peer Circles begins with 2-days of virtual training from Roy Group on forging deep relationships with peers and learning to lead through compassionate question asking. Those sessions are followed by a month of intentional practice sessions facilitated by Chic Geek (1-hr every week with a cohort of 6 -10 individuals) to connect and have lively discussion on how to further improve your coaching skills.

The start date is in September and more women in technology are encouraged to apply.?The value for the training is $1750 per person and available for those who are registered as Chic Geek Career Guides as a pay what you can donation. Proceeds go back to Chic Geek to support the community of women in tech and STEM. Companies are also encouraged to sponsor their staff.

?Who’s signed up so far?

For Shiori Saito , Product Design Lead at Helcim , signing up for the programming fits right in with her mission to “make technology more human” for everyone. Helcim, as a sponsor of Chic Geek, supports their team members like Shiori with opportunities to build their careers in tech through programming and learning opportunities available through Chic Geek.

Shiori says she’s ready to gain actionable frameworks and more clarity to lead and empower teams through the 6-week training program that kicks off in September.

?“The biggest hurdle I feel women face in tech leadership development is underrepresentation,” Saito says (Helcim team since 2021).?“There are many factors to it but the main hurdle I noticed was the entry point to the technology itself for women and girls. I didn't have opportunities to learn coding and electronics until my college time. Being the only female student in the class or having little exposure to role models made my learning experience intimidating and more difficult to define my career.”

?Shiori has a background in Media Arts as well as UX Design.

?“I've been fascinated by how digital technology impacts our perceptions (in fact technology is almost part of us!). Then I experienced how poorly designed digital products and services hugely degraded the quality of our day-to-day lives. That made me passionate about designing better digital experiences and working with technology that can empower people's lives. I want to help other women get excited about different and unique aspects of technology and through this training, perhaps I’ll gain some more skills to do so. Meeting mentors in tech and their diverse career journeys have been inspiring and encouraging. Recently my focus has been more on leadership.” — Shiori Saito, Product Design Lead at Helcim

Women paving the way for women

When Melanie Campbell became the Western Canada Regional Manager for TD Women in Enterprise in Nov 2021, she immediately started searching for women entrepreneurs across the prairies who TD might be able to support. Campbell came across Chic Geek founder Kylie Woods in a news article on the technology sector and reached out.

“We connected organically on LinkedIn and began thinking together about how TD could help support diversity and women in technology through Chic Geek programming,” says Campbell, adding some of the most effective ways of growing the female leadership community is learning how to impactfully network.

It wasn’t long until the two leaders began planning around Chic Geek Career Pathing .

“When I started researching Chic Geek, I knew it was a fit to support because one of the most important aspects of our strategy at TD is to support women in community-based programs that provide networking and mentorship, such as Chic Geek’s The Practice of Coaching, Peer Circles. These types of programs can be a valuable tool in helping to support growth, knowledge, allyship and networking, all of which are so important when it comes to building career skills.” — Melanie Campbell, TD Women in Enterprise, Western Canada Manager

The Practice of Coaching Peer Circles focuses on leadership development and skill sets. Skills integral to business and operations but often not fostered and trained for in school or in companies as a habit. We are not born knowing how to be a role model and it’s not taught in school. Fellow mentors create the next cohorts of role models that make an impact.

“We need to rebrand soft skills; those of leadership, communications, management, and ability to inspire and motivate a team as essential skills. It’s not about being nice or so-called feminine skill sets. It’s about leadership qualities. Through Chic Geek, The Practice of Coaching Peer Circles, we can help bring more of these essential skills to our teams and the individuals advancing our sector. At the rate the tech industry is moving, things such as leadership, teamwork, and emotional intelligence will be essential in the workforce. As roles become automated and outsourced, these are becoming the vital skills that will add to our toolbox of essential skills as women who lead in the technology sector.” — Kylie Woods, Chic Geek Executive Director and Founder

Hanan Chebib is the Chic Geek Program specialist who helped design Career Pathing. Chebib engaged Roy Group to incorporate their Practice of Coaching model into this special series for women looking to advance their role model skills. Chebib took part in the Roy Group training session in 2022. She says it not only taught her how to leverage her leadership skills, but also tackle some of her own inherent beliefs about how to manage and mentor.

“The Practice of Coaching changed my approach to my leadership style significantly. One of my challenges has been getting a bit frustrated when there are people who need training in the workspace. I used to see it as a task to get us all from a-to-b.?When I took this training, I began to realize that I was missing the value that my mentorship not only provides them but which the experience enriches me. Going through that process of onboarding and mentoring each other brings so much value in terms of team building and developing trust and processes together. The importance of women role models and leaders is paramount to our participation in this space. This program supports more women to be more role models, creating a ripple effect for positive change that will inspire and retain women in this industry.” — Hanan Chebib, Chic Geek Program Specialist and Practice of Coaching graduate

?Why are TD and Chic Geek teaming up?

TD is committed to helping build strong, inclusive communities where every person has the tools, resources and support they need to feel confident in what their future brings.

One of the ways that TD is taking to reach this goal is by investing in programs and initiatives such as Women in Enterprise, which aims to facilitate the success and growth of women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses, which helps remove barriers for women, challenge stereotypes and help create conditions where gender equity can become a reality.

TD helps provide education, financing, mentoring and community support to female entrepreneurs and facilitate relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs so that they can share experiences and learn from each other. The bank is also expanding their network of Women in Enterprise accredited bankers across Canada who have received training on understanding the barriers and biases that women face in accessing financing.?This accreditation empowers our bankers to establish the much-needed relationship of trust for women in business.

TD’s Women in Enterprise is closely aligned with Chic Geeks mission and vision to build gender diversity in technology, a sector that’s shaping the world we live in. Chic Geek does this through engaging, retaining and supporting intermediate women in tech through programs such as Career Pathing, Events, and our many industry Partnerships. Chic Geek is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we invite people of any gender expression, race, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, or any underrepresented group to participate. To read our full DEI Commitment, click here .

Chic Geek Media Contact:

THERESA TAYLER

Head of Content and Public Relations?| Chic Geek

[email protected]

403-818-9689

For media assets (PHOTOS) please link to this folder

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Chic Geek

Chic Geek exists to build gender diversity in technology, a sector that’s shaping the world we live in. Mid-career women are most likely to leave technology companies and careers because they don’t see a clear path to advancement. Our mission is to engage, retain and support intermediate women in tech through programs such as Career Pathing, Events, and our many industry Partnerships. Chic Geek is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and we invite people of any gender expression, race, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, or any underrepresented group to participate. Learn more at thechicgeek.ca

TD Bank

TD is proud to support and promote women's economic empowerment.?The Women in Enterprise segment aims to facilitate the success and growth of women entrepreneurs and women led businesses. TD has dedicated champions in market to deliver the tools and resources needed to engage with female?business owners. Diversity and Inclusion have always been a priority at TD and the Bank is committed to contributing to gender equality in business, both within its walls and in its sales and services practices.