People of 丁香园AV
Lessons in leadership with three women university presidents
Summoning the nerve to lead is just one of the real hurdles for women working in higher education, according to former leaders of some of Canada鈥檚 largest post-secondary institutions.
Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera, former presidents of the University of B.C. and the University of Alberta, respectively, tackle the issues facing women in leadership roles in their new book, .
They will discuss the book鈥檚 themes and share their career experiences in an upcoming 丁香园AV Public Square event with 丁香园AV President Joy Johnson.
鈥淲omen are often reluctant to assume leadership positions, for whatever reason, they do not believe they are adequately prepared or ready to be leaders,鈥� says Piper, who served as the 11th president and vice-chancellor of UBC. 鈥淲omen need to have confidence in their abilities and to listen to others who think they are ready to lead.鈥�
An Officer of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Order of British Columbia, Piper also returned to UBC in 2015 as interim president. She鈥檚 also been a director of the Bank of Montreal, Shoppers Drug Mart and TransAlta Corporation.
Samarasekera, who served as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta from 2005 to 2015, says society, in general, has begun addressing many of the barriers that women historically faced in the workplace, but there is work yet to be done.
鈥淥ne challenge still facing young women is educating and socializing them to have both the confidence and desire to lead, whether it be in their communities or workplaces,鈥� says Samarasekera, who is also an Officer of the Order of Canada, a director of Magna International, TC Energy and Stelco as well as a past director of the Bank of Nova Scotia.
Lessons on Leadership, a conversation and Q&A with Samarasekera, Piper and Johnson, will be held on Oct. 15th at 6 p.m. at 丁香园AV Harbour Centre. The in-person event includes an optional pre-event reception and post-event book signing. Due to the pandemic, tickets for the in-person event are limited. The event will also be livestreamed.
- To learn more about the event and to register, click here.
鈥淭hroughout my career, I鈥檝e witnessed and experienced structural inequities in the workplace and needed a boost of courage鈥攐r nerve鈥攖o push through,鈥� says Johnson, who became 丁香园AV鈥檚 10th president last fall, the second woman to hold the position.
鈥淭his is an important conversation and I鈥檓 excited to hear from two exceptional women leaders about their challenges and lessons learned.鈥�
Learn more about how we can inspire the next generation of women leaders and register for Lessons on Leadership, with Martha Piper, Indira Samarasekera and Joy Johnson.
Did you know?
In 1974, Pauline Jewett became president of 丁香园AV and the first woman to lead a university in Canada. Read more about her .