Report on the Proceedings of the Advancing Women in STEM Community Leaders Forum & Strategic Recommendations

YES Montreal is currently leading one of 20 initiatives funded by Status of Women to advance gender equality in Canada. Advancing Women in STEM is a three-year grant project (2017-2020) that aims to address and identify solutions to a number of systemic challenges hindering women’s retention and access to leadership positions within the STEM industry. This initiative follows from two previous ones; in the inaugural project (2012-2015), YES conducted three annual gender-based analyses of Quebec’s technology sector and in the second project (2015-2017) developed a tailored mentorship model for women in Montreal’s STEM industry. The overarching goal of the Advancing Women in STEM project is to create systemic change within STEM companies by shifting institutional practices to promote inclusivity and leadership opportunities for women. Successfully achieving this goal is dependent on the collaboration and support of industry and community leaders, particularly the project’s advisory committee that consists of fifteen outstanding women leaders who are highly engaged in this initiative and its outcomes.