Chic Geek’s Geeky Summit

On October 22nd, 2019, Avanti had the pleasure of sponsoring and attending Chic Geek’s Geeky Summit, a gathering of 250 women in tech interested in learning how we can better Thrive Together.

As Cynthia Titchkosky, Executive Director of Chic Geek explains, “Geeky Summit is really about showing up and creating a space for women to come and connect with each other; and to have those conversations about their challenges in a place where they can be vulnerable.”

Chic Geek’s Geeky Summit

“Don’t Box Me In”

Avanti sponsored the “Don’t Box Me In” workshop by Jake Stika, Executive Director of Next Gen Men, which challenged the thinking around gender norms and how they exist in the workplace.

“‘Don’t Box Me In’ is about tackling gender norms and why the status quo doesn't work for anyone today," Jake explains. "Looking at some of the statistics out there, which are to date some of the highest numbers that we've seen, we only have 4.8% female representation in the Fortune 500 among CEOs.

“The Avanti leadership team has thoroughly enjoyed this workshop with Jake, and are challenging each other to ensure that they don’t box people in based on gender norms.

We asked Geeky Summit attendees how the workshop made them feel:

Don’t Box Me In quotes

“At Chic Geek we really value the work that Avanti is doing in enabling their team to go through the training with Jake, and to also support us bringing that workshop to Geeky Summit,” says Cynthia.

Amin Lalani, Co-CEO of Avanti also agrees in the value of a strong partnership with Chic Geek. “I’m excited about the positive change that these efforts will bring to Avanti and I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to share our story in hopes of inspiring others.”

Equity and Diversity at Avanti

Avanti team photo

Diversity is truly our strength.

Inclusion is one of our four core values that we live everyday. Whether interacting with clients, vendors, or each other we embrace our values as an important part of who we are. We believe that inclusion drives innovation and we value having a culture where perspectives from all people are heard.

Avanti is proud to be part of the evolving conversation around gender, equity and diversity in the workplace.

“Our leadership team members are challenging each other and holding one another accountable to ensure that we aren't boxing people based on historical and societal gender norms," explains Amin. "We're providing equity leadership training to our people through Next Gen Men, working with organizations like Chic Geek and WomenHack among others to diversify where we recruit from and experimenting with innovative people programs that are helping to create an increasingly more inclusive environment.”

We’re hiring!

If you are looking for somewhere you can make an impact, grow your career and work with amazing people then we welcome you to join us in helping Canadian businesses build better workplaces.

We believe that in building a great culture, we are building a great company. Avanti is a determined and committed team that helps Canadian companies build better workplaces. We know the impact of our work is felt by hundreds of thousands of people, so we work hard to deliver amazing outcomes. At Avanti, you will find an inclusive environment, that values all contributions, regardless of their source, and an empowered group of people focused on getting better each and every day, as individuals and as a company.

See what positions we are currently hiring for.

Avanti | We’re hiring!

Subscribe for The Avanti Advocate newsletter

The Avanti Advocate is a quarterly newsletter that features a roundup of our top payroll and HR resources and upcoming events.