Chatham-Kent Small Business Centre and Economic Development, in partnership with WEtech Alliance, is hosting a free online Tech Homecoming panel discussion Thursday, April 29, 2021, from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. Heading up the panel are technology experts, including senior staff from Google and other regional leaders that will explore the next steps in making Chatham-Kent a Hub of Innovation. Many of the experts are former Chatham-Kent residents who are now living abroad and are returning to share their insights and knowledge.
“The time has never been better to reconnect with some of the tech and innovation leaders those who left the region to explore different experiences,” said Matt Reaume, Economic Development Officer and Panel Moderator. “Tech Homecoming is an opportunity to reengage and learn from people who have roots in Chatham-Kent. They each have a genuine interest in making their home community better and are eager to help Chatham-Kent grow today and into the future.”
The Homecoming panelists will include:
- Justine Janssen, SVP Strategic Initiatives, Ceridian (former resident of Chatham-Kent now living in London, ON)
- Don Duval, CEO, NORCAT (former resident of Chatham-Kent now living in Sudbury)
- Mike Pegg, Head of Google Maps Platform Developer Relations, Google (former resident of the Blenheim-area now living in California)
- Allan Livingston, Director of Product Management, Core Systems, Google (former resident of Wallaceburg now living in California)
“I’m excited to once again return to the place I called home and learn how Chatham-Kent has changed and grown,” said Mike Pegg, Head of Google Maps Platform Developer Relations at Google. “I look forward to coming back and sharing my own personal experience and learning how I can support Chatham-Kent in its next innovation chapter.”
In addition to the panel discussion, the event will include updates and remarks from Mayor Darrin Canniff, Chatham-Kent Economic Development, WEtech Alliance, and local tech companies Scribendi and TekSavvy.
“Innovation is central to the challenges facing both urban and rural regions,” said Yvonne Pilon, President and CEO of WEtech Alliance. “Tech Homecoming will continue the conversation on the diversification of the regional economy through the promotion and reconnection of innovation and technology trends and leaders near and far.”
To learn more or register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/tech-homecoming-ck-edition-tickets-148617513985.
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Additional Details:
- WEtech Alliance is one of seventeen Regional Innovation Centres funded by the Province of Ontario, serving the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions. They provide entrepreneurs with business services, training, mentorship and strategic connections to help bring new ideas to market, scale to the next level and build a dynamic culture and a community of innovation. WEtech Alliance has served as the catalyst for technology and innovation in the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions since 2011. wetech-alliance.com
- Learn more about Chatham-Kent Economic Development and the Small Business Centre at investck.ca.
Media Contact:
Yvonne Pilon
President & CEO
WEtech Alliance
E: ypilon@wetech-alliance.com
P: 519 819.8251
Eric Labadie
Marketing and Communications Officer
Economic Development Services, Community Development
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
124 Thames Street, Chatham, ON N7M 5K8
Email: EricL@chatham-kent.ca
Phone: 519-784-0307
