Ottawa, June 10, 2008 -- Two of the country's most outstanding women in advanced technology were among the many award winners at the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance's "Northern Light" Innovation Gala ceremony on the evening of June 10th.

Dale Gantous, CEO of software engineering firm InGenius, and Dr. Veena Rawat, President of the Communications Research Centre Canada, received the prestigious Sara Kirke Award. The Award is given by CATA's Women in Technology (WIT) Forum.

Ontario's Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Sophia Aggelonitis, made the presentation of the Sara Kirke Awards. The Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship was the sponsor of the Sara Kirke award again this year.

"The Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship is committed to supporting and encouraging more women entrepreneurs and innovators so that Ontario, and Canada, will gain from their contribution to the knowledge based economy and subsequently, our improved global competitiveness," stated Aggelonitis.

Outstanding Women Tech Leaders and Innovators

CATA WIT Forum is a national community network designed to help women in technology and high growth companies advance in their careers and succeed as entrepreneurs: For full details see http://www.catawit.ca

The Sara Kirke award is presented to the two women who have shown the most outstanding technological innovation and corporate leadership -- leadership that has significantly expanded the frontiers of Canada's advanced technology industry. This year's two winners are:

Sara Kirke Entrepreneurs Award - Dale Gantous, CEO, InGenius
Dale is CEO of the InGenius group of companies, including InGenius Engineering Inc., a technical recruiting and professional services firm , and InGenius Software Inc., a software engineering firm specializing in Telephony applications. Upon graduating from McGill University with a B.Sc. in Honours Math and a minor in Computer Science, Dale began her career in Telesat Canada's Space Systems Department, where she specialized in satellite control systems and software development - beginning her career as a proverbial rocket scientist. She joined InGenius in 1993 as CEO, and has successfully led the company through the high tech boom, bust, and back up again. Dale has leveraged the incredibly innovative talents of the InGenius technical team to move the state of the art forward for phone systems in the hospitality, healthcare, government and high-tech sectors.

Sara Kirke Research Award - Dr. Veena Rawat, President, Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC)
Dr. Veena Rawat is the President of the Communications Research Centre Canada, (CRC), an agency of Industry Canada. CRC is one of Canada's leading telecom R&D labs serving Industry Canada, other government departments and the ICT industry. Dr. Rawat's unique leadership abilities have been shaped by a combination of technical expertise and progressive management experience over 33 years in government. She has steered CRC so that it responds to both the priorities of government and the direction of the telecom industry. The depth and breadth of her understanding have well-positioned Dr. Rawat for these challenges. Dr. Rawat is a tireless promoter and advocate of the CRC, not only within the telecom domain, but also within the government milieu. Since becoming CRC President in 2004, she has presented at some 58 telecom conferences and related venues in Canada and around the world.

In judging the nominees for the award, the Selection Committee was looking for women leaders who demonstrated consistent innovation and leadership skills, resulting in the creation and international acceptance of significant world-class products, research and/or the establishment and development of a major advanced technology company or companies that have withstood the test of time.

The CATA WIT Forum Selection Committee for the Sara Kirke Award is chaired by Dr. Barbara Orser, Deloitte Professor in the Management of Growth Enterprises, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, and a member of the CATA WIT National Advisory Council. "We need more of these types of recognition programs for women in Canada to recognize role model women in our communities for their contributions of leadership and excellence" said Dr. Orser.

For more information contact:

Joanne Stanley
Managing Director
CATA WIT Forum
jstanley@cata.ca 613-236-6550

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About CATA WIT Forum (http://www.catawit.ca) CATA WIT Forum is a division of the CATAAlliance, Canada's largest high-tech association. Together CATA WIT Forum and CATAAlliance reach out across Canada to connect individual members and companies under the CATA Innovation Nation umbrella.