The CIO Association of Canada (CIOCAN), a not-for-profit community of chief information officers (CIOs) and IT leaders, has announced its first full-time executive director, Lee Rennick, MBA.
She joins the association during a period of growth that has seen it expand to more than 450 members in seven chapters across Canada, as well as the launch of its new chief information security officer (CISO) division.
“I was really drawn to CIOCAN because there’s that opportunity to work with people who are building technology at their companies around Canada,” Rennick said. “And to really provide them with education opportunities, the networking opportunities, career advancement, and the opportunity to mentor, which I think is fantastic.”
Rennick comes to CIOCAN from a global digital agency, Six Trends, where she served as global marketing officer, and she has also held senior roles at Proudfoot Consulting, Gilda’s Club, Pathways to Education, and OCAD University. She has extensive experience in management, strategy, financial planning, sponsorship, communications, digital transformation, marketing, and communications.
“My first priority will be reaching out to our board, and our teams across Canada, and our members, and really understanding where their needs are, how we can support them, and engaging that way to make that happen,” she said. “I think we’ll be planning to do a member survey. So really looking to engage with our members, just ensuring that they feel supported, and they have a voice, and they can network and get access to the education and learning that they need.”
Given the current IT skills shortage, Rennick says she is also excited about the opportunity to work with members to create the next generation of leaders.
“So many tech companies, especially in Canada are growing very quickly, but can’t seem to secure a lot of the staffing complement they need,” she explained. “We have a great responsibility within the organization to really help boost next-gen leadership and also ensure that we have diversity within people that are coming up in the sector, that they have a voice.”
“We are thrilled to have Lee join The CIO Association of Canada as our newly appointed full-time Executive Director,” said Philippe Johnston, president of the national board. “Lee brings leadership and business growth experience from her background working in the technology, consulting and education sectors. She will be working alongside the Board of Directors and our members to build the CIO profession within Canada. We welcome Lee in her new role.”