Awards recognize female leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors
UBC Engineering Professor Elizabeth Croft has been named a Women’s Executive Network’s (WXN) 2014 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner. The Top 100 Awards recognize Canada’s strong, fearless female leaders who have become agents of change in reshaping Canadian organizations at the highest levels.
Dr. Croft joins an elite group of Top 100 Award Winners that includes some of Canada’s most iconic women trailblazers, such as Dr. Roberta Bondar, astronaut, Arlene Dickinson, chief executive officer, Venture Communications, Christine Magee, president, Sleep Country Canada, Kathleen Taylor, chair of the board, Royal Bank of Canada and Michaëlle Jean, former governor general of Canada.
A tireless advocate for women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Croft spends countless hours each week mentoring and encouraging women to pursue and remain in STEM careers.
Croft holds the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the BC and Yukon regions. As Chair, she leads Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science & Technology, a program committed to increasing gender diversity in science and engineering and conducting research to help the sector recruit and retain women.
Serving on task forces for Engineers Canada, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and other similar industry groups, Croft has made measurable impact in the workplace by making recommendations to companies and regulatory bodies on how they can create a more welcoming workplace.
An expert in human-robot interactions and professor of mechanical engineering, Croft directs the Collaborative Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Systems laboratory at UBC and serves as a role model for aspiring engineers. She currently serves as Associate Dean for Education and Professional Development within the UBC Faculty of Applied Science. In this role she oversees undergraduate, graduate and professional education initiatives. She also oversees marketing and communications with the goal of attracting equal representation of men and women students.
“Dr. Croft is an extraordinary advocate for the engineering profession and role model for women in engineering. From promoting the career option to young people to encouraging best practices for retaining women engineers, she is indeed a powerful force and an agent of change for the profession and for society,” says Dean Marc Parlange. “I’m extremely fortunate to have her on our leadership team as we recruit the best and the brightest to UBC Engineering.”
Co-Presented by Scotiabank and KPMG, the Top 100 Awards celebrate and highlight professional achievements of women across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors at a time when corporate Canada is undergoing pressure to promote more female leaders into board and executive office positions.
“Despite ever-changing styles and tastes, great leadership is timeless,” says WXN founder, Pamela Jeffery. “Top 100 Award Winners are a testament to the incredible range of female talent and leadership in Canada and proof that change is happening, with more women earning a place at the highest levels of Canadian organizations.”
More information and details are available at wxnetwork.com.