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Daniela Rumeo, Assistant Vice President, Talent Brand and Strategy - Advisor Network (left) and Catherine Ambrose, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition Brand Strategy (right)
Women in Leadership Foundation is very proud of our National Partners, including IG Wealth Management. IG has launched “A Wealth of Women’s Stories Podcast”, hosted by award-winning entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den Co-Host, Manjit Minhas.
Through this new podcast, IG is carving out a space where women’s voices are celebrated.Listen to stories of empowerment, breakthrough, and perseverance shared by inspirational women from all walks of life. Manjit and guests will discuss and explore topics that impact the lives of anyone who identifies as a woman. Today, we have the great opportunity to introduce two of the women who have been working hard, behind the scenes, to launch the podcast; Daniela Rumeo, Assistant Vice President, Talent Brand and Strategy - Advisor Network and Catherine Ambrose, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition Brand Strategy.
What are you most passionate about?
Catherine: As someone whose career is focused on branding, I see the power of inciting emotion and creating memories in everything I do, both professionally and personally. I am driven by the quote by Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Daniela: I totally agree Catherine; inciting emotion is so key to what we do. For me, I’m incredibly passionate about story telling! I love that this age-old craft can educate and inspire through the experiences of others. Great story telling unites people and drives deeper connections. It allows us to celebrate and learn from the triumphs and challenges of those around us.
Who is your greatest role model?
Catherine: Definitely my grandmother. She left everything behind to come to a new country, with two young children, and start a new life. She started her own tailoring business - without knowing the English language - and was part of this incredible community of women who supported each other. These are the first, true women entrepreneurs, that I think we can learn so much from.
Daniela: What a powerful woman indeed! I too was raised in an immigrant household. My grandparents and father moved to Canada leaving their home behind in search of a better life. They had to learn a new language, a new culture and way of living. Coming from a small rural town where living off the land gave them an appreciation for hard work and the support of community; their lessons in perseverance and generosity of spirit have influenced the person I am today.
What is one of the accomplishments in your career that you are proud of?
Catherine: Jumping head first into a brand new role, in a brand new field, at the leadership level. While the first nine years of my career was in recruitment/talent acquisition, an opportunity to lead Talent Brand was presented to me. And although I had no formal education or training, I was able to overcome all of the fear and doubt I had, by knowing that this was a field that I was extremely passionate about; which meant I would be successful. And here I am 8 years later, still leading (and loving) Talent Brand.
Daniela: One of the accomplishments in my career that I’m very proud of would be leading the launch of a new podcast at IG Wealth Management entitled “A Wealth of Women’s Stories.” Through this podcast, we are carving out a space where women’s voices are heard. Manjit Minhas, Canadian award-wining entrepreneur is our host and through each episode, she is uncovering stories of empowerment, breakthrough and perseverance shared by inspirational women from all walks of life.
This podcast is creating a community where words of support, advice and inclusion hope to connect women in an authentic way. Our first episode launched on November 2nd and I’m proud to say that after only 1 week, we were already in the top 25% of podcasts nationally!
What advice would you give to women who are building their careers?
Daniela: Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from accepting a new opportunity, pursuing something that you are passionate about or taking on a new challenge. We can too often be our own worst enemies, doubting ourselves and thinking that we’re not good enough. You won’t always have all the answers, and that’s ok, you can make mistakes and you can learn from them. Surround yourself with a supportive network and a strong mentor that can help you along the way.
Catherine: Yes, I would absolutely agree with that Daniela and add that others will see things in you, that you won’t even realize. Take chances, try new things, and get uncomfortable – because that’s where the magic happens.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you?
Catherine: I believe it’s two-fold. The generation of women behind Daniela and I grew up immersed in technology and WiFi, where everything is instantaneous and a world of ‘waiting’ was non-existent. They also grew up with women’s movements like TimesUp and MeToo, which gave them better tools and perspectives on fair, respectful, and equal treatment, versus what women of our age had. This will have a massive impact on their expectations from the workplace, and I think the challenge will be for them to understand that there is still a lot of work to be done, and that massive change like this takes time. But we’re making headway and we will get there.
Daniela: I would agree with that Catherine and just add that this generation has had access to technology from a very young age. Many with tablets and smart phones from under the age of 10. This has enabled them to become incredibly tech savvy; however, they will need to ensure to also build their interpersonal skills. Effective communication that is not just virtual, but also in person, will be very important to focus on for this generation.
Can you tell us how the WIL Community can tune in to listen to the new podcast?
You can listen to “A Wealth of Women’s Stories” podcast on your favourite podcast streaming app, and you can also learn more at ig.ca/women.
Thank you Catherine & Daniela! We look forward to listening to the podcasts and sharing your incredible sucesses with our WIL Community!