In-TAC’s 5th Annual Appreciation Gala ‘Go Global, Hire Local’ a resounding success!
May 7, 2014The International Talent Acquisition Centre hosted its 5th Annual Appreciation Gala – ‘Go Global: Hire Local’ on Friday, May 2nd, where Ottawa’s business leaders, community stakeholders, government representatives and newcomer graduates of In-TAC’s programs, gathered to celebrate another year of successful partnerships and collaborations.
The gala, held at the National Arts Centre, was an evening to celebrate and recognize the success of the talented internationally educated professionals (IEPs) who are now actively engaged in the Canadian workforce. IEPs such as Sandra Escarraga, a Colombian Computer Science Engineer, whose resume was among the 20 presented to employers during In-TAC’s Talent Den. Michael Arno, President and CEO of Superna, had been looking for someone with her skills and expertise locally for over 6 months when he came across Sandra’s profile. After a quick interview, Michael hired her on the spot. Now Sandra, after years of struggling to find work in her field, is thrilled to be working as a Datacenter Verification Specialist.
The gala was also an opportunity to acknowledge In-TAC’s over 400 employer partners who recognize top talent and know that diversity and inclusiveness offer tangible business benefits. In-TAC also recognized their community stakeholder partners who, through their generous funding and support allow In-TAC to offer a comprehensive range of employment services.
Prominent guests included the Hon. Yasir Naqvi, MPP, Ottawa’s Mayor, Jim Watson, Invest Ottawa’s President and CEO, Bruce Lazenby, Citizenship and Immigration’s Director General, Corinne Prince St-Amand, and CBC’s own Lucy van Oldenbarneveld, Master of Ceremonies, who graciously emceed the evening.
Eight outstanding individuals and organizations were presented with following awards:
- Capacity Builder Award – Lead To Win – Dr. Tony Bailetti
- Inspiring Mentor Award – Ms. Karen Laing
- Award of Excellence – Mr. Rudi Aksim
- Ambassador Award – Mr. Stan Xavier
- In-TAC Award 2014 Superna – Mr. Michael Arno and Ms. Mara Taracievicz
- Impact Award – Dr. Jonathan Sowah
- S.T.A.R. Award – Ms. Lucia Burgess
- Donor of the Year Award – Kivuto Solutions
In his congratulatory speech, Mayor Jim Watson praised the graduates of the programs stating that, “Highly skilled international professionals contribute to businesses by filling in the expertise gaps, and employers, in return, offer them the opportunity to work in their field of specialization allowing Ottawa to truly go global by hiring locally, as tonight’s slogan states.” Ottawa Centre MPP, Yasir Naqvi, praised the In-TAC team noting, “With its diverse and professional staff, who combined, possess decades of business experience, In-TAC truly is a unique and vital resource in our community and a remarkable asset to both employers and employees.”
The evening was made possible thanks to In-TAC’s generous sponsors; Kivuto, CIBC, CGA, Industrial Alliance, Titus and Combat. As well as our media sponsors McCarthy Media Group and Profile Imaging. It was an evening where new connections were made, internationally educated professionals were validated for the contributions and investment they bring to our local economy and In-TAC was recognized as an innovative hub that helps businesses and newcomers succeed and grow in Canada.
For more information, please contact: Carmen G. Muñoz, National Program Manager: carmen.munoz@in-tac.ca, by phone: 613-220-9444 or online: www.in-tac.ca. To read the full article, please click here.
Post prepared by Carmen Muñoz
Photos courtesy of McCarthy Media and Profile Imaging