Profound Impact Day

Profound Impact Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WATERLOO STARTUP LAUNCHES IMPACTFUL ACTIONS AWARD AS PART OF SECOND ANNUAL PROFOUND IMPACT DAY CELEBRATION

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Waterloo Region’s very own Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur announced as inaugural recipient of the Award

WATERLOO, ON | SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 — Profound Impact™ Corporation, a Waterloo Region-based startup providing a next-generation social engagement and interaction platform, today celebrates the second annual Profound Impact Day by announcing the launch of the Impactful Actions Award program. Presented at the virtual Profound Impact Day event, Profound Impact™ is pleased to award Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, former President & Vice Chancellor (2010-2021) and Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo as the 2021 recipient.

The Impactful Actions Award is an annual awards program recognizing leaders from around the world who are making a profound impact on the global community by inspiring collaborative solutions to difficult problems. A monetary contribution will be made in honour of Award recipients to an initiative or cause that aligns with their work and impact. 

In Dr. Hamdullahpur’s honour as recipient of the 2021 Impactful Actions Award, Profound Impact™ has chosen to donate to the University of Waterloo Student Wellness fund. This fund supports student success by ensuring students have access to resources that promote their physical and mental wellbeing. 

“The Impactful Actions Award program brings together two of our core values at Profound Impact™: collaboration and making a positive impact,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone,Founder and CEO, Profound Impact Corporation. “It’s always exciting to see the ways our platform is being used to connect people and facilitate future impactful endeavours. It is an honour to recognize Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur this Profound Impact Day for the impact he has made on university education, research and scholarship in our broader society through constant reform and innovation in the higher education sector, in addition to his involvement in the United Nations’ HeForShe initiative to take action on gender inequality.”

Celebrated annually on September 14, Profound Impact Day is a celebration of the world’s diverse leaders and changemakers who are leaving their mark on the global community through their initiatives, influence and impact.

This year, Profound Impact™ hosted a series of events engaging innovators, thinkers and doers from across Waterloo Region and the world as part of the Profound Impact Day celebration.

Beginning with a virtual event featuring a fireside chat with Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, discussing his previous work with the United Nations’ HeForShe Alliance as a 10x10x10 Impact Champion, the Impactful Actions Award was debuted in its inaugural year.

Further, Profound Impact™ is thrilled to be supporting Hack the North, Canada’s largest hackathon. Announced yesterday, the organization is hosting a pre-hack challenge for hackers to warm up for the 36-hour Hack the North event. Profound Impact™’s Chief Strategic Advisor, Brian Romansky, will present a Tech Talk titled “AI Technology for Data Aggregation and Normalization – Shifting the Value Proposition of Distributed Data”, taking place from 7:00-7:45pm on Saturday, September 18th.

To conclude the Profound Impact Day 2021 series of events, Profound Impact™ is pleased to announce the launch of their new career trajectory product, designed to help universities and colleges, research institutions and social impact organizations gain important alumni insights, develop new strategy and programming, and identify career progression success stories.

Even with the development of new and innovative products, Profound Impact™ remains dedicated to expanding the possibilities of its digital communities, recognizing them as one of the most important tools to help organizations continue to innovate, scale and strengthen — especially as the world emerges from the ongoing pandemic.

“Discovering new relationships, no matter where you are in the world, empowers collaboration. Now more than ever, a thriving digital community can help both individuals and organizations amplify the impact of the work they are doing,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone.

For more information on Profound Impact™ and the Impactful Actions Award, please visit www.profoundimpact.com. See how Profound Impact™ is being deployed by visiting https://demo.profoundimpact.com/.

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ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION

Profound Impact connects great people to do great things by providing a unique and transformational digital community to measure the worldwide impact of an organization and by facilitating and accelerating connectivity to inspire collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.

Website: www.profoundimpact.com

Facebook: @aprofoundimpact

Instagram: @aprofoundimpact

LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation

Twitter: @aprofoundimpact

For media inquiries, please contact:

Durrell Communications

media@profoundimpact.com

Timmy Award Finalist

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL TECH STARTUP PROFOUND IMPACT™’S SOHAIL RAMZAN NAMED BEST TECH MANAGER FINALIST FOR TIMMY AWARDS

Profound-Impact-2021-Timmy-Awards-Press-ReleaseDownload

The prestigious tech industry awards program, created by Tech in Motion, announces top regional tech leaders for 2021

WATERLOO, ON | SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 — Profound Impact™ Corporation, a Waterloo Region-based startup, is proud to announce that Sohail Ramzan, Technical Program Manager at Profound Impact™, has been selected as a Best Tech Manager Finalist for the 7th annual Timmy Awards, which recognizes the top workplaces and people inside the North American tech industry. Ramzan has been named one of three regional finalists in the Toronto area.

Demonstrating great leadership and positive influence, managers such as Sohail Ramzan lead their teams through unexpected territories and inspire performance and growth. The Waterloo Region’s tech community can vote here until September 27 to decide the Regional Winners, who will be judged in the national round by experts from companies like Paypal, Netflix and Oracle.

“In an ever-changing world, we value the unwavering commitment and agility from tech leaders like these, who help strengthen and motivate those around them professionally,” says Mandy Walker, Executive Director of Marketing at Tech in Motion’s creator, Motion Recruitment. “Through the Timmys, we are glad for the opportunity to recognize leaders in tech workplaces dedicated to empowering their teams.”

The selection criteria for the Best Tech Manager is based on the following:

  • Promotes career growth and inspires innovation
  • Goes above and beyond to ensure a motivating, inclusive team culture
  • Employs a clear and communicated vision to produce an innovative product

“We are thrilled that Sohail’s talent and leadership is being recognized as a finalist for this prestigious award,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, founder and CEO of Profound Impact™ Corporation. “At Profound Impact™, our work is rooted in inspiring collaborative solutions to difficult global problems — and Sohail continues to push our mission forward as a visionary manager who remains committed to empowering our team.”

Profound Impact™ offers a next-generation digital community and interaction platform, helping universities and colleges, research institutions and social impact organizations accelerate connectivity, inspire collaboration and measure their impact. Earlier this month, the Profound Impact™ team debuted their new career trajectory solution, designed to help institutions and enterprises find and tell their impact stories through alumni career trajectory data. The company looks forward to releasing additional solutions, including a research/researcher matching solution, to be announced soon.

After the success of last year’s virtual ceremony, the 2021 Timmy Awards ceremony on Thursday, October 28 will once again be a completely digital experience. To vote, RSVP or learn more, visit the Timmys website. 

For more information on Profound Impact™ please visit www.profoundimpact.com. See how Profound Impact™ is being deployed by visiting https://demo.profoundimpact.com/.

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ABOUT TECH IN MOTION EVENTS

Tech in Motion is a North American events series that brings local tech community professionals together to connect, learn and innovate. What started as a passion project in 2011, by IT staffing and recruiting firm Motion Recruitment, grew into an organization of over 250,000 members across 14 chapters in North America including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, LA, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. Please visit www.techinmotionevents.com for more information about our notable speakers, sponsors and events.

ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION

Profound Impact connects great people to do great things by providing a unique and transformational digital community to measure the worldwide impact of an organization and by facilitating and accelerating connectivity to inspire collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.

Website: www.profoundimpact.com

Facebook: @aprofoundimpact

Instagram: @aprofoundimpact

LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation

Twitter: @aprofoundimpact

For media inquiries, please contact:

Durrell Communications

media@profoundimpact.com

Lindsay Lewis

Tech in Motion Events

lindsay.lewis@techinmotionevents.com

484-252-9071

Awards

Profound-Impact-Award-AnnouncementDownload

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TWO FEMALE LEADERS FROM LOCAL TECH STARTUP PROFOUND IMPACT™ RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY EFFORTS
As the first place winner and a finalist of two major awards, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone and Sherryl Petricevic are recognized for their exceptional contributions to the Waterloo Region community.


WATERLOO, ON | MAY 7, 2021 — Profound Impact Corporation, a Waterloo Region-based startup providing a next-generation social engagement and interaction platform, is proud to announce that two of its executive members, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone and Sherryl Petricevic, are
the first place winner and a finalist of two major awards in the Waterloo Region. Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, Founder and CEO of Profound Impact, was named the recipient of the K-W Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year STEAM Award presented by Rogers. Sherryl Petricevic,
Account Executive of Profound Impact, was named a finalist for the Fresh Innovators Award presented by Leadership Waterloo Region.

The K-W Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year STEAM Award, sponsored by Enbridge, recognizes and pays tribute to outstanding women in the community for their exceptional advancement to the field of science, technology, engineering, arts and math. As a highly regarded serial entrepreneur, mathematician, innovator, philanthropist, mentor, and trailblazer in the field of STEM for young women, the award recognizes Sherry’s efforts and success in paving a future for women in technology. As an involved member in the community, Sherry holds several
active roles as the Founder and CEO of Profound Impact Corporation, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Waterloo Region chapter of Women in Communications and Technology (WCT-WR), and Co-Chair of Perimeter Institute’s Emmy Noether Council.

“I am honoured to be the recipient of an award that encompasses the mission I have upheld throughout my career,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone. “My hope is that other women in STEM use this award as a reminder that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, and that we have the power and knowledge to make change and innovate beyond measure.”

In its inaugural year, the Fresh Innovators Awards presented by Leadership Waterloo Region recognize changemakers who are digging into Waterloo Region’s challenges, creating solutions, and turning ideas into action. As Co-Chair of the Waterloo Region chapter of Women in Communications & Technology and a regular contributor to the Waterloo Region community, being a finalist for the award amplifies the significant impact Sherryl has made on the Region — from supporting startups through Communitech and the Waterloo Region Economic Development
Corporation to advancing the cybersecurity community and developing mentorship opportunities for young professionals.

“I am grateful to be a finalist for the Fresh Innovators Award in its inaugural year,” said Sherryl Petricevic. “Waterloo Region breeds a culture of creativity and innovation, and it is important that we celebrate the community leaders who are making a difference across all fronts in order to inspire a new generation of changemakers to make an impact.”
As powerhouses in the Waterloo Region community, Sherry and Sherryl have joined forces to pursue Profound Impact Corporation, a digital community and interaction platform set to revolutionize alumni, faculty and student engagement for academic and research institutions
around the world.

Both leaders look forward to what the future holds for their individual careers and their collaborative efforts advancing Profound Impact. With several projects in the works, the recognition from both awards will serve as a driving force behind Sherry and Sherryl’s mission to break barriers for
women everywhere.

For more information about the K-W Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year Awards, visit https://www.oktoberfest.ca/woy-nomination-process/.
For more information about the Fresh Innovators Awards, visit
https://leadershipwaterlooregion.org/content/fresh-innovators-awards-nominations For more information about Profound Impact, please visit www.profoundimpact.com.
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ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION
Profound Impact connects great people to do great things by providing a unique and transformational digital community to measure the worldwide impact of an organization and by facilitating and accelerating connectivity to inspire collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.
Website: www.profoundimpact.com
Facebook: @aprofoundimpact
Instagram: @aprofoundimpact
LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation
Twitter: @aprofoundimpact
For media inquiries, please contact:
Durrell Communications
media@profoundimpact.com

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CEO OF LOCAL TECH STARTUP NAMED RECIPIENT OF PRESTIGIOUS ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD TO BE RECOGNIZED THIS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 

As recipient of a Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) 2020 Annual Leadership Award, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone to participate in WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change 2021 event series

WATERLOO, ON | MARCH 2, 2021 — Profound Impact™ Corporation, a Canadian company providing a next-generation social engagement and interaction platform, is thrilled to announce its President and CEO, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, will be recognized as the recipient of the WCT 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence Award in Entrepreneurship on March 11, 2021. 

The prestigious awards program recognizes women, men and organizations committed to gender diversity in Canada’s digital industries. In an effort to recognize recipients of the 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence Awards Gala after the cancellation of the Annual Awards Gala, WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change 2021 will be hosted throughout the month of March to applaud honourees. 

For nearly 30 years, WCT has been a leader in advocating the benefits of gender equality in the workplace. WCT is Canada’s only national organization with chapters coast-to-coast dedicated to keeping a persistent focus on the under-representation of women in digital industries. The organization’s Leadership Excellence Awards are focused on celebrating the contributions and achievements of women and diversity champions that are helping to close the gender gap in the tech industry. 

As the recipient of the WCT 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence — Entrepreneur award, Sherry has been recognized for the significant contributions she has made to the spectrum of digital industries while also dedicating her work towards the advancement of women in STEM. 

Sherry has been involved in three successful start up ventures, including Cylink Corporation, Blackberry Certicom and TrustPoint Innovation. Most recently and in honour of her late husband, Scott A. Vanstone, Sherry founded Profound Impact Corporation in 2018. Profound Impact is a next-generation social engagement and interaction platform providing digital communities for universities and their alumni to engage, discover, and measure the impact that the institution and its stakeholders have on technology and the world. It also aims to build a sense of community for a global audience of affinity groups such as women in STEM and entrepreneurs. 

“I am honoured to be recognized alongside other industry trailblazers that continue to make material differences in the roles women possess and their influence in the digital economy,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone. “When embarking on every new venture, it has always been my goal to help women discover and advance in innovative industries.”

WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change is a leadership excellence event series presented by Microsoft. Seven webinars throughout the month of March will provide a chance to meet and engage with the recipients of the WCT 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence Awards.

On March 11, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone will be featured on a panel titled, “Boldly Go Where Few Women Have Gone Before,” alongside Françoise Gagnon, CEO of ADGA Group Consultants Inc., and Sonia Brar, VP of Customer Operations Strategy and Design & Delivery at Bell. The discussion, moderated by Carole Santerre, VP of Network Reliability and Service Assurance at Shaw Communications, will be centered around paving the way for women to ascend in male-dominated industries within ICT/STEM. 

To register for WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change, visit https://www.wct-fct.com/en/programs/leadership-excellence-awards. 

For more information about Profound Impact™ Corporation, please visit www.profoundimpact.com. 

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ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION 

Profound Impact™ connects great people to do great things by providing a unique and transformational digital community to measure the worldwide impact of an organization and by facilitating and accelerating connectivity to inspire collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.

Website: www.profoundimpact.com 

Facebook: @aprofoundimpact

Instagram: @aprofoundimpact 

LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation

Twitter: @aprofoundimpact

For media inquiries, please contact:

Durrell Communications

media@profoundimpact.com 

International Women’s Day 2021


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WCT-WR-IWD2021-Press-ReleaseDownload

REGION OF WATERLOO CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2021 WITH FREE ALL-DAY, VIRTUAL EVENT PROGRAM

Women in Communications and Technology — Waterloo Region Chapter to host day of online celebration of women in local community on March 8, 2021

WATERLOO, ON | MARCH 4, 2021 — In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, Women in Communications and Technology — Waterloo Region Chapter (WCT-WR) is partnering with community organizations to host a full day of virtual events featuring some of the Region’s most notable female names participating in live panel discussions, pre-recorded vignettes, musical interludes, interactive games and other activities.

International Women’s Day is a global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality. The theme for this year’s campaign is #ChooseToChallenge — highlighting women and organizations who have chosen to challenge gender bias and inequity while helping to create an inclusive world that empowers women and celebrates their achievements. 

“Although our traditional ways of celebrating women in our community may look different this year, connecting with one another to collaborate and forge positive change for women has never been more important,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, CEO of Profound Impact™ Corporation and Co-Chair of WCT-WR.

International Women’s Day in Waterloo Region is traditionally celebrated by community organizations and members via a range of activities that celebrate the women who have made, and continue to make, a difference in the Region. With COVID-19 restrictions limiting in-person gatherings in 2021, the the #ChooseToChallenge Waterloo Region event will be hosted through the Profound Impact digital community platform. 

“We are very excited to be hosting just one of the 500+ impactful virtual events worldwide on the Profound Impact platform in 2021, to help foster the meaningful connections our platform was designed to do,” said Vanstone. 

Waterloo Region’s #ChooseToChallenge day of events will run from 8:30am — 5:00pm on Monday, March 8 and include engaging conversations on the following topics: 

  • Women in Science
  • Impact of Youth in the Community
  • Impact of Mentoring 
  • Female Tech Founders
  • Recognizing Women Making a Difference in our Community
  • Choose to Challenge in Waterloo Region 

Additionally, donations will be facilitated via the platform throughout the day for Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation’s Fund for Gender Equality, which provides funding to organizations that have demonstrated a long-term commitment towards a future grounded in equity, inclusion and justice for women, girls, Two-spirit, and gender-diverse people.

Proud partners and participating organizations in this year’s event include, BMO, Durrell Communications, Kitchener Rotary, OpenText, Perimeter Institute, RBC, University of Waterloo, Vidyard and Wilfrid Laurier University. 

Participant attendance is open to all and free of charge to attend at any point throughout the day. For more information on the Waterloo Region’s International Women’s Day 2021 celebration and to register, visit https://demo.profoundimpact.com/iwd2021wr. 

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ABOUT WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY

Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) is a national association committed to advancing women in Canadian information, communications, media and technology. WCT inspires and engages women from coast to coast through professional development programs, networking and events, mentorship and opportunities to recognize achievements in Canada’s digital economy. 

Website: www.wct-fct.com 

ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION 

Profound Impact™ connects great people to do great things by providing a unique and transformational digital community to measure the worldwide impact of an organization and by facilitating and accelerating connectivity to inspire collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.

Website: www.profoundimpact.com 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Durrell Communications

media@profoundimpact.com 

Inaugural Profound Impact Day

NEW LOCAL VENTURE AND LEGACY PROJECT PROFOUND IMPACT™ PROVIDES NEXT-GENERATION, SECURE DIGITAL COMMUNITY FOR FACULTY, ALUMNI AND STUDENTS

Profound Impact Day will be recognized and celebrated on September 14, 2020 in honour of the late Professor Scott A. Vanstone of the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo

WATERLOO, ON | SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 — With university populations returning in new capacities for the 2020-21 academic year, Profound Impact Corporation is introducing a new and secure way for faculty, alumni and students to engage through its innovative digital platform.

Inspired by the late Professor Scott A. Vanstone and the impact that his mentorship and guidance continue to have in the world of mathematics and across various fields, Profound Impact helps to engage the untapped capacity of scholar and alumni networks in hopes of inspiring collaborative solutions to global problems.

The Profound Impact digital community has been designed for use by universities and other research institutions and their stakeholders to engage, discover, and measure the impact that the institution and its community have had and continues to have on the world. Different from existing alumni engagement platforms, Profound Impact is a powerful tool that involves all stakeholders associated with the institutional user — tracking the impact year over year of scholars and alumni while also enabling its users to visualize and explore hidden connections for collaborative purposes.

Founded in honour of her late husband by Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, a local renowned serial entrepreneur, trailblazer in the fields of STEM, business and philanthropy, and expert in information security, the Profound Impact platform has been developed on a foundation of privacy and security. Another one of the platform’s key differentiators is its capacity for visualization and use of data analytics.

“With incredible research and innovation happening at our universities, it’s crucial to have a system that will facilitate connections and push the boundaries of discovery,” said Shannon-Vanstone. “Being able to share stories of both individual and collective impact on our platform will help the community realize the lasting legacy of these relationships.”

The inaugural Profound Impact Day will be recognized on September 14, 2020 in Waterloo to acknowledge and celebrate the global impact of Scott A. Vanstone, the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo and its role as an international centre of research and development in cybersecurity.

On that day, at 12 noon, university alumni, faculty and students across Canada and the U.S. will join in a celebration of the power of alumni and faculty engagement and connection with a demonstration of the Profound Impact platform. A second event at 4 p.m., hosted in conjunction with the University of Waterloo Math Faculty, will focus on the Math Faculty’s vision for research, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship and profound impact of early discovery, experimentation, and disruption through research and invention.

“As a math alumnus of the University of Waterloo, I reflect on many intersections of student co-op experiences, professors, and industry researchers over the decades that have proven so fruitful to each side of the equation,” stated Dave Jaworsky, Mayor, City of Waterloo and BMath ‘88. “Most of these have been through chance relationships. I had the chance to work with Professor Vanstone in the wireless security industry, and this new digital community will honour and cultivate his spirit of collaboration.”

For more information on Profound Impact™, please visit www.profoundimpact.com

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ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION

Inspired by the late Professor Scott A. Vanstone of the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo and the impact that his mentorship and guidance continue to have in the world of mathematics and across various fields, Profound Impact™ provides a unique digital community that connects people to help them become aware of undiscovered relationships and to demonstrate their individual and collective profound impact stories.

Website: www.profoundimpact.com

Facebook: @aprofoundimpact

Instagram: @aprofoundimpact

LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation

Twitter: @aprofoundimpact

For media inquiries, please contact:

Durrell Communications

media@profoundimpact.com