International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. During National Engineering Month, held each year in March, Engineers Nova Scotia's signature event is Spotlight on Local Innovation. This evening, we celebrate the achievements of women engineers in our community by highlighting groundbreaking projects and research led by female engineers in Nova Scotia.
 

The theme of International Women's Day is Accelerate Action. The CEO of Engineers Nova Scotia and our 2025 Spotlight on Local Innovation speakers share their thoughts on what it means to them: 
 

“Engineers Nova Scotia will work towards inclusive excellence by supporting the efforts of our registrants and member companies to promote a diverse and equitable engineering community that empowers women, and other equity deserving groups, to thrive, innovate, and lead in shaping a sustainable future for all Nova Scotians.”

- Pal Mann, CD, P.Eng., CEO, Engineers Nova Scotia

"To me, “Accelerate Action” as the theme to International Women’s Day means taking decisive steps to drive resolutions around the issues, we collectively face on gender equality. In engineering, which remains a male dominated field, accelerating action is about empowering women to be confident in their decisions to lead, innovate, and carry out actions that will serve their community. We already know what needs to get done, now’s the time to do it."

- Spotlight 2025 Speaker, Chelsea McLean, P.Eng., EMIT, Senior Energy Manager, EfficiencyOne

"For me, the theme "Accelerate Action" means embracing inclusivity, respect, and ensuring that women are treated equally to their male peers. It’s about creating opportunities for women to step into management and director roles, so younger women have role models to aspire to. The engineering profession has made great strides, but there’s still a significant journey ahead, and now is the time for decisive action. We need to actively challenge the barriers that remain, promote diversity, and build an environment where every woman feels supported to succeed and thrive." 

- Spotlight 2025 Speaker. Katuscya Gauvin, P.Eng., Senior Project Manager, Clayton Developments

"The theme ‘Accelerate Action’, for me, speaks to the frustration of all talk with no tangible change, particularly from those in positions of power with the ability and authority to drive real progress. It’s a call to move beyond empty promises and start implementing concrete actions that will lead us towards true equality. This isn’t just about improving the current situation for women – it’s about creating a future where equality is the standard. I want to see a future where gender equality is the norm, and I want to see it sooner rather than later. It’s no longer enough to wait for change to come gradually. It’s time for action. We need it now and we need it to happen quickly." 

- Spotlight 2025 Speaker, Bobbie Blaney, P.Eng., Manager, Service Delivery, NOVONIX Battery Technology Solutions