ZoeLavena.

Software engineering professional — leader, speaker, and advocate. I build teams, take stages, and show up in rooms where conversations shape what's next. Everything I do points toward one thing: more women at the table in tech leadership.

North Star

"The work isn't done until the table is full."

A world where women leading in tech is the norm, not the exception.

Stage

April 2026

MYC Engineering & Tech Career Day — Youth Central

Panelist for high school students exploring engineering careers in Calgary. Brought a leadership lens to the room — connecting individual technical growth to team impact, and anchoring career advice around knowing your "why" over chasing titles.

In the Room

March 2026

Monday Girl Summit 2026 — Toronto

In the room with founders, executives, and builders at one of Canada's leading women's leadership summits. Listened for how scrappy decisions scale and what ownership culture looks like when built from zero.

Stage

March 2026

Samahan Sabado: Calgary Job Hunting Spectrum — FTP-YYC

Presenter to Filipino tech professionals on navigating the Calgary job market. Gave a manager's-eye view on hiring decisions, resume honesty, and what makes a candidate stand out — grounding abstract advice in real hiring scenarios from the inside.

Stage

March 5, 2026

International Women's Day Panel — Predicting the Payoff

Panelist at a sold-out Helcim event on women in fintech leadership. Spoke on building character in a startup environment — shifting focus from what you want to have, to who you want to become.

Stage

February 17, 2026

Tech Talent Tuesdays — From Code to Capability

Presenter to 30–40 early-career engineers and new grads. Reframed what managers actually look for: outcomes over activity, grit and curiosity over credentials, and how individual contribution connects to team strength.

Stage

September 25, 2025

Toast Summit 2025 — Gut Check: When Intuition Beats the Algorithm

Panelist at a 200–400 person women-in-tech summit. Spoke on balancing data and intuition in hiring decisions, using AI as a strategic tool, and understanding where pressure in organizations actually comes from.

Role

2023

Software Engineering Manager

Moved from building software to building the people who build software.

Role

2019

Individual Contributor — Software Developer

Where it started. Writing code, learning systems, and discovering a love for building things that work.