WES was founded in 2016 when a group of engineers, all former Enbridge colleagues, saw challenges and opportunities for the retention of women and gender-diverse engineers. Martha Vega-Smith was part of the founding team of WES. Over the years, Martha spoke at four summits, secured sponsorships and recruited speakers to connect with their community.
She explains that the idea for WES came from founder Claudia Gomez-Villeneuve, a pipeline engineer at the time, after attending an event in Calgary and volunteering with the CCWESTT 2018 conference. “[Claudia] brought a small group of us together to build something local and deeply impactful — a space where women and underrepresented individuals in engineering could speak openly, learn from each other, and feel seen,” Martha says. “That vision deeply resonated with me, and I’ve been involved ever since.”
Martha considers her involvement with the conference one of the most meaningful aspects of her professional journey. “WES is more than just a conference; it’s a community grounded in empathy, shared struggle, and mutual encouragement,” she says. “Whether mentoring someone through the licensing process, coaching others on their job search, resume and interview preparation, or helping shape the tone of our programs, I’ve always felt that our work made a tangible difference.”
That difference is evidenced in the growth in the core volunteer team: several were repeat volunteers, volunteering at three or more summits.
“Over time, I saw how those experiences gave people the courage to make bold moves in their careers,” Martha says. “Many shared that volunteering and attending the summit validated their thoughts and feelings, and gave them the clarity and confidence to pursue leadership roles, go after their professional license, or pursue an initiative within engineering with a long lasting impact in our community. That ripple effect is what makes WES so powerful — it’s not just a conference, it’s a catalyst.”
WES created a sense of belonging and showcased new voices, giving emerging engineers a platform to share their stories and explore their journeys in the profession. Being part of this has been important to Martha, “because too many capable women and equity-deserving individuals leave engineering — not due to a lack of skill or ambition, but because the systems weren’t built with them in mind.
“WES was our way of saying: you belong here. It’s important to create spaces where struggles are acknowledged, solutions are shared, and success is redefined through support, not gatekeeping.”
The WES conferences have been a valuable contribution to gender equity in SETT, supporting and impacting countless folks across Canada. CCWESTT is grateful for the donation of some of the conference profits to CCWESTT to support our tradition of conferences. We are honoured to continue the legacy of WES.
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