Julie Pike

Julie Pike is a passionate event professional and leader with more than 25 years’ experience including an early start in Human Resources. Julie’s career has been spent with two formidable organizations, first leading event producer RX and for the last 16+ years in various evolving roles for SME – Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Pike’s recent career projects include managing SME’s flagship event RAPID + TCT, North America’s largest and most influential additive manufacturing event as well as her ongoing role leading SME’s digital exploration in building out connections to foster 365 community engagements, extending the value of in-person events. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Guelph with a major in Psychology and boasts one of her early career highlights as serving on the Board of Directors (2003 – 2006) and as President of the Canadian Association of Exposition Management (CAEM) in 2005-2006. However, far and away, Julie’s proudest and most important role in life is being a career mom to her beautiful teenage daughter.

Lauren Tedesco

Lauren Tedesco is the Senior Vice President at the APMA. She leads the Future of Work portfolio, building the first industry-wide digital learning program and established the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fund which invests in careers of those historically excluded. The latter won her the CADIA Impact Award – Champion for Diverse Talent. Lauren was recently named one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and recognized globally as one of Reuters DRIVE Award winners for women in auto. Profiled in the Globe and Mail as one of “Five Trailblazing Women in the Male Dominated Auto Industry”, Lauren was also named an Emerging Leader by The Peak and won the Next Generation award from the Italian Chamber of Commerce Ontario.

Vasudha Seth

Vasudha was first appointed to the Executive Team in 2018 as Director, Marketing and Strategy. She began her professional career at Dofasco in 1988 and has worked in diverse areas of the company, holding several senior leadership roles in Quality Systems, Corporate Strategy, Environment & Energy, and Sales and Marketing. During her career, she has been part of several transformation and continuous improvement initiatives. She has been part of ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s management team for the North American Automotive market, including the development of the NA Automotive strategy and supporting investments at ArcelorMittal Dofasco facilities.

Vasudha is responsible for ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s five-year strategic planning process, leading the development of evolving market strategies and new investment opportunities, collaborating to achieve net zero steelmaking by 2050, as well as the marketing of XCarb designated steel solutions. She currently serves on the Boards of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Institute for Steel Construction, and the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association.

Genevieve Ellis

Genevieve Ellis has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128 Ontario as a Boilermaker Welder for over 10 years. Gen holds a BA in Sociology from Wilfrid Laurier University. In 2014, she attended Conestoga College and received her Welding Techniques Certificate and went on to complete her Pressure Systems Welder Apprenticeship through the Boilermakers Local 128 in 2017.

She is currently a Welding General Foreperson with SGRT (The Steam Generator Replacement Team) working on the Unit 3 MCR project at Bruce Power in Port Elgin Ontario. Gen has been a part of the Aecon team since 2021 working as a Welder, Welding Foreperson and Weld Supervisor on Unit 6 MCR Project. She performed the first Upper Feeder to Header weld in the Unit 6 reactor to kick off the feeder install campaign as well as completing the first Bellows to BAR seal weld on the Unit 6 reactor face. Gen has worked in many parts of the industry including wastewater treatment, oil and gas refining, steelmaking, and power generation.

Outside of work Gen is committed to supporting the advancement of women within the skilled trades. She is a member of Local 128’s Women’s Committee and holds the position of Recording Secretary. She is the co-chair of Aecon’s Women in Nuclear Committee at the Bruce Power Site. In 2023 at the Supporting Women in Trades Conference she was a Spotlight Speaker discussing the importance of overcoming barriers and stigmas in the non-traditional workplace and building a healthy career in the skilled trade through mentorship. Gen also completed the National Leadership Development Program in the inaugural class (2023) through the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum focusing on mentorship, communication, supervisory skills and mental health and well-being.