Sonya Shorey, Vice President of Strategy, Marketing & Communications is a strategy executive, management consultant and communications strategist with 23+ years of leadership experience with private and public organizations.
With expertise in regional, national and global technology, entrepreneurial, economic development and innovation-based organizations, she specializes in corporate and communications leadership, strategy development and execution. Since 2005, Sonya has led, strategized, authored and/or made a significant contribution to successful multi-year funding proposals valued at more than $209 million from municipal, provincial, federal and international governments. These multi-year projects often engage multiple stakeholders from industry, academia, and non-profits; leverage additional in-kind industry contributions; and enable funding recipients to increase their impact on stakeholders served.
Sonya launched her career as the Manager of Communications and Member of the Vice-Presidential Cabinet with the 10G Organization of Optical Networks for Nortel from 1999 to 2002, and then served as the Director of Marketing Communications for CMC Microsystems until 2007. Building on a decade of experience, Sonya launched her own strategy company in 2008, addressing the needs of S&T organizations, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development agencies across Canada, and key global partners. She currently serves as the VP of Strategy for Invest Ottawa, lead economic development agency for Canada’s Capital; Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s innovation hub; and Area X.O, an R&D complex for next-gen smart mobility, autonomy and connectivity. Her leadership role includes establishing and leading Invest Ottawa’s first Women Founders and Owners strategy; helping to co-found and co-lead SheBoot, the investment-readiness bootcamp for women tech founders; and founding and leading International Women’s Month, a strategic community initiative that inspires, empowers and equips women leaders.
Sonya is a Director of the Royal Ottawa Hospital, Elevate International and Mindtrust; a mentor with Women in Cloud and Women in AI North America; and a pitch coach with Technovation. She holds a Combined Honours in English and Political Science from Carleton University and has won 10 international awards for communications, and three awards for entrepreneurial leadership and the economic empowerment of women including: Women in Cloud’s Innovative Partnership of the Year Award in 2020, and the national Women of Inspiration’s Economic Empowerment Award in 2021.
