The Toast Summit doesn’t separate technical issues from human ones, and that is one of several aspects that make this Canadian tech conference unique.
Taking place June 20 at The Quay in Toronto, the Toast Summit brings together women in tech, allies, and senior leaders to explore what equity requires in hiring, leadership, and culture. The sessions offer both critique and care, pushing beyond typical conference formats to focus on what meaningful change looks like today.
This year’s Toronto agenda includes a session on bias in AI-driven hiring, a panel on resilience in the face of inequity, and an afternoon wellness break featuring yoga led by Ayda Celik.
Whether the topic is recruitment or recovery, the conversation keeps circling back to the same question: what does real support look like for women in tech?
“In tech, we tend to whisper rather than shout when it comes to equity and social justice,” says Toast member, Mira El Hussein. “There’s a lot of lukewarm, selective support fuelled by fear or lack of commitment. Toast is in such stark opposition to that culture. I was immediately hooked.”
At the Toast Summit, you could spend the morning hearing from AI experts and corporate leaders, then head into a quiet room to breathe and reset. That contrast is deliberate.
Toast is a membership-based collective working to get more women hired, supported, and promoted in the tech industry. They connect women with trusted companies through a curated job board, coaching, and run programs like the Champions sponsorship model to address the gap between talent and leadership.
At the Toast Summit, the programming is designed to reflect the lives people are actually living, not just the roles they are asked to play at work. That same mindset shapes the community around it, as it has been built on care, connection, and the belief that ambition does not have to come at the cost of belonging.
“Being part of Toast has exposed me to a space in tech that I didn’t even think existed on this scale,” says El Hussein. “Women and gender-expansive people who are driven, supportive, outspoken, and passionate, and who will go to the earth to support you and challenge you. I always found and gravitated to these kinds of people in the workplace, but we had to nurture the spaces ourselves instead of being nurtured within them.”
Asking harder questions about hiring
One of the most timely sessions on the agenda features Hilke Schellmann, author of The Algorithm, who will talk with Bahar Sateli, Director of AI and Advanced Analytics at PwC Canada. Their panel, “AI in Hiring,” explores how automated systems are reshaping access to opportunity, and how those systems often reinforce the same biases they are marketed to solve.
The conversation also draws attention to a growing concern across the industry.
Tools that sort resumes and screen candidates are being used more widely, but with little transparency around how decisions are made or what patterns they reinforce.
According to Canadian HR Reporter, AI-driven hiring is expanding in Canada, yet most organizations lack a clear understanding of how these technologies operate or who might be excluded as a result.
Placing this session in the program reflects Toast’s broader focus on structure. Hiring is not just a process — it’s often the first point of exclusion, and that idea carries through the rest of the day.
In “Showing Up When It’s Hard,” moderated by Christine Tatham, Chief People Officer at Redbrick, leaders will reflect on how burnout, bias, and visibility shape their choices in environments that are still catching up. The panel centres on what it takes to stay in the room when the systems around you still ask for too much.
A 2024 Deloitte report found that nearly half of women in the workforce are experiencing higher levels of stress and burnout than the year before, and that many feel unsupported by their employers when raising concerns about workload or wellbeing.
The findings are especially relevant in the tech sector, where performance is often prioritized over sustainability.
Making room for real recovery
After the mid-day sessions, the agenda transitions into space for reflection and rest. During the “Choose Your Own Adventure” hour, attendees can join a yoga session with Ayda Celik, step into a low-stimulation lounge, or connect informally with others.
Toast’s approach to recovery is built into the structure of the event.
Free on-site childcare, a sober happy hour, and wellness moments are also woven throughout the day. These design choices reflect a broader belief that inclusion requires intention, not just access.
“Beyond the space and the people, Toast has fundamentally transformed how I think about community, mentorship, and championship,” El Hussein says. “I’ve been able to come into my own outside of my workplace, and start building a network that’ll stand regardless of where I work, helping me feel empowered and accepted. That is absolutely priceless.”
The timing of the Toast Summit is also important. As some companies walk back their commitments to equity and inclusion, events like the Toast Summit have taken on added weight.
As the Guardian reports, even Canadian organizations are feeling the impact of U.S.-based backlash against DEI programs and some corporate support is shrinking.
Conversations that once felt urgent now require added justification and in that environment, holding space for honest discussion becomes not just valuable, but necessary.
“As a woman in tech, knowing that I have Toast in my corner helps me feel ready to make bets on myself,” says El Hussein.
The Toast Summit takes place June 20 in Toronto.
- Get tickets and event details here.
- Digital Journal is the official media partner of the 2025 Toast Summit.
This article was created with the assistance of AI. Learn more about our AI ethics policy here.
