Erin Blaskie’s impact on the Ottawa tech community might be best illustrated by the outpouring of support she received earlier this year after announcing she was leaving her job as director of marketing with Kanata-based accelerator L-Spark for a similar role at up-and-coming startup Fellow. Among those bidding a fond farewell was L-Spark’s Leo Lax, who called Blaskie a “guiding light” over her three years with the organization.
A big part of her new job is building up a network of managers to share best practices through multimedia projects such as podcasts and other social-focused initiatives – skills Blaskie has demonstrated in abundance not only at L-Spark but in her own brand and the business she ran for 14 years before that.
While at L-Spark, Blaskie spearheaded the growth of the organization’s signature SaaS Showcase event to nearly 500 attendees and more than 30 exhibitors and built up a network of corporate partnerships with entities such as BlackBerry, TELUS, Solace and Queen’s University.
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A vocal advocate for mental health initiatives, she also launched a series of events called L-Spark Unplugged that focused on the importance of mental wellness in the lives of entrepreneurs – a program that drew the attention of the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Business Development Bank of Canada.
A sought-after mentor, Blaskie has contributed articles on thought leadership to publications ranging from OBJ to the Huffington Post. Active in organizations such as Women in Communications and Technology, she’s also been an instructor in the Telfer School of Management’s digital marketing certificate program.
