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NEWS RELEASE

CANADA’S FUTURE FEMALE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS FROM 11 UNIVERSITIES TO HEAR CO-DISCOVERER OF COLD-FX’s “BUMPY JOURNEY TO SUCCESS”

 

TORONTO, ON     A story of a roller coaster ride of crushing disappointments and euphoric successes- that’s what Canada’s future female scientists and engineers from eleven universities will hear at their upcoming conference in Toronto on January 23.  And the words will be coming from someone who’s been there - one of Canada’s most powerful and successful female scientists - Dr. Jacqueline Shan, co-discoverer of COLD-FX.

 

Dr. Shan is the keynote speaker who will open the annual two-day conference of WISE - Women In Science and Engineering - a national organization dedicated to promoting women in these fields.   The conference is being held at the Toronto Regional Board of Trade offices. 

 

Dr. Shan began studies for the first of two doctorates at the age of 15.  By 24 while she was finishing studies for one of the doctorates she took the risky step of forming a company with her mentor that eventually led to the runaway success story of COLD-FX.  But Dr. Shan will recount a decade of struggles and disappointment before her ‘baby’ - COLD-FX - caught on with the public - catapulting it to the #1 position and beating out market leader Tylenol.  Before that happened she faced near bankruptcy and had to go through the heartbreaking job of laying off her entire 25 member research staff to keep the company afloat.

 

She knows hardship and disappointment, but also success.  After she took over the company in 2003 as CEO, she embarked on a spectacular PR strategy which included Don Cherry and sales jumped from $1.5 million that year to $31.5 million two years later.  She will recount the challenges she faced as a female CEO in a world where men dominate.

 

The theme of her speech is “Never Give Up.”  She says, “It’s simple, but often hard to do.  It’s hard to believe in yourself, believe in your dream when you’re laying off your co-workers.” 

Dr. Shan will recount the bumpy road to success as she seeks to inspire other women to follow in her footsteps.  Amreen Poonawala, President of WISE U of T says, “Dr. Shan is an ideal role model to inspire our members to believe they can do what she did by passing her knowledge and experience on to the next generation.”

 

One thing I learned in business is, “Hire people who know more than you do, respect them, give them ‘their head’ and watch them catch fire.  I came to Canada to study under a person who became my mentor.  From him I learned, “Everyone is my teacher”.

 

She says, “There’s nothing that stops skepticism like success.”

 

Media Contact:

Warren Michaels  warren.michaels@afinity.ca  Phone:(780) 977-8261 

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