Paula Quinn is sharing the secrets behind her success; how her journey from England to Canada set her on the path to becoming Executive Director of the KF Centre for Excellence.
Quinn is one of the many women sharing their story at the Innovation Centre to inspire the audience on International Women’s Day.
“Experiences are something that need to be shared with people because when you see an image on the screen, you think, ‘Oh this person is so together, they’ve got this, they’ve got that,’ but it’s very different,” said Quinn.
“There’s a lot of stories that bring you to this time, and they need to be shared with people to show that it’s real.”
Quinn moved to Canada in 2001 settling in Calgary. She eventually moved to Kelowna, B.C., where she has spent the last 17 years of her life. She has worked at KF Aerospace with founder and chairman Barry Lapointe for 15 years.
“I am the executive director for the newfound not-for-profit for the KF Centre for Excellence where we showcase heritage aircraft,” said Quinn.
“I am privileged and honoured to be able to be at the head of the table and to be able to bring such an amazing event space and history to the Okanagan.”
Quinn’s talk is part of the second annual International Women’s Day event at the Innovation Centre that combines speakers with workshops to bring women together and connect. The event is co-hosted by Diana Woolridge-Jones and Liza Magcale.
“What I love is the vulnerability of our speakers are showing the audience,” said Woolridge-Jones.
“These are highly successful women who have had huge adversity and challenges to get through and come out on top, and I think that’s really inspirational for the younger generation. But if you’re starting life later … these women can do it and it’s so incredible.”
The day-long event also doubled as a fundraiser for Kelowna’s Gospel Mission’s programs for women. There are four therapeutic community women’s homes that help women experiencing homelessness. In the programs, women are able to access support as well as build life skills, case management and more.
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