Dr. Veena Rawat, president of the Communications Research Centre, and Dale Gantous, CEO of InGenius, have won the Sara Kirke Awards for women entrepreneurs in high tech.

Rawat was recognized for her technical expertise and progressive management experience at CRC, one of Canada's leading telecom R&D labs serving Industry Canada. Her contributions have led to a significant increase in the representation and recognition of women in leadership roles in several national and international organizations. In 2003, she became the first woman to chair the World Radiocommunication (WRC) Conference. She was also the first woman to graduate with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University in 1973.

Gantous is CEO of the InGenius group of companies, including InGenius Engineering Inc., a technical recruiting and professional services firm , and InGenius Software Inc., a software engineering firm specializing in telephony applications. She began her career in Telesat Canada's Space Systems Department as a rocket scientist. She joined InGenius in 1993 as CEO, and has successfully led the company through the high tech boom, bust, and back up again.

The Sara Kirke Awards are given by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance's (CATA) Women in Technology Forum.