Barry Dawson
Senior Technology Manager
Gore Mutual Insurance
Bio: I guess I could be described as a Senior Technology Manager, Wellness & Peer Support coach/advocate, Happiness advocate, Long Term Care advocate, Soccer coach, home renovation/restoration fanatic (home flipper), outdoor & sport enthusiast, and beer connoisseur… I have a Pasion for learning and trying new things, including never being afraid to jump into new roles and opportunities. In my work life, I have been a contributor and/or manager in almost every aspect & area of Technology and found my calling when I was able to pull all the pieces of technology together, after taking a chance to step out of management, and into a Test Lead Role; from there with a new passion and focus on quality, I leaped into Head of testing at BMO, then QA CoE manager at WSIB, where I was fortunate enough to be awarded “Testing Management Team of the Year” at the 2019 “North America Software Testing and Quality Engineering awards” (hosted by 31Media), and Currently I am on Contract at Gore Mutual as a Release Manager. This most current role is only after taking a break from Technology (partially COVID driven) when I joined the Board of Directors for a Long-Term Care Home in my hometown of Georgetown, including Chairing the Development Committee that is now in the process of planning a new LTC facility. But at the same time as this, I started a new company and jumped into my long-time passion for Renovation & Restoration (I did what everyone wants to do, and that’s Flip Houses), I still have this as a side Gig & absolutely love it. In hindsight, going into business in a totally unrelated area, for sure was the biggest risk and probably biggest reward of my career… And really this is all just the work stuff; I personally have a passion for Wellness, I have always been a sport and outdoor enthusiast and I have two daughters that are now young adults, and still my everything… I have had the joy and pleasure of spending great deals of time outdoors and camping and playing sports with my girls, I was also fortunate enough to coach both competitively in soccer for close to 20 years altogether. My move to healthy eating was over 10 years ago and my real eye-opening experience was around the idea of mental and personal wellness, and this was gained only in the last handful of years, started when I had the opportunity to join and then move into a Senior member role of the Peer Support group at WSIB. This required a transformation in myself, as I had to realize that I could not manage or coach myself, or others, into wellness, I could just “be there”, and when possible, “be in the moment”. Mostly, I look forward to what’s next in my journey, and although I am not really a beer connoisseur, I do very much enjoy spending time in my backyard around the fire with friends and look forward to that next great microbrewery brew I find along the way.
