Mike Lam

Mike Lam – Leading teams and organizations into Agility. My career began as a Software Developer back in 2003 after I graduated from the University of Toronto. The timing wasn’t the greatest as we were in the middle of the famous dot com bubble. IT jobs were scarce and new graduates found it difficult to find full time employment, let alone employment related to their field of study. I was lucky enough to have the University of Toronto to offer me a full time position to develop Accessible software with the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre to really promote inclusion in an ever-changing technical landscape. We redefined the definition of Accessibility in that it’s the bridge between the man and the machine. It was definitely a life changing experience for me. It was the eye-opening experience that all humans are capable of great things regardless of their orientation or disability. The company eventually moved to OCADU to become the Inclusive Design Research Centre, but much of the same work continued. The company continued to push Accessibility principles and guidelines to promote inclusion. And the eventual result was the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) which will eventually become mandatory for all public facing websites. A monstrous achievement by all those involved. After 11 years in Accessibility, I decided to move to IT consulting. I moved to be a Project Manager/Scrum Master back in 2011within a boutique consulting company called ThoughtCorp Inc. The company was full of bright and energetic individuals. I began working with big name household clients and delivering products that people would use on a daily basis. Within a year, the company was acquired by an Eastern European IT consulting firm, called EPAM Systems. Projects, budgets, and teams became larger and this is where I began to grow. I learned to sell, learned to be client-facing, and really learned to become a jack of all trades. And this is where I really sharpened my Agile mindset. After a little over 5 years with ThoughtCorp Inc / EPAM Systems, I moved on to be an independent contractor. I’m currently at the Home Depot Canada in an effort to help transform the organization from waterfall to Agile. It’s been a test of my experience. It’s been a challenging and rewarding process thus far. I can truly see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have a love for technology and being able to deliver software for clients in all industries has been a true blessing. From retail to finance to real estate; I’ve left all with great experiences and learnings that I can bring with me wherever I end up. Technologies and processes will always change with time and that’s what keeps this field so interesting. But at the end of the day, no matter how technologies and processes advance, results matter and how you get there will always change. But the name of the game today and the immediate future is Agile. Let’s see what the future holds for me!