Influencing Without Authority: Leading from Where you are
February 25, 2026 from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm ET
Free virtual session, open to DPI affiliates
This is a mentoring session designed to empower you to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose—regardless of your title. Explore how to build trust, champion ideas in bureaucratic settings, and communicate your impact effectively. Through candid conversations and shared experiences, we’ll discuss how to stay energized when progress feels slow, how to get buy-in from others, and what it means to show up authentically and lead with intention from any seat at the table.
Our group mentoring sessions allow affiliates to connect with senior leaders from across government and private Industry in order to gain new perspectives. Bring your most burning questions and connect with your colleagues!
Meet the Mentors
Ehteram Abolbaghaee | IT Team Leader, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Ehteram Abolbaghaee is a public sector IT team leader, educator, and PhD candidate in Digital Transformation and Innovation at the University of Ottawa. She holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Management and an Honours Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Ottawa. Her doctoral research "Trust Mindset: The Leading Force – Building Cohesive Teams for Successful Digital Transformation in Government Organizations” examines how trust impacts performance across people, processes, and technology.
She began her public service career at Statistics Canada in 2007 as a student and over 13 years held roles including technical support officer, developer, researcher, IM delegate, IT analyst, and project leader. She contributed to initiatives such as web scraping and the design and implementation of GCDocs (as IM delegate and SME).
Troy MacFarlane | Deputy Chief Information Officer, Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG)
With 23+ years working across federal government, higher ed, and the private sector, I’m all about driving smart change and building strong, collaborative teams. I focus on strategic management, leadership development, and innovation—helping others grow and succeed is what really fires me up. As a mentor, I love sharing practical tips, promoting inclusive leadership, and learning from every new challenge.