Sofia Passova

Sofia Passova slept on the floor when she first came to Canada in 1995. Like many well-educated immigrants, she couldn’t find suitable employment, despite her Ph.D. in computer science and experience teaching and testing software.

But after returning to university to get a Canadian education, Passova established a software-testing laboratory and began educating and also employing well-educated immigrants like herself. At the same time she identified a way to test software requirements before any coding started. “Software quality is very poor and too often doesn’t meet the needs of those for whom it has been designed,” she explains.

In 2000, Passova applied for a U.S. patent on her software product—branded Profesy—that puts clients at the centre of the software development process, giving them control over what is being built. She was awarded the patent in 2003.

Has her gender proven an advantage or a barrier to advancement in the industry? “When you are 25 there may be advantages to being a woman,” Passova laughs,

“But I find that many men think they are smarter than women and it is not so simple to change their attitudes. And, as women age, some people treat us as if we have less credibility. But I don’t allow myself to think about that. Women are like cognac, the older the better.”

On the practical side, Passova says working 20 hours a day, leaves little time for the extensive beauty-rituals that some women find necessary. “And it can have a negative impact on the family. But on the other hand, the independence, freedom and self-respect that come from success in the world of work is very important, too.”

It all comes down to personal strength for Passova. “If there are barriers we need to jump over them. Women need to be strong, consistent and optimistic.”