New Principal Announced at Relish Ideas

Meet Katherine Westwood

Relish Ideas web-developer of 11 years, Katherine Westwood has recently become a Principal owner in the agency. Katherine joins partners Suzanne Braun, James Black and Branden Douglas and will move into the new position of Director of Product Development. Relish Ideas is a B Corp and continues to be a WBE certified Women-Owned Business.

We’re happy for Katherine taking on this greater responsibility. We suspect it’ll be a breeze considering the multi-faceted individual they are. To understand their talents in the present, let’s take a look at their past.

Katherine is a culturally-diverse person, for a start — a member of Sandy Bay First Nation, with Ojibwe, Nigerian, and Icelandic ancestry. But it wasn’t till they went to RRC Polytech to study digital media design that they became eligible for treaty status through a change in legislation (Bill C31).

We asked Katherine what their cultural heritage means to them. They explained how intuition and self-care have always been part of their diverse background, but resilience is the most important thing that Katherine gained, elaborating: 

“My father didn’t learn to speak Ojibwe until later in life, so we didn’t have that language aspect in our home as children. We didn’t smudge, attend pow wows or cultural events, nor have I ever worn regalia. The only Indigenous elders I encountered in my youth were met via after-school programs. My mother simply referred to her branch of the family as ‘Black’ because that was all the information we had at the time. I found out that I’m Nigerian through Ancestry DNA recently, and am only learning about that culture now.”

Katherine found that the uncovering of cultural identities has been a complicated and long-term process. However, they find it amazing that, while vastly different, both sides of their family also have significant things in common: 

“Both my family branches emphasize haircare — although in different ways — but the core message is the same. Looking after yourself, and teaching people who look up to you how to look after themselves, is key to living a good life. Learning about and caring for my hair (as well as helping other members of my family care for theirs) connects me to my culture here and now, and to all of my ancestors who came before me. Hair is a family effort, and an emotional reprieve. ‘Wash days’ are real!” 

Katherine has learned about the complexity of their African and Indigenous familial histories — intergenerational trauma, displacement, cultural oppression, and systemic racism. Their ancestors’ resilience, to not only endure but also struggle to maintain their culture and beliefs, continues to inspire Katherine.

“Both sides of my heritage espouse spiritualism with ancestral acknowledgement, so I remind myself constantly to trust that I’m being guided. Knowing that has solidified for me that intuition is paramount to my identity, and my connection with my cultural and spiritual beliefs.”

This feeling of being guided led to Katherine working in an administrative capacity for non-profit Indigenous organizations as Keewatin Tribal Council and Ka Ni Kanichihk, and later to take on a volunteer role for the Manitoba Writers’ Guild marketing, communications and membership committee. 

This last was a natural move for this avid reader. Katherine especially likes the horror genre, reading everything from thrillers and mysteries, to danmei (Chinese romantic literature) and manga. All of this inspired Katherine to write their own work — a novel in the dark fantasy genre — and in 2023 they were selected as an apprentice for the Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program. This is where emerging writers work with a professional in the areas of manuscript evaluation, markets and publishing, and explore opportunities for grants and employment. Here too, Katherine brings their many skills having designed the cover for the first volume of Beyond Boundaries, an anthology for the Dave Williamson Short Story Competition.

Katherine’s skills and commitment to excellence is evidenced in their graduating with honours from RRC Polytech’s digital media design department. In fact, Katherine was profiled when RRC Polytech featured select graduates in a multimedia recruitment campaign showcasing alumni success stories. We asked Katherine what it was like to be featured on billboards and ads, and what the response was from their family and friends.

“Excitement! My husband and siblings were very happy for me. I took a selfie with the billboard and shared it on socials. Then my friends started inviting me to go take selfies with them. A few people took selfies on their own and sent them to me. It was weeks of fun notifications and conversations with people. I heard from people I hadn’t spoken to in ages because of the campaign, and was even recognized because of the billboard at a first-time client meeting.”

And this brings us to the present. In their new role of Director of Product Development, Katherine will be working to commercialize technology and spearhead special projects, developing unique applications to streamline clients needs, such as with virtual museums apps and AI embedded tools. This means they will be building on Relish’s interactive experience, including projects like Prairie Pollination—a Virtual Museums of Canada project for the Manitoba Museum, as well as virtual art exhibitions such as William Kurelek: The Messenger for the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Greater Victoria Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. In addition, they will work on virtual training applications and apps, collaborating with regulatory bodies and associations across Canada.  

It’s this response, and an emphasis on uniqueness, that fuels Katherine’s vision for their work moving forward; to help bring greater awareness to independent artists, featuring unique, independent local talent. 

“I’ve always wanted to engage more with Indigenous communities and businesses, so I think we’re already on our way there. I really want to help streamline the work our developers [at Relish] do. There are components that we rebuild for different websites. I want to create a plugin suite with customizable versions of those elements that Relish can then publish on the WordPress repository to not only streamline our internal processes, but also further our involvement with the broader digital development community.” 

Katherine loves how Relish takes on clients of all sizes. “I want to develop a way to support services for individuals and small businesses in a manner that is cost effective to both Relish and the client. Whether that means developing a theme that is user-friendly with a customizable intuitive interface, and whatnot — I’m not sure of the details yet — but I’m excited to try new things!”

We see this as proof of Katherine’s creative mindset. Oh, and speaking of, given their personal passions for creative writing, how does that outlet contribute to or enhance their new ambitions in the workplace?

“Being a writer, and a reader, helps me recognize where things correlate when I’m handling a lot of data, or working with a huge website. That creativity allows me to run through different scenarios to find the best approach when coding. When I’m stressed or anxious about a project, I try casting myself in the role of someone far more talented and qualified than myself to get out of my negative head space and get things done. Be a fictional version of yourself for a day — I highly recommend it!

“Every day is an opportunity for self improvement. RRC Polytech’s digital media design program gave me a very broad skill set that I’ve been able to apply on both professional and personal projects, including creative writing. Working at Relish as a developer helps me be functionally or logistically creative, and I’m able to take similar approaches when writing. As long as I continue doing both, they will continue to compliment one another.”

Needless to say, we at Relish are delighted with Katherine’s shift  to Principal, knowing as we do that their uniqueness and versatility will enrich the Relish brand for years to come.

Congratulations Katherine!