DIVA spoke to the founder of CAF services about her impressive career
Cynthia Fortlage founded CAF Services and is a successful entrepreneur in London, UK. With a remarkable experience of over 30 years in technology, Cynthia is an expert in process simplification, strategic planning, and leadership. Her expertise also extends to creating intentional corporate cultures that promote human rights, sexuality, and gender diversity.
As a white, queer woman with a transgender history, Cynthia has been recognised as an international award-winning LGBTQIA executive, speaker, and board leader. Since 2017, she has delivered over 400 engagements in 30+ countries. In addition, Cynthia has served as President of the Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and national chair for the feminist organisation Women’s March Canada.
Currently, she is a board member of Outright International in New York City, a global LGBTQIA human rights organisation, and they are the United Nations Secretariat on LGBTQIA issues. Cynthia’s impressive track record speaks for itself, and her unwavering dedication to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is genuinely inspiring.
OUTSpoken Speakers Network was launched on 28 September, providing a new platform to amplify, connect, and support LGBTQIA women and non-binary people. Co-founded by Polly Shuteand Raga D’silva, the Network aims to provide a best-in-class speaker agency, expertly designed workshops and training, curated, bespoke panel sessions, networking events and online toolkits and digital content.
What inspired you to set up CAF Services?
After a successful 30-year career as a C-suite executive, I was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), ultimately ending my career. The whole experience profoundly impacted me and made me realise the importance of creating a safe and inclusive working environment. This led me to start CAF services almost eight years ago to help organisations become more inclusive and give everyone a sense of belonging. Today, CAF services have evolved and are committed to creating safe spaces where everyone feels included.
How do you hope that technology can benefit the LGBTQIA community?
From the age of four, I have always felt that my identity was different from others, but back then, no technology was available to help me understand if anyone else felt the same way. With the advent of the Internet, social media, and artificial intelligence, we can explore different aspects of our lives, including our identity and sexuality. Technology has not only made education and communication more accessible but has also created virtual communities that help us connect with like-minded people. This way, we can feel less alone and more supported in our journey to understanding ourselves.
As President of the Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, what impact have you seen the centre have on the local LGBTQIA community?
The North American model differs significantly from what I have experienced in the UK. In Manitoba, the Rainbow Resource Centre was the entire province’s central resource. The region is quite large, so there were other providers and areas. However, since the Rainbow Resource Centre is located in Winnipeg, the capital city, it became a central hub for everything related to 2SLGBTQIA+. I am very proud of my time there doing public advocacy work and leading the organisation. I consider the three consecutive budgets in the black part of my contribution as a steward of the organisation, leaving it in a better situation than when I first found it.
What successes have you seen in the battle for equality as national chair for Women’s March Canada?
During my time with Women’s March Canada, I initially participated as a member, joining rallies and lending my voice to the cause. When I became a board member, I brought a gender-diverse perspective to the table and started learning about the various issues affecting women across Canada. When offered the leadership role, I realised that women’s challenges are endless, and the environment is one of the most significant issues impacting women. For this reason, we decided to align ourselves with Women’s March Global instead of being a unique national voice. The foundation and four pillars on which Women’s March was founded have given me a solid base to focus on my work at CAF services.
What specific changes would you like to see for queer women in the future?
The challenges facing queer women these days call for the inclusion of diverse voices to ensure that everyone supports queer women. We must ensure their voices are heard and seen and keep the language and visibility that defines them. That’s why I spend a lot of time writing about women (cis and Trans+) and the issues that affect us collectively as women. By doing so, I aim to be inclusive while also recognising that each of us brings a unique perspective to the community.
What inspired you to join the board for Outright International in New York City?
Before joining Outright International, my work within the LGBTQ+ community was limited to a regional level. Outright International has allowed me to take my passion for this work globally, including
leveraging their relationships at the United Nations.
Learn more about Cynthia here www.cynthiafortlage.com/ on on her socials:
Find out more about OUTSpoken speakers here: www.outspokenspeakers.com
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