Shows
Navigating Major ProgrammesLeading Through Change in Infrastructure with Jennifer QuinnHow do you build an intentional and rewarding career while still allowing life and shifting roles to take their course? Jennifer Quinn is no stranger to route adjustments on her career path. Her willingness to adjust, accept, and constantly learn has enabled her to soar through the ranks, building supportive and impactful teams along the way. The CEO of Nieuport Aviation, the terminal owner and operator of Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, Jennifer’s long career in infrastructure, on both the public and private sides, has given her a unique and nuanced perspective on the industry.In her...
2026-01-2639 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesThe Future of the Infrastructure Conversation: 2026 and BeyondHow can the infrastructure industry encourage more open discussions between diverse sectors? In the final Uncharted Conversations episode of the year, Riccardo, Shormila, and David come together to look back at 2025 and ahead at what’s to come, reflecting on the themes, tensions, and unanswered questions of the season.This year saw murky decision-making persist despite infrastructure’s growing prevalence in every Canadian industry. This characteristically honest and envelope-pushing roundtable teases apart the challenges of navigating building and public sector leadership in this economic reality. The group digs into the impact and barriers that risk-averse and unwieldy syst...
2025-11-2454 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesSelf-Improvement and Strategic Leadership in Infrastructure with Annie RoparWhere can your career take you when you’re open to learning more? In this episode of the Master Builders series, Annie Ropar—the CFO of the UK’s National Wealth Fund (formerly the UK Infrastructure Bank)—joins Riccardo and Shormila for a candid conversation about lifelong learning, leadership humility, and how a start in finance has evolved into purpose-driven management in infrastructure. Annie’s dedication to curiosity and building great teams is a throughline in her career. A transition from the private to public sector reshaped Annie’s understanding of success—shifting from rapid execution to long-term and v...
2025-10-1350 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesPowering Our Planet: the Promise of Major Nuclear Energy Projects with Julianne den DeckerWhat does our society—and our country—need to know to embrace nuclear as the answer to the global energy situation? Riccardo sits down with the SVP of CANDU Energy at AtkinsRéalis, Julianne den Decker, in this intricate and important conversation. Julianne is the perfect spokesperson to clarify the history and impressive comeback of nuclear energy, a once-maligned and feared innovation. A lifelong advocate for the science, safety, and societal benefits of this baseline power source, Julianne explains with detail and passion how the decarbonization movement, security concerns, and AI’s unprecedented energy demands make nuclear a no-bra...
2025-09-2946 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesSystems Change: Building the Skills to Lead in Public-Private Partnerships with Lisa MitchellHow do you lead a national infrastructure organization in the process of building a new future? This episode for the Master Builders series, invites in one of the experts behind the curtain: Lisa Mitchell, the President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP). In her deep-dive conversation with Riccardo and Shormila, she speaks to her journey from politics to the forefront of Canada's infrastructure evolution.Early experiences in Ottawa prepared Lisa for the fast pace and competing priorities of national infrastructure. She shares how she navigated imposter syndrome and career pivots, and why she...
2025-09-1559 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesThe Long Game: Finance, Policy, and Leadership in Infrastructure with Sara AlvaradoWhat does it take to thrive in the highly complex and male-dominated financial industry? This episode of Master Builder highlights the journey and achievements of Sara Alvarado, a powerhouse in infrastructure finance whose career has spanned continents, crises, and industry and policy overhauls. With co-hosts Riccardo and Shormila, Sara shares how her experience as an immigrant shaped her resilience. She details her role in defining infrastructure as an asset class in Canada and describes the unique combination of ever-growing policy and risk expertise that has kept her on a steady career trajectory for more than 30 years. From s...
2025-09-0152 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesMultinational, Multidisciplinary, Misaligned? Fixing What Gets in the Way of Project SuccessHow does cross-over between diverse perspectives and cultures affect project delivery, and how could it be improved? In this episode of Uncharted Conversations, Shormila and Riccardo are once again joined by fellow infrastructure experts David Ho and Melissa Di Marco. Their animated discussion explores how organizational dynamics—building teams that combine both multi-service and multinational cultures—impact the successful delivery of major programmes. Jumping directly into the action items of a project, as the client often expects, is a great dopamine hit, but is it really the best approach? The self-proclaimed industry pirates call out the drawbacks of No...
2025-08-1857 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesDefying Doubt and Redefining Leadership with Ethel CraftWhat does it take to lead with integrity and empathy in an industry where technical expertise can quickly outweigh human connection? In this episode of the Master Builder series, Ethel Craft joins Riccardo and Shormila to reflect on a career rooted in service—from her beginnings in social services to her leadership role in Ottawa’s rail construction program.Ethel shares how a leadership course during her MBA sparked her passion for mentoring others, ultimately guiding her to pursue a Doctorate in Business while working full-time. Through personal challenges, professional pivots, and academic milestones, Ethel has remained grou...
2025-07-2144 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesOutcomes Before Process: When Collaborative Contracts Are Doomed To FailWelcome to Uncharted Conversations, a new Navigating Major Programmes series designed to disrupt industry thinking one unscripted conversation at a time. In each episode, the panelists bring their diverse perspectives to the table as self-dubbed industry pirates, adopting a mercenary approach to calling out industry challenges. Up first: collaborative contracts. David Ho is the National Leader of Healthcare and Buildings for Accenture. Melissa Di Marco is a Partner and specialist in Project Advisory and Disputes at Accuracy. Shormila Chatterjee is the Vice President of EY. Together, these experienced programme professionals discuss the complexities of collaborative contracting in t...
2025-06-091h 04
Navigating Major ProgrammesManaging Risk: Striking an Insurance Leadership and Personal Life Balance with Sarah RobertsHow does a master insurance executive balance globe-trotting, raising a family, and pursuing meaningful projects? In this episode of the Master Builder series, Shormila explores the realities of professional and personal life in the C-suite with Sarah Roberts, the president of INTECH Risk Management.Sarah delves into the history of insurance, both her own and how this vital component of infrastructure projects first came to be. In an industry that is evolving due to increased global and climate change demands, clear communication, public-private partnerships, and professional liability insurance as a whole have never been more important—but th...
2025-05-1941 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesThe Powerful Impact of Specialization and Dedication on Long-Haul Projects with Wendy ItagawaIn engineering today, more and more people are choosing the generalist route, often pivoting off that solid, multi-faceted educational foundation into different fields. But what happens when you take the opposite route, honing in to pursue an aspect of your work that truly drives your passion?In today’s episode of Navigating Major Programmes, hosts Riccardo Cosentino and Shormila Chatterjee speak with a Master Builder who did just that. After spending her early years on industrial projects, Wendy Itagawa returned to school for a Master’s in structural engineering, focusing on bridge design. Today, she serves as the...
2025-05-0544 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesFostering Innovation Through Collaboration on Alliance Contracts with Jane OgilvieIn this Master Builders episode of Navigating Major Programmes, hosts Riccardo Cosentino and Shormila Chatterjee challenge the mindset around alliance contracts with Jane Ogilvie, the Alliance Director of Toronto’s East Harbour Transit Hub Alliance and a 20-year veteran of major projects management in her home country of Australia. Jane shares the details of this collaborative approach—one that has long been popular in certain industries Down Under but is still quite new in Canada. From method variations to adopting an alliance contract model mid-project to the future of this framework in Canada and beyond, Jane’s insight...
2025-03-2447 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesThe Human Side of Major Projects with Melissa Di Marco | Master BuildersIn this episode of Navigating Major Programmes, Riccardo Cosentino and co-host Shormila Chatterjee sit down with Melissa DeMarco, a seasoned construction and infrastructure leader with a PhD in construction management. With over 15 years of industry experience, Melissa has led projects across industrial, institutional, mining, and infrastructure sectors. Currently a partner at Accuracy, a boutique consulting firm, she has played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s infrastructure and energy practice in Canada and globally. She delves into her academic journey, including her groundbreaking PhD research on global project networks, which allowed her to work with major ind...
2025-02-2442 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesBuilding Value for Society with Chantal Sorel | Master Builders | S3 EP2In this Master Builders episode of Navigating Major Programmes, Riccardo Cosentino and co-host Shormila Chatterjee sit down with previous colleague and friend Chantal Sorel, a seasoned leader whose 30-year career spans architecture, project management, and executive roles across industries including infrastructure, mining, and social infrastructure. With extensive international experience and a commitment to delivering value through challenging projects, Chantal reflects on her journey and shares lessons from managing high-stakes initiatives like the McGill University Health Centre.Chantal discusses the importance of breaking barriers as a woman in construction, fostering ethical collaboration, and adapting project management practices to...
2025-01-2741 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesJudy Wilson’s Legacy: Leadership and Legacy with Marianne Smith | Master Builder Series | S2 EP21In this special Master Builders episode of Navigating Major Programmes, Riccardo Cosentino and co-host Shormila Chatterjee are joined by Marianne Smith, a distinguished partner at Blakes National Infrastructure Group, to celebrate her remarkable career and pay tribute to Judy Wilson, a trailblazer in Canada’s infrastructure industry. Judy, a world-renowned procurement lawyer and a champion for diversity, left an indelible mark on the sector before her passing. This episode honors her legacy while highlighting Marianne’s own contributions as one of Judy’s closest mentees.With over 20 years of experience in infrastructure and procurement law, Marianne has played...
2024-11-1839 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesP3s, Projects, and People: Marni Dicker’s Blueprint for Success in Infrastructure | Master Builder Series | S2 EP18In this episode of Mastering Major Projects, Riccardo Cosentino and co-host Shormila Chatterjee sit down with Marni Dicker, a dynamic and bilingual senior executive recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in the country. Marni’s accolades include the General Counsel Award for Business Achievement and the Premier’s Award of Excellence from the Province of Alberta for her groundbreaking work on the Calgary Courthouse Public-Private Partnership.With an impressive background in corporate law and a strategic leadership role in the Canadian Premier League, Marni shares her ex...
2024-10-0751 min
Navigating Major ProgrammesMeeting Gender Bias with Shormila Chatterjee | Building Bridges: Women in Infrastructure | S1 EP 5In episode five of Navigating Major Programmes, Riccardo sits down with Shormila Chatterjee, Acting Director at Government of Canada Infrastructure on the high-speed rail project. With 14 years of Canada-wide expertise in large-scale public private partnership (PPP) projects, Shormila has led various aspects of several high profile P3 pursuits and design engineering projects in Canada. She also actively contributes to Women in Infrastructure Network's Ottawa Chapter and serves as a board member of PAL Ottawa. In today’s conversation, Riccardo and Shormila go beyond the resume to speak about the adversity (and highlights) of Shormila’s career in infrastructure, including meet...
2023-07-0327 min