Mentorship Mixer – Conversations that Inspire

Meredith Anderson MSCE, P.Eng., Struct.Eng
Principal
RJC Engineers

Meredith is a Structural Engineer and Principal at RJC Engineers, known for thinking outside-the-box and providing elegant, thoughtful solutions on projects. She brings a broad cross-section of experience in a variety of project types including retail, institutional, recreational and high-rise residential and office buildings.

Meredith leads by example, is a strong mentor, and is recognized for her project management skills, technical knowledge and problem solving abilities. An excellent listener, Meredith is a skilled communicator whose approachability and engaging personality create a positive work environment. She is a consummate professional, smoothly and successfully navigating expectations and deadlines.

Claire Cobden CPA, CA, CFA
Chief Financial Officer
COWI

Claire Cobden is Chief Financial Officer at COWI North America, a premier provider of planning, design, and program management services, delivering cost-effective and constructible solutions within the transportation, water, energy, and marine engineering sectors. 

Prior to joining COWI, Claire has had various senior management roles with responsibility for Finance and Treasury. She articled with KPMG Vancouver and worked in London for several years in M&A and corporate finance. Claire has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from UBC, and holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Professional Accountant (CA, CPA) designations.

Carmen Chun MEng, P.Eng., LEED AP
Associate
RJC Engineers

Carmen is an Associate at RJC Engineers and specializes in the structural design of glazing systems and specialty structural elements. She is sought for advice and expertise in glazing and façade design by contractors, architects, property managers, manufacturers and colleagues. Carmen also has significant experience in structural restoration, and provides speciality engineering for guards and glazing, working with concrete, structural steel and aluminum.

Carmen is a very intelligent, energetic and creative problem solver. She has a kind yet tough disposition that instills confidence in clients and is a beacon to coworkers. A natural leader and mentor, Carmen is efficient with her time and maintains a high quality of work. A cheerful demeanor complements her focus and drive.

Kam Deng P.Eng.
Head of Section & Leading Specialist
COWI North America

Kam Deng is a line manager and civil engineer at COWI North America, an engineering consulting firm specializing in the design and maintenance of bridges, tunnels, and marine structures. After enjoying the technical side of engineering for nearly twenty years, Kam was inspired to join line management in order to take on a greater leadership role in the development of team members.

Kam is passionate about cultivating a supportive work environment to allow team members to reach their professional goals. She also believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is essential in positive work environments and works as a member of the DEI Steering Committee at COWI North America to foster DEI in the workplace.

Christine Hughes
Resource Recovery and Recycling Team Lead
Worley

Bio coming soon!

Celina Kwasniak P.Eng
Professional Practice and Compliance Manager
Mott MacDonald

Celina Kwasniak is a professional engineer and Professional Practice and Compliance Manager for Mott MacDonald Canada Limited. She holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and for the last 18 years she specialized in structural designs of industrial and commercial buildings, educational, municipal, and research facilities, and blast resistant structures. Her education and experience were gained in Poland, USA, Ireland, and Canada. In her role as a compliance manager Celina ensures that regulatory practices and standards are upheld and that appropriate training and support is provided to all staff who deliver work covered by Provincial Regulators.

Anne-Marie Langlois M.Sc., P.Eng., PE, PMP
Vice President Operations Canada
COWI North America

Anne-Marie Langlois is Vice-President Operations Canada for COWI where she is responsible for the leadership and development of engineering staff and accountable for all Canadian projects. Anne-Marie has been with COWI for over 12 years where she progressed from junior bridge engineer to project manager and recently to her current position. She contributed to bridge and tunnel projects in Canada and beyond.

Kitty Leung P.Eng., Struct.Eng., PE, SE, LEED AP
Associate
Entuitive

Kitty is an Associate at Entuitive with more than 28 years of industry experience. She is actively involved with the structural engineering community. She is a Director of the Structural Engineers Association of British Columbia (SEABC) and a member of the Structural Practice and Competence Advisory Group for Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

Throughout her career, Kitty is proud to have been involved in the structural design on several iconic projects that shape the Vancouver downtown skyline. She has expertise with a broad spectrum of structural materials and their applications in the design of buildings ranging from institutional facilities to recreational, health care, commercial, light industrial and residential.

Roxana Mousavi
Principal, Transportation & Infrastructure / Business Operations Leader
Stantec

Roxana is the Business Operations Leader overseeing Stantec’s Transportation sector in British Columbia of 200+ staff, primarily responsible for operational excellence and financial performance of transportation and infrastructure sub-sectors including major projects, ports and marine terminals, project management services, rail and transit, highways, bridges, civil, construction services, survey, community development, traffic engineering and transportation planning. Further in this role, she is passionate and responsible for the growth of the business center’s market position and the team in BC while also engaging in the delivery of major infrastructure projects which exceed client expectations.

Sophie Mercier P.Eng., MASc
Principal, Building Envelope Specialist
Evoke Buildings

Sophie is a building envelope specialist with a 25 year history of working collaboratively with colleagues and industry partners. Three years ago, after a long career at a large multi-disciplinary company, she co-founded Evoke Buildings, a building science and energy firm which has grown to over 15 staff in this short time. Despite a busy schedule attending to the needs a new firm, Sophie remains involved in the industry, attending technical committee meetings, presenting technical information at different events, and currently chairing the EGBC Building Enclosure Advisory Group.

Sandra Nelson
Senior Aquatic Biologist, Aquatics Lead
Stantec

In Sandra Nelson’s 16 years in consulting she has grown from a junior Biologist in Training, fresh out of grad school, to a Registered Professional Biologist and aquatics lead for Stantec’s British Columbia and Yukon practice, while also being a happy daughter, spouse, and mom of two. Sandra is a field biologist at heart—with many seasons of thrashing through the bush, clambering in and out of streams, catching lots of fish, and hopping in and out of helicopters—although she now spends only a few weeks each year in her waders. 

She currently leads multidisciplinary project teams, completes quality reviews, and supports a growing aquatics team of 40 people. She loves helping people imagine and reach their professional goals while holding space for themselves and their families. She has worked with many great clients on many interesting (a few more-interesting-than-intended!) projects, and had the good fortune of having fantastic colleagues and mentors throughout her career. Sandra’s teachers have included colleagues, clients, and mistakes, but she has learned more about communication and wisdom from her kids, Erik (11) and Halle (8), than anyone else.

Sepideh Parlee P.Eng.
Electrical Engineer
Wood

I share many similar experiences and challenges with potential mentees as I had a similar journey in my first few years of being in Canada! Now that it’s behind me, I’m excited to share my lessons learned and hopefully shine some light onto their career path, so they can avoid or have a smoother transition through some of their obstacles. I’m an electrical engineer and have an intensive work experience in the electrical utility industry. I moved to Canada as a skilled worker immigrant in 2004, spent my first 5 years figuring out what I want to do and how to plan this career transition, studied and obtained a diploma in a similar field to my overseas field of education, and then finally landed a job in 2009. I recently had an unwanted and unexpected career change, but got back up on my feet again!

I’m passionate about sharing how resilience helped me through this storm and tell my mentee my story, and also hear theirs.

Siobhan Robinson MASc, P.Eng.
Sector Leader – Water Supply & Treatment
Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.

Siobhan Robinson leads the Water Supply and Treatment sector at Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL). A Chemical Engineer by training, Siobhan is passionate about improving health through the development of community water and wastewater infrastructure.

Siobhan has volunteered with both the BC Water and Waste Association (BCWWA) and the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) for more than 10 years including serving as a Director on both the ACEC-BC and ACEC-Canada Boards . She currently co-leads the BCWWA Drinking Water Technical Advisory Committee and is an active member of the BCWWA Truth and Reconciliation Committee.  She also volunteers with Science World’s Scientists and Innovators in the Schools program.

Through her volunteer work, Siobhan aims to facilitate the engagement and retention of young professionals in the water sector and improve the business environment for consulting engineers across the country.

Tamineh Saadat M.A., S.Sc., VCD
Associate Director, Business Development & Marketing
COWI North America

Tamineh is a versatile marketing and business development strategist with extensive experience leading global A/E/C teams, focusing on client-centric growth, integrated campaigns, leadership, and brand integrity. With over 25 years of experience across diverse markets, including Transportation, Water, Environment, Renewables, Architecture, Mining, Nuclear, and Healthcare, she has delivered hundreds of proposals/bids in the billions of dollars of contracted work within the public and private sector.

Tamineh is passionate about providing holistic value offerings through innovative consulting solutions, client care, creative storytelling in developing engaging and award-winning campaigns, and the impact of global trends and emerging technology on the industry. With the fusion of communications and science education, business training, and analytical skills, Tamineh approaches projects by connecting marketing initiatives to strategic business goals, transforming plans into concrete achievements. A strong leader and motivator, she is skilled at hiring, training, and building highly productive teams with diverse responsibilities.

Chunpreet Sahota M.Eng., P.Eng.
Structural Engineer
WSP

Chunpreet is a Structural Engineer at WSP in the Buildings group with over 12 years of experience in the engineering industry. Her focus is mainly on light industrial projects, however, she has had the pleasure of working on a variety of projects including schools, cultural sites, transit and transportation, and government projects. Chunpreet is an active advocate at WSP and in the engineering community to curate spaces where all feel safe and welcome to bring their whole selves to everyday.

Lillian Siu MASc, P.Eng.
Buildings Division Manager
Associated Engineering

Lillian has over 30 years experience in consulting engineering. She is a structural engineer by training and specializes in the project management of complex multidiscipline projects for a broad range of sectors and industries.  She worked on telescope enclosures and optical telescope mounts for the Gemini and Keck telescopes.  Additionally, she designed and project managed some iconic amusement rides such as the Soarin’ Over California, GM Test Track, Roger Rabbit and ET for Disney and Universal Studios.  In 2022, won the ACEC Canada Award of Excellence for managing the design and construction services of the United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Facility.  She is currently the Manager of the Buildings Division at Associated Engineering, looking after a portfolio of structural, mechanical and district energy projects.

Karen Spoelstra P.Eng., LEEP AP
Associate Principal
Smith + Andersen

With a career that spans nearly 20 years, Karen Spoelstra has established herself as a trusted mechanical engineer and devoted project leader. While she specializes in multi-unit residential buildings, particularly tall (40+ storeys) and multi-tower projects, her portfolio comprises highly sustainable and practical mechanical solutions across a variety of market sectors. For Karen, being an experienced mechanical engineer means looking beyond just the mechanical perspective. She analyzes the impact of a wide range of design decisions to help inform and improve mechanical solutions, making a point to understand the unique needs of all stakeholders on a project. Karen is a strong advocate for mentorship, and enjoys passing on her knowledge to the young engineers she works with. Over her career she has been an active member of Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC), Association for Consulting Engineers (ACEC), Women in Consulting Engineering’s Vancouver branch, and Smith + Andersen’s Women in STEM Committee.

Allana Spooner P.Eng
Project Manager
Binnie

Allana is a Project Manager with 5+ years of experience managing projects ranging from tenant improvement, to civil infrastructure upgrades, and new building construction for a variety of large public clients. Her road to finding a home in project management was a rough one with stops in design, field engineering, and unemployment but she has found resiliency through her own struggles and now strives to be a supporter and mentor to other young professionals facing similar situations. She believes firmly that everyone has a right to feel comfortable being their authentic self at work and is intentional about providing a safe space for colleagues to do so.

Kelsey Van Steele BASc, P.Eng., PMP, LEED AP
Associate
RJC Engineers

With a background in structural restoration, Kelsey specializes in fall protection and building maintenance access system design and consulting. Through blending aspects of structural, building envelope, and fall protection consulting, Kelsey provides a unique complement to RJC’s façade engineering practice, resulting in access system designs that readily balance with other building systems. Her work provides clients with a wide range of services, including access and fall protection system design, existing access system assessments and retrofits, fall protection needs assessments, as well as building maintenance and facade access system consulting for new construction. Kelsey has a strong attention to detail and dedication to her work, caring deeply about her peers and clients.

Marie-France Venneri P.Eng., LEEP AP
Principal
AME Group

Marie is a highly experienced professional in the realm of mechanical building system design, boasting over 15 years of industry experience. Since her career began in 2004, she has been committed to developing sustainable solutions for an array of projects across British Columbia. As a certified LEED AP, Marie has successfully brought energy-efficient mechanical designs to life in numerous mixed-use residential and office buildings.

Through years of dedicated work, Marie has amassed a wealth of knowledge and expertise. She gained invaluable experience and is now the Director of Marketing and a Principal at AME Group. Now, Marie looks forward to using her extensive experience and insights in a mentorship role. She believes in the power of collaboration and teamwork and values different perspectives and fresh ideas. As a mentor, she is excited to guide and inspire the next generation of industry professionals. Her focus is on fostering discussions about the future of construction and exploring how technology and collaboration can shape the industry for the better. Through this mentorship, Marie aims to pass on her passion for sustainable solutions and cutting-edge technology to the innovators of tomorrow.

Vanessa Wong MASc, P.Eng., Struct.Eng., LEED AP
Associate
RJC Engineers

Vanessa is an accomplished structural engineer, recognized for her ability to provide superior client service while delivering projects that are well coordinated and on time. She is very approachable, knowledgeable and a strong communicator. Professional in her dealings, she is confident in an understated way. A natural leader and mentor, Vanessa supports the growth of the next generation of talented engineers at RJC. Vanessa has delivered the structural design for a wide range of buildings types including residential high-rises for private sector developers, institutional developers on mixed-use projects, transit stations, schools, and most recently design-build healthcare projects.