And what I’ve learned so far.
I have a podcast—it only took two years of constant convincing, several failed recording setups, multiple unheard recordings and twenty years of experience in the industry to get me here. Truly, I never thought I would be a “podcaster” nor did I have any interest in it. But I also never thought I would publish to LinkedIn on a regular basis or be able to call myself an Oxford alumnus, yet here we are. Here’s what podcasting has taught me so far.
Finding the inspiration.
For some people starting a podcast is the idea that comes first followed by determining the right subject, but for me things could be more opposite. Rather than feeling the excitement of brainstorming a podcast premise, I felt more inclined to create a platform for the conversation I felt was missing from the industry—even if I was hesitant to be at its forefront.
According to UN Women, it will take another 286 years to close the global gender gap. Though I cannot fully ever understand what that feels like for women on a daily basis around the globe or even here in North America, I have taken some time to reflect on my role in systemic gender inequality—particularly in infrastructure.
As an Italian, cicgendered man, there are many ways I am privileged, but there are other ways I am not. While I strive to be an ally for those less privileged than myself, I still need allies too. Allyship is defined by Merriam-Webster as: the state or condition of being an ally : supportive association with another person or group. And that’s what makes allyship so impactful, it benefits both parties. It became apparent early on in my career that there is an imbalance of opportunity in infrastructure major programmes, particularly for women. My allyship for women in the workplace began during my first leadership role at Infrastructure Ontario in 2007—though I believe it my true journey started much earlier with values taught by my inherently feminist mother.
As a male-dominated industry, a constant effort needs to be made by all in infrastructure to dismantle the structural bias. In fact, men play a crucial role in creating an inclusive culture with equal opportunity, as we have the privilege to be able to create change with more ease.
Oftentimes, you’ll notice inclusion and diversity isolated, as if it is a project on its own. But my greatest finding so far, has been how integrated allyship requires itself to be in your daily life. It’s about noticing the little behaviors and microaggressions (intentional or not) that impede women from feeling respected and making strides forward in their career. It’s about echoing and attributing the idea when it gets missed; it’s about championing women when they speak up; and it’s about normalizing the very idea of allyship. These ideas are not siloed to just the workplace either.
Mentorship is a vastly rewarding way to practice the art of being an allyship, and I have had the opportunity to connect with women at various points in their careers as both a mentor and a mentee. In either scenario, I can assure you the learning is shared and you won’t need to be performative to start to be sought out by others seeking a much-needed ally. I believe in equal opportunity—but my industry is not equal right now, so additional steps need to be taken to create an inclusive workplace where everyone has the same opportunity to thrive. I won’t pretend to be an expert on allyship or the barriers women in my industry face, but it is my goal, professionally and personally, to look for opportunities to create opportunity. And that is my very long-winded way of saying I started my podcast to create a platform for much-needed conversations. Each interviewee has experience in a different area of the industry and is at a different stage of their career, but all could speak on a common question: How can the industry be better at inspiring women to choose a career in infrastructure and how can we support her once she’s there?
Building Bridges: Women in Infrastructure was the original title of my podcast—cover art and all. And while that remained the title of the first mini series, before launching, the title of the podcast was ultimately changed to Navigating Major Programmes to allow for conversations to continue and evolve.
Launching the first episode.
The truth is, I actually had the first episode of the Building Bridges: Women in Infrastructure series recorded months and months before I even considered pushing publish. It was a simple 30-minute episode with my wife, Divya Shah (who would eventually become my guest for my fourth episode).
The challenge with launching a podcast (or achieving anything in life really), is accepting that it is never going to be perfect. Winston Churchill once said that “perfection is the enemy of progress,” and that was very much the case for my podcast as it sat in idle for months. Eventually with some encouragement and by outsourcing the areas outside of my own expertise, I only had one final hurdle to overcome: Myself.
I think it’s safe to say, no one loves the sound of their own voice, but when you are required to listen to it back for editing and context purposes those feelings are amplified—at least they were for me. I almost let this insecurity or ego halt the whole passion project, but then I remembered one extremely important thing: The podcast is not about my voice, it is about the voices that I am interviewing…the voices that need to be heard.
Recapping our first episodes.
While I may listen back and cringe on my early interviewing skills, the first five episodes of Navigating Major Programmes (which make up the mini series Building Bridges: Women in Infrastructure) are home to many key takeaways worth a re-listen. If you have yet to check them out, here’s a quick recap.
Being The Only Women In The Room with Mariska Pinto | EP 1
In this episode of Navigating Major Programmes, I sit down with Mariska Pinto, who has spent the last decade successfully navigating the male-dominated infrastructure industry. With a mechanical engineering background from McGill University, Marishka now leverages her technical and commercial background as she works cross-functionally amongst various teams at Crosslinx Constructors as a Systems Claims Manager for Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
I found this conversation extremely insightful as Mariska provided insight to a topic I will never fully understand—being the only woman in the room. I left this conversation inspired and encouraged to better support women pursuing a career in infrastructure, especially in the early years of their careers.
Key Takeaways:
- How to recognize and confront your imposter syndrome
- Navigating microaggressions and implicit bias in the workplace
- Finding allyship within a male-dominated industry
The Importance of Allyship with Corail Bourrelier Fabiani | EP 2
Is technology the answer to delivering major programmes on time? Is the infrastructure industry moving towards equality? In the second episode of Navigating Major Programmes, I sat down with Corail Bourrelier Fabiani to discuss all this and more. Corail is an accomplished programme manager with expertise in delivering ambitious urban and cultural programmes with budgets ranging from £2 million to £5 million for clients such as the City of London Corporation, City of Paris, Sellar, and Fondation Louis Vuitton. Her experience includes managing the Paddington Square Public Art Programme and the Shard Quarter Public Art Programme in London, as well as leading the Sculpture in the City programme for four editions.
Corail and I were able to reminisce and recap our recent Oxford’s Saïd Business School experiences before diving into Corail’s fascinating career and her invaluable insights to improving inclusivity in infrastructure.
Key Takeaways:
- The surprising factors of navigating internal and external stakeholders
- Recognizing the importance of mentors, sponsors and allyship in male-dominated industries
- How diversity in the leadership teams could even out the respect playing field
- Why rebranding the industry will inspire more women choose a career in infrastructure
Initiating An Inclusive Industry with Hannelie Stockenstrom |EP 3
In the third episode of Navigating Major Programmes, I was able to sit down with Hannelie Stockenstrom, Senior Vice President Legal Major Projects & Canada Legal Centre Of Excellence at SNC Lavalin, for a in-depth conversation on her experience as a woman in the male-dominated industry and her hope for the industry as a whole.
This conversation left me with the overwhelming feeling that we, as an industry, are capable of changing the direction of sustainability and quality of living. I intend to come back to relisten to this episode again and I know you will too as new takeaways become distinguishable each time.
Key Takeaways:
- Why diverse participants in infrastructure is the only way forward to solve problems effectively
- How focusing on education in Third World countries can catapult the industry’s sustainability efforts in First World countries
- The art of networking your dream career
When Labels Limit with Divya Shah | EP 4
If you have yet to listen to an episode of Navigating Major Programmes, let this special episode change that. This guest is a prominent name in Canada’s infrastructure network through her work as a project finance professional focusing on investment and infrastructure over the last 15 years—and she happens to be my wife. That’s right, I’ve convinced Divya Shah, CFA to join me behind the microphone (for a second time, as her first episode never made it to publishing) to discuss her unique perspective on the intersection of private and public sectors for effective decision making and leadership, along with her experience as a woman in infrastructure as a whole. Here’s a sneak peek into our conversation:
“It’s very easy for someone to label a woman as being aggressive, or a woman being too emotional or too sensitive,” says Divya. “And I find those labels are what then pigeonhole us into not being more successful, or as successful as our male counterparts.”
Key Takeaways:
- Finding the sweet intersection of financing and infrastructure
- How to manage direct and indirect stakeholder expectations
- Lessons learned from navigating project finance during the credit crisis
- Dealing with gender bias during conflict
Meeting Gender Bias with Shormila Chatterjee | EP 5
In the final episode of Navigating Major Programmes’ mini series Building: Bridges: Women in Infrastructure, I sat 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. Our conversation went well beyond the resume to speak about the adversity (and highlights) of Shormila’s career in infrastructure, including meeting ageism and gender bias at the decision making tables.
Key Takeaways:
- Why diverse voices in infrastructure are required to better serve the communities major programmes are designed for
- How to navigating explicit acts of gender bias and Shormila’s experience of her competency being questioned based on assumptions over education/experience
- Avoiding analysis paralysis and finding your voice in moments of uncertainty
- How motherhood and personal life interconnects with a career in infrastructure
- Why projects are people and how adoption of behaviour will propel the industry forward
Continuing the conversation.
As I write this, I am putting the final touches on my ninth episode of Navigating Major Programmes. While that may not seem like much of a milestone, I am actually proud (pretty big statement for someone overcoming imposter syndrome). My podcast is by no means on The Daily’s professional level, but I am genuinely beginning to enjoy listening to the episodes and can even now stand to listen to the sound of my own voice. While listening back, I no longer focus on how I phrase questions or mispronounce certain words, but rather on the context of the conversation.
My hope is that the Navigating Major Programmes podcast continues to elevate conversation surrounding infrastructure and major programme management by interviewing industry thought leaders; tackling your disconcerting questions on programme design, delivery, governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement; and speaking opening about the most controversial subjects facing infrastructure professionals today. As misconceptions are dismantled, industry standards questioned and fresh ideas are shared, my hope is that we all walk away with new perspective. To catch up on all of the episodes to date, click here.
And as for my biggest learning from starting a podcast–or anything you’d like to pursue for that matter? It’s simple. Just start.