Women in Transportation: Leadership and Opportunity at Every Level with Marisa Espinosa and Karla Avis-Birch

Women in Transportation: Leadership and Opportunity at Every Level with Marisa Espinosa and Karla Avis-Birch

What does it take to bring women into infrastructure—and keep them there? The goal was once simply to get female leaders a seat at the table. Today, this growing demographic in the industry rightfully demands not just an invitation but influence and impact once they’re there. In this episode, Evgenia and Shormila are joined by Marisa Espinosa (AECOM) and Karla Avis-Birch (Arup) for a thoughtful conversation about what it takes not only to enter the sector, but to stay long enough to shape the future of capital projects.  Both guests bring deep experience in transportation and major programmes, along with distinct paths into the industry. Their conversation explores the leadership qualities required in a sector where technical and human complexity are equally matched. Marisa and Karla discuss the importance of purpose, passion, life experience, and systemized thinking in ensuring teams stay productive and connected. They also reflect on the need for diverse perspectives when building infrastructure that serves real communities. Opportunity, support, and thoughtful policies all contribute to keeping women coming to and growing within their industry. Both Marisa and Karla play important roles in their local WTS chapters and speak to the need for robust networks both inside and outside the office. They celebrate the relationships that provide both confidence and community, as existing and upcoming generations of infrastructure leaders continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Key Takeaways: * Why transportation leadership starts with understanding how people actually rely on infrastructure; * The essential leadership traits for everyone climbing the ranks in major projects; * What women’s lived experience brings to infrastructure decision-making and project delivery; * How non-linear careers, caregiving, and confidence gaps affect women’s progression in the industry; * The role of women-led networks like WTS in building community, credibility, and opportunity. Quote: * “What’s your own leadership imprint? Who you are as a leader; how do you want to show up?…That’s important” - Marisa Espinosa The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Toronto chapter of the WTS: https://www.wtsinternational.org/chapters/toronto/about [https://www.wtsinternational.org/chapters/toronto/about]  * Vancouver chapter of the WTS: https://www.wtsinternational.org/chapters/vancouver/about [https://www.wtsinternational.org/chapters/vancouver/about]  * Follow Shormila Chatterjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/] * Follow Evgenia Jilina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejilina/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejilina/]   * Follow Marisa Espinosa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-espinosa-a575314/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-espinosa-a575314/]  * Follow Karla Avis-Birch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-avis-birch-p-eng-a8a8b1152/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-avis-birch-p-eng-a8a8b1152/]

Rethinking Infrastructure Through AI and Human Decision-Making

What can adventures in vibecoding and broadening one’s understanding of AI models reveal about the future of infrastructure? In this episode, the podcast makes a 180 as Lawrence Rowland turns the microphone on Riccardo. What follows is a wide-ranging and deep-delving conversation about modelling, artificial intelligence, systems thinking, and the role these evolving tools might play in major programmes.  They begin with Riccardo’s development of an International Roughness Index (IRI) prediction model to better understand pavement degradation—an example of using data to challenge linear assumptions and improve infrastructure decision-making. From there, the discussion follows Riccardo’s learning journey through reinforcement learning, coding agents, decision intelligence, reality capture, knowledge graphs, and the future of physical AI. Along the way, Lawrence and Riccardo bring the discussion back to what these tools mean for project leaders: why humans and organizational processes remain the weakest link in adopting new technology, how AI can support—not replace—human decision-making, and why meaningfully connecting the data is the biggest determinant of success. The episode also explores the softer but no-less-essential side of major programmes, including relationship complexity, stakeholder power, information asymmetry, and the limits of tools like Gantt charts in representing the real dynamics of project delivery. Finally, Riccardo reflects on what his AI experiments and podcast journey have taught him about his own niche. This conversation covers all the bases: curiosity, humility, and the need to keep rethinking how we understand, manage, and learn from complex infrastructure systems. Key takeaways * The future of LLMs and physical AI in major projects; * What old-school video games have to do with building prediction models; * How decision intelligence can begin to support, but not replace, project leadership; * The difference between complex and complicated—and why it matters for systems thinking; * What delving into AI and its possibilities has taught Riccardo about his niche. Quote *  “[In today’s LLMs], through brute prompting, you can actually get to the answer you want…but it’s a very convoluted path.” - Riccardo Cosentino The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Riccardo’s spreadsheet “AI Startups in Engineering & Construction”: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TCvfRqqd1NzxgMhVoTMbKeL9bOp_1-mn/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100654060211988607651&rtpof=true&sd=true [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TCvfRqqd1NzxgMhVoTMbKeL9bOp_1-mn/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100654060211988607651&rtpof=true&sd=true] * Riccardo’s LinkedIn Article “AI Startups in AE&C (Architectural, Engineering and Construction)”: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-startups-aec-architectural-engineering-riccardo-cosentino-bvhrc/ [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-startups-aec-architectural-engineering-riccardo-cosentino-bvhrc/] * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Lawrence Rowland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerowland/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerowland/]

Women in Leadership: Defying Tokenism and Embracing Authenticity with Angela Clayton

How do you champion an authentic leadership style in a sector that’s slow to adapt to change? Infrastructure Ontario President and CEO Angela Clayton has traversed this career journey by building a robust network while maintaining a deep dedication to continuing education and an iron-clad work ethic. She joins Riccardo and Shormila for a candid conversation about career growth and what it means (and doesn’t mean) to be a woman in leadership in this male-dominated industry.  Angela has seen the benefits of prioritizing community and collaboration in many facets of her career. She reflects on her history of learning on the job and how employer-supported professional development has transformed her trajectory. She and the hosts dig into the practical realities of leadership in major programmes and the mistaken assumption that great individual contributors naturally become great leaders. She also speaks frankly about being the only woman in the room, and how essential trust in hard-earned champions, while it doesn’t negate impostor syndrome, certainly puts it into perspective. The discussion also explores IO’s evolution over time, Angela’s approach to her transition to CEO, and her future plans for pursuing more impact-driven work. Discover this successful industry innovator’s take on the shifts leaders must make as they navigate new roles and her thoughtful advice for women aspiring to excel in infrastructure. Key takeaways: * How a strong network creates career opportunities, and why getting the job is only the beginning; * The pitfall of assuming technical excellence translates into project and people leadership; * How to think about “diversity hires” without tokenism—and what real sponsorship looks like; * The culture and mandate evolution of Infrastructure Ontario; * The mental shift required when moving from PM issues management to CEO vision and culture development. Quote: * “[Former peers who now report to me are] some of my most trusted advisors. They have the history of the organization, and it’s so valuable to have that institutional knowledge.” - Angela Clayton The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Shormila Chatterjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/] * Follow Angela Clayton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelafclayton/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelafclayton/]

Alliance Delivery in Practice: Building High-Trust Teams in Infrastructure with Marcia Medrano

To what extent is leadership success contingent on specific industry expertise? Marcia Medrano began her career in buildings, not transit. Yet, her experience developing and guiding teams, budgets, and procurement projects is proof that people management is not bound by sector—as long as you’re willing to make the most of the experts around you. In this episode of Master Builder, Riccardo and Shormila sit down with the Executive Vice President of Capital Projects at Metrolinx to explore what it takes to rise to leadership without pretending you’re an expert in everything. Marcia traces her path from architecture and vertical infrastructure to transit delivery and the core lesson that’s shaped her career: big infrastructure delivery is fundamentally about people—building trust, aligning teams, and getting things done. Marcia doesn’t hesitate to push back against conventions and assumptions. Choosing to leverage her parallel expertise rather than be daunted by a new sector, she often asks, “Why not?” Over and over, she sees the question unlock progress in new and exciting approaches for the infrastructure industry. The three experts hold a candid discussion about impostor syndrome and women in leadership, the superiority of alliance projects, and the importance of transparency on all sides of a major programme. They call out the danger of blindly following rigid structures and the shifting of the status quo as the Canadian infrastructure industry dives into ever larger and more ambitious projects. Throughout it all, Marcia champions a new understanding of steering the ship, and all the assets that come along with “leading like a woman.” Key takeaways * The relationship-building and human connection that underpin infrastructure delivery success; * How transparency drives success, however varied a team’s expertise and experience;  * Why incentivizing on-the-ground solutions and cooperation outweighs claims that stall progress at every turn; * The importance of updated governance and project-wide empowerment on the owner side of collaborative contracts; * What’s poised to change for women in infrastructure leadership. Quote * “Challenging our own biases of the things that we know and the things that we don’t know is part of challenging the status quo.” - Marcia Medrano The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Navigating Major Programmes, Season 2 Episode 6 with Lawrence Rowland: https://navigatingmajorprogrammes.transistor.fm/s2/23 [https://navigatingmajorprogrammes.transistor.fm/s2/23]  * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Marcia Medrano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-medrano-34a2962a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-medrano-34a2962a/]

Adapting to the Next Wave of AI in Major Project Management with Lawrence Rowland

How is AI poised to transform our workflows and working relationships in the coming months and years? There’s no question that large language models have had an enormous impact on our lives—and most of us have barely scratches the surface of what is possible with these powerful tools. In this episode, Lawrence Rowland joins Riccardo to unpack all that’s changed since his last appearance on the podcast in 2024. Lawrence is a veteran of project management with a laser focus on AI transformation and strategy. Together, he and Riccardo explore numerous angles of working with these inhuman (but increasingly capable) agents on everything from research to reporting to improving coworker interaction. The conversation stays grounded in practice: the pair drills down on the massive shifts in AI in merely months, why token budgets matter, and the growing ability of programs to self-prompt and think outside the boxes of our requests. Lawrence shares the fascinating way he uses AI—to synthesize methodologies, generate playbooks, pressure-test thinking, and reveal tacit insights missing from current project narratives. The two AI buffs also confront the human side of the transition, including where accountability falls when work is partially automated and what “transformative AI” might mean for careers and organizations. Less about hype and more about adaptation, Lawrence and Riccardo’s conversation hones in the theory on constraints. They remove the rose-tinted glasses and speak to redesigning workflows based on a practical, vital question: where is AI genuinely better, and where are humans still essential? Key Takeaways: * How agentic AI shifts work from prompting to task-level execution; * The reasoning capacity of AI tools based on token budgets and model capability; * The concept of underwriting in retaining human liability in AI-dominated work * How theory of constraints and bottleneck thinking helps decide what to automate vs keep human; * How AI can improve communication and project alignment by translating complex work for different audiences. Quote: * “Either you’re checking the AI or the AI is checking you, and getting used to that will set you up for the new economy.” - Lawrence Rowland The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Navigating Major Programmes, Season 2 Episode 6 with Lawrence Rowland: https://navigatingmajorprogrammes.transistor.fm/s2/23 [https://navigatingmajorprogrammes.transistor.fm/s2/23] * NBER “Economics of Transformative AI Workshop, Fall 2025”: https://www.nber.org/conferences/economics-transformative-ai-workshop-fall-2025 [https://www.nber.org/conferences/economics-transformative-ai-workshop-fall-2025] * arXiv “Some Simple Economics of AGI” by Christian Catalini, Xiang Hui, Jane Wu: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.20946 [https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.20946] * SSRN PDF “Some Simple Economics of AGI”: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/6298838.pdf?abstractid=6298838&mirid=1 [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/6298838.pdf?abstractid=6298838&mirid=1] * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Lawrence Rowland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerowland/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerowland/]