In 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 a pivotal role in shaping public-private partnerships (P3s) across Canada. She shares her journey from working alongside Judy to becoming a leader in the field, emphasizing how mentorship and advocacy for diversity have been central to her success.
"Judy was a champion of diversity. She was an ally before we had the nomenclature of what an ally is. She used her power, authority, influence. Not just selfishly, but also to promote, women, people of color, anyone who might've felt, that they didn't belong in the boardroom or around the table, talking about tough, infrastructure type issues. She really did impact so many people in that way." – Marianne Smith
Key Takeaways:
- Judy’s approach challenges with creativity, focus on client needs, and advocate for diversity to drive meaningful change
- How to leverage your expertise to develop frameworks and processes that can become industry benchmarks.
- How to build inclusive environments that encourage collaboration and empower diverse teams to succeed.
- Why investing in mentorship by sharing knowledge and supporting the growth of future leaders.
The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our LinkedIn community:
- Follow Marianne Smith on LinkedIn
- Follow Shormila Chatterjee on LinkedIn
- Follow Navigating Major Programmes on LinkedIn
- Follow Riccardo Cosentino on LinkedIn
- Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com
Music: "A New Tomorrow" by Chordial Music. Licensed through PremiumBeat.
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