In the workplace today, it is important that we are known to others, and to ensure that others are aware of our resourcefulness. Networking can be one of the most powerful and productive activities an individual can do to launch and manage their career. The BEAT x Stantec MIX will be a platform to develop a series of relationships across Toronto’s Architecture and Design communities.
The event will include five invited Featured Guests who are stationed in five specific Zones. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with the Featured Guests and meet a succession of individuals in small groups throughout the evening.
BEAT encourages Interns, emerging practitioners and seasoned professionals to join this interconnected community to share information, advice and opportunities.
Beverages and light refreshments will be provided. All guests are required to be 19 years of age or older. Limited space available. Note that BEAT and Stantec will be taking photographs for social media.
BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.
BEAT MIXES are a platform to develop relationships across Toronto’s architecture and design communities by setting up opportunities for networking. Each MIX features guests that include principals from local design firms of various sizes, along with leaders in related professions such as construction, accounting, engineering, and academia. Participants have the opportunity to interact with the featured guests and peers in smaller focused groups. MIXES have offered an opportunity to discuss topics that are less commonly addressed in our profession, such as navigating the challenges of returning to work after a parental leave, various parental policies in offices, and discussion about the financial, social and cultural dynamics of raising a family while managing a career.
BEAT x Stantec MIX
Join us for an engaging mix on Reignite Your Career Journey: Leave of Absence. Returning to the workforce after a hiatus can be both exciting and challenging. Whether you have taken time off for personal reasons, family responsibilities, health matters, or other commitments, this event will provide you with strategies and insights to successfully transition back into the professional world.
Connect with fellow professionals who have successfully navigated career comebacks and hear their stories. This mixer offers a unique opportunity to exchange insights, share experiences, and gather tips on resuming your career journey with confidence.
Key Takeaways:
▪ Crafting your personal comeback narrative after a leave of absence
▪ Unveiling the hidden strengths acquired during your time away
▪ Cultivating a supportive network to boost your transition back into the workforce
▪ Tailoring your job search tactics to your specific situation
▪ Addressing potential challenges and resume gaps proactively
▪ Finding harmony between work and personal aspirations
Don’t miss this chance to be part of a vibrant community of professionals who understand the journey of career revival. Whether you’re at the crossroads of restarting your career or seeking fresh perspectives on advancement, this event has something for everyone! We look forward to welcoming you and supporting your career progression!
About Women@Stantec:
Women@Stantec is an Employee Resource Group centered around providing solutions, opportunities, and advancement for women, creating an inclusive and neutral internal community while also providing outreach to our surrounding communities. This group has built objectives designed to move the needle on long- term barriers, build confidence, and set the foundation for generations to come. Afaf Naseem or Ioana Babus are Co-Chair of the Toronto Chapter.
About the Featured Guests:
Host: Afaf Naseem – Project Manager, Women@Stantec Co-Chair:
With over 8 years of experience in architecture, Afaf has honed her ability to bridge the gap between creative vision and strategic implementation, resulting in successful projects with meaningful impact. She has spent the last decade in the UK with a particular focus on industrial and residential architecture in Europe. As a Project Manager at Stantec, Afaf is supporting industrial, transit, aviation and healthcare building projects across Ontario and energy infrastructure projects across British Columbia and Alaska. Afaf is driven by a deep passion for navigating through challenging projects by harnessing inter-disciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions.
Speaker: Suzanne Crysdale – Discipline Leader – Architecture, Senior Principal:
Topic: Significant break from a traditional nine to five model.
Over 25 years of experience has informed Suzanne’s personable approach to design and client management. An architect and project manager, her strengths lie in overseeing all aspects of project management, managing client relationships and expectations, guiding architectural teams, and working with discipline leads to ensure the best possible design solutions and project outcomes are achieved. She is passionate about taking a collaborative approach and being highly attuned to the needs of both her clients and colleagues, with a particular focus on achieving equity in the communities she serves. Currently, she is juggling two roles: Discipline Lead – Architecture for Stantec’s North American Building’s Group and the lead Project Manager of the planning, design, and conformance team for Trillium Health Partners Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital, a new 2.8 million sq.ft. acute care hospital that will become Canada’s largest hospital, and which will transform how care is delivered in one of Canada’s diverse and growing regions.
Speaker: Natalie Petricca – Office Leader, Senior Associate:
Topic: Health / Disability leave of absence.
Natalie has 11 years of experience with a focus in healthcare design, from master planning through construction. She believes that well-considered architecture and effective collaboration with the client leads to improved patient outcomes, creates healthy environments and improves operations. On projects, Natalie has played a critical role on complex projects of all scales acting as Project Manager, Project Architect and Clinical Planner. She is involved in and manages all aspects of the project and multidisciplinary team - she is involved from the RFP through to project close out and handover. Natalie has a particular interest in understanding how people experience space and designing for it. A positive experience can assist people in their healing and make the time they spend in a healthcare facility less stressful and more enjoyable. Natalie is involved in the Healthcare design industry and beyond. Natalie recently received her Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC). Outside the healthcare industry, she has maintained a strong relationship with Carleton University, the university from which she graduated in 2014. She represents Stantec as an annual guest critic and participates in evaluating student work for the Stantec Prize, given annually to select deserving students in the graduating class.
Speaker: Ena Kenny – Principal, Senior Interior Designer, Global Health Sector Interior Design Lead:
Topic: Short leaves of absence to support family members in palliative care, as well as general balancing of career and support of ailing family members.
With her background in interior design and architecture, and a love of people and problem solving, Ena is ideally suited to the multidisciplinary work in the Healthcare Sector and more broadly at Stantec. She co-chairs the Toronto Stantec office Staffing Committee and is involved in ERGs such as Women@Stantec. She brings passion, empathy and a spirit of collaboration and inclusivity to her various roles in the office, as well as to the design of healthcare interiors. As the Interiors lead on Stantec’s Global Health Sector Leadership team, Ena acts as an ambassador for the discipline, connecting colleagues across the company and beyond. One of Ena’s primary areas of focus over the last 17 years has been on Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) projects, currently supporting Trillium Health Partners and Niagara Health as the ID lead on their Planning, Design and Compliance teams. She is also experienced on the "other side of the table", as for the design of the Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Phase 1C with PCL Partnerships.
Speaker: Deanna Brown, Architect, Principal, Regional Design Leader:
Topic: Taking a leave of absence to volunteer abroad.
Deanna graduated from the University of Toronto, School of Architecture nearly 30 years ago. She has a particular interest in designing for underserved, vulnerable members of our communities who require access to mental health services, palliative care, rehabilitation, and complex continuing care in a variety of community, ambulatory, and acute care settings. Deanna thoroughly enjoys mentoring recently graduated architects and designers while remaining an active participant in detailed project design, sketching and collaborating with interdisciplinary team mates on a daily basis. Her work and volunteer experience has afforded her opportunities to learn from users, clients, programmers, and health organizations across North America, East Africa, the United Kingdom, and Australia about best practice while delivering innovative design solutions for complex projects.
Speaker: Elisa Costa - Architect, Associate:
Topic: Maternity / Parental leave.
Elisa is an OAA licensed architect with over 10 years of experience and specializes in healthcare design. Her expertise lies in the conceptualization, planning, and design stages of projects—she’s focused on creating spaces that improve the patient’s experience and help them heal. Elisa enjoys the unique complexities of healthcare architecture. She’s currently leading multiple renovation projects at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and is also involved in the design of their new Patient Care Tower. Elisa’s experience includes prominent healthcare projects in Ontario such as Michael Garron Hospital and Mount Sinai in Toronto and the Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre in Hamilton. When she’s not working, you’ll find Elisa running, playing basketball and volleyball, gardening, and doing home DIY projects.
Location
401 Wellington St W #100, Toronto, ON M5V 1E7
Event Schedule:
6:00PM Doors Open
6:00-7:00 PM Networking and Event Introduction
7:00-8:00 PM Formal MIX
8:00-8:30 PM Networking