CCW Speed Mentoring Event 2017

We are excited to welcome you to our third annual speed mentoring event on Tuesday, September 26th, 2017! The event will give you a unique opportunity to meet with a successful and diverse group of women working across the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry.

The aim of the event is to facilitate dynamic discussions driven by you, the attendees, covering a wide range of topics such as: philosophy, career path recommendations, work-life balance, career moves, or education opportunities, to name a few. The aim of the event is to learn from established, professional women and to network amongst your peers.

This year, our mentors include the following inspiring women;

Deb Parliament, Project Manager/Director, BCIT
Seema Lal, Partner, SHK Law Corporation
Susan Pospisil, Preconstruction Manager, Turner Construction
Candace Lange, Senior Interior Designer, James K.M. Cheng Architects
Please see our mentor biographies below – more mentors will be added soon!

Deb Parliament, Project Manager/Director, BCIT

Deb Parliament joins us as our Project Manager mentor. She has worked in the construction industry for over 25 years with a start in high-end residential framing and millwork in the Vancouver area. After a few years she transitioned to Project/Property Management assisting large strata’s through complex building improvement projects (including leaky condos). This is where Deb became enthralled with managing large construction projects. A move to the fire and flood restoration industry for a number of years in the Sea to Sky corridor gave her a solid construction background and an appetite to learn more. Deb made the decision to go back to school (BCIT) to obtain her degree in Construction Management (2006).

Following graduation, Deb has worked on a variety of multi-million dollar projects directly for the Client, General Contractor, as an Owner’s Rep and for a development company. Her project experience is also varied with multi-use projects or single owner/tenant in commercial, retail and industrial new builds and tenant improvements.

Deb has recently been offered a Faculty role with BCIT where she will undertake a curriculum review of the degree program. Deb’s passion is to share what she has learned with others in the industry and people looking to move into construction. Deb continues to work as a Project Manager/Director, as a Consultant, and believes the combination of these roles allow her to fulfill her career aspirations.

Seema Lal, Partner, SHK Law Corporation

Seema Lal joins us as our construction law mentor. She is a principal of SHK Law Corporation with particular expertise in the areas of builders liens, construction law, commercial litigation and employment law. As a construction lawyer practicing in Vancouver, Seema’s clients include owners, developers, general contractors, subtrades, suppliers and design professionals.

Seema is a member of the Construction, Employment and Civil Litigation Subsections of the Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch and is a volunteer lawyer with Access Pro Bono and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada’s Volunteer Legal Advocacy Program.

Seema is also a member of Canadian Construction Women, the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association and the Vancouver Regional Construction Association. She is a director of the College of Denturists of British Columbia and a cabinet member of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s “A Night of Miracles” gala.

Seema regularly lectures and provide seminars to industry groups both in-house and at various CLEs, including the Affinity Institute, the Pacific Business & Law Institute, the Canadian Construction Institute and the Canadian Credit Institute. She also is an adjunct lecturer in the Engineering Law and Contracts in Civil Engineering course for Civil Engineering students at UBC.

Susan Pospisil, Preconstruction Manager, Turner Construction

Susan was born and raised in Vancouver, and has over 30 years experience in the Construction Industry. Her specialties are high rise residential and concrete tilt-up buildings.

Susan started her career as a junior estimator with Dillingham Construction, an American industrial contractor specializing in heavy industrial project like pulp mills and gas plants. 10 years and 3 babies later, she made the switch to Concord Pacific, enticed by the promise of flexible work hours and working mostly at home. She produced budgets and tendered the trade work for Centreville Construction to build. She was involved in most of the parks, towers and sections of seawall on the north side of False Creek. Fifteen plus years later, she made the switch to Beedie Development, tilt up warehouse expects who had recently thrown their hat into the ring of residential tower developers. She was the Chief Estimator, and oversaw estimates in light industrial, high rise residential and tenant renovations. One year ago she moved to Turner Construction, and is helping them go to the next level as a business unit in Vancouver. Susan is the Preconstruction Manager, and is involved in overseeing the projects from the estimating stage up until work starts on site (and sometimes beyond!). Turner now has three ground-up projects in the works, and will no longer be seen as an interiors-only contractor in the BC market.

In her spare time, Susan loves to travel.

Candace Lange, Senior Interior Designer, James K.M. Cheng Architects

Candace joins us as our interior design mentor! Candace has extensive experience in design development and contract administration. Having completed the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel and Shangri-La Toronto Hotel, she was able to efficiently oversee the development and execution of each project from start to finish.

Having focused on Hospitality & Corporate design for the past 10 years, she is a detailed oriented Interior Designer, whom embraces good design theory and employs ethics in order to maximize the effectiveness of the final design solution. Her energetic personality shines through her designs and translates well into successful client relations.