Monday, April 28, 2025
The Women’s Infrastructure Network (WIN) held its 11th Annual WIN Awards ceremony, which honoured emerging and outstanding female leaders across the country, and took place in six different locations: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.
In total, 66 women were nominated across both categories, with a shortlist of 11 finalists named.
Angela Clayton, interim president and CEO of Infrastructure was named Outstanding Leader and Holynde Smiechowski, project manager, PCL Construction was the recipient of the Emerging Leader award.
Since the award’s inception, the program 484 women have been nominated for WIN’s successful community platform that highlights and elevates emerging and outstanding leaders in infrastructure and further recognize and thank these women for their passion, excellence, and unwavering determination.
With more than 25 years’ experience in the Canadian infrastructure industry, Angela’s leadership has benefitted both the private and public sectors. Throughout her career, Angela has brought her tenacity, expertise and pragmatism to leading complex infrastructure projects to completion in unpredictable and changing markets.
In her current capacity as the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of IO, as well as her prior role as IO’s President, Project Delivery, the organization has completed 13 hospitals, 9 transit/transportation, seven justice facilities and five public works projects across the province. Throughout this work, Angela has championed innovative approaches, including the use of a wide variety of procurement models and approaches to deliver critical and complex projects for the people of Ontario, while navigating unprecedented challenges.
Angela has expertly navigated the most complex challenges facing IO and the infrastructure sector at large. Upon her return to IO in April 2021 as President of Project Delivery, Angela led her team through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while spearheading the most ambitious infrastructure investment program in Canada. Her leadership has been instrumental in adapting IO’s project delivery program to meet the demands of a rapidly changing market and increasingly complex projects.
During the intervening years, from 2015 to 2021, she was Group Head, Buildings Division with Plenary Group, overseeing the design, construction, operations, and maintenance of all Plenary building projects in North America. She spent her early career in property and asset management, working for Brookfield LePage Johnson Controls for nine years where she managed outsourced facility management contracts for national clients.
Angela has been a key member of the influential industry organization, the Future of Infrastructure Group, advising the Minister of Infrastructure on various industry issues, including Infrastructure Ontario’s evolution. A passionate advocate for diversity in the construction industry, she has also served as a member of the Women’s Infrastructure Network for the past eight years. She currently is a member of the Toronto chapter steering committee.
With over 12 years of experience in the construction industry, Holynde has successfully led a diverse range of projects across various contract types, including retrofits and new builds in the health, commercial, private, and civil sectors. Her ability to balance intricate details with a strategic, big-picture perspective has established her as a leader in design, constructability, planning, contract administration, risk management, productivity, profitability, commissioning, quality, and safety. Holynde’s collaborative work style, strategic thinking, and passion for technology have driven innovation and field adoption within her company. She is a respected mentor and teacher who fosters an inclusive environment where teams thrive and learn. Her dedication to developing others, combined with the adversity she has overcome, drives her to pave the way for women in infrastructure while contributing significantly to the industry’s evolution.
Outstanding Leader Shortlist
- Krista Hill, Partner and Co-head, Infrastructure and Energy Practice, Torys
- Brenda Ireland, Executive Director, Indigenous Relations and the Respectful Onsite Initiative, BC Infrastructure Benefits
- Sophie Morin, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Pomerleau
- Stephanie Smith, Chief Nuclear Officer, AtkinsRéalis Canada
- Lisa Sparrow, President and CEO, Corix
Emerging Leader Shortlist
Dani Delaloye, Principal Engineer, Mott MacDonald
Maisie Fichuk, Operations Manager, Kiewit,
Laurie Juneau-Paradis, Senior Project Manager, Urban Infrastructure and Northern Engineering, CIMA+
Anne-Marie Langlois, Vice President, Head of Engineering Canada, COWI North America
Featured image: Polina Kouzmina (left), with Holynde Smiechowski, 2025 Emerging Leader award winner and Jeannine Martin, president, Vancouver Regional Construction Association. (WIN)
