People Moves: July 2023

Philippe Adam will be Pomerleau’s new CEO starting this August. Pierre and Francis Pomerleau will gradually withdraw from their operational roles. In addition to remaining the company’s principal shareholders, they will continue to play an active role on the Board, with Pierre serving as Executive Chairman and Francis as Executive Vice-Chairman. Philippe Adam joined Pomerleau in 2021 as executive vice-president and chief financial officer.

Chris Erbus has joined Graham‘s Winnipeg office as operations manager. Erbus’ project experience includes museums, galleries, historical buildings high rise towers, renovation and hospital/healthcare. He also has a background in carpentry.

Jesse Unke has been named president and CEO of Maven Consulting Limited. Unke will succeed co-founder Trevor St Germain who will continue to act as a member of the board. Unke is an engineering and construction executive with over 20 years of experience.

“I am excited to take Maven to the next level by driving our strategy, strengthening and developing our corporate culture, and further building on Maven’s profile in our industry as a leader in engineering, project management, and construction services for power utilities and municipal infrastructure.” 

– Unke

Russ Wlad will be Allnorth‘s chief growth and strategy officer. Wlad has than 35 years of experience in public and private sector consulting. He was key to leading Stantec’s canadian operations, working strategically with business partners to achieve growth in new sectors, markets and geographies. Allnorth stated that he will play a pivotal role in enhancing Allnorth’s organic and acquisition growth.

Fiona Blondin has been appointed director of High Frequency Rail‘s board of director. She currently serves as vice president, Indigenous strategy at Cormorant Utility Services. High Frequency Rail is the largest transportation infrastructure project that Canada has seen in decades, and would be the biggest investment in Canadian passenger rail in a generation.

Steve Saddleback has been hired at the senior advisor for external affairs at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition. Saddleback is from Samson Cree Nation, where he has played an instrumental role in fostering economic growth and empowering Indigenous communities. He also a partner at Opimoyaso Group, a 100% owned Indigenous Firm.

Andrew Hall has joined Wildstone Construction Group‘s Whitehorse office as vice president of Yukon and business development. Hall said he will be focusing on growing Wildstone’s business in the energy, renewables and infrastructure markets.

Clarissa Wong is starting a new role as Graham‘s vice president of finance (industrial) and financial services. Wong is a financial professional with global accounting, finance and leadership experience including financial planning and analysis, reporting and forecasting, controllership, internal controls and audits, merger integrations, public filings, system conversions, implementation and integration of shared services teams.

Joe Williams is retiring from Lafarge Canada after 47 years of service. Williams is a millwright worker at Lafarge’s Bath Cement Plant. Williams said he’ll definitely miss daily interactions with colleagues from various teams and the tight-knit community at the plant. Lafarge officials stated that his commitment to teamwork and troubleshooting has significantly impacted its operations.

Nigel Shrive, PhD,  a professor emeritus at the Schulich School of Engineering, member and former head of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for groundbreaking contributions to structural mechanics, notably his translational and multidisciplinary research in both biomedical and civil engineering.

Sean Strickland has been elected chairman of BuildForce Canada‘s board of directors. Strickland says he looks forward to continuing his work with his colleagues on the board to advance the organization’s strategic priorities and to ensure BuildForce Canada continues to support the construction industry with up-to-date labour market data, development, and training.

Ted Davis has been appointed CEO of Avison Young’s Canadian operations. The company stated that since joining the firm in 2010, Davis has been instrumental in bringing teams together to create value for clients in his market, and they are excited to see him do this at the national level.

Dan Baxter is joining the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada as its new regional director for B.C. Baxter has served as president and CEO of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, as well as policy analyst, director, and interim CEO at the B.C. Chamber of Commerce.

Dan Chyzowski has been promoted to vice president of construction at ETRO. Company officials stated that Chyzowski has been instrumental in building ETRO into what it is today. The added that he’s a natural leader with an innate talent for project management in a truly collaborative manner and has been a fantastic mentor to many.

Eduards Miska has been tapped by Aecom to be its director of engineering for B.C. Miska spent 30 years at B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation, eventually serving as its acting assistant deputy minister. He has held leadership and support roles with the Transportation Association of Canada, Intelligent Transportation Systems Canada, and the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Amir Abd El-Halim has joined WSP’s Canadian leadership team as the new regional leader for Ontario and the Atlantic. WSP stated that El-Halim will use his 20+ years of industry experience to provide invaluable leadership to its teams in those regions.​

Sean Smithson has joined Pomerleau‘s Toronto team as the new regional vice president. Smithson previously spent 11 years with Modern Niagara, reaching the role of executive vice president for the GTA and Southwestern Ontario region.

With the Toronto team, I’ll be continuing my adventure in the construction industry, in a market where the possibilities are endless. I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues, to shape the future of the GTA Region building the infrastructure our growing region needs! Let’s do this! 

– Smithson

Paul Halliday is taking over the role CEO at NorLand Limited as Dave Reynolds enters retirement. Officials noted that Reynolds played a pivotal role in driving the company’s unprecedented growth and establishing a shared purpose and corporate vision.