Jeanette M. Southwood

Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, Engineers Canada

An award-winning engineer, Jeanette Southwood is Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, at Engineers Canada, the national organization of the 12 engineering regulators that license Canada’s more than 300,000 members of the engineering profession, where her team’s portfolios include: diversity, equity and inclusion; globalization and sustainable development; outreach; member services; communications; and government relations, public affairs and public policy. Prior to joining Engineers Canada, Jeanette led the Canadian Urban Development & Infrastructure Sector and the Global Sustainable Cities teams at an international consulting firm. She was the first black woman and first woman of colour to be appointed to the senior leadership position of Principal at that global firm. Jeanette is a Fellow of Engineers Canada, and a recipient of the Province of Ontario’s “Leading Women Building Communities Award”. She was honoured as one of Canada’s Clean50 for her work and dedication to sustainable development, leading change, championing innovation and changing our world for the better. She was also inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering which recognizes engineers contributing in exemplary ways towards their disciplinary fields and the wider community. A dedicated volunteer with a number of organizations and on several Boards over the years, Jeanette has received an Honorary Doctorate, the Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA) Engineering Excellence Medal and was twice named one of WXN Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. In 2017, she was recognized as one of the Women of Innovation. In 2018, Jeanette was inducted into Professional Engineers Ontario’s Order of Honour and also was selected to provide the Dineen Lecture. In 2019, she was inducted into the University of Toronto’s Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction and received the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal.