Innovative Insights

We speak to our chief digital officer about how we’re using digital technology and subject matter expertise across all our business lines to deliver more efficient services to clients. 

 Dave Roberts was promoted to chief digital officer in 2025. The regular co-host of the podcast, he is on the other side of the mic as the featured guest in this episode.

 Using several examples, including digital twin technology, Roberts talks about how the innovative delivery of our services through technology can improve efficiency for clients across all our business lines.

In this episode of the Stantec.io podcast, we speak to three members of our geohazards team about the post-wildfire debris flow risk of mountainous communities. They also stress how the intersection of innovation and technology can help make our communities safer.

 Joining the discussion are Rick Guthrie, vice president for geohazards and geomorphology, Thad Wasklewicz, principal for geohazards and geomorphology, and Caitlin Orem, geomorphologist.

In this episode of the Stantec.io podcast, we speak to four Stantec employees with diverse experience about how they use innovation to help solve complex problems for clients. 

 Joining the podcast are senior project manager Nadia Vogt, regional sector lead for clean generation Jag Singh, project director for treatment delivery Mark Wollina, and director of digital consulting and solutions Jeff Albee.

 The group discusses how they work they do has evolved over the past two decades. And they talk about the innovative tools in their toolkit that provide the best outcomes for clients.

Co-hosts Dave Roberts and Mike Arsenault speak with Rick Huijbregts, our global lead for smart cities, and Yahya Saad, the co-founder and chief development officer for GlobalDWS, a technology company based in Toronto, Ontario. They discuss workplace robotics technology and the potential applications for creating more efficient and high-performance workspaces. 

 They also talk about where robots in the workplace could go in the future. 

In this episode, co-hosts Dave Roberts and Mike Arsenault speak with Andrew Johns, Stantec’s nature-based solutions lead for the UK and Ireland, and Johnathan Scheibly, Stantec’s blue-carbon specialist for nature-based solutions. They describe nature-based solutions and why they’re often referred to as engineering with nature. And they talk about why collaboration with different design disciplines is necessary.

 They also discuss the benefits of nature-based solutions for communities and the environment. 

In this episode of the Stantec.io podcast, co-hosts Dave Roberts and Mike Arsenault speak with Don Erpenbeck, Stantec’s global sector leader for dams and hydropower, and Craig Scott, Stantec’s UK director for dams and waterpower. They describe the process of pumped storage hydropower. And they talk about the scale of pumped storage projects and why collaboration with different disciplines is necessary.

They also discuss the effectiveness of the pumped storage hydropower and how it can help the clean energy transition. 

The impact of digital technology on design

In this episode, co-hosts Dave Roberts and Mike Arsenault talk to Brendan Mullins, Stantec’s discipline lead for design computing. They discuss the evolution of digital tools in the design industry and how they make the design process more efficient and effective for clients. And they talk about the challenges of incorporating these tools into an industry that is conservative and traditional.

Brendan also talks about his design work on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and how design computing and digital technology made the construction of the building possible. 

How to develop digital solutions for our clients

In this episode, co-hosts Dave Roberts and Mike Arsenault talk to Brandy Little, Stantec’s flood suite solutions product manager. They discuss the effective development of digital solutions to help solve client problems, like using machine learning to help better predict floods. 

Brandy talks about the teamwork required between our subject matter experts and our technology experts and how they build digital solutions that can make a difference for our clients. They also discuss how to stay current when technology always seems to constantly evolve. 

Best practices for digital transformation

In this episode, co-hosts Dave Roberts and Mike Arsenault talk to Shankar Kalyana, Stantec’s chief technology officer. They discuss effective digital transformation in business and the steps necessary for successful implementation: from leadership and strategy, to employee communication and program management, Shankar outlines his best practices with examples gleaned from his multi-decade technology career.

Best practices for AI deployment

In this episode, co-hosts Dave Roberts and Mike Arsenault talk to Lalitha Krishnamoorthy, Stantec’s director of artificial intelligence. They ask her several AI-related questions provided by Stantec clients about how to ethically integrate artificial intelligence into business practices. She also provides advice for organizations embarking on their own AI journeys.