There’s no one path to career success, and technical skills aren’t everything. This wide-ranging conversation explores the process of building a major program career you can be proud of, and the lifelong learning that makes it possible. Evgenia Jilina, Colliers’ leader of Western Canada transit sector growth, joins Riccardo to talk about industry and life shifts, and the underdiscussed links between the two. 

Their discussion muses over the economic and emotional intensity of Canada’s 2010s P3 boom—its momentum, pressure, and rapid learning curve. They break down how that era of “get stuff done” energy shaped a generation of practitioners and helped set the stage for today’s alliance-style delivery models. The open and honest conversation also tackles two themes that rarely get discussed with enough transparency. Riccardo and Evgenia delve into pursuing continuing education mid-career and the difficult overlap between peak promotion years and the life stage when many professional women consider having children. Evgenia unpacks the “broken rung” dynamic of women in management and her thoughts on the future of leadership in the age of AI. Throughout this companionable dialogue, Evgenia reflects on what it means to stay curious, stretch beyond a job title, and keep learning in an industry that never stops changing.

Key Takeaways

• Thinking back on the highs and learning opportunities of the 2010s P3 boom;
• The road that P3 paved for the development of alliance and collaborative models;
• The effects of life and work experience when returning to school as a professional;
• What the unfortunate timing of the average woman’s career peak and parenting windows costs workplaces;
• AI as a leadership tool, and the very human skills that remain essential.

Quote: 

• “When a woman says, ‘My priorities have changed’ after having children, let’s not assume they’ve changed [to be] against their ambition or career.”  - Evgenia Jilina

The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn:

• Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ 
• Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com 
• Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ 
• Follow Evgenia Jilina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejilina/