Professional Quantity Surveyor leading in heels

Natalie Dione Alexander, MSc., MRICS, PQS

Who is Natalie as a career professional? Natalie is currently a PhD Candidate, seeking to link the relationship between sustainable development and green building practices in the construction industry to economic growth and viability . Evoking that ideology, real change happens only when sustainable development practices simultaneously contribute to economic growth and the improvement of our standards of living, especially in developing and emerging nations . As quantity surveyors, it is imperative that we recognize the influence that the green building industry has on a country’s economy and its impact on the lives of the people, so we can be prepared for the ever-changing global construction market .

As a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and LEED Professional, Natalie has been engaged in several construction projects over the past 11 years, where her roles diversified from Quantity Surveyor to Project Coordinator or Construction Project Manager . Her project portfolio includes a high concentration of high-rise condominium developments in Toronto, a range of retail buildings, custom homes, subdivision developments, commercial properties across many cities in Canada, commercial buildings in St . Vincent, and world-renowned hotels in St . Lucia . Who is Natalie personally? Throughout her career, Natalie has made strides in breaking the glass ceiling and expectations that were placed on her as a young girl born and raised in the tropical island of St . Lucia . Daring to dream bigger, Natalie immigrated to Canada in 2003 in pursuit of her education and career aspirations . A now thriving career professional, PhD candidate, and author, Natalie believes that the pursuit of her career should not be limited to growing only herself . As such, she uses her experience from working in a male-dominated industry to inspire and motivate young professionals (especially women and immigrants) to find their voice and create an identity for themselves .

Natalie’s book, How To Be A Leader In Heels: Rules of the Game, is for young women and new immigrants . It offers helpful tips and advice on all the unspoken rules in business that if applied wisely, can assist in advancing their career . Through the art of strategic application of soft-skills and emotional intelligence, Natalie takes the reader through all the lessons she has learnt from being both an immigrant and a woman working in a male-dominated industry . She also writes how she used her knowledge to successfully get ahead of the game .

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Though the saying goes “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”; your credentials and technical skills get your foot in the door, and your soft skills are the gateway to keeping those doors open . Natalie delivers some hard punches within the chapters of her book, as she discusses the importance of strategizing and prioritizing one’s goals, shredding victimhood mentality, and how to manage career goals more effectively .

Drawing heavily on her own experiences, lessons she has learnt, mistakes she has made, and all the advice she wishes she had when she first started in her career, Natalie shares her book with the hopes of helping other women and immigrants along their own journeys .

Natalie can be reached on her email at info@natalie-alexander.com or her website www.natalie-alexander.com.

Andrew Heal, J.D., LL.M.

Partner, Heal & Co. LLP Certified Specialist Construction Law

Catherine DiMarco, LL.B.

Partner, Heal & Co. LLP

Damon Stoddard LL.B., LL.M.

Partner, Heal & Co. LLP