Arielle Kadoch, Sector Leader of Power Delivery, at Stantec

Creativity, trust and connecting; these are the values that drive Arielle Kadoch to be a successful force in the energy industry. As the Sector Leader of Power Delivery, at Stantec, Arielle is responsible for developing and maintaining long lasting relationships with clients in Canada and internationally. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, and a Masters in Mathematics from the University of Montreal. She continues to drive business development and innovation to implement clean energy solutions across Canada.

Into the Energy Rabbit Hole

Surprisingly, Arielle never intended to walk down the energy rabbit hole. As an electrical engineer specialized in the telecom industry, Arielle imagined her career path would be in her field. Her first role was as a consultant with an energy group, and she decided that even though it was not her major, she would give it a chance and learn how power is delivered to the community. 20 years later, she still loves it! She started as a project engineer in design, working on hydro dams and power delivery. Soon after, she took on greater roles as a project manager and director with DESSAU. Her initial client was Hydro Quebec, where focused on Hydroelectric power Dams and High voltage substations. After noticing that Ontario and other provinces had many other utilities, she convinced her manager to look outside of Quebec and diversify their overall services. This helped her branch out to other contracts in the renewable sector and showcase all the experience her team had to markets outside Quebec.

She expanded to other sectors including Wind power and Solar Energy, and even had her team involved in the design of the first 1000 volt solar projects in Ontario. DESSAU became acquired by Stantec in 2015. However, her superiors noticed her ability to build on relationships and think outside the box, helping her to further elevate her career path as the Power Delivery Sector Leader for Canada overall. Whether it’s helping her team to grow and diversify their expertise, or expanding their client base, Arielle is determined to continue growing with the energy industry.

Keep Creative and Carry On

One of her key drivers is creativity. Although, at first, it was scary branching out to other sectors and utilities, Arielle was convinced that if she did not help her team diversify and take part in the latest technology advancements, they would not evolve in this fast moving industry. It was new to everyone, and everyone was going to have to learn. The team found equipment experts and mentors to get a better understanding of the new technologies. They brought all their experience, all their engineers together to create, to innovate and to learn. To their surprise, it wasn’t as difficult as they initially thought.

3D modelling was one of the creative pieces that their team brought to the table during a Major substation project. It not only looked good aesthetically, but improved the quality of the work, and helped visualize interference with existing infrastructure. There exists a lot of risk of error during detailed wiring. After doing some digging, they found a software that automated the interconnections and bill of materials, significantly reducing the risk of error. Creativity helped Arielle and her team position themselves ahead of the game, but more importantly helped their partners become more efficient.

Trust: The Key to the Client’s Heart

At Stantec, Arielle wears many hats. She supports clients, builds relationships, develops opportunities, and directs projects and client accounts. Most importantly, she supports her team at Stantec to understand their client’s needs. She helps employees evaluate the client’s need and deliver the best solution tailored for the client. If it means bringing in different resources who have additional expertise, then that’s what they do. Arielle helps her team become the client’s trusted advisors, and when necessary, she mediates between the clients and project leads. By maintaining an open relationship, her team grows with clients and the clients grow with Stantec.

An example of this is when Stantec recently partnered with Hydro Quebec to help them with their grid resiliency. Stantec developed a climate change risk assessment and adaptation plan of their entire network. What led them to this project was their pilot study with Hydro Ottawa. Hand in hand with the utility, they assessed how climate change impacted their assets and conducted a risk study, and then developed an adaptation plan. Their experience and work with Hydro Ottawa gave them the confidence and credibility to offer theses services to other clients such as Hydro Quebec.

With that said, some of Arielle’s keys to winning the client’s heart include:

• Be present: Maintain the client’s trust by following up with them through each step, even after the project has been implemented.

• Be upfront: Helping the clients understand the risks and realities right away maintains that trust, even if it means it would be more effective for the client to consult with the manufacturer instead or another stakeholder.

• Be diligent: It’s important to ensure you avoid conflicts of interest so that the client receives the best service.

• Be an advisor: Provide the best expertise and support you can to ensure your client's project success.
  

Be Inspired and Stay Connected

What inspired Arielle to even become an engineer was her father. As a Doctor in electrical engineering specialized in Telecom, he constantly encouraged her to follow this path. To get more involved in networking and scientific committees, and never be afraid of being the only woman in the room. He continues to inspire her with his hard work and dedication, actively working and mentoring his graduate students. When she sees him powering through and not retiring, it helps her keep going too.

That’s why Arielle’s advice to students, and professionals wanting to enter the energy sector is this. Don’t be afraid to get out there and meet people. Get involved in committees and associations. Take part in those discussions. All the women who are in the energy industry each bring a different perspective to the table. Creating those connections and finding those mentors help put things into perspective. Then you learn that it is feasible to have a family and a career, and like Arielle, you can show your kids that they can do the same. That’s the best gift to give your children, and yourself.