Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum unites business leaders, public officials and academics

Industry heads and scholars will gather at Concordia and the Sofitel this week, from March 27 to 29, for the CG/LA 11th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum, one of the sector’s top business development events.

The forum is an opportunity for business leaders, public officials, and project funders and sponsors to network and take part in workshops, presentations and informal one-on-one sessions.

This year, the academic community will be included in the forum’s programming, with three researchers from Concordia’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science and one from the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) participating in a number of workshops.

Building the City of the Future

Tuesday, March 27, from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Andreas Athienitis, professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, will join Carlo Scissura, president of the New York Building Congress, and Terry Bennett, owner of Professional Land Services, for a panel discussion.

They will look at how infrastructure projects, one of the biggest enablers of economic growth in cities, must fit within a city’s existing footprint. Panelists will discuss the cities of the future, how to plan for the rapidly changing infrastructure landscape, and how to respond to new, exciting developments within the technology market.

Athienitis’ research focuses on the development and integration of solar energy systems into buildings that generate as much energy as they consume in the Canadian climate. Athienitis is the senior NSERC/Hydro-Québec Industrial Research Chair in Optimized Operation and Energy Efficiency: Towards High Performance Buildings.

Navigating the Future of Transportation

Tuesday, March 27, from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Pragasen Pillay, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will join George Thomas, global director of Smart Infrastructure, and Glady Singh, vice-president of Enterprise Services at PrecisionHawk, for a panel presentation.

They will look at opportunities for both new transportation structures and the rehabilitation and repurposing of existing assets, and how communities should plan ahead with forward-thinking, integrated transit plans, with the world population expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050.

Pillay’s research focuses on the electrification of transportation, with a particular emphasis on the monitoring, control and protection of power systems using artificial intelligence techniques. Pillay is the NSERC/Hydro-Québec Research Chair in Energy Efficiency in Electrical Machines for Small Scale Renewable Energy Production Systems.

Top Global Water and Wastewater Projects

Wednesday, March 28, from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Catherine Mulligan, professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Concordia University Research Chair in Geo-environmental Sustainability, will join representatives from the Cadiz Water Conveyance Project (the United States) and Brookfield (Brazil).

Mulligan specializes in environmental engineering. She has gained more than 25 years of research experience in government, industrial, and academic environments, and has taught courses in site remediation, environmental engineering, fate and transport of contaminants and geoenvironmental engineering. Mulligan conducts research in remediation of contaminated soils, sediments and water.

Cryptocurrency: Investing in Infrastructure

Wednesday, March 28, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Arvind Jain, professor in the Department of Finance, will join Norman Anderson, president and CEO of CG/LA Infrastructure, and John C. Cronin III, president and CEO of OpCenter, for a panel discussion.

They will explore how GViP, cryptocurrency and smart contracting will usher in the next wave of innovation in the infrastructure industry and how companies can best prepare. Also during this session, the BuildCoin Foundation and the Government of Brazil will unveil their plan to fund feasibility studies for 51 strategic lighting and public safety projects throughout Brazil.

Jain's research interests include international banking, international finance and economic development, specifically looking at investor and policy-makers behaviour during financial crises and corruption.

The Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum will also feature keynote addresses from the Honorable Amarjeet Sohi, federal minister of infrastructure and communities, and Valérie Plante, mayor of Montreal, as well as site visits to two of Montreal’s infrastructure projects: the Turcot Interchange project and the proposed addition of a pink line to Montreal’s metro system (facilitated by City of Montreal representatives and Harvard Business School’s John Macomber).

View the full program for the 11th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum.