Hello AACE members! I am Tracy Leung, and I am deeply honored to take on the role of chair of the Women in Project Controls (WIPC) initiative! A big thank you goes to Cindy Whitmill, who has built a strong foundation in the establishment of the WIPC vision. Cindy has rallied so many of you to join this important cause! I look forward to working with you, so let’s start off by telling you a bit about myself.

Get to Know Tracy

Originally from Hong Kong, my family immigrated to Toronto, Canada when I was 12. My family probably would have classified me as the typical first-born child: bookworm, logical, and a planner.

I graduated from the Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry program at the University of Toronto in 2003. My thesis was on food engineering, but I ultimately decided to work for a company that produces something as equally important as food: Electricity!

This is my 19th year at Ontario Power Generation, a Canadian utility with a diverse asset base. Ontario Power Generation has nuclear, hydroelectric, gas and other generation assets that provides over half of the electricity in the province of Ontario.

Where is She Now?

I have been blessed at Ontario Power Generation, having the opportunity to take on different roles throughout my career. I started as a project engineer working on fire protection and heavy water processing projects.

In 2006, I moved to the project controls office. My accountabilities include the exciting tasks of updating the company’s project management business processes and software tools to align to recommended industry practices.

Starting these tasks, I discovered AACE and its vast network of the best experts in the industry. AACE has an invaluable array of industry best practices that were the culmination of those experts’ efforts and their passion in the field.

What Has Tracy Been Working On?

I took the knowledge I have gained during these experiences and applied it to the next 10 years of my career in various roles in nuclear engineering and project controls. The most valuable experience during that time was my involvement as the program manager for the cost and change management of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station Refurbishment mega-project.

This multi-billion-dollar capital investment is going to add 30 more years of life to the plant. Its investment also necessitated the enhancement of existing project management and project controls business processes. It also required the implementation of multiple state-of-the-art project controls software and data warehouses. We want to make sure we have the most transparent, accurate, and insightful data and trends to guide projects to success.

In 2020, I took on the role of the Director of Project Services in the Enterprise Project Management Office. I am the project management program owner responsible for governance, training, fleet reporting, reporting and data infrastructure, and specialized support services for the fleet. My duties include cost and scheduling baselining, change management, risk management, and estimating services.

How Did She First Get Involved with AACE?

It was also during this time that I became more active in the industry. I presented my very first technical seminar entitled, “Trust vs. Control: Project Change Management on a Mega Project” in October of 2020.

The passion of the AACE Toronto team was truly inspiring. They have vision and commitment for AACE to continue to be recognized as the authority in project controls. I joined the Toronto Section Board of Directors in November of 2020 and led our local WIPC initiative.

How Tracy is Helping to Take AACE to the Next Level

Two of the questions I often pondered were: 1) how can I introduce the wonderful field of project control to new graduates, and more importantly, 2) how can I help improve the equity, diversity, and inclusion of our profession?

I started reaching out to our local community, asking what barriers women are facing in our industry. Most responses culminated in two major categories: Needing inspiration from successful women in project controls and wanting to achieve gender equality in the workplace.

In other words, women in our field want female leaders to look up to and for guidance. While doing this, women want all to acknowledge, understand, and minimize the unconscious bias toward women. Taking these steps will help to achieve workplace gender equality. These are two immense tasks that will require a group of dedicated and passionate people to tackle. We need to commit to the change that we all want to see.

How You Can Join the Cause

I would like to invite all of you to join this cause. You can be a team member to lead the charge on some deliverables that we will be taking on this year. Or you can be a mentor to guide the next generation of female project control professionals. Or you can be an ally to help our profession break down unconscious bias in the workplace.

I look forward to meeting you, at various AACE events, to discuss any ideas you may have to help our fellow Women in Project Controls!