Mavara — Leading Alto's Engineering Teams To Success

As Vice President of Engineering at Alto, Mavara is shaping the engineering foundation of Canada’s first high-speed rail network. With more than two decades of experience delivering complex transit and infrastructure programs, she brings a systems-level perspective to designing a network that is safe, operable, maintainable, and built for Canadian conditions. In this employee spotlight, Mavara reflects on leading multidisciplinary teams, the importance of ongoing learning, and setting design standards for a first-of-its-kind project built to serve Canadians and Canadian generations to come. 

What first drew you to Alto?

My career has always been in transportation infrastructure. I have more than 20 years of experience working on major projects and programs leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and managing many stakeholders, municipalities, owners, and contractors. I started my career with an infrastructure design team and have been involved in transportation projects from the inception to completion, i.e. Master Planning and Feasibility to the Detailed Design and Construction Supervision. I have worked on transit projects and programs in Canada, including the Eglinton Crosstown, Regional Express Rail Program and Union Station Enhancement program. I was drawn to Alto by the opportunity to help deliver Canada’s first highspeed rail system, an infrastructure project of generational significance. The technical challenge of designing a worldclass rail system suited to Canada’s climate and geography, combined with Alto’s strong public mandate, made it a compelling place to contribute my engineering leadership.

You mentioned a couple of landmark projects, there! What approach have you taken over your career that has been instrumental to success?

Transportation systems represent one of the few domains where many engineering disciplines come together to deliver safe, reliable, and resilient infrastructure.

Keep a strategic mindset and have defined objectives and clear goals. When you work on complex projects, you learn every day, and that shapes how you think, collaborate, build trust and mentor teams. You learn from experience, and you get better. And based on lessons learned from one project to another, you implement improvements, better ways of doing things and of keeping moving forward.

 What will your team's focus be over the course of the next year?

 Over the next year, our focus will be Design, Planning, and Procurement.

We need to be design-ready and fully understand the challenges we’re working with. This is the first time high-speed rail is being designed in Canada, and that brings unique conditions, including the winter climate and complex geotechnical environments. These are real factors that must be addressed from the outset.

Our priority is to ensure we have the right data to support safe, resilient designs. Where that data does not yet exist, we are planning to invest in research so the system can be built, operated, and maintained safely over the project lifecycle.

Design, at its core, is about getting the engineering right -- producing clear, buildable drawings that contractors can construct with confidence. That means defining the design criteria, standards, and functional requirements for everything from earthworks and culverts to complex river crossings, tunnels, track, and the rail system itself. Safety guides every decision, and we will always select the safest viable option.

Procurement is directly informed by this work. The engineering and design effort lays the foundation for how we package, tender, and deliver the project, ensuring we get the right partners and the right outcomes.

How would you briefly describe your role to somebody with no engineering background?

I lead engineering teams that turn big ideas into real, working infrastructure. My job is to make sure complex projects like our high-speed rail network are designed safely, built well, future-proof, and delivered on time, while balancing technical details, budgets, and the needs of people who will use them.

Have you ever had a mentor or worked with somebody who inspired you?

I have had many mentors throughout my career who have helped transform me as a professional. I highly recommend mentors for young people. Mentors support your career growth, help you through challenges, and transform you as you move through different stages of your career path. I strongly believe in giving back, which is why I have been a mentor for many years.

 Can you speak to the experience of being a woman in engineering? What barriers exist, and what can help overcome or remove them?

As a woman engineer, it isn’t easy, as the field is still very male-dominated. In my class of 100, I was one of only four women. The challenges become even greater when breaking through the glass ceiling into executive roles. Being heard and recognized has always been difficult. It is important not to lose self-confidence and to ensure your voice is heard.

I was fortunate to have strong allies: both men and women, who supported me, even when I was not in the room. Even today, there are many situations where you are still the only woman at the table. That is why self-confidence and allyship are both critical.

From a structural point of view, what would most improve the experience of women in engineering?

 The biggest opportunity to improve the experience of women in engineering is at the midcareer stage. Many women enter the profession but leave when career pressures begin to coincide with family responsibilities. Targeted support, such as flexible work models, clear advancement pathways, sponsorship, and leadership development can make a difference. A positive organizational culture is needed to help women stay consistent in the engineering field. We also need to educate our youth early, so they see engineering as a welcoming profession. Inspiration matters. Kids grow up wanting to be teachers or firefighters, but not engineers. That needs to change.

What is your one message for a young woman just starting her career?

 Stay consistent and keep going. The challenges are real, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Engineering careers unfold in cycles of learning, growth, and overcoming obstacles, and each stage builds the foundation for what comes next.

Seek out mentors and allies early, accept their support, and don’t be afraid to ask for guidance as you navigate the industry and chart your own path. You don’t have to do it alone, and having the right support around you can make all the difference.

 What about working on the Alto project most excites you?

Alto will be Canada’s first high-speed rail network, and it is exciting for me and my team to help shape something truly transformational. It is a tremendous opportunity to work on a project of this scale and of such national importance -- one that has the potential to redefine how people move, connect, and experience sustainable transportation for generations. All the hard work that will go into making this a reality is exciting and incredibly rewarding. Canadians need this now, and that sense of purpose motivates us and makes this project meaningful.