Leslie Woo

Biographie : Leslie Woo CRE® is Leslie Woo is a respected leader with over 25 years of experience building sustainable communities and shaping urban growth in Canada’s fastest-growing urban region, the Toronto metropolitan area. Leslie assumed the role of CEO at CivicAction in September 2020, a premier civic engagement organization that convenes established and rising leaders from all sectors, backgrounds and experiences. CivicAction catalyzes action for impactful solutions to address pressing urban challenges. Leslie is a tri-sector athlete with experience in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors as well as her experience as a planner, architect and community activator. An accomplished leader, Leslie was named One of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017 by WXN, Spacing Toronto’s Transit Changemaker in 2016 and Canada’s Women’s Infrastructure Network’s 2015 Outstanding Leader. Founder of shebuildscities.org, Leslie uses her voice and platform to amplify and celebrate other women city builder Before joining CivicAction, Leslie held many executive roles over her twelve year career at Metrolinx , the regional transit authority for the Toronto centred Greater Golden Horseshoe . As Chief Planning and Development Officer Leslie was responsible for guiding over CA$60B regional transit investment, and overseeing the delivery of public policy benefits for more complete and connected communities. Leslie pioneered the establishment of transit oriented development as a new line of business for the agency and its partner Infrastructure Ontario. Leslie has been named, one of Bisnow’s 2019 Toronto Power Women in Commercial Real Estate, one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017, Spacing Toronto’s Transit Change-maker in 2016, Canada’s Women’s Infrastructure Network’s 2015 Outstanding Leader and a 2011/12 Fellow with the International Women’s Forum. Prior to Metrolinx Leslie worked in the municipal, private and not-for-profit sectors. She was the key author of the original Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan (2006), which by 2016 had resulted in urban intensification totalling over 18 percent increase in multi-family residential development, a two-thirds reduction of greenfield lands consumption, and conserved about 800 square kilometres of agricultural and rural land. Leslie is an active volunteer with the Urban Land Institute as a member of the Americas Executive Committee, a Global Governing Trustee, a member of the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development jury and a member of the Curtis Infrastructure Initiative Global Advisory Board. She is ammeber of the Public Development and Infrastructure Product COuncil and the ULI Toronto Governance Committee. Leslie is a Director on the board of Women’s College Hospital, where she chairs the Quality, Academic and Equity Committee. She is a retired member of the Ontario Association of Architects and the 2015 recipient of the Renison University College Distinguished Alumna Award. Leslie is the creator of the blog shebuildscities.org celebrating women city builders around the world. Leslie received a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, a Bachelor of Architecture and a Masters of Planning from the University of Waterloo, Canada