{"id":11439,"date":"2026-05-19T19:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T23:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/blog\/?p=11439"},"modified":"2026-05-19T19:17:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T23:17:00","slug":"people-spotlight-series-meet-jennifer-ashawasegai-pereira","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/blog\/people-spotlight-series-meet-jennifer-ashawasegai-pereira\/","title":{"rendered":"People Spotlight: Meet Jennifer Ashawasegai-Pereira"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our People Spotlight <\/em>series<\/a> gives you an inside look at our technical experts around the world. This week, we are highlighting an Indigenous relations lead for eastern Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Ashawasegai-Pereira is one of the Indigenous relations leads, based in the Sudbury, Ontario office, which is in the Robinson Huron Treaty territory in Canada. In addition to her work at AECOM, the Anishinabe Kwe from Henvey Inlet First Nation (Robinson Huron Treaty territory) serves her First Nation as a Community Trustee for two of the Nation\u2019s Trusts. Jennifer began her corporate journey about 11 years ago as a First Nations Liaison for two construction projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started working part-time at AECOM as a First Nation Liaison for a highway expansion project in my territory, I quickly recognized the critical need for cultural awareness training and communications support to promote understanding and awareness of Indigenous Peoples, and how our projects can impact Indigenous Peoples across Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reconciliation has been a big part of my corporate journey and promoting the integration of it across business lines has been important to me. Presently, it\u2019s great to see more focus on relationship building and partnership goals in Canada as we all strive to contribute to Nationhood building from a local perspective to a global one. All projects across Canada include various levels of Indigenous participation, which has been a natural progression in the Reconciliation journey from consultation to projects to the markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great example comes from my own First Nation, when Henvey Inlet First Nation (HIFN) and Pattern Canada developed a 300-megawatt wind project on HIFN land that would generate enough clean, renewable energy to power about 100,000 homes in Ontario. The\u00a0Henvey Inlet Wind project<\/a>\u00a0was a one-of-a-kind venture: it was both the largest single-phase wind project in Ontario, as well as the largest First Nation wind partnership project in Canada at the time. AECOM was hired to conduct the environmental assessments as well as carry out the environmental monitoring program during the project\u2019s construction phase. As a First Nation Liaison, I had the wonderful opportunity to lead job recruitment and retention of Anishinabek employees, help ease cultural challenges and support training initiatives. I really enjoyed this rewarding project work with AECOM and transitioned to full-time employment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is your favorite AECOM project that you\u2019ve worked on and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without a doubt, the Henvey Inlet Wind project. I loved having \u201cboots on the ground\u201d during the construction phase, talking with other Anishinabek about their traditional knowledge and what they learned through their experience with us. Because of our local knowledge of the land and proximity to the project site, we were able to more effectively protect and preserve the natural environment and provide time- and cost-saving opportunities. It was an exciting time and I\u2019m very proud to have been involved in this sustainable legacy project, one that recognized social value and fit the needs of my community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a First Nation Liaison, part of my role involved supporting employee recruitment efforts. I worked to build trust and encourage candidates to explore opportunities with AECOM. This required establishing strong relationships with local First Nations communities, as well as a solid understanding of the support networks available both within those communities and across AECOM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open and honest dialogue with First Nation leadership was central to this work and consistently fostered mutual respect and collaboration. Building and maintaining these relationships is essential to the success of projects involving Indigenous clients, partnerships or participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am also excited to be a member of AECOM\u2019s Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations Committee to help AECOM reach the next level of certification from the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business. This certification confirms our corporate performance as a good business partner, a great place to work and a strong commitment to prosperity for Indigenous Peoples. Additionally, I am proud of our continued work to elevate and grow Indigenous engagement<\/a> initiatives globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Share a piece of career advice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year or two, spend some time thinking about your career and taking inventory of your skills. Challenge yourself by learning something new, either for your career or your personal growth. Learning opportunities are everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Henvey Inlet Wind, Ontario, Canada, Wind Turbines, Pattern Energy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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