Freda Leong appointed as National Leader, Indigenous Communities

Associated Engineering is very pleased to announce that Freda Leong, P.Eng. from our Vancouver office has accepted the position of National Leader, Indigenous Communities.

In her new role, Freda will collaborate with staff across the company, providing strategic input and advice on business development, proposals, and projects to expand our work and support project delivery for Indigenous Communities across Canada. She will also assist and advise staff on Indigenous engagement and collaboration on their public and private sector projects. In addition, Freda will champion implementation of the actions associated with our Indigenous Commitment Policy. In particular, she will support the company’s activities to raise awareness and educate staff on Indigenous history, culture, and values so we can advance reconciliation. Freda will also continue as Manager, Indigenous Infrastructure and Project Manager, supported by the Infrastructure and Water teams in BC.

A graduate of the University of Technology Sydney in Sydney, Australia, Freda started her career with Sydney Water in system management and asset solutions, before moving to Canada and joining Associated Engineering in 2004. As a member of our BC Infrastructure team, Freda she has played an instrumental role in growing our work for Indigenous Communities in BC and the North, and providing business development and project support to expand our services to Indigenous Communities across Canada.

Freda has more than 25 years of experience encompassing planning, studies, assessment, design, construction, and project management of water, sewer, water and wastewater treatment, roads, drainage, buildings, and subdivision projects. Recently, Freda’s team received ACEC-BC’s 2022 Award of Excellence for the Kluskus Village Domestic Water System Improvements.

Freda is passionate about working with Indigenous Communities and is a strong advocate for Indigenous People. She has volunteered her time in Indigenous Communities and at career fairs to promote education and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) to Indigenous youth. Freda has also supported EGBC, ACEC-BC, and BCWWA to provide Indigenous awareness and education, and improve engagement and collaboration with Indigenous Communities. She is frequently called upon as a subject matter expert on projects and as a speaker at conferences on Indigenous collaboration and engagement.