Our presenters

Expert Witness, Claims, ADR, and Commercial Contracts specialist with over 30 years of career in construction in a broad field of infrastructure industries including oil & gas, process plants, airports, rail, civil engineering, and nuclear. Represented a variety of Owners and Contractors and assisted legal counsel in contract negotiations and a variety of ADR forums worldwide.

Successfully worked on a variety of projects and files with responsibility for the commercial management of major infrastructure projects with a value in excess of $1BN. Operating and managing at the executive level of a project structure in a PPP/PFI environment, representing companies in the preliminary and delivery of live projects. Extensive experience on a variety of bespoke and standard form contracts including CCDC, FIDIC, New Engineering Contract (NEC), ICE, and JCT Contracts.

Managed both contentious and non-contentious contractual matters and key concerns within organizations by providing legal and contractual insight and representation in contract negotiations in Europe, South America, Australia, the Middle East, and the Far East; with major owners and contracting companies. Advised on contractual obligations in order to ensure legal compliance and manage contractual risk. Responsible for both the production and review of project claims, the development and implementation of strategies for risk and opportunity management, together with the evaluation and determination of contractor-submitted claims to project and business management and counsel. Personally, responsible for contract drafting and administration, claims identification, evaluation, preparation and management, dispute resolution, and litigation support.

Barrister at Law, Call July 2010. Certified ODACC Adjudicator, Member of The Honorable Society of the Inner Temple, The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. Published written work, with contributions to 'Introduction to Construction Contract Management' Routledge. Training as a Mediator and Arbitrator and committed to personal and professional development.

Phil has worked in construction for 30+ years. For the last 12 years, he’s been teaching Construction Management courses for construction associations across the country.

Phil is also an instructor for University of Alberta Faculty of Extension, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

In his spare time, Phil is a Master Course Facilitator for a National Sports Organization and chaired their National Coaching/Instructional Program for four years. He was the recipient of the 2018 IG Wealth Management Community National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Coach Developer Award.

Ralph’s construction career has taken him from estimator to project manager, then to self-employed contractor, and finally to a 30-year career as a professor with the Donald J. Smith School of Building Technology at Fanshawe College in London, ON, where he still teaches part-time. He was a 25-year member of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyor (PQS - Professional Quantity Surveyor) and is currently a charter member of the Construction and Design Educators Council of Canada (CDECC). Ralph sits on the board of advisors for the CDECC as well as for an Ontario-based construction company. Ralph holds a certificate in Construction Engineering Technology and Management from Fanshawe College, a teaching certificate from St. Clair College and a Professional Gold Seal certification from the Canadian Construction Association. 

Rick’s career in the construction industry spans 49 years including 14 years in design consulting, 2 years as a Building Inspector and 33 years as founder and President of one of BC’s leading Construction Management firms.

Rick served on the Board of ICBA, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association for 8 years. Rick also served on the Board of Merit Canada for 8 years and is now dedicating his board efforts to the Delta Hospital and Community Health Foundation.

Rick has guided Unitech through the successful completion of nearly $1.5 billion worth commercial, institutional, recreational, hospitality, First Nations, Health and even civil and industrial projects throughout BC. All of these projects been implemented via Construction Manager as Agent via old CCA 5 or CCDC 5A contracts on behalf of many repeat public and private clients.

He is continuing his passion for collaborative construction with $400 million in CM contracts in progress and is leveraging Unitech collaborative approach on promotion of IPD and Lean Construction on current and upcoming projects.

Robert MacRae is the owner of RA MacRae Training Inc. since 1992. Our training has been delivered to corporate clients from Victoria to St. Johns Newfoundland as well as the Arctic Circle. We specialize in mobile equipment operator training and Fall Protection programs. Custom training programs designed for specialty applications.

Rochelle Morandini is an independent consultant whose passion is helping people thrive in the workplace. Rochelle has an extensive background working with organizations and their people across Canada, within a large variety of industries. Her background is in Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour, and has dedicated her career to supporting the people and workplace systems that enhance health and mitigate illness.

Rod Bianchini is SkilledTradesBC’s Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer (CSCO). He joined SkilledTradesBC in 2013 as the Manager of Apprenticeship Advisors and managed the introduction of regional Apprenticeship Advisors across B.C. Rod has a proven track record for developing and leading high-performing teams and as a result, was appointed as Director of Industry Relations and then Chief Operating Officer in 2018. Rod leveraged his passion for collaboration and intentional engagement to provide strategic direction to his team and their work with the Sector Advisory Groups and other industry stakeholders. He was named Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer in November 2021. 

As the CSCO, Rod’s priority is to implement SkilledTradeBC’s new mandate of Skilled Trades Certification (STC). Rod has worked closely with the government to ensure a smooth transition to STC and will be building and leading a new Compliance team to support this implementation.

Rod is a certified Roofer and with an extensive background in skilled trades, he understands the value of skilled trades training and careers. Having been on the apprenticeship journey firsthand, Rod is committed to increasing accessibility to skills training so that others can benefit from a meaningful career in skilled trades as he did. 

Reger is founder and President of Regehr Workplace Safety Solutions and is a professional Occupational Health and Safety consultant who also has many years of industrial work experience.

Roger graduated from BCIT with a Certificate of Occupational Health & Safety. Roger's experience includes 15 years in occupational health and safety, 5 of these as the Production Supervisor and Health and Safety Manager at a medium sized sawmill. It was here that Roger gained expertise in balancing health and safety with production needs. Roger's years of experience as a Health and Safety Manager for a multi-national industrial corporation, also provided him with an extensive understanding of corporate industrial health and safety systems, office ergonomics, and Canadian and American occupational health and safety legislative requirements

As an internationally experienced architect and certified RHFAC Professional with a disability, Roman brings a wealth of lived experience to his work as an architect, designer, educator, artist, and illustrator, specializing in accessibility and inclusion.   Fluent in French, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, and English, Roman has over 15 years of experience working with marginalized communities, including people with disabilities, minorities, and recent immigrants. He has worked with clients and projects in the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as most provinces and territories of Canada.  He currently sits on Waterfront Toronto's Accessibility Advisory Committee, focusing on amplifying disabled voices in architecture and design to attain equitable access that is also well-designed and beautiful. His practice, Linear Nonlinear Inclusive Design, offers clients accessibility and universal design consulting services that seek to go beyond regulatory guidelines, creating better spaces that enhance the lives and experiences of all. 

Passionate about education, Roman is a sessional faculty at OCAD University, leading undergraduate design studios, inclusive design seminars, and more. He has previously co-taught seven courses on architectural theory and history, design, professional practice, and visual representation at the University of Toronto. He is a member of the Rick Hansen Foundation's instructional team, offering the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification training to students at Laurentian University, George Brown College, and South Alberta Institute of Technology, ensuring the success of the next generation of access professionals.

Alongside two other faculty members, Roman co-founded Creative Research Practices (CRIP) Lab, an inclusive practices research center at OCAD University. As a leadership co-director, he leads and facilitates initiatives to advance inclusion and anti-ableist practices in architecture, design pedagogy, research, art production and exhibition, university hiring practices, organizational policy, professional mentorship for workers with disabilities, events symposia, and consulting.