Christina Giannone shares what it's like working on the gargantuan Brightwater development in the very area she was born and raised, and what it's like being one of the few female leaders in the development sector.As Vice President of Planning and Development for one of the largest ongoing real estate developments in the Greater Toronto Area, Christina Giannone is incredibly familiar with what it takes to actually get something built.
We caught up with Giannone to discuss her career, Brightwater, and what it's like being one of the few female leaders in the development industry.When I graduated from university, my father's company, FRAM, needed someone to step into a planning role and that's something that I did not have experience in at the time, but I said, 'I'm happy to fill in.
S: Brightwater seems to have a real emphasis on different housing types. How important was that when you were designing the project?Very, and for various reasons. Before the property even came for sale, Imperial Oil worked with the City of Mississauga and the local community and the very active ratepayer associations that are in Port Credit to create what they called Inspiration Port Credit.
S: The real estate world in general, especially the development sector, has such a small proportion of women, with even fewer in leadership positions. Is that something you were conscious of when deciding to go into the field? Or something you ever become conscious of when working on projects?I'm aware of it in certain tables that I sit at and whatnot, but I grew up with three brothers in a competitive family, so it never fazed me to be in that environment.