Pina Mallozzi is the Senior Vice President, Design at Waterfront Toronto. For 20 years, Pina has worked closely with consultant teams and community stakeholders to ensure that Waterfront Toronto’s vision for vibrant, accessible and well-designed communities and public spaces is realized. She is responsible for the design of a large portfolio of projects, including the revitalization of Queens Quay West, Biidaasige Park, Waterfront East Transit and other parks and public spaces emerging on the waterfront. She led the development of Waterfront Toronto’s first Waterfront Accessibility Design Guidelines and the formation of the first Waterfront Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Who were your major influencers/mentors and what were the key lessons you gained from them?

I have been fortunate to work along side a number of strong, smart, hardworking women throughout my career, both in earlier roles and at Waterfront Toronto. Their example showed me that effective leadership is defined by the ability to pair clarity and ambition with empathy, sound judgment, and collaboration. From them, I learned how to navigate complexity with resilience, and foster a team environment where people feel trusted, supported, and motivated to contribute at a high level. I have also had the opportunity to work alongside many visionary designers who profoundly shaped my understanding of design leadership and city building. From them, I learned that transformative work starts with a bold and compelling vision, but succeeds only through rigour, persistence, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. To paraphrase Claude Cormier, I believe city building should be “Serious Fun” — grounded in discipline, yet also imaginative, memorable, and evoking joy.