Taya Cook, Director of Development, Urban Capital
After being frustrated with an article that came out at the end of 2018, which featured the “Condo Kings” behind Toronto’s boom (as the name suggests, the list included 20 men, zero women), Taya Cook took it upon herself to put together Canada’s first all-women designed and developed condominium project. She brought partner Sherry Larjani on board, secured a site, and assembled a team. From the architects, to the structural, mechanical, electrical and civil engineers, to the planners, construction manager, lawyers and sales team — it was all women. Their family-friendly residential project, called Reina (which aptly means Queen), was announced in the summer of 2019. More than just a building, the project is creating visible role models for women, not the least of which is Taya herself: a mother to a lively three year old, she has been taking an MBA on the weekends, has held a volunteer position for the last 20 years, and has blocked off three time slots a week for coffee dates with women who have requested to meet for career advice.