Leadership Team

Michael Lawrence is Chief Financial and Administration Officer of ONxpress Transportation Partners (ONxpress), responsible for developing, implementing and coordinating financial processes across the consortium. With a background in audit and international financial and industrial services, Michael brings extensive experience to the On-Corridor Works Project. Michael has worked more than 20 years as Chief Financial Officer across financial services, energy, pharmaceuticals and transport and logistics in the United-Kingdom, Hong Kong and France. He started his career with KPMG in New York and London. From 2008 to 2013, Michael served in a range of roles with DB Carbo, Deutsche Bahn's European freight activity including the successful turn-around of the French subsidiary. Prior to join ONxpress, Michael was associated with DB International Operations as Chief Corporate Services Officer at Etihad Rail DB which operated and maintained the UAE National Railway in Abu Dhabi.

Lauren D’Oliveira is Head of Communications & Community Relations at ONxpress Transportation Partners (ONxpress). A seasoned communications leader and an active member of the senior management team, she is responsible for leading corporate and project communications, stakeholder relations, community engagement and marketing/advertising activities across the entity. Lauren is a proven leader of teams, accomplished managing matrixed communications functions at the local, national, and international level for the construction and mining industries. She has a depth of experience successfully collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders and is passionate about delivering measurable results while building trust-filled, transparent relationships.

Simon Finlayson is Head of Legal of ONxpress Transportation Partners (ONxpress) and has over 15 years of experience working on the development, procurement and execution of a variety of transit and transportation public–private partnerships and other major infrastructure projects across a number of delivery models. Before joining ONxpress in October 2022, Simon worked in a hybrid commercial-legal leadership role on a multibillon Design Build Finance Operate Maintain greenfield Light Rail Transit (LRT) project for a leading international investor and active manager of infrastructure assets. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Legal for an international engineering and construction firm working on major infrastructure projects in North America.

With over 23 years in the construction industry, Mr. Alberola is an accomplished civil engineer with experience in heavy civil construction and delivery of public private partnership (P3) projects. Having begun his career as a Quality Technician at the Port of Algeciras in Spain, Vicente has honed his project and construction management expertise and climbed the ranks to fulfill roles including Project Manager, Deputy Project Director, Technical Manager, and recently as Project Director on the California High Speed Rail project. Vicente has been involved in high-profile P3 projects in Canada and the world over, refining his in-depth understanding of design and construction standards, sharpening his experience with numerous conventional and specialized construction methodologies, and advancing his knowledge and skills in leading large multi-disciplinary teams and stakeholder engagement. As Project Director, Vicente will ensure the project is delivered on time and within budget while adhering to all safety and quality benchmarks.

David Perez graduated as Mining Engineering by the Polytechnic University of Madrid and began his career in FCC in 1999. He has 23 years of experience primarily in roads, railway works with trackwork and tunnelling, all of it with FCC, mostly developed in international transportation projects as Construction Project Manager. He recently joined the north American FCC division after having spent 5 years in Saudi Arabia as Construction Director of the Line 5 of the Riyadh Metro Project, a major multi-billion Design&Build project which involved the construction of 6 lines at the same time. He also served as responsible for the construction of the Line 1 of the Panamá Metro Project which was Central America´s first subway system. In addition, David’s experience was gained on M-30 Right Road Connection South Bypass in Madrid and Line 2 of Madrid Metro as well as on several railway transit projects for the Spanish high-speed lines.

Muhammad Kamran is current member of Professional Engineer Ontario with 15+ years of multi-disciplinary design, construction, quality assurance & control, commercial, contracts and systems experience with a proven track record of assuring successful delivery of projects and businesses achieving their objectives. As part of worldwide renowned projects such as Gordie Howe International Bridge (Windsor-Detroit corridor), Herb Gray Parkway Project (Windsor), Eglington Crosstown Light Rail Transit (Toronto) & Khalifa Port, KPIZ (UAE), Kamran has successfully implemented Quality Management System with collaborative completion workstreams including design, construction, quality assurance & control, operation readiness and commissioning.

Spanish MSc Civil Engineer, Executive Master in Business Administration; and Master’s degrees in BIM Management of Civil Infrastructures; and in Design, Construction and Maintenance of Railway Infrastructures and Systems, among other studies. With eighteen years of construction experience, he started his relationship with the railway industry in 2008 with TECSA (Specialized railway company part of Dragados and ACS group). Since then, he has been managing different types of railway construction projects (Civils, tracks, electrification, and systems) in very different environments: High-Speed lines, subways, regional lines, ports. He is well experienced in managing night-access comprehensive track construction and renewal projects (Brownfield), minimizing interferences with the regular operations of the network. Involved Regional Express Rail On-Corridor with ONxpress since 2021.

With over 25 years working in the construction industry specializing in Human Resources, Andrea actually started her career as a receptionist with EllisDon. She worked her way up through the ranks, including stops along the way as a Site Administrator and Office Manager, until she found her fit within Human Resources. As the Director, People and Culture for the Corporate and Toronto Districts of Bird Construction, Andrea was a true team player who always took a progressive approach to people and their career growth. Through her dedication and drive, her contributions with Bird also spread nationwide—notably chairing their COVID-19 Response Team and leading the design of Bird’s Build Your Future performance development program. Andrea joined the ONxpress leadership team in early May 2022, and is a driving force behind many people-first initiatives. In her spare time, Andrea is a proud theatre geek and happy to sing all about it.

A graduate from Queen’s University, Clark Gunter began his career as a Professional Geoscientist working on contaminated lands.  Over the years, he has worked in consulting with WSP, at the Ministry of Transportation Ontario, and in construction with WeBuild and Aecon.  He has held leadership positions in those organizations in the areas of environmental management and sustainability. In 2019, he received the inaugural Leadership Award from the Transportation Association of Canada.

Stephen Agla is a seasoned professional in the construction industry with over 20 years of experience both in the field and at the leadership level. An early work assignment to build company safety manuals sparked his interest in Health & Safety and changed the path of his career in construction.   Since joining AECON in 2014, Stephen has served as a Health and Safety (H&S) Advisor on projects within sectors such as transportation and rail, commercial office, and energy; lending his expertise to such projects as the Waterloo Light Rail Transit and the Union Station Train Shed Revitalization. In addition to his extensive training and policy accomplishments, Stephen championed AECON’s widespread mental health initiatives.   Now serving as Director of Health & Safety for the ONxpress GO Expansion, one of Canada's largest infrastructure projects, Stephen’s commitment to both physical and mental safety within the construction industry remains as strong as ever.

Shahriar holds an Executive MBA degree from Queens University, and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from University of California, Irvine. He is a Professional Engineer, registered with the province of Ontario. With more than 30 years of progressive experience in utility design and construction specifically related to City of Toronto, Hydro One and Toronto Hydro, Shahriar strives to be a highly effective and forward-thinking individual who has set his top priorities in workplace health and safety , employees’ recognition, and continuous project improvements and sustainability. Through collaboration and shared goals, Shahriar understands values, and leverages to proactively support our client’s operations to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of our development phase project deliverables.

In his role as CEO, Thorsten leads OOI and its mandate to deliver the largest transit capital expansion in Ontario’s history for Metrolinx’s GO Expansion – OnCorr project. With over 20 years of expertise in the transportation and railway industry, Thorsten has deep knowledge of the railway industry and is highly skilled in political stakeholder management at both national and international levels. He most recently served as the Canadian Executive Director for Deutsche Bahn International Operations (DB IO). He first joined Deutsche Bahn (DB) in 2007 and has held leadership positions of increasing responsibility throughout Europe. Before moving to Canada, Thorsten served as the highest-ranking representative for DB in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. In this role, he was crucial in driving one of DB’s biggest infrastructure projects, Stuttgart 21, to success by uniting the project partners behind the best possible implementation. He also gained international experience during his multi-year assignment to Brussels, Belgium lobbying for DB and the railway sector in the European Union. Before joining DB, Thorsten worked for seven years for the German Bundestag (Germany’s Parliament), gaining extensive insider knowledge of the legislative process and policymaking. Thorsten holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Philipp University in Marburg, Germany, and a Master of Arts in Political Science from Freie University in Berlin, Germany.

In his role as Chief Operating Officer, Oliver is responsible for leading OOI’s operations & maintenance teams, including responsibility for safety and delivering on our strategy of becoming the safest rail operator in North America. With over 25 years of experience in public transportation, his previous roles include Area Managing Director of Arriva Bus (UK) and multiple roles at Transport for London spanning train crew management, incident response, service control, network control, major projects and the role of Senior Operating Officer as well as senior roles in the coach industry and the UK’s National Health Service. Originally trained as a solicitor before moving to transportation, Oliver has a law degree, a diploma in Leadership and Management, multiple safety certifications and remains a qualified bus driver.

As OOI’s Chief Commercial Officer, Michael is an experienced industry professional with a background in major infrastructure and rail programs spanning over 30 years and various jurisdictions, including Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and Malaysia. Prior to joining OOI, Michael served as the Project Company Lead for the Waterloo Light Rail project from financial close through to the early years of operations. His other notable experiences include working for contracting authorities, engineering consultants, project companies and construction contractors on commuter, light rail and electrification programs, including the Union Pearson Express Program, Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Program, Lines A1, B1 and C1 for the Railway Procurement Agency in Dublin, Ireland. Michael holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from Trinity College, Dublin University and a diploma in Construction Law and Contract Administration.

As OOI’s Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, Stu brings over 25 years of diverse professional experience across the utility, transportation, power and P3 infrastructure industries. Prior to joining OOI, Stu served as the General Counsel and member of the leadership teams for a global infrastructure and renewable power subsidiary of the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) and Macquarie North America’s private equity and infrastructure management group.  Stu was previously a Partner in the Corporate/Securities and Infrastructure groups at McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Stu holds a combined Master of Business Administration/Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and completed the Multinational Management Program at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

As Chief People Officer, Megan brings 18 years of transportation industry experience to ONxpress. Prior to her role as OOI’s Chief People Officer, Megan spent 14 years at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) where she held various roles, most recently as the Executive Director of Human Resources where she also led its Business Transformation Unit. Megan’s experience also includes labour relations roles in the airline industry, as well as another provincial transit provider in Ontario. She has served on various boards, including Big Brothers and Sisters, the TTC Pension Plan, Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association and Achēv. Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Relations from McGill University and a Masters in Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management from Queens University.

Jürgen Bodtländer is the Chief Information Officer of ONxpress Operations Inc. (OOI), responsible for the alignment of all IT related strategies, creating and establishing a joint Technology Roadmap, a Technology Implementation Plan and an overall systems architecture and IT organization, enabling fast and efficient development of the systems integration with continuous deployments and incremental improvements.   Jürgen is a seasoned business IT executive with more than 20 years of senior project management, IT strategy and integration experience. From 2001 to 2022, Jurgen held several senior leadership positions within DB Systel GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsch Bahn, shaping successful digitalization across the group. He has a proven track record for defining and creating entire IT portfolio’s, innovation and business planning strategic enhancement of the business activities. Jurgen is a graduate of Universität der Bundeswehr München.

Patrice oversees the rolling stock for the ON Corridor / GO expansion project as the Vehicle Supplier Director. He has worked at Alstom since 2004 and held various roles during his tenure with the company, including project audit, bids and tenders and most recently as Alstom Competitiveness Director. He began his career with the French Navy as an executive officer stationed in New Caledonia, working his way up to Operations Director on submarines. Patrice earned his engineering degree from the Naval Academy of France as well as his MBA in Business from HEC Paris. He currently resides in Toronto with his family.

Eric started his career in Alstom over 25 years ago and has led several consortiums on large transit infrastructure projects for the company across the world. His most recent turnkey projects include the Réseau Express Metropolitain in Montreal – the largest transit project the city has seen in more than 50 years – and the iconic Riyadh metro, in Saudi Arabia. His drive, unique skillset, and significant experience with every aspect of transport systems large projects, from signalling  to rolling stock, ensures an extraordinary commitment to his team and the customer. Educated in France, Eric holds an engineering degree from the National Graduate school of Aeronautics and Space and a master’s degree in both Physics and Astrophysics from CentraleSupélec and the University of Paris VII, respectively. He is about to settle down in Toronto with his family.

Luis’ team will oversee the integration of the Alstom deliverables and interface with all the different partners to ensure a seamless delivery of a complete ON corridor expansion project. He has significant expertise in leading transit integration projects in North America, Europe and the Middle East with Alstom, SNC Lavalin, FCC and others. He most recently worked on the Reseau Express Metropolitain in Montreal as a track and systems interface manager with NouvLR. Luis has an engineering degree from the ETS Enginyers Industrials Barcelona, Spain.  He currently resides in Toronto with his family.

Anne-Sophie began her career with Alstom in 2001, having taken on various roles within the human resources organization - from compensation and benefits to training manager but mostly as Site/Global HR business partner - in France, Italy, US and Canada. She has accumulated a wealth of HR knowledge through her many roles within Alstom and GE. Anne-Sophie was most recently the human resources business partner for Alstom’s North America rolling stock product introduction organization and joined the ONxpress consortium upon its creation. She leads a team of 4 employees devoted solely to the project. Educated in France, Anne-Sophie holds a master’s degree in Human resources Management from the University Panthéon Assas in Paris. She has lived in Toronto for the last 6 years with her partner and two daughters.

Christophe has 21 years of experience in railway and urban business mainly in project management roles on critical projects within Alstom in North America and Europe. His specialty includes Automatic Train Control systems and all things signalling-related. Christophe most recently worked in Oslo, Norway on a national implementation of the European Train Control System (ERTMS). Previously, he worked on the Montreal Metro as Project Director for the Rolling Stock for the new Azur cars. He was previously Deputy Project Director on a French Metro system renewal project to modernise the Lille Metro Line 1. His current scope as Head of Signalling on the ON Corridor project includes implementing new signalling and telecoms with the first use of ERTMS system in North America, upgrade the interlocking and train supervision. He holds a master’s of science degree from Centrale Lille, in France and certified P.Eng, PMP and IPMA.