My Stantec Story: Deepa Satagopan
February 12, 2025
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Deepa, a landscape design associate, shares how she uses her skills to help communities thrive and grow with nature
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In the My Stantec Story series, our designers, engineers, marketers, project managers, and leaders come together to share how their career journeys at Stantec have shaped their lives and moved them closer to their goals.
Tell us about your role…
Principally a landscape architect with a focus on landscape design, I’m a landscape design associate working on a varied portfolio of projects—from large complex residential, industrial, and commercial developments to a range of small-scale community projects.
Having had previous experience with landscape planning projects, preparing landscape and visual impact assessments (LVIAs), I combine these two skills for projects I work on. I also bring in new types of projects such as community allotment and growing schemes and, more recently, a Tree for Life scheme in a local community—a Community Project in Shinfield, Reading, where to celebrate the birth of a child, a family adopts or sponsors a fruit tree. The idea is that the tree grows with the child and contributes to the wider community orchard through fruit production and enabling pollination, helping wildlife to thrive.
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Why do you enjoy working at Stantec?
Initially, I was drawn to the friendly and inclusive environment and Stantec’s continued focus on the wellbeing of its employees. As well, I love the opportunity to collaborate with my team on design and innovation for a wide variety of projects.
I also enjoy attending Stantec’s knowledge exchange platforms—presentations that showcase current projects and the interdisciplinary efforts that go into each stage of the design. Not only does this provide me with opportunities to learn from each project, but it also helps me understand the breadth and depth of knowledge Stantec offers.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
There’s never a dull moment! I enjoy meeting with my team every Wednesday morning to discuss projects we’re working on. Sharing this information sparks healthy collaboration and meaningful peer feedback that I appreciate—and I love getting to know everyone on my team!
" }I see myself creating exemplary solutions that make a real difference to our clients and communities.
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How has your personal and professional development been supported at Stantec?
I’ve worked with my team for over nine years now and it’s always felt like family. The supportive nature of the team is second to none. My line manager and mentor have been a consistent sounding block for me and have helped me grow in my role over the years. This has helped me become more confident particularly when I have had to handle difficult situations. Stantec also provides support through a variety of training sessions.
I feel like I’ve really grown with the Company. I initially joined Stantec as a landscape architect and worked my way through the Chartership at the Landscape Institute to get to where I am now. I’ve always felt supported at every stage with a clear career strategy at every step along the way.
What has been the standout project for you during your time at Stantec?
I’ve been helping uncover a currently culverted river and naturalise the riverbed. This project is at the heart of public realm enhancements and it’s been exciting to be part of the whole process and see the designs come to life. And it was recently featured on the BBC and the Coventry Observer, a group of local weekly newspapers.
What are your ambitions for your future at Stantec?
I see myself creating exemplary solutions that make a real difference to our clients and communities—developing innovative designs that address contemporary challenges such as climate change and achieving biodiversity net gain.
I’d also like to build an impressive portfolio and gain recognition in the design industry.
What are your passions outside of work?
When I’m not working on landscape designs, I love the seasonality of gardening and spend most of my spare time pottering around in the garden. I enjoy growing my own fruit and vegetables where I can and get a lot of satisfaction from it. I also enjoy dancing as a medium of expression and telling stories to the audience. Bharatnaytam, a classical south Indian dance, helps me keep in touch with my roots. I enjoy the team effort involved in the dance productions.
Why should others join the Stantec team?
Stantec is a great place to work with a welcoming and inclusive culture. I always feel that I’m surrounded by great people with professional minds who offer genuine support when I need it.
It’s a great place to work on a variety of exciting landscape design projects and collaborate with other teams. Having joined the company as a landscape architect nine years ago, I can confidently say that this has been vital to my progression to associate landscape architect.
At Stantec, we put people first. For Deepa, that means helping improve communities with her work as a landscape design associate.
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