Fact:
There have been
more than 12
million transit
users boarding
the TTC using
PRESTO (as
of April 2018)
as a result of
Fini’s vision
and leadership
skillset.
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to her team delivering new equipment
and embedded soft ware for more than
10,000 employee and customer devices.
Fini’s vision and executive leadership
skillset led to more than 5,000 next-generation
devices being built and installed
that tailor to the needs of the TTC.
Fini now works to improve Metrolinx
operations and capital delivery by designing
and implementing a comprehensive
enterprise asset management (EAM)
program at Metrolinx. As a member of
the project’s executive committee, she is
responsible for providing strategic direction
for the changing operating model,
project delivery, risk management and
achievement of the business case.
AFTER JOINING ACCENTURE SHORTly
aft er graduating university, Laura Fini
began her career in the public-sector
practice serving the Ontario Public Service
and Federal Government. In her next
fi ve years on the job, she worked in fi elds
ranging from United States and Canadian
telecommunications to retail. However,
it was a particularly challenging transit
assignment in 2010 that would seize her
intellectual curiosity and ignite her passion
for public transportation: PRESTO.
PRESTO, a project launched by the
Metrolinx agency, is the automated fare
collection system off ering seamless travel
across the province of Ontario, including
the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area
(GTHA) and the Ottawa region. All told,
the project would roll out a single payment
source — the PRESTO card —in 11
separate transit systems representing an
annual ridership of more than 826 million,
each with its own fare structure and
unique PRESTO terms. As delivery lead
for soft ware releases, Fini was accountable
for three large-scale, multi-stakeholder
system migrations to PRESTO.
A result of her executive leadership led
“There are a vast number of opportunities to
bring new ideas and technology into the transit industry,
in order to leapfrog ahead and quickly achieve business
objectives. It requires an element of risk to recommend
and move forward with innovation. The ‘new’ can be
immensely challenging to obtain the right buy-in to
proceed. Persistence, a strong business case, and the right
advocates and supports can make all the difference.”
Laura Fini
Managing Director,
Transportation
Accenture
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