Gina Parvaneh Cody is a Canadian-Iranian engineer and business leader. In 1989, Gina became the first woman in Concordia University’s history to earn a PhD in building engineering. In 2018, following her donation of $15 million, Concordia University renamed its faculty of engineering and computer science after her, making it the first university engineering faculty to be named after a woman in Canada, and internationally.
Early life and education
Cody was born in Iran in 1956. Her father worked in construction, but also owned a boy's high school, where Cody would teach during the summer. Cody's three brothers became engineers, while her sister became a dentist. In 1978, Cody completed a Bachelor of Science degree in structural engineering at Aryamehr University of Technology. She left Iran for Canada in 1979 with $2,000. At this point, Cody's brother had completed a Bachelor's of Engineering at Concordia University in Montreal, and arranged for her to meet with the engineering professor Cedric Marsh. Through this meeting, Cody received a scholarship in engineering to attend the Concordia University in Montreal, where she completed a master's degree in engineering in 1981. In 1989, Cody became the first woman in Concordia University's history to earn a PhD in building engineering.
Career
Following her PhD, Cody moved to Toronto, where she worked for a year on provincial building codes for Ontario's Ministry of Housing. Cody then moved to the private sector, where she performed crane inspections at Construction Control Inc., making her the first woman to climb Toronto construction cranes as a machine inspector. Cody later became the president of CCI. Until her retirement, Cody was the executive chair and principal shareholder of CCI Group Inc. Cody sold CCI Group Inc. and retired in 2016. Following a 2016 merger, the CCI Group Inc. now operates as McIntosh Perry Consulting Engineers. In 2018, Cody donated $15 million to Concordia University, and had its faculty of engineering and computer science named after her, making it the first university engineering faculty to be named after a woman in Canada, and one of the first internationally. Her support will foster gender equity, diversity and inclusion through 100 undergraduate and 40 graduate entrance scholarships across the faculty. In addition, it will support the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Smart and Resilient Cities and Communities, and enable next-generation work of three new research chairs in the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and industry 4.0.
Awards
For her contributions to engineering, business and her community, Cody has received numerous awards, including an Award of Merit from the Canadian Standards Association, a Volunteer Service Award from the Government of Ontario and Officer of the Order of Honour of Professional Engineers Ontario. The Financial Post recognized Construction Control as one of Canada's best managed companies. In 2010, Profit magazine named Cody one of Canada's Top Women Entrepreneurs, and listed CCI as the ninth most profitable Canadian company owned by a woman. The following year, the Concordia University Alumni Association named her Alumna of the Year. In 2019, Cody was named to the Order of Montreal, and was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In 2020, Cody was named one of Canada's Top 25 Women of Influence.
Personal life
Cody currently resides in Toronto and is married to Thomas Cody, a Concordia MBA graduate and retired Bank of America Canada senior vice-president. Cody met her husband at Concordia University. The couple have two daughters: Roya and Tina Cody.
