Karen Savage

2022 Outstanding Leader Award Finalist

Karen has been providing geotechnical engineering services to the British Columbia building industry for three decades. In 1991, she was the charter-chair of the division (of what is now EGBC) for women engineers and in 2007, she was the first woman board member of what is now ACEC-BC. She founded Horizon Engineering Inc in 1997 and was the only woman president of an engineering consulting company in Canada until 2020.

Karen’s hands-on approach and strong knowledge of soil conditions has been appreciated by stakeholders in residential developments, commercial developments, and civil infrastructure works. She is a technical resource consulted by many municipalities with respect to policy relating to geotechnical issues. As well as providing traditional geotechnical design services for foundations, excavations, shoring systems, and pavements, Karen also provides insight into stormwater management, especially as it relates to surface and sub-surface drainage, stormwater infiltration, and sediment and erosion control, especially for LEED projects.