Mentors

Director of Development, Urban Capital

As the first employee hired at Urban Capital 19 year ago, Taya Cook has had the unique experience to grow with a company that has become one of Canada’s top residential developers. During this time she has been intimately involved with the development of more than 20 buildings, and delivery of over 5,000 condominium units.

As the company’s Director of Development, Taya has spent her career surrounded by mostly great men….and noticeably few women. So when an article came out listing the top developers in Toronto, and all 20 of them were men, she felt compelled to react. So she, along with partner Sherry Larjari from Spotlight Development, announced Reina, the first condo project designed and developed by an all-star team of women, with the goal of creating a platform to showcase women in development and to encourage others to enter the field. With over 200 homes and a budget topping $100 million, this women-led, family-oriented project is now under construction in Etobicoke, Canada.

With extensive interviews for the New York Times, Oprah Magazine and many others, Taya is a strong supporter of women in senior positions and has a keen interest to shake up the industry’s status quo.