Meet Our Leadership Team
Aercoustics is more than a company that focuses on science and mathematics, tangibles and intangibles, process and intuition. Our people have a personal passion about how human-made, machine-made and environmental sound and vibration affect the way we live, work and play. Meet the Leadership Team of Aercoustics: a merry band of professionals who work day to day to solve your problems.
Principals and VPs
Payam Ashtiani
Principal, VP of Western Canada and Renewable Energy
Perhaps it was Payam’s love for the classical guitar that drew him to the finely tuned work at Aercoustics where everyone is encouraged to delve deeper into projects that are of interest to them. It was his trailblazing nature that drew him to Vancouver to open Aercoustics’ west coast office, where Aercoustics’ team is involved in major healthcare and research projects.
Some of the outrageous engineering projects at Aercoustics that Payam is most proud to be part of include: the Ontario wind turbine noise measurements protocol development where he was part of the team that developed new methodology which is now being mimicked by others and the Stratford Festival Tom Patterson Theatre, where Aercoustics’ proprietary room acoustic modeling software and design techniques were used to revitalize a theatre icon.
Payam’s favourite part of Aercoustics is the breadth of knowledge in the company that constantly allows for innovation and re-writing of the technical rules used in the industry.
Karen Lilly
VP of People and Culture
Karen is a seasoned Human Resource, talent management, and learning development professional with 16 plus years of experience in People and Culture related fields.
Originally from the UK, Karen is a driven leader and change agent, with a passion for empowering individuals, communities, and organizations through exceptional HR practices. Karen started her career as a high school teacher and moved into HR through interesting career twists, this also included over two years in Risk Management and a year and a half in Marketing. During Karen’s time in HR she has designed multi-year people strategies, built comprehensive skills and capabilities assessments, career navigation tools, led succession planning, developed and evaluated compensation structures, employee engagement programs, and recruitment and retention strategies.
Karen and her husband take community engagement seriously and started KidsCan Charity in 2016. KidsCan removes barriers for children and youth so they can play, create, build, and flourish.
Karen’s favourite thing about Aercoustics is the amazing team, talent and culture that has been built!
Tim Preager
Principal, VP of Transit and Monitoring
Playing hockey, guitar, or drums, and playing around with new ideas to help build better transit systems are some of the ways Tim spends his time.
As VP of Transit, Tim is proud to provide services in all aspects of acoustics, noise, and vibration for the ever-growing number of transit infrastructure projects in Ontario and abroad.
For design services, this means track design for new subway, at-grade, or elevated guideway systems. interior acoustic design of new transit stations, environmental noise & vibration assessments and mitigation design for transit infrastructure such as maintenance and storage facilities and stations. It also means operational noise and vibration changes such as the electrification and expansions of major commuter rail systems.
For construction, this means management of noise and vibration for major transit construction projects including subways, at-grade, elevated guideways, stations, and shaft locations. Management includes practical mitigation methods and monitoring techniques that help deliver project success.
Tim’s favourite part of Aercoustics is the diversity of projects that come through the door – from rail transit to power plants to natural acoustics for performance spaces – there’s never a dull moment!
Amanda Robinson
VP of Architecture
Her love of travel and desire to see and experience new cultures has brought Amanda to Canada. So far, her work career has taken her to three different continents, seeing acoustic designs from many different perspectives.
With a mechanical engineering background, her key love and passion is architectural acoustics, seeing designs transform from a concept to reality, and listening to the completed product. Within her portfolio of work is ABC Broadcast Studios, University projects from all around Australia, the renovation of Hamer Hall, Perth State Theatre Centre, and research into innovative learning environments. She is currently working on projects across Canada including South Niagara Hospital, and Atlantic Sciences Enterprise Centre.
Amanda also loves training and mentoring the future generations in the field of acoustics, and particularly attracting young women to what has been a traditionally male dominated domain.
She is delighted to join the Aercoustics team and bring her 25+ years of experience in acoustics to the organization.
Anthony Roppa
Principal, VP of Business Development and Marketing
As an avid guitarist, Anthony plays in, not one but a couple of bands, and is often found in the company jam sessions. This collaboration, whether it’s musical or engineering-focused, is what really attracted Anthony to working at Aercoustics initially.
Anthony has led Aercoustics’ business development efforts since joining the team in 2013 and holds a Bachelor of Engineering with more than 15 years of technical sales experience. Anthony’s unique background in engineering and sales means he brings a different perspective to both strategic planning and client support.
Anthony’s favourite part of his role at Aercoustics is building relationships by helping industry professionals grow their businesses and be successful. He also enjoys connecting with other sales professionals as a mentor to foster new industry talent and their career growth.
The projects that Anthony is most proud to contribute to are the ones that make an impact to help our communities for a cause, such as SickKids Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning. For Anthony, the best part about working at Aercoustics is the culture, the way our team holds each other accountable to be the best in the industry!
Nicholas Sylvestre-Williams
Principal, VP of Residential Design
When Nicholas isn’t busy riding his bike around or parenting three great kids, you might find him teaching acoustics courses or thinking about innovative solutions for the next big project.
Some of the projects Nicholas is most proud of being a part of are The ONE – Canada’s first super-tall residential building, and the Pan Am games facilities, knowing that this was a major project for Toronto, he was happy to be a part of the team that ensured that the design incorporates good acoustics for a world-stage event. He is also proud to share his knowledge of acoustics, noise & vibration, volunteering on with multiple bodies such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) and Standards Council Canada (SCC).
His favourite part about working for Aercoustics is simply coming in to work each day with wonderfully talented people and seeing the development of engineer’s skills firsthand.
Steve Titus
Principal, President and CEO
When he’s not immersing himself in the latest auto racing technology or trying desperately to improve his golf prowess, you can find Steve downtown Toronto or Vancouver, doing what he loves – solving problems and connecting with people!
As President & CEO of Aercoustics, Steve continues to be a visionary leader steering the ship toward an exciting future. With a passion for tackling challenges, Steve has left his mark on diverse projects, but it’s the art of business management that truly ignites his fire, driving Aercoustics to be the absolute best company to work for.
Over his illustrious career, Steve is proudest of milestones like propelling Aercoustics to new heights with doubling its size and spreading its wings to Vancouver. His project portfolio is equally impressive, and while the majority of his career has been in the architectural space, he is one of the most well rounded acoustical and vibration consultants with expertise across all sectors. Steve’s has worked on the most iconic and high profile projects over his career, such as Maison Radio-Canada, SickKids Peter Gilgan Research and Learning Centre, and the award-winning Thunder Bay Consolidated Courthouse.
What lights up Steve’s world within Aercoustics? It’s the pulsating culture and the remarkable ability of the organization to evolve and adapt – a testament to the exhilarating journey Steve leads with boundless energy and unwavering dedication!
Associates
Christopher Bosyj
Associate
Chris is as comfortable adapting to new problems in the office as he is in the field and excels at coming up with unique solutions to project management and data analysis and collection obstacles. When he’s not working, you might find Chris brewing something for the taps at home, portaging in the Algonquin backcountry, or holding an edge on icy moguls out east.
Bosyj joined Aercoustics in 2017 and quickly developed a reputation as a transit expert and team leader, helping others grow their technical and project management skills. With a thorough understanding of the practical aspects of noise and vibration in transit, he leads Aercoustics’ team on the Scarborough Subway Extension Advance Tunnel project and Ontario Line Southern Civil, Stations, and Tunnel project. He was responsible for developing Aercoustics’ borehole rig for subgrade vibration propagation testing for tunnels for the Finch West LRT project.
Chris’ favourite part of Aercoustics is the company’s focus on fun and innovation. There are endless opportunities to collaborate, flex our technical skills, and dive into the science.
Derek Flake
Associate
As a father of two, Derek is busy painting cartoon elephants and learning Disney theme songs on guitar. Other days, you’ll find him running, hiking, and captaining an Ultimate Frisbee team.
Derek leads Aercoustics’ growing environmental team. He has managed and completed hundreds of noise assessments and peer reviews for land-use approval and for permitting in a wide range of industries such as mining and renewable energy. Derek is also an instructor at the environmental noise training course for by-law officers of the Municipal Law Enforcement Officers Association of Ontario (MLEOA) and recognized expert in environmental noise – providing expert opinion testimony to municipal and provincial bodies and in civil litigation. Derek is a member of multiple industry association committees including the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) Ontario Section, the associated core practitioner’s group, and the Ontario Stone Sand and Gravel Association (OSSGA).
Derek’s favourite part of Aercoustics is the scale and complexity of the projects and making sure noisy activities don’t interfere with people’s well-being and enjoyment.
Duncan Halstead
Associate
Duncan is a formidable leader within Aercoustics’ team, working alongside his expert colleagues to not just meet the industry standards, but to help develop and challenge them.
His primary focus is on renewable energy – including wind, solar, and energy storage – as well as business operations and analytics. Duncan’s work has helped a multitude of clients successfully complete projects within the renewable energy industry, navigating some highly complex technical and regulatory challenges along the way. Duncan’s expertise runs the gamut from modelling, testing, monitoring, and permitting, and he has been a key player in emerging industries within the renewables space.
In the realm of wind turbine noise, Duncan has conducted or managed IEC 61400-11 measurements on over 100 turbines, compliance measurements for over 30 different wind farms, and has authored several research papers about wind turbine noise – presenting occasionally at the International Conference on Wind Turbine Noise.
More recently, Duncan has been a leader in the developing battery energy storage sector, providing the acoustic services for one of Canada’s first large-scale battery energy storage facilities (the Oneida Energy Storage project) and supporting several other clients and dozens of projects that followed through Ontario’s large-scale procurement of energy storage.
Beyond being a fundamental manager and excellent communicator, Duncan is also a multi-instrumentalist and avid soccer fan. Duncan’s favourite part of Aercoustics is getting to tackle the variety of new challenges that come his way every day.
Sarah Mackel
Associate
Sarah is a passionate acoustical designer who has focused her career on architectural acoustics, travelling around the world to learn best practices across many building cultures. She is proud of contributing to many of Aercoustics’ projects, notably the Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC) in Prince George, B.C., which initially held the title of the world’s tallest modern all-timber structure and CBC’s Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal, QC, the creative hub for media and digital production.
Sarah is a leader in acoustical design for mass timber buildings, including Aercoustics’ research and development initiatives. Sarah is passionate about training new team members and leads development initiatives. As a former intern at Aercoustics, she understands the value of a robust and supportive training program.
Sarah’s favourite part of Aercoustics is working with the talented team and giving back to the community through initiatives like Canstruction – the annual Daily Bread Food Bank charity build.
Michael Medal
Associate
Mike’s work takes him underground in subway tunnels to stakeholder meetings for some of the largest transit infrastructure projects in Canada. Since joining Aercoustics in 2009, Mike has seen it all.
Some of Mike’s most rewarding projects have included a permanent vibration monitoring system for a 50+ year old subway system and noise and vibration design and monitoring for the Finch West Light Rail Transit project. He is passionate about helping transit networks meet the noise and vibration requirements that benefit both the communities and the environment while staying pragmatic and in tune with the realities of construction. He spends his time finding innovative and cost-effective solutions for critical projects, leading Aercoustics’ transit team to deliver successful results under tight deadlines and challenging conditions. From multiyear construction noise and vibration monitoring programs to specialized measurement of rail vehicles and tracks, Mike leads the way and gets things done.
Mike likes to play ‘lumberjack’ in his spare time, cutting and splitting firewood in Muskoka and creating relaxing outdoor spaces for his family. His favourite part of Aercoustics is the collective technical and consulting expertise and getting to work with and develop a team of fantastic engineers.
Eric Salt
Associate
When Eric isn’t busy connecting with clients, you will find him tackling fun and unique acoustic challenges. Outside of the office, Eric finds time to recharge by exploring the great outdoors on hikes, camping trips, and spending time at the cottage with his young family.
Eric is an accomplished academic and consultant, holding a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University in the field of Aeroacoustics and Flow-Induced Vibration. He has specialized knowledge in acoustics for healthcare, science, aviation, residential builds, and has supported projects from traditional design-bid-build through modern delivery models including Public Private Partnership (P3) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). He is proud to have delivered acoustic consulting for complex and innovative projects including: Block 2 – Parliament Hill, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, Calgary Stampede’s SAM Centre, The One Toronto, and Humber College Cultural Hub.
Eric’s favourite part of Aercoustics is being part of a team that isn’t afraid to think outside the box and find approaches to tough project needs.