Chief Emily Whetung grew up in Curve Lake First Nation and left only long enough to pursue a higher education at Trent University and Osgoode Hall Law School. She practiced Real Estate Law in Peterborough for a decade before being elected as Chief of Curve Lake from 2019-2022. Chief Emily is passionate about the rights of First Nations people, ensuring her community has every opportunity to thrive and protecting the environment for all future generations, protection of Treaty Rights, finding ways to ensure economic advancements occur in sustainable manners, and building healthy relationships between First Nations and Canadians.
Chief Emily sits on the Anishinabek Nation Leadership Council and is currently Director of Indigenous Partnerships, Business Development. Recently, Chief Emily was the vice-chair to the Indigenous Advisory Council for Small Modular (Nuclear) Reactor Action Plan and a panel member for the Electrification and Energy Transition Panel in Ontario. She continues to use her expertise and knowledge to ensure that that voices of Indigenous people are heard and respected.
Jill Baker is an environmental and social assessment executive, with over 20 years of diverse leadership experience working for the Alberta and federal governments, international financial institutions, the private sector, and non-profit organizations. She has worked on projects and policy development in the Canadian energy sector including nuclear.
Jill is the past Executive Director of the International Association for Impact Assessment, a global network of assessment professionals. She was also a Vice President at the Public Policy Forum. She was a Director of Policy in the federal government with both the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), as well as Natural Resources Canada, and started her career in Ottawa with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Jon Ball is President, eVinci™ Microreactor at Westinghouse Electric Company. In this role, he leads Westinghouse’s standalone, global business for our innovative microreactor technology, with a focus on advanced design, commercialization, manufacturing and deployment.
Mr. Ball brings to this role more than 30 years of nuclear energy leadership with extensive experience driving business transformation and growth, and leading global operations and P&Ls, major projects, complex supply chains, manufacturing, quality, field services and product management.
Most recently, Mr. Ball served in a series of executive roles at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, including Executive Vice President of Market Development, and Executive Vice President of Advanced Nuclear, in which he led the development and commercial adoption of small modular reactor technology, as well as a partnership to deploy a sodium cooled fast reactor. Previously, he also led Global Supply Chain and held several positions in the nuclear fuels and services business.
Mr. Ball started his professional career at Westinghouse as a project manager and then laboratory supervisor at the Hanford site in southeastern Washington.
Mr. Ball holds his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in Chemistry from Pacific Lutheran University and The Pennsylvania State University, respectively, and has completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives.
Diane Cameron is Head of the Nuclear Technology Development and Economics Division at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). In her role at the NEA, she leads an expert team of economists and scientists that supports energy policy and nuclear energy policy development among NEA Member Countries by advancing evidence-based, authoritative assessments and analyses in the areas of nuclear economics, financing, and cost reduction, as well as nuclear technology, innovation, and the fuel cycle.
From 2014 to 2021, Diane was Director of the Nuclear Energy Division with the Government of Canada. As Director, she headed up the division responsible for leading and co-ordinating Canadian public policy on nuclear energy, and served as Chair of Canada’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Roadmap and Action Plan. She joined the Government of Canada in 2007 to work on energy, environment, and economic policy – including international relations and negotiations. Prior to her tenure with the Government of Canada, she worked in management consulting and engineering in the private sector specializing in global value chains and international logistics.
A Canadian national, Diane holds a Master’s Degree in Technology Policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she was named Alfred Keil Fellow for Wiser Uses of Science and Technology. Diane also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
Dr. Ian Castillo leads the strategic direction, capability development and execution of the research and development activities of CNL’s Hydrogen and Tritium Directorate. This includes understanding various stakeholder needs with the government, assessing market trends and establishing a technology portfolio to leverage CNL’s decades of hydrogen isotopes experience in Canada and internationally, and uses for CNL’s unique differentiating facilities and capabilities.
With over 17 years in many areas of the nuclear industry, Ian is recognized as an expert in deployment of innovative technologies in the areas of hydrogen production, hydrogen recombination, heavy water and tritium management, chemistry, and process engineering.
As Vice-President of Refurbishment Execution at OPG, Luca is responsible for contributing to the goal of executing the Darlington Refurbishment Project on time and budget while executing with safety and quality. Luca supports the team’s initiative of creating a One Team culture that fosters collaboration towards common goals and is a key aspect of the success of the project.
Luca began his career in Maintenance as an Instrument and Control technician and progressed into various leadership roles while working at Bruce NGS, at Pickering NGS and finally at the Darlington Nuclear facility. He led the first Canadian Maintenance organization to an excellence designation in the nuclear industry while also achieving record efficiencies for the Darlington Maintenance department. Luca spent several years as the Director of Work Management at Darlington supporting numerous outages and aligning station work activities.
Luca currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Electrical Power Systems Construction Association.
Lori was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer on March 20, 2023, after serving as acting president and CEO since July 4, 2022. Most recently, Lori served as the Senior Vice President, Operations and led the teams responsible for safe and reliable generation (conventional), transmission and distribution of power across the province. Ms. Clark was also accountable for the employees who serve our customers everyday and those focused on modernizing the New Brunswick power grid.
Lori began her career with NB Power in 1990. Since that time, she has held positions of increasing responsibility including Controller, Managing Director of Finance, Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs and Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Initiatives. Lori has extensive experience with the utility’s rate application process, appearing as a witness for NB Power at several rate hearings.
Lori holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. Lori has also studied Nuclear Reactor Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Leadership at the Wharton School of Business.
Rachna was appointed President and CEO for CANDU Owners Group in December 2022. For 40 years, COG has been the preeminent organization providing collaborative R&D and information sharing to allow our members globally to achieve operational excellence.
With an expertise in nuclear safety and regulatory affairs, Rachna has also provided strategic advice on nuclear new builds, SMRs, refurbishment, radioactive waste management and emergency planning. Prior roles in the industry include senior positions with AECL, the Ontario Ministry of Energy, and Kinectrics. She has consulted for the IAEA and is a member of CSA. A strong supporter of diversity in the workplace, Rachna is a mentor and coach to emerging leaders in the industry.
Catherine Cobden is the President & CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association representing Canada’s primary steel and pipe and tube industry. CSPA member companies produce 13 million tonnes of steel, pipe and tube products and support over 123,000 jobs in Canada. Since joining the CSPA in January of 2019, Catherine has supported the industry during the disruptive 232 tariff period, spearheaded the development of a leadership climate strategy for the association, secured critical changes to Canada’s trade remedy regime and expanded the voice of the association to represent 100% of Canada’s steel production as well as key Pipe and Tube producers.
Catherine has over 25 years of experience in Canada’s national capital of Ottawa. Prior to taking the helm of the CSPA, Catherine ran a consultancy where she provided strategic advice to many private and public sector clients in the areas of manufacturing, mining, construction, and the forest sector. Catherine also spent 13 years at the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) where, as Executive Vice President of FPAC, she played a key role in developing the sector’s long-term transformation strategy in response to changing market dynamics and the evolving expectations of civil society.
In 2021 & 2022, Catherine was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Lobbyists by The Hill Times. She also serves on the Premier’s Council on US Trade and Industry Competitiveness in Ontario. She is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute of Climate Choices, an organization dedicated to climate analysis and COREM, a world recognized innovation organization for Canada’s mining sector.
She is a Chemical Engineer from the University of Toronto.
Catherine lives in Ottawa with her husband and two children.
Dr. James Cotton is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Co-Director of the McMaster Institute for Energy Studies (MIES). Dr. Cotton’s research focuses on developing energy systems and technologies to advance safe and efficient thermal management solutions, integrated energy systems, and nuclear energy harvesting technologies. Dr. Cotton’s research and industry experience involves nearly all aspects of the energy network, ranging from improving hybrid and electric vehicle performance, integrated community energy systems, and waste heat recovery from commercial and industrial processes to experimental and system modeling research on CANDU and Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) sub-systems and components.
Pat Dalzell is the Head of Corporate Affairs at Bruce Power, a role primarily focused on the development and growth of the corporate identity through government and stakeholder engagement; corporate and community communications; and promoting areas of energy innovation and the use of nuclear isotopes in the fight against cancer. Previous to this, he held the role of Director of Government and Stakeholder relations coordinating partnerships with all levels of government along with key member associations, economic development groups, the electricity system operator and labour representatives.
Pat started his career at Bruce Power in 2011 as a Senior Financial Trader where he worked on the Geographic Diversification Initiative to develop new trading strategies and optimize regional diversification. In 2015, he embarked on a new position with Bruce Power working alongside the Chief Investment Officer helping to oversee the investment and risk management of Bruce Power’s defined benefit pension plan. Prior to working for Bruce Power, Patrick worked as a hedge fund derivatives trader at Aquilon Power.
Pat holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Finance from Concordia University. He is a charter holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program and completed the Leading the Business Program at the IVEY Academy at Western University.
Marcel Devos is serving as the Vice President of Innovation and Regulatory Affairs for Prodigy Clean Energy which is developing technology neutral transportable civil structure technologies to be able to deliver and operate SMRs of different types and sizes in remote regions both in Canada and around the world.
Prior to this role, Marcel spent over 15 years working for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to demonstrate the readiness of the regulatory framework for the deployment of Small Modular Reactors in Canada. This included leading the managing the CNSC’s Vendor Design Review Program, developing regulatory documents and representing the CNSC at the IAEA (including the SMR Regulators’ Forum) in a number of areas safety topical areas including siting and design. Marcel has also done significant work internationally related to the development of requirements and guidance for siting and working with embarking countries to develop knowledge to inform their own regulatory frameworks.
Before joining the CNSC, Marcel developed his plant field experience in Operations Support at the Bruce Nuclear Power Development through reliability testing and plant documentation development.
Dustin Duncan was first elected as the MLA for the constituency of Weyburn-Big Muddy in a by-election in June 2006 at the age of 26. He was re-elected in the 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2020 provincial elections.
Dustin has been a member of the Board of Internal Economy, served as Vice-Chair of the caucus Crown Investments Corporation Committee, and was a member of the SaskBuilds Corporation Board.
He currently serves as Minister of Crown Investments Corporation and Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission. He is Minister responsible for SaskEnergy, SGI, SaskPower, SaskTel, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, and SaskWater.
First appointed to cabinet in 2009, Dustin has served as Minister of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport. He would go on to manage various other portfolios, including Health, Education, Environment, Energy and Resources, and the Global Transportation Hub.
Dustin and his wife Amanda were both born, raised and educated in the Weyburn area. He and Amanda have two sons, Jack and Ephram, and one daughter, Penelope. Dustin obtained an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Regina.
Philippe Dunsky is the President and Chief Accelerator of Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors. He brings over 30 years of business and policy experience focused on a singular passion: helping clients accelerate the clean energy transition, effectively, responsibly and at scale. In his work, he has the honour of leading a first-rate team of over 50 dedicated professionals, and the privilege of serving many of North America’s leading utilities, governments, corporations and non-profits as they tackle the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition head-on.
Outside of his firm, Philippe has long contributed to broader energy-sector decision-making. He currently serves as Chair of the Canada Electricity Advisory Council. He is also Co-Chair of Efficiency Canada, and formerly chaired the Quebec government’s Electrification and Efficiency Working Group, among other public, private and non-profit appointments.
Monica Gattinger is Founding Chair of Positive Energy, Director of the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, and Full Professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Gattinger is an award-winning researcher and highly sought-after speaker, strategic adviser and media commentator in the energy and arts/cultural policy sectors. Her innovative research programme convenes business, government, Indigenous, civil society and academic leaders to address complex policy, regulatory and governance challenges. Gattinger is Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, board member of the Clean Resource Innovation Network, and serves on advisory committees for the National Research Council Canada, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, the Ontario Energy Board, the Ottawa Science Policy Network, the University of Calgary and Women in Nuclear Canada. She Chairs the Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on International Science and Technology Partnerships and was a member of the Government of Ontario’s Electrification and Energy Transition Panel. Monica is a columnist for JWN Energy’s Daily Oil Bulletin and she received the 2020 Clean50 Award for her thought leadership in the energy sector. She holds a PhD in public policy from Carleton University.
John Gorman is President & CEO of Canadian Nuclear Association, past President & CEO of the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) and a Director on the board of the Energy Council of Canada (ECC). John served as Canada’s Designate to the International Energy Agency’s Executive Committee (PVPS) and was a Founder of the Canadian Council on Renewable Electricity (CanCORE). He’s using this experience to secure a leading role for nuclear energy at the heart of Canada’s energy transition.
Before joining CanSIA, he was the Senior Vice President of Empower Energies, an innovative, global integrator of energy systems. He has served as a director on the boards of numerous community and corporate organizations, including one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. He was awarded the designation of Climate Project Ambassador by Nobel Laureate Al Gore in 2008.
Amy Gottschling is currently the Vice President of Science, Technology and Commercial Oversight at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). Amy is responsible for overseeing the performance of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) nuclear science and technology projects and programs for the Government of Canada, as well as commercial science and technology projects for third-party customers. Amy plays a key and fundamental role in executing the long-term strategy for AECL and driving nuclear opportunity for Canada.
Throughout her career, Amy has followed her passion for advancing applied scientific knowledge to advance technologies and solve challenges within the nuclear industry. Amy Gottschling started as a corrosion scientist, working for many years in an R&D capacity prior to moving into leadership roles. During her years in private industry and growing as a leader, she gained a strong understanding of how to launch and lead new businesses and projects by implementing corporate, department, or technical strategies targeted around existing capabilities and expertise.
Amy is a leader who believes in advancing Canada’s profile in the energy sector both nationally and internationally and ensuring research and innovation results in real-world solutions to solve our biggest challenges in clean energy, health, environment, and safety and security.
Amy Gottschling holds a BSc and PhD in chemistry and nuclear from Western University in London, Ontario.
Dr Olivier Gregoire has earned his PhD in nuclear sciences from the University of Louvain, in Belgium.
He has worked for many years in military intelligence, with a specific focus on nuclear proliferation issues.
He also worked as inspector for the Belgian nuclear regulator, before moving to Canada and join Moltex Energy as nuclear security and safeguards officer, essentially to consider these aspects “by design” in the development of Moltex technologies. He is now the acting licensing manager.
Ken Hartwick is OPG’s President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Ken joined OPG in March 2016 as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President Finance. He was appointed President and CEO in April 2019.
Under Ken’s tenure, OPG has released its first-ever Climate Change Plan, advanced its electrification efforts through the Ivy charging partnership and PowerON subsidiary, launched a Reconciliation Action Plan, and is currently leading the development of Canada’s first Small Modular Reactor. The company is also undertaking multi-billion dollar overhauls of its hydroelectric and Darlington Nuclear generating stations. The four-unit Darlington refurbishment, one of Canada’s largest clean energy infrastructure projects, remains on time and budget. Ken is currently leading OPG’s commitment to be a global leader in ED&I best practices and one of Canada’s best diversity employers.
Ken joined OPG from Wellspring Financial Corporation, where he was CFO and Treasurer. He held various senior positions in the energy sector, including interim President and CEO of Atlantic Power Corporation, CFO and CEO of Just Energy Corporation, and CFO of Hydro One. Ken previously held senior positions at Capgemini and was a partner at Ernst & Young LLP.
He is a Chartered Professional Accountant with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Trent University and serves on a number of boards. Originally from Norwood, Ontario (near Peterborough), Ken now lives in Milton with his wife. He has three grown children.
Ms. Kathryn Hayashi is President and CEO of TRIUMF Innovations, the business interface and commercialization arm, connecting TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre, to the private sector via industry partnerships, licensing, and company creation. TRIUMF Innovations is the co-lead with CPDC for the Canadian Medical Isotope Ecosystem (CMIE at www.cmie.ca), a new Strategic Innovation Fund project that will provide support and funding for growing Canada’s medical isotope sector, including a new CMIE Development Fund providing matching funds for new medical isotope innovation projects.
Ms. Hayashi is a Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 25 years of operational and strategic planning, finance and governance experience in not-for-profit organizations, public and private companies, start-ups, and commercialization accelerators/incubators.
Prior to TRIUMF Innovations, she was the Founding Chief Financial Officer of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (now adMare Bioinnovations), Canada’s national drug development and commercialization engine. In addition to her work establishing CDRD as a leader in pre-clinical translational research and commercialization, Ms. Hayashi presides as a Director and Audit Committee Chair for Michael Smith Health Research BC, Center for Commercialization and Cancer Immunotherapy at the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, as well as Nimbus Synergies health tech fund and Discovery Parks technology incubator.
In his first venture into provincial politics, the Honourable Mike Holland was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in September 2018 for the riding of Albert and was re-elected in 2020 for a second term.
He was reappointed as the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development following the 2020 election.
Born in Chatham (now Miramichi), New Brunswick in 1970, Mr. Holland is the son of Phil and Brenda Holland.
Farm raised in rural New Brunswick, Mr. Holland has been an avid outdoorsperson his entire life. He is co-founder of the Canadian Wild Turkey Federation, a non-profit organization that is quickly becoming the new face of conservation in Canada.
Mr. Holland has been a local entrepreneur who sold outdoor gear which he invented. As the founder of Resourceful Redneck Inc., he successfully secured a funding partnership on the CBC TV show Dragon’s Den.
Over the years, Mr. Holland has been active with many outdoors and conservation groups, serving in various capacities from volunteer to board member.
Mr. Holland began gaining political experience in 2010, working as an executive assistant with cabinet ministers in five different provincial government departments
In his spare time, Mr. Holland enjoys exploring the outdoors with his three adult children and his partner Alison.
Dr. Kathryn Huff leads the Office of Nuclear Energy as the Assistant Secretary. Before joining the Department of Energy, she was a professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she led the Advanced Reactors and Fuel Cycles Research Group. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow in both the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium and the Berkeley Institute for Data Science at the University of California – Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013 and her undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Chicago. Her research has focused on modeling and simulation of advanced nuclear reactors and fuel cycles.
She has previously been an active member of the American Nuclear Society, a past chair of the Nuclear Nonproliferation and Policy Division as well as the Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division, and recipient of both the Young Member Excellence and Mary Jane Oestmann Professional Women’s Achievement awards. Through leadership within Software Carpentry, SciPy, the Hacker Within, and the Journal of Open Source Software, she has also advocated for best practices in open, reproducible scientific computing.
Dale Huffman’s roles at Orano Canada Inc. have included responsibility for environmental management and assessment, decommissioning and reclamation, radiation protection and workplace safety. In his role as Vice-President Health, Safety, Environment, Dale’s team at Orano managed the closure of the decommissioned Cluff Lake uranium mine site, demonstrating that decommissioning was successful in achieving an end-state that is safe, stable and requires no access restrictions for traditional site uses. Cluff Lake has been released from CNSC licensing and is entering the institutional control program established by the Government of Saskatchewan.
Dale is currently the Vice-President, Operations looking after uranium production from the McClean Lake mill.
He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Queen’s University, and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Saskatchewan.
A multi-faceted engineer, David has experience in Operations, Maintenance, and Project Delivery from design to startup with more than 35 years in thermal energy, metals, mining and both high efficiency and renewable electrical power development. Roles have included energy management at Canada’s largest integrated steelmaker leading to creating an energy business to improve its profitability and viability, starting up a $5.5 billion nickel and cobalt mining megaproject in Madagascar and Distributed Energy Resource building in Ontario with a focus on the integration of electrical and thermal microgrids. David graduated from Western University (UWO) as a Chemical Engineer and is licensed in the Province of Ontario.
Rishi Jain serves as the Managing Director, Business Development, and is a Partner at Cross River Infrastructure Partners. Rishi has originated over $6 billion of sustainable infrastructure project investment opportunities as part of the senior leadership team of Cross River. Rishi leads the hydrogen and nuclear business development activities of the firm and is responsible for all aspects of project origination. Rishi manages offtake processes, stakeholder relations, is closely involved with financial structuring of projects, and is the lead for strategic partner relationships.
Prior to joining Cross River, Rishi was a special-situations and macro analyst at Great Oaks Capital Management, focused on energy, natural resources, and industrials. Rishi also originated and managed the firm’s earlier stage investments in new industrial clean-tech and clean-resource companies.
Rishi is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and completed the Chartered Financial Analyst program in 2010.
Aaron Johnson is Senior Vice President, Nuclear, with the responsibility of leading the successful pursuit and execution of all nuclear projects within Aecon’s portfolio.
Beginning with Aecon in 2006, Aaron has diverse experience across many of Aecon’s operational and corporate teams, including the industrial, nuclear, and urban transportation sectors. He has been responsible for the pursuit and execution of some of Aecon’s most complex multi-disciplinary projects, including the Darlington Refurbishment project, GO Expansion On-Corridor project, and Scarborough Subway Extension project.
Aaron holds Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters of Engineering degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is licensed as a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hamilton-Halton.
Michelle Johnston is the president of the Society of United Professionals, the union of choice for Ontario’s professional workers.
A proud Northerner from Timmins, Ontario, Ms. Johnston has burst through glass ceilings throughout her more than 30 years in the provincial energy sector. Beginning in forestry as a summer student, Ms. Johnston moved on to customer service roles before being recruited to Ontario Hydro’s head office. Prior to becoming an elected union leader, Ms. Johnston worked in IT as a Senior Business Process Analyst.
Ms. Johnston became a union activist during the Society’s 105-day strike of Hydro One in 2005. Organizing her colleagues to fight back against two-tier pensions and benefits was an empowering experience that motivated Ms. Johnston to join the Society’s elected leadership.
Prior to becoming President in 2021, Ms. Johnston served as Secretary-Treasurer. In the Secretary-Treasurer role Ms. Johnston maintained the union’s strong financial position and led successful organizing campaigns to grow the Society’s membership. Ms. Johnston has also served the Society as Executive Vice President of Policy and Unit Director in the Hydro One Local.
As part of her role Ms. Johnston holds a number of external offices. She is Vice President (Canada) of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, a member of the Canadian Labour Congress’s Canadian Council, a member of the United Way of Greater Toronto Executive Board, and a director of the Ontario Federation of Labour, Canadian Nuclear Association, and Electricity Human Resources Canada.
Ms. Johnston holds an Honours BA in Psychology with a double minor in Sociology and Social Work from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.
Having beat an aggressive form of breast cancer with the support of Ontario’s health care system and her family, in her spare time Ms. Johnston dedicates her efforts to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada and the CIBC Run for the Cure.
Mr. Labbe has over 35 years of experience and progressive responsibility in senior leadership positions in the Energy Sector
Bill joined the ARC Clean Technology Canada team in February 2021 and is currently serving as the President & Chief Executive Officer, leading the development of a Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) for deployment in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.
His experience includes extensive hands-on planning, permitting, and regulatory affairs to obtain the necessary License Amendment Requests (LARs) approvals of both Federal (NRC) and State agencies (PSCs); organizing and managing Plant Outages as well as the management of large EPC Projects where his fleet portfolio budget (7 PWRs / 1 BWR) was in excess of $2 Billion.
Jeff Labonté was named Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada in July 2023. Formerly at NRCan, Jeff was Special Advisor to the Associate Deputy Minister on Decarbonization; Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Minerals Sector; Assistant Deputy Minister, Major Projects Management Office; Director General, Energy Safety and Security Branch and International Energy; and Director General, Petroleum Resources Branch in the Energy Sector. He has also held senior executive positions at the Geological Survey of Canada and the National Mapping Agency.
Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in geography and political science, as well as a master’s degree in public administration from Carleton University. He has also completed the Public Sector Leadership and Governance program at the University of Ottawa.
Tammy Van Lambalgen is Vice President, Chief Corporate Officer at Orano Canada Inc. with oversight over legal, human resources, corporate social responsibility and communications. Orano Canada Inc. is the wholly owned subsidiary of the Orano Group, a multinational nuclear fuel cycle company headquartered in Paris that is engaged in uranium mining, conversion-enrichment, spent fuel recycling, nuclear logistics, dismantling, and nuclear cycle engineering activities. Tammy graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Arts in 1990, a Juris Doctors in 1993 and her IDC.D designation in 2022. Before joining Orano Tammy worked in Calgary, Alberta with both in a large law firm and as in-house counsel for Shell Canada.
Tammy currently serves on the Board of Directors of SaskPower (Chair of Nuclear Energy Committee, member Audit and Finance Committee), the Saskatoon Airport Authority (member Safety, Health & Environment Committee and Community Consultative Committee) and the Canadian Nuclear Association. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Saskatchewan Mining Association (past Chair) and is an active volunteer in her community.
Robin Manley is the President of Paradymshyft Nuclear Advisory Ltd. Robin has spent over 30 years in the nuclear industry, including senior roles in new nuclear development, nuclear licensing, and radiation protection.
From 2019 to 2022, Robin was Vice-President of New Nuclear Development at Ontario Power Generation, OPG, where she led the implementation of Small Modular Reactors. In particular, Robin led OPG’s process to select a SMR technology partner and design for the Darlington New Nuclear Project.
Prior to that, Robin was Vice-President of Nuclear Regulatory Affairs at OPG responsible for the licensing of OPG’s Pickering and Darlington nuclear generating stations and of all OPG’s nuclear waste facilities.
At Paradymshyft, Robin provides support to many of Canada’s nuclear utilities and leading proponents of new nuclear power deployment, particularly in areas of nuclear technology selection and nuclear power licensing and impact assessment.
Joe McBrearty is a senior executive with over 40 years of experience in the nuclear industry. Holding executive-level roles at complex nuclear installations in both the United States and Canada, Mr. McBrearty’s expertise includes nuclear reactor and high hazard nuclear facility operations, maintenance, training and oversight.
As President and CEO at CNL, Joe oversees the operations of Canada’s national nuclear laboratory complex and Vision 2030, a strategic research focus into clean energy, health and new radioisotopes, and environmental science. Joe is enacting transformational change to improve the company’s research program, safety performance, security posture, capital program, and waste management activities.
Lisa is the Country Leader, GE Hitachi’s SMR Canada business. In her role, Lisa is responsible for the vision & strategy to lead the deployment and implementation of the BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor in Canada. She leads the collaboration with customers, Canadian government, industry, and partners and provides leadership and oversight of the GEH SMR Canada business operations.
Lisa has over 20 years’ experience in the nuclear industry, starting her career with Ontario Power Generation. Her drive and commitment have propelled her into several key leadership roles in both nuclear and corporate functions. Lisa’s diverse experiences have positioned her to engage in several critical initiatives, where her experience across the business has resulted in her leadership of several multi-disciplinary teams. Lisa holds a Master of Arts Degree in Leadership from the University of Guelph.
Lisa McBride is also the President of Women in Nuclear (WiN) Canada. In this role, Lisa provides vision, strategic direction, and oversight of the day-to-day operations of WiN Canada, an organization with over 5,000 members across Canada. Lisa is a Director on the Canadian Nuclear Association Board, the Vice Chair of the Board of Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries Board, is a Director on the WiN Global Executive Board and is also a Governor on the Ontario Tech University Board.
Nathan Neudorf was sworn in as Minister of Affordability and Utilities and Vice Chair of Treasury Board on June 9, 2023. He previously served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure.
Prior to his service as an elected official, Mr. Neudorf worked in commercial construction. He has his civil and structural engineering diploma and is a red seal journeyman carpenter as well as a gold seal project manager.
An active community volunteer and leader, Mr. Neudorf served as the past president of the Lethbridge Construction Association and on the board of directors for the Alberta Construction Association, Alberta Construction Safety Association, and Worker’s Compensation Board.
Mr. Neudorf, his wife, Deanne, and their 5 children live in Lethbridge. In his spare time, he enjoys running, landscaping, and spending time outdoors.
Nathan Neudorf was first elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lethbridge-East on April 16, 2019 and was re-elected on May 29, 2023.
Rupen Pandya became the President and Chief Executive Officer of SaskPower in 2022.
Before joining SaskPower, Mr. Pandya was the Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary to Treasury Board for the Government of Saskatchewan.
He has 25 years of public service experience in Saskatchewan, including previous positions as the President and Chief Executive Officer of SaskBuilds, and Assistant Deputy Minister roles with the Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration.
He holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Regina.
Michael W. Rencheck is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bruce Power. Mike has served in a number of senior roles over his 35-year career and prior to joining Bruce Power in 2016, he served as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for AREVA Group overseeing its extensive global capital portfolio of nuclear and renewable projects.
Mike has been recognized by the National Safety Council for his leadership demonstrating a personal commitment to worker safety and health and was
designated by the US Department of Energy as a STEM ambassador. In 2020, he was named the CEO of the Year by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce as part of the Ontario Business Achievement Awards. He also has demonstrated a commitment to many organizations that make a difference in people’s lives including Habitat for Humanity and United Way. Mike is a Professional Engineer and certified senior reactor operator and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Electric Power Research Institute and on advisory councils for several small modular reactor companies.
Chad is the Director of Policy & Partnerships at the Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII). Through this work Chad seeks opportunities to for the nuclear industry to collaborate with communities, governments, and other sectors on projects to decarbonize our economy and reach net zero by 2050. Programs under Chad’s purview produce original research and thought leadership on the role of nuclear in a net zero future.
Prior to joining NII, Chad worked at the federal and provincial levels of government. He spent nearly 8 years working on Parliament Hill and served as a Senior Advisor to the Associate Minister of Energy in Ontario.
Mr. Terrence (Terry) Richardson has been serving as Chief of Pabineau First Nation (Oinpegitjoig L’Noeigati) in New Brunswick since April 2020. Prior to being elected Chief, Mr. Richardson served his community as a councillor for eight years and was the Mi’kmaq Benefits Manager for Trevali Mining (NB) Ltd. (Caribou Mine). Additionally, Terry served 25 years in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), working within the construction engineering field in administration, finance, and contracting. His experience includes serving in the Gulf War in 1990, in Bosnia in 1998, and in Afghanistan in 2007 to 2008. Terry strongly believes that leadership is all about teamwork and feels very fortunate to have such a strong team working with him in Pabineau at all levels. Terry has facilitated the signing of business Memorandum of Understandings and Impact Benefit Agreements, as well as carried out successful initiatives with the Belledune Port Authority through their mutual Relationship, Engagement & Consultation Protocol agreement. Mr. Richardson has a bright vision for the future and is passionate about advancing opportunities for Northern New Brunswick by encouraging a non-myopic approach and working together, thus communicating that what his good for the region is good for Pabineau First Nation.
Daniel Sax is the Founder & CEO of the Canadian Space Mining Corporation, one of the fastest growing space companies in Canada, and a leader in space nuclear. He is a visionary entrepreneur and angel investor, with a deep background in real estate investment, finance, and development, and a strong acumen in both private and public capital markets. He is responsible for overseeing CSMC’s vision, strategy, academic and strategic partnerships, legal, hiring, capital raising, government relations, and communications. He has actively participated in over $4B of real estate deals across Canada, the USA, and Germany. Previous to CSMC, Daniel founded Sensi Properties, the first cannabis real estate investment company in Canada. Before that he worked in NYC in M&A for Hudson’s Bay Corporation (HBC) on the acquisition of Galeria Kaufhof from Metro AG. He spent several years working in distressed real estate investment for a series of real estate private equity firms, first with Sabal Financial, and later Cohen Equities. Daniel has a passion for bleeding edge industries with high degrees of uncertainty. He has significant experience working with interdisciplinary teams on complex large scale mixed-use projects. He is a Director of Bordeaux Properties, and an Advisor to Hive Bio. He has a Masters Degree in Real Estate from Cornell University, and a BA in Economics from Dalhousie.
Debbie Scharf is an Assistant Deputy Minister at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), where she heads the Energy Systems Sector.
In this role, Debbie is helping to lead the Government of Canada’s signature energy initiatives. This includes the Regional Energy and Resource Tables, which are identifying and accelerating opportunities to transform the country’s traditional resource industries and advance emerging ones for a net-zero world.
She also oversees the Electricity Systems Branch, the Nuclear Energy and Infrastructure Security Branch, and the Energy Policy Branch, all of which are integral to the Government’s ambitious climate and economic goals.
In addition to helping to catalyze opportunities in the energy transition, her Sector is mandated to drive governance for the energy enterprise to provide the Deputy Minister, Associate Deputy Minister and Minister with integrated decision-making.
Previously, Debbie served as the first Director General of NRCan’s Clean Fuel Branch, an assignment she started on the eve of the global pandemic. Despite two challenging years, her team-driven leadership delivered on several Government priorities for the clean energy transition, including the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada, the $1.5-billion Clean Fuels Fund, and the $750-million Emission Reductions Fund.
Debbie has also served as Senior Director of Strategic Energy Policy, and Director of the Office of Energy Efficiency. She came to NRCan from Environment and Climate Change Canada, where her files included chemicals management, clean air and climate change.
Debbie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University, and a master’s degree in resource and environmental Management from Simon Fraser University.
Jigar Shah was most recently co-founder and President at Generate Capital, where he focused on helping entrepreneurs accelerate decarbonization solutions through the use of low-cost infrastructure-as-a service financing. Prior to Generate Capital, Shah founded SunEdison, a company that pioneered “pay as you save” solar financing. After SunEdison, Shah served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Originally from Illinois, Shah holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois-UC and an MBA from the University of Maryland College Park.
For over 30 years, Todd Smith has been a trusted voice in the Quinte region. Born and raised in Riverview, New Brunswick, he has lived in the Belleville area since the early 1990s.
A graduate of Loyalist College, he embarked on a nearly 20-year broadcast journalism career serving as the news director at Quinte Broadcasting. In 2011, Smith was nominated to run as the Ontario PC candidate in the Prince Edward-Hastings riding where he unseated a well-tenured Liberal cabinet minister.
While in opposition, Smith served served as the PC critic on several files, including Energy.
In June 2018, Minister Smith was elected in the new Bay of Quinte riding as part of a PC majority government. Since then he’s been fortunate to hold several important portfolios for Premier Doug Ford including Economic Development, Government and Consumer Services, and Minister of Energy.
Amid all of his commitments, Smith’s family remains his most important priority. He enjoys spending time with his wife Tawnya, a local high school vice-principal, and his daughters Payton and Reagan.
In this role, Mr. Sohi is responsible for the reliable and efficient operation of the province-wide power system, the administration of Ontario’s real-time electricity markets and the continued development of electricity market designs.
Mr. Sohi previously served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Business Development and Strategy at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), where he was accountable for commercial business functions including business development, acquisitions and electrification. As part of his focus on implementing OPG’s long-term strategic plan, he and his team delivered a growth strategy aimed at broadening OPG’s business within Ontario and beyond.
In addition to his SVP role at OPG, Mr. Sohi also served as President and CEO of Global First Power, leading Canada’s first Small Modular Reactor project. He joined OPG’s predecessor company, Ontario Hydro, in 1991. Over the years, he held roles of increasing responsibility in several technical functions, corporate functions, asset management, high-voltage substation operation and maintenance, and hydroelectric plant operations at locations across Ontario.
Mr. Sohi has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University. He serves as a Director on the Board of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC), and has also served as a council member of the Generation Sector Council at the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI) and a member of the Thermal Generation Interest Group (TGIG) at the Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation (CEATI).
Dr. Karin Stephenson is the Director, Nuclear Research and Education Support for Nuclear Operations & Facilities at McMaster University. Karin has 20+ years of experience in nuclear research, radiochemistry, and radiopharmaceuticals. Before joining McMaster University, she was the Director of Discovery at the CPDC, where she led the discovery of new radiochemistry and radiopharmaceuticals with applications in oncology and neurology research.
Karin graduated with her PhD in Chemistry from McMaster University and completed fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She has published numerous papers and patents and awarded for her research.
Rachel Sumner is the Chief Executive Officer of TALENT (Ontario Tech Talent Inc.), a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of Ontario Tech University. She leads TALENT’s strategy and its exceptional team to deliver on their vision of a lifetime of meaningful employment for all through the execution of their mission to become Canada’s leading skills intelligence organization. Using skills first workforce transformation TALENT is tackling Canada’s talent shortages and skills gaps head on in partnership with employers in the regulated industries that TALENT serves.
Prior to TALENT, Rachel served as Pearson’s Regional Partnership Director, leading the development of their largest higher education digital-learning initiative focused on workforce development. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the West of England in Bristol; a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts from The Open University in Milton Keynes where her research focused on Curriculum, Training and the Future of Work. She is a three-time nominee of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award and a Certified Executive Coach and Mentor, with experience supporting both the professional women’s career empowerment organization Lean In Canada, and Futurpreneur Canada.
Laurie Swami is the President and CEO of the NWMO. She was appointed to the role in 2016 and is responsible for implementing Canada’s plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel.
Prior to joining the NWMO, Ms. Swami spent 30 years at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), primarily in nuclear operations. She served as Senior Vice-President of Decommissioning and Nuclear Waste Management, overseeing the operation of nuclear waste management facilities and planning for the decommissioning of a nuclear generating facility.
Ms. Swami has extensive experience leading environmental assessment projects, including nuclear refurbishments. She has appeared before joint panel reviews (including for the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) for the Darlington New Nuclear Project and OPG’s Deep Geologic Repository Project.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Chemistry from Queen’s University and a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business. She is an ardent supporter of and advocate for the advancement of women to leadership positions. In recognition of this contribution, she received the Women in Nuclear Canada Leadership Award in 2016.
Dave Tucker is the Chief Nuclear Officer and Associate Vice President Nuclear at McMaster University, home of Canada’s largest source of neutrons, the McMaster Nuclear Reactor. He is a nuclear industry professional with more than 36 years of experience in leadership roles in the Canadian and International nuclear sector focused on enabling research, nuclear facility operations and medical isotope production.
In his current role, Dave is responsible for the University’s suite of nuclear facilities, ensuring their safe and sustainable operation and deployment in pursuit of the University’s nuclear research and education priorities. He advances the University’s Strategic Research Plan by seeking out and establishing strategic partnerships related to the Nuclear Operations and Facilities (NOF) with public and private stakeholders, fostering external partnerships on behalf of the University and identifying opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations. He provides leadership of strategic initiatives that support the University’s nuclear research enterprise and serves as the liaison with federal, provincial and municipal government officials on nuclear related matters.
Dave is currently providing strategic leadership to several key nuclear initiatives including the feasibility study for the demonstration deployment of a micro-reactor at the heart of a net-zero community on the McMaster campus.
Prior to his appointment as McMaster AVPR (Nuclear), Dave most recently served as head of the Radiation Safety Technical Services at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, leading the IAEA’s radiation safety and dosimetry services for its global operations. Dave previously served as McMaster’s Senior Health Physicist for over 19 years, managing comprehensive safety, licensing and regulatory affairs programs for McMaster.
Rumina Velshi is a nuclear engineer who has worked in the nuclear sector for more than 40 years. Most recently, she served as President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Canada’s nuclear regulator, from 2018 to October 2023.
Before that, she was a member of the CNSC Commission as well as the Ontario Energy Board.
Whilst at the CNSC, Rumina tirelessly advocated for greater international collaboration. Her efforts were recently recognized with her being presented with the first ever Icon of Nuclear award by the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation.
Rumina’ s career in the energy sector began when she joined the old Ontario Hydro in the 1970s, and continued over several decades as an executive with OPG.
Following her recent retirement as President & CEO of the CNSC, Rumina has joined the board of Ottawa Hydro, the IAEA’s International Safety Advisory Group, has been appointed chair of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency High Level Group on Stakeholder Engagement and Trust, and has taken on several international energy companies as clients who she serves as a Strategic Advisor to the CEO and board.
Bill Walker joined the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI) as President & CEO in July 2022. Before joining OCNI, he was a third-term Member of Provincial Parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
From June until November 2018, Bill served as the Chief Government Whip. He was then appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Government and Consumer Services until June 2019 when he became Associate Minister of Energy. In October 2021, he was appointed as Deputy Speaker.Notably, in 2020, Bill was awarded the Provincial Public Policy Stewardship Award by the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council in recognition of his contributions to public policy in the field of medical isotopes.
Prior to his election to provincial parliament, Bill worked as Operations Manager at Bruce Power, and was Executive Director at the Bruce Peninsula Health Services Foundation where he led a successful campaign to raise $3 million for the Lion’s Head and Wiarton hospitals.
Julie West is Senior Vice President, Business Improvements & Compliance at Kinectrics. Kinectrics provides life cycle management solutions to the electricity industry, working with customers to fight climate change and save lives through clean electricity generation and medical isotope production.
Julie has held diverse technical and management positions for more than 25 years, specializing in developing regulatory strategies for novel nuclear projects including advanced reactors. As a leader, Julie is known for being an advocate for continuous improvement and innovation.
Julie also serves on the boards of the Canadian Nuclear Association and Atlantica Centre for Energy and is a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick.
Involved in district heating R&D and project development for over 35 years, Michael is currently Senior Advisor and Past Chair of the IEA District Heating and Cooling R&D Program, Member of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers Energy Task Force and a Director of The Boltzmann Institute. He is committed to affordable and sustainable decarbonization with a special focus on thermal networks.
Jay Wileman was named President and CEO of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) in November 2015. In this role, he is responsible for leading the nuclear business with 3,000 employees and manufacturing, service and sales facilities around the globe. He is also responsible for managing the joint venture between the General Electric Corp. (NYSE: GE) and Hitachi Corp.
With more than 30 years’ experience, Jay has a wealth of international knowledge, having led many global teams to success across the energy spectrum. Prior to being named President and CEO of GEH, he served as Senior Vice President, Nuclear Plant Projects and Chief Operating Officer, a position he assumed in 2012.
From 2009-2012 Jay served as President of GE Energy Sub-Saharan Africa where he led a team that provided integrated product and service solutions that met the continent’s needs in oil, natural gas, power generation, water, renewables and new grid modernization.
Since joining GE in 1994, Jay has held positions in engineering, manufacturing, industrial services and financial services in the U.S., Japan, Italy, Australia and South Africa. He served for three years as GE’s Global Mining leader. Before that, Jay was President and CEO of GE Equipment Services – Rail Services, where he managed and led the business’ railcar and intermodal services and leasing fleet. He also served for four years as General Manager for Global Services for Oil and Gas in Florence, Italy where he led double-digit growth in customized service agreements.
Jay started his GE career with the company’s nuclear business where he spent more than eight years in progressively larger positions in engineering, manufacturing, business development and services. Jay was a nuclear fuel engineer and commercial manager for Southern Nuclear before he joined GE.
Jay earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from Mississippi State University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson was first elected as the Member of Parliament for North Vancouver in 2015. He has previously served as Minister of Natural Resources, as Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Raised in Saskatchewan, Minister Wilkinson spent more than 20 years in the private sector, holding leadership positions with a number of companies dedicated to the development of green technologies.
Minister Wilkinson’s work as Chief Executive Officer of both QuestAir Technologies and the former BioteQ Environmental Technologies (now BQE Water), in addition to his role as Senior Vice-President of Business Development with Nexterra, provided him with extensive experience in the energy and environmental technology sectors. He also previously worked at Bain & Company, a leading global management consultancy.
A Rhodes scholar, Minister Wilkinson made use of his educational background in public policy when he worked as a constitutional negotiator and a federal-provincial relations specialist for former Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow. He has served on several industry and charitable boards, including United Way of the Lower Mainland and the BC Technology Industry Association. He also served as a board member and treasurer of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation.
Minister Wilkinson has deep roots in North Vancouver, where he is raising his family alongside his wife, Tara.
Alice serves as Senior Vice-President and Chief Corporate Officer at Cameco, one of the largest global providers of the fuel needed to energize a clean-air world. She has held diverse and increasingly senior leadership roles at the company for more than 30 years. In her current role, she provides executive oversight for human resources, safety, health, environment, quality, regulatory relations, business technology services, supply chain management, internal audit and corporate ethics.
She has been integral in Cameco’s position as a leading industrial employer of Indigenous peoples in Canada. She also provided leadership for ground-breaking collaboration agreements with Cameco’s home communities in the north – focusing on workforce development, business development, environmental stewardship, community engagement and community investment.
She has guided Cameco’s multiple Canadian operations through complex regulatory/licensing systems and upheld safety and environmental performance at the highest level, resulting in longer license terms for Cameco’s operations.
Alice also serves on the boards of SaskEnergy, Mining Association of Canada and Saskatchewan Mining Association.
She holds a Master of Arts (Economics) and Bachelor of Commerce, from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as, a Corporate Directors Designation (ICD.D).
Waqar Zaidi is USNC’s Senior Vice President, Commercial and Structured Financing. Waqar leads commercial strategy development, global commercial deal execution, and project structured financing for Ultra Safe. He brings more than 20 years of business development and M&A experience to support and accelerate USNC’s growing pipeline of active deployments worldwide. Before joining USNC, Waqar financed and built over $5B in energy projects with such firms as Enbridge, AMEC plc, Babcock and Wilcox. More recently, he advised on renewable energy M&A in North America including investment and development in the $3B European Fund (VCI) in Paris, Dubai and Toronto.