We are grateful to our speakers and their respective organizations for sharing their expertise, time and knowledge.
Nathan Ashcroft P.Eng, Director, Strategic Business Development, Energy and Resources, Stantec
Nathan is a little obsessed with current affairs, geo-political events, and how they tie back to the energy industry. As a strategic business developer, this means he searches out big concepts and global changes and figures out how to adapt our business development strategy to align with a changing world.
Working with the Stantec team, he’s often involved in expanding services with existing clients or finding new ways to bring Stantec services to customers around the world. Recently, he was the proposal lead and study lead on the Bitumen Beyond Combustion project, which took a look into potential new uses for bitumen other than fuel (combustion). The project included the Alberta government, all major oil sands operators, the federal government, and a world-scale chemical company. The team involved four major business areas, and the project might open up a whole new market for oil-sands-derived products in the future.
When Nathan isn’t spearheading new technology development or leading projects that diversify our business, he’s probably doing something outdoors. He’s a registered Scouts Canada leader, and he thrives when hiking or camping in remote locations
Jason Aspin, Co-Founder, Aspin Kemp and Associates
Jason Aspin co-founded Aspin Kemp and Associates (AKA) in 1996. Since graduating in marine engineering from the Canadian Coast Guard College in 1987 with specializations in power engineering and systems integration, he has built over 30 years of progressive experience in systems engineering in the Industrial, Marine, and Offshore environments. As an innovator, he dedicates his time to designing solutions which are both socially and environmentally responsible often introducing energy storage technologies to new applications. He has collaborated with other global innovators to develop new technologies of which several have been patented and have made a significant contribution in reducing the environmental footprint, increasing reliability and reducing operating costs for land-based and marine power generation systems around the world.
Rob Boone, Senior Engineer, Smart Grids, Nova Scotia Power
Daniel Breton, President and CEO, Electric Mobility Canada
Daniel Breton is President and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada, one of the oldest associations dedicated to the electrification of transportation in the world. This organization has members from the whole EV ecosystem, including light-, medium- heavy-duty and off-road vehicle manufacturers, electricity suppliers, infrastructure providers, cities, universities, unions, technology companies, research centers, government departments, environmental NGOs, electric vehicle owners’ associations, fleet managers, etc. A former Quebec Minister of the Environment, Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Parks, he was the first elected official in charge of a government strategy for the electrification of transportation in Canada in 2012. He graduated in sustainable carbon management and has written several books on the subject of transportation electrification, climate change, air pollution and energy transition since 2009.
Paul F. Browning, President & CEO North America, Fortescue Future Industries
Mr. Browning has extensive global leadership experience in distributed and central power generation, as well as in North American midstream and downstream oil and gas operations. He has worked in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Germany and has commercial experience around the world. He has also served on the Board of Directors of eSolar and Fuel Cell Energy.
Prior to joining MHPS Americas, Mr. Browning was President and Chief Executive Officer of Irving Oil Company Limited. Irving Oil owns and operates Canada’s largest oil refinery and crude oil import terminal, and is a joint venture partner in Canada’s only LNG import terminal. The company markets its products in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Before joining Irving Oil, Mr. Browning was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thermal Products Division of GE Power & Water in Schenectady, New York. At General Electric, he and his team developed new products for the power generation industry and sold and executed utility scale power generation projects throughout the world.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Browning worked for Caterpillar Corporation in a variety of leadership positions, including Managing Director of Caterpillar Motoren in Kiel, Germany, Vice President of Turbomachinery Products for Solar Turbines in San Diego, CA and General Manager of a manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico. He began his career at GE Corporate Research and Development in Niskayuna, New York.
Mr. Browning holds a B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as an M.S. degree in Materials Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Lindsay Burns, Manager, Government Relations, Heritage Gas
Lindsay Burns is the Manager, Government Relations for Heritage Gas, the natural gas distribution utility in Nova Scotia. Lindsay leads the government advocacy and stakeholder engagement efforts on emerging energy issues and opportunities. Lindsay is a project manager by practice with a background in communications, program development and community based initiatives.
Rebecca Costello, Engineer, Nova Scotia Power
Rebecca is an Engineer with the Customer Solutions technical team and is responsible for leading demand response pilot programs in Nova Scotia. Rebecca is also involved in supporting the Smart Grid Nova Scotia pilot project.
Rebecca is originally from Newfoundland and completed a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Memorial University. After spending the first five years of her career working in Newfoundland’s energy industry, Rebecca joined Nova Scotia Power in April 2021.
Colleen d’Entremont, President, Atlantica Centre for Energy
Colleen has spent her working career in Atlantic Canada in sectors associated with energy, transportation and infrastructure.
Upon graduating with high honours from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Commerce (supplemented by courses towards an MBA at both Dal and UNB), Colleen began her energy career at Irving Oil.
For over a decade she was immersed in the energy industry in positions across the company including: oil futures, refining, marine, rail and over-the-road transportation, bulk storage, information systems, human resources and public relations.
In addition, as Vice President, Marketing and Communications at one of the region’s largest engineering firms, Colleen was responsible for domestic and international marketing programs for projects in over 40 countries around the globe. Projects included energy recovery from waste, co-generation plants, power plant conversions, and environmental technologies
She also held senior positions in the transportation sector in both marine and aviation.
Most recently, Colleen joined the Atlantica Centre for Energy as President, in a role that helps to foster the exchange of information and dialogue to further the region’s energy opportunities.
Corey Diamond, Executive Director, Efficiency Canada
Corey has more than two decades of experience leading social change organizations focused on engaging people to take action on critical environmental and social issues. Corey was previously the COO and Partner of global consulting firm, Realized Worth, a company focused on the design and implementation of corporate volunteering and giving programs. Corey also spent 10 years helping to lead Summerhill, a national firm focused on engaging the public on energy efficiency behaviours. Corey volunteers his time on a number of boards and committees. An avid reader, record collector and musician, his greatest passion is hugging trees and travelling the world with his family.
Jeff Dahn, Department of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Dalhousie
Jeff Dahn is recognized as one of the pioneering developers of the lithium-ion battery that is now used worldwide in laptop computers and cell-phones. Dahn’s recent work has concentrated on increasing the energy density, improving the lifetime and lowering the cost of lithium ion batteries. He is the author of over 640 refereed journal papers and co-inventor of 65 inventions with patents issued or filed.
Jeff Dahn was born in Bridgeport, Conn. in 1957 and emigrated with his family to Nova Scotia, Canada in 1970. He obtained his B.Sc. in Physics from Dalhousie University (1978) and his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in 1982. Dahn then worked at the National Research Council of Canada (82-85) and at Moli Energy Limited (85-90) before taking up a faculty position in the Physics Department at Simon Fraser University in 1990. He returned to Dalhousie University in 1996.
Jeff Dahn has always interacted strongly with industry. During his years at Simon Fraser University (90-96) he collaborated strongly with the R+D team at NEC/Moli Energy Canada (Now E-One/Moli Energy Canada). Dr. Dahn took up the NSERC/3M Canada Industrial Research Chair in Materials for Advanced Batteries at Dalhousie University in 1996 and held that position until 2016. In June 2016, Dr. Dahn began a 5-year research partnership with Tesla Motors/Energy as an NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair.
Jeff has received numerous awards including: International Battery Materials Association (IBA) Research Award (1995); Herzberg Medal, Canadian Association of Physicists (1996); ECS Battery Division Research Award (1996); Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2001); Medal for Excellence in Teaching (2009) from the Canadian Assoc. of Physicists, The Rio-Tinto Alcan Award from the Canadian Institute of Chemistry (2010), the ECS Battery Division Technology Award (2011), the Yeager award from the International Battery Materials Association (2016) and the Inaugural Govenor General’s Innovation Award (2016).
Philippe Dunsky, Founder and President, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors
Philippe’s 30-year career has been dedicated to a single mission: accelerating the transition to a clean, low-carbon energy future, efficiently and responsibly. He has advised governments, utilities and businesses across North America on strategies to decarbonize buildings, transportation, industry, and energy. His firm of nearly 50 specialists is behind dozens of large-scale policies and programs – and billions of dollars of investments – focused on winning the climate race.
In addition to his consulting work, Philippe has served an array of boards and committees, appointed by governments, investment funds, private firms and non-profits, including oversight of over $1 billion in clean energy related capital and operating budgets. He currently serves as co-chair of Efficiency Canada, Research Lead for the Electrifying Canada Task Force, and was previously chair of the Québec Government’s Electrification and Efficiency Working Group.
Randall Fish, Director of Business Development, Shifted Energy
Randall Fish has served as Shifted Energy’s Director of Business Development since May 2019. Prior to joining Shifted Energy, he served as the Energy Analyst for Hawaii State Senator and Chair of the Senate Energy Committee Glenn Wakai, VP of BD for ElectrIQ Power, and Consultant for Strategen Consulting and the California Energy Storage Alliance. He has eight years of distributed energy strategy, program and policy experience, as well as over four years managing distributed energy resource projects for utility’s across the globe. Mr. Fish has a BA from California State University, Chico and a MS from Michigan Technological University.
Daryl Genge, President & CEO, Springboard Atlantic
Daryl Genge is an executive leader with more than 30 years’ experience in building partnerships among academia, industry and government. He is the President and CEO of Springboard Atlantic, an organization that represents the collective research and development capacity of 19 post-secondary institutions across the region. Prior to his role at Springboard, he held Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister (acting) positions with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development where he championed public-private investment strategies to drive the development and growth of innovative industries and played a leadership role in international trade and foreign direct investment attraction.
Stephen Hartlen, Assistant Vice-President, Industry Relations and leads the Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement (OCIE), Dalhousie University
Dalhousie’s OCIE team commercializes research at the university, manages and facilitates collaborations between companies and university researchers, promotes entrepreneurship, and assists in the creation of spin-off ventures.
Stephen joined Dalhousie in 2011 after spending the previous eight years at Innovacorp, Nova Scotia’s crown corporation for early stage venture capital, serving as vice president of mentoring and in his final year as interim president and CEO.
Prior to Innovacorp Stephen spent 15 years in the private sector with experience in business development, sales, and go-to-market strategy development in both the corporate financial services and the information technology sectors.
Stephen was the lead for productivity and innovation at the 4Front Atlantic Conference series. Presented at the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Conference on the risk capital markets in Eastern Canada. He is the chair of the Advisory Committee for the Conference Board of Canada’s Council for Innovation and Commercialization. Past co-lead of Dalhousie University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship strategy, Dal Innovates. He is also the Vice Board Chair for Springboard Atlantic, the network of Atlantic Canadian Universities and Colleges focused on growing the economy through research collaborations with industry.
Stephen is a graduate of Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Saint Mary’s University with a Master of Business Administration in Finance.
Gary Johnson, Regional Manager, Black & Veatch
Gary Johnson is the Regional Manager for Black & Veatch where he quarterbacks telecommunications, automation, microgrid, connected communities and District Energy activities with utilities. An Electrical Engineer, Gary worked for Schlumberger mapping the geology of oil wells in West Africa. Following his MBA, Gary has held various sales, marketing and business development positions including Marketing Manager for Schlumberger’s Electricity Metering Division, Director of Schlumberger’s Utility Services Group and Business Development roles with Ontario Hydro and Bayly Communications..
Mark Kirby, President and CEO, Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association
Mark was appointed President and CEO of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association in August 2019. He comes to the position with over 30 years experience in hydrogen and hydrogen technology – production, handling, distribution and use – with global industrial gases major Linde, fuel cell pioneer Ballard Power, separations technology company Questair Technologies and industrial biotech company S2G Biochemicals. His passion is commercializing technology – especially clean technology – and he has done that throughout his career, whether as a young engineer pioneering clean bleaching technology at pulp mills or as co-founder/CEO of a second-generation biochemicals company. His priority is to see CHFCA member companies prosper by helping them get their world leading products into commercial use around the world.
Maureen Kolla, Ph.D., Project Manager, Solas Energy Consulting Inc.
Maureen Kolla has over eight years of experience in the renewable and alternative energy sector, most in technology development and funding. Maureen joined Solas Energy in 2021 after leading and growing the Renewable and Alternative Energy program with Alberta Innovates. Skilled in research, strategic planning, project funding and proposal development, technical evaluations, fostering collaborative relationships, and effective communications, she brings a diverse skillset. Maureen developed funding programs to support geothermal energy, energy storage, smart grid, and clean technologies. She has a deep understanding of the Alberta electricity framework and the electricity industry. Maureen is the founder of the Alberta Smart Grid Consortium, which consists of the Alberta Distribution Facility Owners, the Alberta Ministry of Energy, and Alberta Innovates. Maureen holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta and a Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University.
TJ Lawy, Program Director, Balance of Plant Components, Ballard Power Systems, Inc.
TJ has over 20 years of experience in the hydrogen fuel cell industry, with a focus on hydrogen fuel cell systems and applications. He has worked with customers around the globe to integrate fuel cells into transportation and stationary power applications, from small systems of less than 1kW to large-scale systems over 1 MW. He has a background in engineering and has worked in product development, field service and applications engineering.
More recently, TJ has managed development of Ballard fuel cell modules through concept to customer launch and is currently responsible for the balance of plant components that are essential for efficient and effective operation of the fuel cell stack.
Greg Maidment, Director of Operations and Applied Research, Carbon Management Canada
Greg is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the methane monitoring, carbon capture, utilization, storage (CCUS) and subsurface monitoring testing facilities, at the Field Research Station in Brooks. Greg manages projects to demonstrate technology focused emissions reduction solutions and supports companies, investors, and governments to understand and implement industrial emissions reduction solutions.
Greg began his geophysics career at EnCana two decades ago and progressed through roles in the Exploration and Scientific Best Practices groups. For the last decade, Greg worked at various O&G producers as Exploration Lead, Geophysical Lead, and Technology Innovation Lead. His focus was on expanding the geosciences impact on business decisions, and promoting multidisciplinary applied interpretation processes.
Greg’s holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business in addition to his B. Sc. in geophysics.
Connor MacNeil, Program Development Specialist, EfficiencyOne
Since joining the R&D Engineering team in May 2021, Connor has worked to develop and implement demand response pilot programs in Nova Scotia. Connor first joined EfficiencyOne in July 2018 as part of the Small Business Energy Solutions program, where he assisted small businesses in conducting energy efficiency and demand saving upgrades. Connor is an Engineer-in-Training, holding a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Dalhousie University.
Matti Malkamäki, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Hycamite
Matti Malkamäki is a serial cleantech / deeptech entrepreneur and an active member of various hydrogen-related entities.
In his early career, Matti was working for a Finnish utility Fortum mostly in Finland and UK in different manager positions on larger gas turbine plants and industrial services. Matti founded his first cleantech company in 2002 in Finland focusing mainly on selling microturbines to biogas installations. That company expanded to Germany and eventually was listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange in 2010. Since then, Matti founded Aurelia Turbines in 2013 to commercialise technology originally developed by Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT). The hydrogen capabilities of Aurelia’s products have been developed in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center, DLR. He is also a founder of Hycamite TCD Technologies (2020) and a chairman of the board of the company.
Matti has a degree of M.Sc. (Industrial Economics) from the University of Oulu and since his graduation, he has continued studying industrial strategies in several universities in Finland and UK. As part of the product development work at Aurelia, he is now finalising his doctorate studies at the LUT. His research concentrates on modern gas turbine processes in decentralised and hydrogen-fired power generation.
Matti is also a member of the ECH2A Energy – CEO round table, member of the steering group of Finnish Hydrogen Cluster (www.h2cluster.fi), chairman of the steering group of Finnish Hydrogen Network, and one of the key persons in the “BotH2nia” -initiative (www.both2nia.com). He has been invited to speak about the possibilities of hydrogen at various events both domestically and internationally. Matti has also written several articles relating to hydrogen and energy efficiency in LinkedIn and various media.
Gordon McIntosh, Chairman, Aberdeen International Associates
Gordon retired from Aberdeen City Council in August 2016. He is currently, Chairman of Aberdeen International Associates Ltd, who are working in markets in South East Asia, Africa and North and South America.
Mr. McIntosh was recently appointed honorary visiting professor at Robert Gordons University. Other positions held include vice chairman of the Grampian Houston Association and Director of Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG)
Lauren McNutt, Consultant, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors
Lauren is a Certified Energy Manager® with over 15 years’ experience in non-profit and government sectors focused on planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative clean energy programs. Lauren has first-hand experience and knowledge of municipal services having spent 10 years of her career working for small and medium municipalities across Canada, including Halifax Regional Municipality. At Dunsky, she continues to support leading Canadian municipalities to achieve their climate ambitions. Lauren is a specialist in existing building energy efficiency policy and programming designed to spur and enable energy efficiency retrofits and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She has assessed home energy labelling and disclosure policy and program design options, conducted best practices research for alterations to existing building energy codes and designed or evaluated over a dozen innovative financing programs across Canada with a total value of over $1.75B.
Kathleen Mifflin, Project Manager, Net Zero Atlantic
Kathleen applies her cumulative experience in climate change and energy-related research in the position of Project Manager. She is enthusiastic and skilled in facilitating research projects as well as building the intersectoral relationships that drive successful research outcomes. Having an academic background in social sciences and humanities, Kathleen approaches her work within the energy sector through an interdisciplinary lens, incorporating diverse perspectives and working alongside a varied set of stakeholders. Above all, Kathleen is committed in both a professional and personal sense to ensuring that the transition to a net zero carbon society is achieved in a timely and equitable and inclusive manner.
Kathleen holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Dalhousie University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Global Development Studies from Queen’s University.
Shadea Mitchell, Vice President, Client Success, Virtual Peaker
Shadea Mitchell is the Director of Client Marketing for Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based software provider that is empowering the modern utility with the friendliest distributed energy resource management platform. She drives client outreach and engagement efforts to delight users of Virtual Peaker’s software, and collaborates across teams to highlight strategic product innovations. As an early member of the company, she’s served in many different functions – from client training and program implementation to partner management and business development. Shadea earned her Master of Public Affairs in Policy Analysis and Economic Development from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and her Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Political Science from the University of Louisville. Shadea is also a Fulbright alumni, and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She lives in Louisville, KY with her husband and two young children.
Albert Morales, Chief Financial Officer, Malta Inc.
Al is Chief Financial Officer of Malta Inc., a leading developer of long duration energy systems. Al joined Malta from PurEnergy, a provider of asset management services to private equity firms and other owners of power generation assets, where he was President. Al has over twenty years’ experience, with management, finance and legal expertise, in the energy, manufacturing and infrastructure industries. His successful track record of company-building includes roles as: Managing Director of Energy Management, Inc. (EMI), an energy developer and IPP; CFO of the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (GREC), a 100 MW biomass power project he helped develop, finance and operate; CFO of American Renewables, a biomass power project development platform; and COO of Environmental Power Corporation / Microgy, a publicly-traded developer of renewable natural gas facilities. Earlier in his career Al was an investment banker at Furman Selz / ING Barings, and a corporate attorney in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Al received a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a member of the Board of Editors of the Columbia Law Review; an MBA from Columbia Business School; and a Bachelors in Economics from Cornell University.
Frederick Morency, VP Field Services, Schneider Electric Canada
Frederick Morency has 25 years of experience in Schneider Electric, and leverages all his field, market and technology knowledge at the service of Schneider Electric customers in Canada. Frederick is leading the transformation of the Services offer with the intent to position Schneider Electric as the best business partner to help our customers to keep their Energy Green, Safe and Reliable.
Graduated from Laval University in Quebec City with a degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in Electromechanical and Power Distribution, he also has an organization transformation certificate from INSEAD in 2018.
Ranjith (Ran) Narayanasamy, President and CEO, Petroleum Technology Research Centre
Ranjith Narayanasamy comes to the PTRC from a senior management position at SaskPower. He has been working in the utility industry since 2005 in Canada, and has over 16 years of versatile experiences in SCADA Cyber Security, Engineering and Operations, Corporate Finance, Business Transformation, Green Field Hydro Electric Development and Indigenous Business Development. He has also worked on SaskPower’s Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Mobilization to India Initiative to build partnerships with Indian thermal utilities. He successfully created more than $350 million dollars of new indigenous economy by implementing an Indigenous Procurement strategy at SaskPower and won the Premier’s Award for Public Service Excellence in 2019. Ran was chosen that same year as a CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 Finalist.
Ran has strong board governance experience and has served on the Board of Gradworks Inc (Crown Investment Corporation) as vice-chair and as a Board member for Government of Saskatchewan’s Community Investment Fund (CIF). He has also served on boards for non-profit organizations including: President of the India Canada Association of SK and President of the Regina Hindu Temple. At present he is serving on the Computer Engineering Technology – Program Advisory Committee for Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Ran has a Masters in Electronic Systems Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from University of Regina, as well as a Masters Certificate in Project Management from York University’s Schulich School of Business. He is a registered professional engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS).
Emma Norton, Atlantic Director, Climate Emergency Unit
Motivated by the climate emergency, Emma has been working in Canada’s energy sector for nearly a decade, specifically in the areas of energy efficiency and deep energy retrofits. Currently, Emma works as a consultant for projects related to climate justice, and more specifically housing, low-carbon buildings, and retrofits as climate solutions. In this capacity she has been working as the Operations Director for the ReCover Initiative and the Director of Government Relations and Atlantic Canada Organizing for the Climate Emergency Unit.
Emma has effectively intervened in provincial utility hearings to ensure increasing ambition of demand-side management programs. She ran the Climate Jobs Roundtable, a series of events that focused on job creation and transitioning the energy economy. As the Nova Scotia lead for the international project Smarter Energy Communities in Northern and Arctic Regions of Europe, Emma facilitated knowledge transfer between communities in Canada and Europe who were seeking to reduce their carbon footprint through smarter energy use. Before consulting, Emma worked at QUEST, a community energy planning non-profit, and before that she worked on the Energy Team at the Ecology Action Centre, Nova Scotia’s environmental watch-dog.
Steve Olmstead, Director of Public & Government Affairs, CAA Atlantic
Steve Olmstead is the Director, Public & Government Affairs at CAA Atlantic. A member of the Innovation & Strategy team, Steve leads the organization’s public and government affairs initiatives, advocacy strategy, and supports the organization’s innovation and ESG agenda. Steve’s experience leans heavily on innovation realization, and includes roles with Irving Oil, Nova Scotia Power, and the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. Steve’s made award-winning contributions to new product development and implementation in the insurance, real estate, transportation supply chain, and education technology sectors in Canada.
Peter Porteous, VP Business Development, Steele Auto Group
Peter quarterbacks Steele’s efforts in the electric vehicle space including the All EV Canada business. Peter is a business guy but has had a long term interest in all things green. He was one of the original founders of an NB based nature preserve called the Meduxnekeag River Association (26 years ago), serves as a Director with Nova Scotia Nature Trust and is a founding partner in GrowingForests.ca. Additionally in a prior life Peter served as CEO of Blue Line Innovations Inc (real time residential energy data) and of FreePlay Energy Inc (human powered and solar powered products for the developing world). Since joining Steele Auto in 2019 Peter has served on the Halifax Green Economy working group and the NB EV Advisory Council.
Algert Prifti, Decarbonization Technologies Manager, Black & Veatch
Algert leads the Carbon Capture, Sequestration and Utilization (CCUS) solutions portfolio efforts at Black & Veatch. As part of the New Energy Solutions group at Black & Veatch, he focuses on exploring existing and emerging decarbonization technology solutions that contributes directly to new and traditional industry clients seeking to manage their carbon emissions and generate value-add opportunities. Algert has experience assessing and implementing CCUS solutions across the value chain, including point-source, Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS), CO2 Dehydration and Compression, CO2 Pipeline and Storage, CO2 utilization technologies and other applications. In addition to point-source CCS, Algert is also leading the Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology scale-up and project development efforts at Black & Veatch. Algert has experience working directly with industry stakeholders and utility owners to develop and navigate custom decarbonization roadmaps that pave the way to a low-carbon footprint future.
Sanjeev Pushkarna, Senior Program Manager, Nova Scotia Power
Sanjeev has been focused on deploying some of the energy industry’s most exciting innovation in Nova Scotia. His team has been supporting the HVAC industry for the past decade, including the significant growth in residential heat pumps. Sanjeev has also led initiatives related to battery storage and transportation electrification including the installation of the province’s first electric vehicle fast charging station network.
Sanjeev now leads Smart Grid Nova Scotia, a pilot project focused on demonstrating the value that Distributed Energy Resources can offer both customers and the utility in Nova Scotia. Project components include residential and commercial battery systems, commercial rooftop solar PV, EV smart chargers, EV bidirectional chargers and the province’s first Community Solar Garden.
Sanjeev is also active in the community, serving as a Board Member for the Downtown Halifax Business Commission and the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival. He also serves on the Board, and Executive Committee, of Electric Mobility Canada. Sanjeev is originally from Kentville and completed a Bachelor of Science degree from Acadia University and a Masters of Business Administration from Dalhousie University. After spending the first 8 years of his career in Ontario, Sanjeev joined Nova Scotia Power in 2014.
Justin Wahid Rangooni, Executive Director, Energy Storage Canada
Entering his third year as Energy Storage Canada’s Executive Director, Justin is a lawyer with more than a decade of experience in Canada’s energy sector, most recently serving as Vice President, Policy & Government Affairs at the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA). Prior to this he served as the Ontario Policy Lead for the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) following his time as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Ontario Minister of Energy. Justin holds an Honours BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Toronto and a law degree from the University of Wester. He also currently sits on the board of the York Children’s Aid Society.
Pratap Revuru, Director of Micro-Grid Solutions and Strategic Partnerships Schneider Electric
As Director of Microgrid Solutions and Strategic Partnerships at Schneider Electric, Pratap Revuru’s focus areas include developing and leading microgrid projects for various customers using Distributed Energy Resources and EcoStruxure platform. He also undertakes the responsibility of building strategic partnerships for microgrid and Energy as a Service (EaaS) offers and broadening the expertise in energy optimization and new energy landscape to be green, sustainable and affordable for all.
Honourable Tory Rushton, Minister, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables, Government of Nova Scotia
The Honourable Tory Rushton was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as MLA for Cumberland South in the 2018 by-election and he was re-elected in 2021.
He is a retired fire chief, an industry electrician and was a production manager for Oxford Frozen foods prior to being elected.
His Worship, Mike Savage, Mayor, Halifax Regional Municipality of Halifax
Mike Savage was elected Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality for a third term on October 17, 2020. As Mayor he has followed a mandate to grow the economy, foster greater social and economic inclusion for all, and promote a healthy, sustainable environment.
An active member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC), Mayor Savage was selected by his counterparts from across the country to co-chair FCM’s Syrian Refugee response task force in 2015. In spring 2021, he was elected Chair of the BCMC.
He served four years as President of the World Energy Cities partnership, an international organization of cities with significant energy sector interests.
In March 2016, he was honoured as a Modern Maker of Canada by the Canadian Institute on Governance, recognizing the growing role of civic leaders in driving the economic prosperity for the country.
In July 2018, Mayor Savage joined the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, participating with 39 other cities from around the world in a collaboration among the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School and Bloomberg Philanthropies to equip mayors with the tools to lead high-performing, innovative and progressive cities.
Prior to his election as Mayor, Mike Savage served three terms as Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, during which time he played a national role as Official Opposition Critic for Human Resources, Social Development and Status of Persons with Disabilities and chaired the Liberal Party Post-Secondary and Research Caucus.
Prior to entering politics, Savage was a business leader in Halifax and was involved in numerous community organizations focused on health, the arts, education and humanitarian work.
Mayor Savage and his wife Darlene have two adult children and live in Dartmouth where Mayor Savage grew up and attended school before graduating from Dalhousie University.
Hassan Shahriar, President, ADAPTR
ADAPTR is a company providing energy management solutions to better integrate renewables into the evolving electricity grid. Prior to founding ADAPTR, Hassan served as the commercial lead for 500MW of wind turbine supply contracts for ENERCON, a global wind turbine manufacturer, where he found his passion in solving the multitude of technical and commercial challenges inherent in renewable power projects. Today, Hassan is also the President of WindShare, a co-operative which owns the Exhibition Place wind turbine located in downtown Toronto. At WindShare, Hassan is leading a new vision for the co-operative’s next chapter in enabling Net-Zero transition. Hassan has an engineering background. He graduated from McGill University with a Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Scott Skinner, President & CEO, Clean Foundation
Scott Skinner has been the President and CEO of the Clean Foundation for the past six years. A program delivery non-profit, Clean works with its partners to support a fair transition to the clean low carbon economy through key impacts including the reduction of energy poverty, protection of the natural environment, action on climate change mitigation and adaption, and growth of the clean economy work force.
The current Chair of the Nova Scotia Roundtable of the Environment and Sustainable Prosperity, Scott also sits on the Federal Sustainable Development Advisory Council as the representative for Nova Scotia, the Advisory Council of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, the Board of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, as well as the Board of Wind4All Communities. He was named one of 26 ‘Canadian Climate Champions’ by the British High Commission in Canada and the Canadian Climate Law Initiative.
Scott’s leadership in energy efficiency, clean tech, energy policy and high impact program design and delivery, demonstrates his commitment to the transition to a low carbon economy.
Matthew Slotwinski, Senior Economic Development Officer, Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
For over a decade, Matthew has worked to attract new investment and job growth to the Sarnia-Lambton area, while supporting existing businesses to assist in expansion and diversification efforts. He has helped the Sarnia-Lambton Hybrid Chemistry Cluster gain international recognition in the sustainable chemistry industry and works closely with stakeholders in the Sarnia-Lambton Petrochemical & Refining Complex. Matthew has been a leader in branding the Sarnia-Lambton area as Ontario’s Hydrogen Hub and is actively working to develop and implement a regional strategy that will align Ontario’s Hydrogen Hub with the current Canada Hydrogen Strategy and the anticipated Ontario Low-Carbon Hydrogen Strategy. Matthew graduated from the University of Western Ontario’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program after completing his Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) at the University of Guelph. In 2021 he was named one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect.Matthew Slotwinski is the Senior Economic Development Officer with the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership. For over a decade, Matthew has worked to attract new investment and job growth to the Sarnia-Lambton area, while supporting existing businesses to assist in expansion and diversification efforts. He has helped the Sarnia-Lambton Hybrid Chemistry Cluster gain international recognition in the sustainable chemistry industry and works closely with stakeholders in the Sarnia-Lambton Petrochemical & Refining Complex. Matthew has been a leader in branding the Sarnia-Lambton area as Ontario’s Hydrogen Hub and is actively working to develop and implement a regional strategy that will align Ontario’s Hydrogen Hub with the current Canada Hydrogen Strategy and the anticipated Ontario Low-Carbon Hydrogen Strategy. Matthew graduated from the University of Western Ontario’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program after completing his Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) at the University of Guelph. In 2021 he was named one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect.
Jan Skjoldhammer, Founder and CEO, Novige AB
Jan is Novige’s founder/leader and the inventor of the unique and triple patented NoviOcean wave energy concept. Aside from the strategic decision-making and being the face of Novige AB, Jan has been deeply involved in all technical and practical issues related to the development, scaling up, and validation of the NoviOcean technology. His background as an airline captain for several years and as an officer in the Norwegian Air Force, helped him develop management and leadership capabilities.
Jan’s endeavor in the property development business while flying, laid the monetary foundation for Novige AB. He has been recognized as Sweden’s Mission Innovation Champion of 2020 as well as Innovator of the Year. In addition, the company has earned the Seal of Excellence from the European Commission and the Propeller Prize from Stena Line.
Rick Smith, President, Canadian Institute for Climate Choices
Rick Smith has spent 25 years leading non-profit organizations that are dedicated to improving public policy through the creation and communication of the best research and evidence. Most recently the Executive Director of the Broadbent Institute, he has worked with a wide variety of stakeholders on a diverse range of issues with a consistent theme of reconciling economic, social, and environmental priorities. Rick is a noted expert on the human health effects of pollution and has co-authored two best-selling books on the topic. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Guelph and lives in east end Toronto with his wife and two sons.
Ralph Torrie, Director of Research, Corporate Knights
Corporate Knights is a media, research, and financial information products company based in Toronto. His track record of thought leadership extends from Canada’s first renewable energy scenario in 1981 to Efficiency Nova Scotia’s decarbonization white paper in 2021. He is an expert in Canadian energy system dynamics and his entrepreneurial, management and consulting experience includes hundreds of initiatives in research, business development, and public policy.
Dr. James Stewart ,CEO, TrojAI Inc.
Dr. James Stewart is currently the CEO of TrojAI Inc., which protects computer vision innovations from malicious data poisoning and model evasion attacks. Previously, James served as SVP of Video Analytics with Canadian-based defence company Patriot One Technologies (TSX:PAT), who acquired James’ New Brunswick-based video analytics company EhEye Inc. James brings a strong mix of academic and extensive industry experience having held positions such as Lead Data Scientist with Forcepoint (née Raytheon Cyber), Research and Development Manager with the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity and Senior Network Intelligence Analyst with Bell Aliant. James also pioneered policing intelligence with the Saint John Police Force as their first Crime Analyst Manager where he developed innovative and advanced analytical techniques for aiding in crime reduction, in addition to his ongoing 18-year service commitment as an auxiliary police constable. James received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of New Brunswick, where he spent several years as a lecturer.
Curtis Whelan, Development Engineer, Growler Energy
Curtis is a professional engineer with a demonstrated working history and passion for the renewable energy industry. Skilled in Business Case Analysis, Project Economics, Project Finance, Project and Risk Management, Monte Carlo Modelling, Construction Management, and Project Execution, Curtis is a strong consulting professional with an aptitude for taking on new and challenging projects. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Engineering with a focus on Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland.