Speakers

Biography

Serge Abergel took office as Chief Operating Officer of Hydro-Québec Energy Services in December 2021. This subsidiary is responsible for hydropower export initiatives to the New York and New England markets.

Since joining Hydro-Québec in 2014, Mr. Abergel has held various positions in media and stakeholder relations and government affairs. He has also led information campaigns on the company’s export initiatives and is a frequent public speaker on Hydro-Québec’s clean energy generating fleet and transmission system. Prior to his most recent appointment, he served as Director – Communications.

Mr. Abergel has considerable previous experience working as a public affairs officer in the Canadian Armed Forces and the federal correctional system.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in operations management from HEC Montréal.

Biography

Ali Amadée is a lawyer and partner in the Montreal office of the world’s largest law firm, Dentons, where his practice focuses on corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, venture capital as well as technology and emerging growth companies. In addition to being viewed as a seasoned legal advisor, Ali is also known to be a pragmatic solution-finder and a strategic advisor for his clients.

Ali is particularly active in the energy transition field and heads Dentons Canada’s national practice group focused on lithium-ion batteries and battery storage. He has niche experience in providing legal, strategic and government relations advice to companies active in this fast-growing sector in all aspects of their establishment and expansion in North America.

His mandates often involve complex cross-border aspects and lead him to regularly work with his Dentons colleagues from various offices across the globe. As part of his transactional experience, Ali has acted for buyers and sellers in various M&A deals in a variety of sectors, and has been involved in numerous infrastructure transactions and financings (including in the context of public-private partnerships). He also regularly represents either tech and emerging growth companies or investors (including VC funds) in financing and investment transactions.

As a true world citizen, Ali has lived and attended university on three different continents. In 2008, he received the Québec-China Full Scholarship, awarded jointly by the governments of Quebec and China. This scholarship provided him with the opportunity to live in China and pursue graduate studies in international economic law at China’s Wuhan University. With a passion for languages, Ali is fluent in English, French and Persian and conversant in Mandarin. He is called to the bars of Quebec and the State of New York.

Ali is active on various boards and regularly advises business leaders on legal, geopolitical and strategic matters relating to China, the Middle East and other emerging economies.

Biography

Lykke E. Andersen currently serves as Executive Director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in Bolivia. She has conducted research on environment and development in Latin America for more than 25 years, as Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Development Studies, Scientific Manager at Conservation International Bolivia, Chief Economist at the Bolivian Catholic University and as a consultant for the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, the Andean Development Bank, United Nations and various other development institutions.

She is a prolific writer with more than 300 publications, including a dozen books and more than 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Research Papers in Economics ranks her among the top 5% female economists in the world.

She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Aarhus, Denmark.

Biography

Helen Antoniou is an executive coach for corporate leaders and their teams, as well as family business owners and their successors (Professional Certified Coach - issued by the International Coaching Federation). She is the author of the Globe and Mail bestseller, Back to Beer ... and Hockey: The Story of Eric Molson, a business biography of her father-in-law and past Chairman of the Molson Coors Beverage Company. Helen also lectures on family business governance and leadership in institutions such as the MIT Sloan School of Management, the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program and the McGill-HEC Executive MBA Program. An active member in her community, she is chair of the Board of Governors of Concordia University and co-president of the Montreal YWCA’s 2023 capital campaign.

Biography

Masatsugu Asakawa is the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors. He was elected President by ADB’s Board of Governors and assumed office on 17 January 2020. In August 2021, he was reelected for a 5-year term starting on 24 November 2021.

Under Mr. Asakawa’s leadership, ADB made significant contributions to the region’s COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery planning with a $20 billion comprehensive response package and $9 billion Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility. He also played a key role in rolling out a series of new and innovative financing initiatives—including an Energy Transition Mechanism—to spur the region’s low-carbon development and elevated ADB’s 2030 cumulative climate financing ambition to $100 billion as ADB continues to focus on the battle against climate change.

Prior to joining ADB, he served as Special Advisor to Japan’s Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and has a close-to-four decades’ career at the Ministry of Finance with diverse professional experience that cuts across both domestic and international fronts.

In the immediate aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, Mr. Asakawa, in his capacity as Executive Assistant to Prime Minister Taro Aso, took part in the first G20 Leaders’ Summit Meeting in November 2008. He was instrumental in orchestrating a globally coordinated financial package to abate the financial crisis, including a $100 billion loan from Japan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Then in 2016, in his capacity as Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, he took on a leading role for the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting in Sendai under the Japanese presidency, where a sustainable and inclusive development agenda was extensively discussed.

Most recently, he served as Finance Deputy for the G20 meetings under the Japanese presidency, playing a pivotal role for the success of the G20 Osaka Summit as well as the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting in Fukuoka. Some of his outstanding achievements in Osaka include the endorsement by the G20 Leaders of the “G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment” and the “G20 Shared Understanding on the Importance of UHC Financing in Developing Countries”. Before these, he had occupied various prominent positions within the Finance Ministry, including director positions in charge of development policy issues, foreign exchange markets, and international tax policy.

Mr. Asakawa’s professional experience extends beyond the realms of the Japanese government. Most notably, he served as Chief Advisor to ADB President Kimimasa Tarumizu between 1989 and 1992, during which time he spearheaded the creation of a new office focused on strategic planning. Also, he had frequent engagement with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in such positions as Chair for Committee on Fiscal Affairs (2011–2016). Furthermore, he was a senior staff at the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF (1996–2000). In the meantime, he gave lectures as Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Economic Science, Saitama University (2006–2009), and at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo (2012–2015).

Mr. Asakawa obtained his BA from University of Tokyo (Economics Faculty) in 1981, and MPA from Princeton University, USA, in 1985.

Biography

Patrick Aubin is Senior Vice-President, Cities and Development, Engineering Services Canada at SNC-Lavalin. In this role, he leads a strategic approach to the market, projects and clients, bringing the best solutions to ensure above-market growth in a reliable and predictable manner in order to deliver world-class services to SNC-Lavalin’s clients.

Patrick joined SNC-Lavalin in 2001. During his 20-year tenure, he has held several senior roles, most recently as Regional Vice-President, Eastern Quebec, EDPM. With more than 25 years of experience in engineering and project management, he has worked on numerous large projects throughout the province of Quebec, from airports to hospitals, schools to laboratories.

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from École de technologie supérieure (ETS). He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ).

Biography

Mr. Barrow is responsible for Platts and IHS Markit’s research of crude oil, NGLs, refining, biofuels and petrochemical feedstocks.  He also has responsible for joint mobility research offerings with S&P Mobility.  Kurt oversees a global team of experts providing forecast views on market fundamentals and transition scenarios.  He writes on a range of topics and supports executive and corporate boards with views on downstream markets and strategy and how to navigate the energy transition. Mr. Barrow began his career as a refining engineer at Exxon and was a partner at Purvin & Gertz.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University and an MBA from the University of Houston.

Biography

Jean-François Barsoum has over 25 years of experience at IBM where his focus is on understanding and communicating the societal and environmental impacts of technology. He was part of the core team that built the smart city concepts in the early 2000s.

Currently, his main objective is to communicate and popularise climate change solutions, smart city innovations, and the potential impacts of new mobility – such as the emergence of autonomous vehicles. He regularly advises startups in incubators and accelerators, and is seeding research collaborations with several Canadian universities, notably in quantum computing.

In 2008, he was selected by Al Gore's Climate Project to be trained by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He later joined the board of directors of the Canadian branch of Mr. Gore's Foundation for Climate change education, and became Chair in 2020.

He chairs the disruptive technology committee of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, is vice chair of the board at the Canadian Water Network, and is the outgoing director of the Quebec Smart Transportation experts’ group.

He is also part of the committee overseeing the application of the Quebec Policy on Sustainable Mobility, and has advised the Commissionner of the Environment of Canada on cleantech policy.

Biography

The Honourable Perrin Beatty, PC, OC, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 200,000-member Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada’s largest and most representative national business association. Before joining the Canadian Chamber in August 2007, Perrin held the same role at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME).

A descendant of one of Canada’s most prominent manufacturing families, he grew up in Fergus, Ontario and graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1971.

Perrin was first elected to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative in 1972. During his 21 years in Parliament, he served as Minister in seven different portfolios, including Treasury Board, National Revenue, Solicitor General, Defence, National Health and Welfare, Communications and External Affairs.

In 1994, Perrin joined a number of private sector boards and worked as a consultant in communications. In addition, he was an Honorary Visiting Professor in Western University’s Department of Political Science. From 1995 to 1999, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In keeping with his long-standing interest in education, Perrin served as Chancellor of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology from 2008 to 2015. He has received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Western University, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Perrin is currently a member of the board of directors of Mitsui Canada and in 2018, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his lifetime of public service and for his devotion to the development of our nation as a community leader and corporate visionary. In 2020, the Government of Japan awarded Perrin the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, in recognition of his many distinguished achievements in international relations and advancements in Canada-Japan business relations.

Biography

Biography

Suzanne M. Benoît was appointed President of Aéro Montreal, Québec’s aerospace cluster, at its inception in August 2006. Aéro Montreal brings together major decision makers in Québec’s aerospace sector and aims to optimize the competitiveness, growth and the influence of the industry around the world.

Prior to joining Aéro Montréal, she led the Longueuil Economic Development Agency (LED) as its President and CEO, from its creation in 2002. From 1999 to 2002, she led the foreign investment prospecting team in the Americas division of Investissement Québec. From 1991 to 1999, she held various executive positions at Hydro-Québec in the areas of governmental and institutional relations, industrial and economic development in the Commercial Division.

She started her career with the government of Canada in Ottawa and held various senior positions in the International Affairs Branch of Industry Canada, where she managed the industrial cooperation between Canada and Japan and Canada and South Korea and in the marketing of the defence products in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

In 2015, the Prime Minister of Canada officially appointed Ms. Benoît as one of three business representatives to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, one of the most important regional forums in the world.

Ms. Benoît is very active in the field of economic development both at the national and international level. She also serves on many boards of directors, namely “Invest in Canada”, Greener Aircraft Catalyst Project (SA2GE) and Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee, École de technologie supérieure (ETS), Sous-traitance industrielle Québec (STIQ), Conseil Emploi Métropole, the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec (CRIAQ), Comité sectoriel de la main-d’oeuvre en aérospatiale (CAMAQ), Aerospace Industries Association Canada (AIAC), and the Montreal Country Club.

Ms. Benoît holds a bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Ottawa. In 2016, she received the title of corporate director from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) program of the Rotman School of Management and McGill University.

Ms. Benoît’s community involvement is also reflected by her honorary role and participation in many charitable organizations.

Biography

Ms. Beschloss is Founder and CEO of RockCreek. Previously, she was Managing Director and Partner at the Carlyle Group. She was Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer of the World Bank and worked at Shell International and J.P. Morgan. Ms. Beschloss has advised governments, central banks, and regulatory agencies on global public policy and financial policy as well as energy policy. She led the World Bank’s energy investments and policy work on areas including sustainable investing, renewable energy, power, and infrastructure projects to reduce carbon emissions and founded its Natural Gas Group as a transitional fuel.

Ms. Beschloss is Chair of PBS Foundation, and trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study, World Resources Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, Global Alliance for Vaccines, and Georgetown University.

She was recognized by Carnegie Corporation in their Great Immigrants, Great Americans 2020 list, received the Institutional Investor Lifetime Achievement Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award, and been listed among the “Most Powerful Women in Banking” by American Banker.

Ms. Beschloss holds an MPhil (Honors) in Economics from the University of Oxford, where she taught international trade and economic development. She is the co-author of The Economics of Natural Gas and author of numerous journal articles on energy, finance, renewable energy, and impact investing.

Biography

Rasmus Bjerngaard is co-founder and CEO of Nextfood, a food and climate technology company re-inventing the plant-based food supply chain from farm to fork using vertical farming. Nextfood's turnkey solution enables efficient production of fresh food for better health, flavour, climate and profitability, year-round. Nextfood saves 98% water, 98% land, more than 75% fertiliser, reduces CO2, has no water pollution, and uses no pesticides.

Rasmus serves as board member and advisor to various tech companies, funds, foundations and corporations. Previously, he spent 7 years in venture capital, most recently as a partner in a Nordic fund and he was partner/manager in technology startups in Denmark and Silicon Valley. He has been an academic researcher and worked with Doctors without Borders in the field and as a board member. Rasmus holds an Executive MBA from LBS, an M.Sc. Eng. Electronics and Computer Science, and a Ba.Minor level in psychology.

Biography

Born in Chicoutimi on December 27, 1967, son of businessman Gaston Blackburn and Nicole Desbiens. Married to Annie Tremblay and father to four children, Pierre-Karl, Samuel, William and Zachary.

Graduate of London’s ELS International Language School (1988) with a Bachelor of Administration with a law and management concentration (1992) from l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC). Registered student (starting in 2002) in UQAC’s organizational management master’s program (90% complete).

Assistant to the trustee and advisor at Samson Bélair, Deloitte & Touche in Québec City from 1991 to 1993, managing director and board member at Groupe G. Blackburn Inc. from 1994 to 2020.

Elected to the National Assembly as Québec Liberal Party member for the riding of Roberval in 2003. Parliamentary assistant to Québec’s Minister of Economic and Regional Development from May 21, 2003 to March 24, 2004, to Québec’s Minister of Economic and Regional Development and Research from March 24, 2004 to March 2, 2005, and to Québec’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety from March 2, 2005 to February 21, 2007.

Chief of staff for the government whip from April to June 2007. Became chief organizer for the Québec Liberal Party on June 21, 2007 and took on the responsibilities of director general and chef organizer from 2009 to 2013.

Became Director, Public Affairs and Government Relations - Canada at Resolute Forest Products from September 3, 2013 to June 2020.

Highly engaged on social fronts, he has worked for many years with Centraide of Greater Montreal. Member of the board at the Conseil du patronat which acts as the voice of Québec employers. Member of the board of Forces Avenir which supports initiatives that encourage and recognize student social engagement in urban centres as well as in Québec’s regions. Member of the board at Fondation Je marche vers mon avenir which works to support early childhood care in Québec’s Atikamekw communities.

Received a civic merit medal from Québec’s Ministry of Justice in 2002.

Biography

Jocelyn Blériot joined Ellen MacArthur in 2007, after 12 years spent in the media and publishing industry. Initially in charge of editorial matters at the Foundation (overseeing content development and messaging), he now fully focuses on leading the organisation’s institutional engagement. He notably represents the Foundation at the European Commission, and manages the relationship with governments and supra-national bodies such as the United Nations, the G7 Resource Alliance, the OECD or the World Economic Forum.

Biography

Robert M. Blue is chair, president, and chief executive officer of Dominion Energy.

Blue became chair of the Dominion Energy board of directors in April 2021. Before becoming CEO and president in October 2020, Blue was Dominion Energy’s executive vice president and co-chief operating officer, and president-Dominion Energy Virginia, the company’s vertically integrated electric utility in Virginia and North Carolina.

Blue joined Dominion Energy in 2005 and has held a succession of services and operational executive roles since his promotion to officer in 2007, including vice president-State and Federal Affairs; senior vice presidentPublic Policy and Corporate Communications; senior vice presidentRegulation, Law, Energy Solutions, & Policy; and president-Dominion Virginia Power.

Prior to joining Dominion Energy, Blue served as counselor to the Governor and director of policy for Virginia Governor Mark Warner and as an attorney at Hogan & Hartson.

Blue has been a board member of a wide range of community and industry organizations, including the Nuclear Energy Institute. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Edison Electric Institute and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. He is a member of the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Sports Backers and Communities in Schools of Virginia as well as the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors.

Blue is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Yale Law School. He also earned his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Biography

Louis-Nicolas Boulanger is a partner in the Business Law Group in Montréal. Recognized for his market knowledge, his practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, project finance and general corporate and commercial transactions in the power, mining and infrastructure sectors (including in the engineering and construction industries).

Louis-Nicolas works with a broad range of clients including Canadian and international purchasers, vendors, investors, developers, and lenders in connection with energy projects (including wind, hydro and co-generation power projects), mining projects and infrastructure projects in Québec, Canada and around the world. Such clients, which range from strategic stakeholders and utilities to financial investors such as pension and investment funds, value his responsiveness, foresight, and his ability to provide comprehensive insights to mitigate risk and successfully move complex projects through their life cycles from the initial development and construction stages to monetization and divestiture.

An active member of the community, Louis-Nicolas regularly contributes to industry publications and is a member of the board of directors of AluQuébec, an organization coordinating various working groups in the Québec aluminum industry. He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Théâtre de la Banquette Arrière, a non-profit theatre company performing in Montréal and across Québec.

Louis-Nicolas graduated from Université Laval in 2004 and was called to the Québec bar in 2006.

Biography

The Honourable Scott Brison joined BMO as Vice-Chair, Investment & Corporate Banking in 2019. As an elected Member of Parliament, Scott served the constituency of Kings-Hants (Nova Scotia) who elected him to Canada’s House of Commons seven consecutive times over 21 years. During that time he served in government for seven years holding key roles, most recently as President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government from 2015 to 2019, Minister of Public Works and Government Services from 2004 to 2006, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special emphasis on Canada-U.S. relations from 2003 to 2004.

In June 2020, Mr. Brison became Dalhousie University’s eighth chancellor.

Mr. Brison is a member of the Trilateral Commission and was named by the World Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland, as one of its "Young Global Leaders." In August 2010, he was awarded the Order of San Carlos by Colombian President Álvaro Uribe in recognition of his contributions to the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Mr. Brison serves on the board of Universal Rail Systems, Bond Resources Inc., the Canada-China Business Council, the Dalhousie University Board of Governors, the Macdonald Stewart Foundation, CJPAC, the advisory board of the Canadian American Business Council and previously served as Chairman of SeaFort Capital Inc.

Mr. Brison earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University. He has completed the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century Executive Education Program at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

Biography

Born in France, Dr. Brunet has been working in the health and social services field for more than thirty years. He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Montreal Health Center (CHUM) since September 2015. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Sainte-Justine from January 2009 to September 2018 and President and CEO of both hospitals from September 2015 to 2018. On July 14, 2018, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor by France for his entire career in the healthcare field.

He has excellent leadership, initiative, and experience in meeting future challenges and in innovating, through care, teaching, research, and facility management activities, for the benefit of patients.

His main research interests include hospital management and health system integration, including use of artificial intelligence, medical information and communication technologies. He has also developed throughout his career skills in continuous improvement of quality of care and patient safety, international collaboration, and transfer of know-how, among partners of the ecosystem.

Dr. Brunet's academic career has included appointments as Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Montreal, Professor of Intensive Care in France and Full Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Head of the Department of Resuscitation and Critical Care and Medical Director of the Telemedicine Program at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. In February 2017, he was appointed President of the University of Montreal Health Network (RUIS), after having been its Vice-President since 2009. He also was the President of the international mother and child network of 20 academic hospitals from 2009 to 2018.

His many accomplishments include the construction of an intensive care clinical and research program and a cardiac surgery center in Paris, a hospital project in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the creation of an academic intensive care and resuscitation center in Toronto. Numerous modernization projects were carried out under his leadership, including the construction of a new research center and specialized care unit building at CHU Sainte-Justine with a budget of $1.5 billion and a new CHUM campus with a budget of $3.5 billion.

Biography

Nathalie Camden has been Associate Deputy Minister of Mines at the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles since June 2018. Ms. Camden began her career in the Québec public service in 1992 at the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles, where she was promoted to Director of Aboriginal Affairs in 1998. She has held several management positions in different sectors of this ministry (Forestry and Mining) and was Associate Deputy Minister of Wildlife from 2009 to 2014.

From 2015 to 2017, she served as Assistant Secretary to the Northern Development Secretariat and the Société du Plan Nord, where she actively participated in the creation of the latter as a strategic advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Société. From June 2017 to June 2018, she was Assistant Deputy Minister of Business Partnerships and Customer Services at the Ministère du Tourisme. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Agence de Revenu du Québec since 2017. Ms. Camden obtained her bachelor’s degree in political science from Université Laval in 1987, with a specialization in American politics and economics from Assumption College in Worcester, United States. She completed a certificate in administration in 1995 at Université Laval.

Biography

Mark Carney is a Vice Chair of Brookfield Asset Management and Head of ESG and Impact Fund Investing. In this role, he is focused on the development of products for investors that will combine positive social and environmental outcomes with strong risk-adjusted returns.

Mr. Carney is an economist and banker who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, and prior to that as Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 until 2013. He was Chairman of the Financial Stability Board from 2011 to 2018. Prior to his governorships, Mr. Carney worked at Goldman Sachs as well as the Canadian Department of Finance.

He is a long-time and well-known advocate for sustainability, specifically with regard to the management and reduction of climate risks, and is currently the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance.

He is also an external member of the Board of Stripe, a global technology company building economic infrastructure for the internet and a member of the Global Advisory Board of PIMCO, the Group of Thirty, the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, as well as the boards of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Hoffman Institute for Global Business and Society at INSEAD.

Mr. Carney received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University and a master’s degree and doctorate from Oxford University.

Biography

Dr. Chantal Line Carpentier, Canadian, currently serves as Chief, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) New York Office of the Secretary-General, where she coordinates UNCTAD’s input into the Financing for Sustainable Development, Science, Technology and Innovation, and monitors progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) processes. She is particularly interested new economic models for sustainable development and partnerships to leverage micro, small and medium enterprise (MSMEs), entrepreneurship and gender equality in achieving resilient, inclusive and connected and sustainable economic recoveries. As Major Groups Coordinator for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Division for Sustainable Development, she facilitated the engagement of and consultation with worldwide non-State actors (NGOs, women’s groups, business and industry, etc.) in the SDGs negotiations and the United Nations Rio+20 Conference. She also supported the negotiations of the 10 Year Framework of Program on sustainable consumption and production.

Prior to joining the United Nations, she worked as Head, Environment, Economy and Trade Division of the North American Free Trade Agreement Commission for Environmental Cooperation (2000-2007).

Dr. Carpentier obtained her PhD. in Agricultural and Environmental Economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, as well as both her MSc. and BSc. in Agriculture Economics from McGill University.

Biography

Graham Carr is President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. Ranked as Canada’s top university under 50 years old by QS, Concordia has two Montreal campuses that are home to more than 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 7,000 faculty and staff.

Graham’s previous leadership positions at Concordia include Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs; Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies; and Dean of Graduate Studies.

Born in Quebec, Graham earned his PhD from the University of Maine and is a Professor in the Department of History. His research focuses on North American cultural history, in particular cultural diplomacy and the Cold War.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Centraide (United Way) of Greater Montreal and as the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) representative on the Board of U SPORTS, the national brand for university sports in Canada. Graham is also a member of the Research Committee of Universities Canada and sits on the Steering Committee of Montreal Climate Partnership (Partenariat Climat Montréal). He previously served on the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure, as President of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, as Chair of the Canada-US Fulbright selection committee, and for many years on the National Capital Commission’s Advisory Committee for Communications, Marketing and Programming.

Biography

Amy Melissa Chua is the Country Director of Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA), a multi-stakeholder partnership platform catalyzed by Grow Asia. In her role, Amy manages the overall execution of the PPSA’s strategic vision - supporting sustainable and inclusive agricultural development in the Philippines. Amy ensures the effectiveness of the PPSA’s Working Groups, which are the networks’ primary vehicle for change. Recently, through the PPSA's work with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, she served as a Main Resource Person and supported the Philippines' contribution to the UN Food Systems Summit.

Prior to joining Grow Asia - PPSA, Amy was the Communications and Engagement Manager of one of the largest corporate foundations in the Philippines. Her contributions to the Aboitiz Group involved the enhancement of the Aboitiz’s CSR brand reputation and stakeholder engagement, and the creation of the Group’s first crowdfunding platform that caters to various nonprofits nationwide.

In 2017, Amy was instrumental in establishing the PPSA as its first Country Secretariat Coordinator, leading the establishment of the PPSA’s Core Committee and Working Groups. She was also a Portfolio Manager for Livelihood and Officer-in-Charge of the Corporate Affairs of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, one of the largest private sector-led social development organizations in the Philippines and the first of its kind in Asia.

Amy holds a Development Communication degree (Cum Laude) from the University of the Philippines - Los Baños, Philippines and has taken up Food Systems E-Course with the Wageningen University and Research.

Biography

Dr. Gina Parvaneh Cody immigrated to Canada from Iran in 1979.

Dr. Cody holds a master’s and a doctorate in building engineering from Concordia University. She was the first woman awarded a PhD in building engineering at Concordia. Dr. Cody has more than 30 years of professional practice in the private sector as a professional engineer, corporate executive and principal shareholder of an engineering firm. Dr. Cody has provided professional engineering services to some of Canada’s largest Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), financial institutions, builders and developers.

Dr. Cody served the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) for more than 15 years as a member of the Discipline Committee and eight years as chair of the Professional Practice Committee. Cody was granted the Certificate of Fellowship and the Award of Honor by PEO. Dr. Cody is also a recipient of the Award of Merit by the Canadian Standards Association, was awarded the Order of Montreal in 2019, was named one of the Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada in 2020, and one of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs in 2010 by Profit Magazine. In December 2020, she was appointed Member of the Order of Canada.

Dr. Cody serves on the board of trustees of the Canadian Apartment Properties REIT and the European Residential REIT.  She is a member of the Board of Governors, the Governance Committee and chair of the Real Estate Planning Committee and the chair of the Gina Cody School Advisory Board. She is also the co-chair of the Campaign for Concordia, the university’s most ambitious fundraising initiative ever. Dr. Cody has been a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Engineering since 2019.  In 2021 she was named the Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the 34^th Combat Engineer Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces.

In 2018, Dr. Cody made an historic $15 million gift to Concordia University's Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science. In honour of her professional accomplishments and her generosity, the faculty was renamed the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. It is the first engineering faculty in Canada, and one of the first internationally, named after a woman.

Dr. Cody lives in Toronto with her husband, a retired banker. The couple have two daughters, one completed her law degree and the other a doctoral degree in engineering.

Biography

John Cooper was appointed Director General, FuelsEurope and Concawe in April 2015. He started his career in the motor industry working on future powertrains, and after 3 years moved to BP Downstream where he has 27 years of experience. His previous role was as Director, Renewables Strategy Downstream, leading BP’s commercial compliance strategy for renewables regulation. He has also had business leadership roles in aviation fuels and lubricants, transport energy policy, and fuels technology, in the UK and USA, and has represented the UK fuels industry at the UK Automotive Council Technology Group. He holds a BA in Engineering from Cambridge University.

Biography

Mathias Cormann is the 6th Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

His five-year term commenced on 1 June 2021.

Working with OECD members, his priorities as Secretary-General are to:

• Help maximise the strength of the economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19;
• Drive and promote global leadership on ambitious and effective action on climate change to achieve global net-zero emissions by 2050;
• Finalise a multilateral approach to digital taxation;
• Seize the opportunities and better manage the risks in the digital economy;
• Promote market-based policies and a rules-based international order; and to
• Strengthen the engagement and outreach of the OECD into the Asia-Pacific.

Prior to his appointment to the OECD, Mathias served as the Australian Minister for Finance, the Leader of the Government in the Australian Senate and as Federal Senator representing the State of Western Australia.

In these roles, he has been a strong advocate for the positive power of open markets, free trade and the importance of a rules-based international trading system.

Mathias was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Belgium.

He migrated to Australia in 1996, attracted by the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer in Western Australia.

Before migrating to Perth, Mathias had graduated in law at the Flemish Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), following studies at the University of Namur and, as part of the European Erasmus Student Exchange Program, at the University of East Anglia.

Between 1997 and 2003, he worked as Chief of Staff as well as Senior Adviser to various State and Federal Ministers in Australia and for the Premier of Western Australia.

Between 2003 and 2007, Mathias worked for major Western Australian health insurer HBF in a range of senior management roles.

In 2001, realising a childhood dream, Mathias obtained his private pilot’s licence.

Mathias grew up speaking German and graduated in law following studies in French, Flemish and English.

He is married to Hayley, a Perth lawyer, and they have two young daughters, Isabelle and Charlotte.

Biography

Sophie Cousineau is vice-president, ESG & Corporate Affairs, at WSP Global. In this role, she helps define WSP’s ESG policies and communication strategies for investors and other stakeholders. Prior to joining WSP, in 2021, she worked for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) for eight years as vice-president, ESG and Sustainable Investing, and, before that, as chief of staff to the president and chief executive officer. Previously, Ms. Cousineau worked as a business reporter and columnist for close to 20 years. She was notably chief Quebec correspondent and Report on Business columnist for the Globe and Mail (2012 to 2014), and business columnist for Montreal’s La Presse newspaper (2001 to 2012). Ms. Cousineau holds an executive MBA from Oxford University, an M.Sc. in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B. Arts in economics and political sciences from McGill University.

Biography

Julie Dabrusin is Toronto-Danforth’s federal champion and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and Climate Change. Originally from Montreal, Julie attended law school in Toronto and has been a vocal environmental advocate since her election to Parliament in 2015. Before becoming a Member of Parliament, Julie’s environmental work started at the community level advocating for our parks, preventing food waste, and supporting active transportation.

Biography

After a baccalaureate in economics and his military service at ECPAD (Establishment of Communication and Audiovisual Production of Defense), Thierry Dassault was responsible for Civil Equipment for Electronics Serge Dassault in Brazil from 1979 to 1981, general manager of  '' an alarm systems company from 1982 to 1984, associate producer and director of advertising and institutional films at Claude Delon Productions from 1985 to 1993.

From 1994 to 2006, he was Chairman of Dassault Multimedia, which acquired stakes in Infogrames, Gemplus, Infonie, BFM, CdandCo, Net2one, Emme and Welcome Real-time.  He has also personally invested in Chapitre.com.

In 2004, he was the federator of Keynectis, which became OpenTrust in September 2013 and then IDnomic in February 2016, he has chaired from the start.  IDnomic provides electronic certification and security services, used for the digital identification of people, devices or connected objects.  The company was sold to the Atos Group on 09/30/2019.

At the end of 2006, Thierry Dassault created TDH, an investment structure in emerging technologies and niche sectors, which holds stakes in Aquarelle, Bernardaud, Blablacar, Coravin, Halys, La Maison, L Capital, Qista, Scarcell, Wallix Group  and YouScribe.

He was reelected in June 2020 for one year, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault (GIMD) and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Rond-Point Immobilière.  He is also President of Dassault Immobilier Canada inc.

He sits on the boards of: Artcurial, CDEFQ (Cercle des Dirigeants d’Entreprise Franco-Québécois).

Champagne Taittinger, Dassault Aviation, Dassault Médias (Le Figaro), Halys, Immobilière Dassault, Particulier et Finances Editions, Royal Hotel - Winter & Gstaad Palace, SITAM Belgique, and Wallix Group.

He is a member of the YouScribe Strategic Committee.

He was President of the 58th National Session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Defense Nationale) from 2006 until 2020, Officer of the Legion of Honnor and Colonel of the Air Force under the Citizen Reserve.

Finally, he is Vice-President of the Kidney Foundation and member of the Boards of Directors of the Serge Dassault Foundation and of the Association for Research on Alzheimer's.

Biography

Jordan Davis is Executive Director of Smart Columbus, the Columbus Region’s collaborative innovation lab focused on advancing what is new and next at the intersection of technology and community good.  Smart Columbus was founded after winning the $50 million U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart Cities Challenge in 2016.  Jordan has supported the work from vision to implementation and more recently led the transition from a grant program to a financially sustainable organization. In her work she has spearheaded the deployment of one of the country’s first self-driving vehicles on public roads, established an electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem that led to a 500% increase in EV adoption, laid the groundwork for affordable residential connectivity to close the digital divide, and established partnerships with over 100 different organizations representing $720 million of aligned investment.  Jordan speaks to audiences around the world about her pioneering work and has been honored as one of the ‘Top 25 Government Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers’ by Government Magazine, ‘Top 100 Influential Young Executives’ by American City Business Journals, a ‘Rising Star’ by Automotive News, and one of ten Mercedes Benz Future of Mobility Fellows in the world.

Biography

Mr. Lloyd C. Day is a United States citizen and assumed his position as Deputy Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) on July 1, 2012.

Started career with the Governor of California eventually becoming the Assistant Secretary of International Trade and Investment for California. Moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as Administrator of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, Head of Federal Government Affairs at Syngenta, and now Deputy Director General of IICA.

Biography

André de Ruyter is currently the Eskom Holdings Group Chief Executive (overseeing a 100 State owned company of over 40 000 employees, responsible for providing over 95 South Africa’s electricity needs and approximately 45 of the electricity used across the Africa. Under André’s leadership, Eskom operates 30 power stations, including base load coal and nuclear power stations, hydro, pumped storage and gas fired peaking power stations as well as a self dispatching wind farm Eskom has a total nominal capacity of over 44 000 MW, supported by a network consisting of almost 400 000 km of high, medium and low voltage lines and underground cables serving over 6 000 000 direct customers.

A seasoned executive, with a career spanning over 30 years, André has amassed a wealth of experience both locally and internationally in various portfolios in the energy space, including the management of coal, oil, chemical and gas businesses, the marketing of export coal to international utilities and managing operations of mega coal and gas conversion plants, including electricity generation. His experience and expertise traverses a range of disciplines, including but not limited to strategic leadership, sales manufacturing, production, finance, legal regulation, people management and socio economic development. André holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands, a Bachelor of Law (LLB) obtained from the University of South Africa (UNISA) as well as a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pretoria.

He was a member of the Sasol group executive committee from 2009 to 2014 and spent some time in China as President of China Ventures, also leading business turnaround and transformation in Germany. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Nampak in 2014 a position he left when he accepted the Group Chief Executive role at Eskom, beginning in January 2020 two months before South Africa went into a national lockdown as a result of the COVID 19 global pandemic.

When often asked why he accepted the leading role at the beleaguered energy utility, André has consistently maintained that he believes the importance of Eskom in driving economic growth and development should never be underestimated, and is humbled to take up the challenge of restoring Eskom’s value add, credibility and reputation. Deeply passionate about employee engagement, André has made a concerted effort to consistently connect with people across the business and share the vision of the Eskom “city on the hill” re invigorating, rejuvenating and redefining Eskom’s destiny to lead the energy transition into the future in a sustainable manner, as well as the importance of high performance culture amongst employees, to make this a reality.

Biography

Since September 2020, Ryan Dermody is President of Norcan Petroleum Group, a major supplier of refined and renewable fuels to independent distributors in Quebec and Ontario.

Prior to his arrival at Norcan, Ryan was with The Port of Montreal where he led the construction of the new terminal container project on the Port of Montreal premises located in Contrecoeur, Québec.

He was also the Infrastructure Senior Director for energy and logistics at “Investissement Québec” as well as vice-president at the “Compagnie Financière Tradition”.

He also served in the Royal Navy for more than a decade as an Officer, he was a board member of Chimie ParaChem, and curator for The Maple Leaf Trust. He is a graduate of the Diplomatic Academy in London, the University of Westminster, and the Britannia Royal Naval College.

Today, he is a board member of the Palliative Home-Care Society Foundation and a member of the Veteran Mental Health Advisory Committee.

Biography

Hélène Desmarais is a prominent and influential business leader in Canada.  Since it was founded in 1996, Hélène has been Chair and CEO of the Centre d’Entreprises et d’Innovation de Montréal (CEIM), one of Canada’s most successful technology incubator in Canada.  The CEIM has catalyzed the development of hundreds of Canadian startups, some of which have become world-class enterprises.

In 2017, she played a key role in establishing SCALE AI , the Canadian artificial intelligence supercluster, and its main laboratory, IVADO Labs As Founder& Executive Chair of IVADO Labs and Founder & Co-Chair of SCALE AI ,  she steers the two organizations jointly with their management teams . As such, she works with different multinational and hospital leaders to build AI softwares in their supply chain and in the health industry to deliver real-time analysis of medical imagery for clinicians

Ms. Desmarais is also Chair of the Creative Destruction Lab (Montréal) and NextAI- Montreal, two of Canada’s major entrepreneurship incubator in AI programs, which she founded in Montréal. As such, she works with different business leaders to launch innovative start-ups.

As an entrepreneur, Ms. Desmarais chaired the Board of Directors of Gestion Bio-Capital for its first ten years. The venture fund, specializing in biotech start-ups, helped create some 20 businesses, two of them worth over $1 billion.

She is also a corporate director, serving on the board of Christian Dior SA since 2012 where she chairs the Compensation and Nomination Committee  Since 2006, she has also been a board director for Garda World Security and for which she serves on the Audit and Governance committees

In  October 2003, she was named Chair of HEC Montréal and the first women to hold that post In addition , she was the first woman across Canada and North America  to chair the board of an high ranking business school

Since 1995 , she has attended all conferences of the International Forum of the Americas , serves on its board of Governors and chairs its Conference de Montréal steering committee

Hélène Desmarais holds a Bachelor degree in Finance from HEC Montréal

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS

Ms. Desmarais received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2002 and again in 2012. In addition to her most recent honorary doctorates from Polytechnique Montréal and Mc Master University , in 2009 she was awarded honorary doctorates from St. Francis Xavier and Lumière Lyon II universities. That same year she received the Medal of Honour from the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal, along with the Order of Canada. She was declared a Great Montrealer in the economic sector and inducted into the Entrepreneurs Club of the Conseil du Patronat du Québec in 2010, and made an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec in 2013 and a Commander of the Ordre de Montréal in 2016.

Biography

He joined Power in 1981 and assumed the position of Vice-President the following year. In 1984, he led the creation of Power Financial to consolidate Power’s major financial holdings, as well as Pargesa Holding SA, under a single corporate entity. Mr. Desmarais served as Vice-President of Power Financial from 1984 to 1986, as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1986 to 1989, as Executive Vice-Chairman from 1989 to 1990, as Executive Chairman from 1990 to 2005 and as Chairman of the Executive Committee from 2006 to 2008. He also served as Vice-Chairman of Power Corporation from 1991 to 1996.

After Power Financial and the Frère Group of Belgium took control of Pargesa in 1990, Mr. Desmarais moved to Europe from 1991 to 1994, to develop the partnership with the Frère Group and to restructure the Pargesa group. From 1982 to 1990, he was a member of the Management Committee of Pargesa, in 1991, Executive Vice-Chairman and then Executive Chairman of the Committee; from 2003 to 2019, he was Co-Chief Executive Officer and he was named Chairman of the Board in 2013. He has been a director of Pargesa since 1992.

He also serves as Chairman of Power Financial and is a director of many Power Corporation group companies in North America, including Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life, Empower Retirement, Putnam Investments, IGM Financial, IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie. In Europe, he is Chairman of the Board of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert and a director of SGS. He was a director of LafargeHolcim until 2020 and of Total until 2017.

Mr. Desmarais is Chairman of the Board of Governors of The International Economic Forum of the Americas (Canada), a Trustee of The Brookings Institution, Co-Chair of the Brookings International Advisory Council and a member of the Brookings Executive Committee (Washington), a member of the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations (United States), a member of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard (United States), a member of The Business Council (United States) and of The Business Council of Canada. He is also active on a number of philanthropic advisory councils.

In 1994, he received the Insigne d’Officier de l’Ordre de la Couronne of Belgium. In 2005, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and he received the Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of International Business. In 2009, he was named an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec and in 2012, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in France. He holds a number of honorary doctorates.

He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and an MBA from the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), France.

Biography

Cameron Dick is Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment for the Australian state of Queensland.

He is responsible for driving economic growth and job creation in the fastest growing economy in the nation.

Cameron wants to attract more domestic and overseas investment to Queensland and help local businesses reach their full potential.

With the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games secured, Cameron is focused on Queensland’s rise to become a showpiece for the world.

Biography

Haldane Dodd is Acting Executive Director at the Geneva-based Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). This organisation, the only global grouping of players from across the aviation industry, brings together airports, airlines, air navigation service providers and aircraft and engine manufacturers to agree common goals.

ATAG’s current mission is to provide a platform through which the aviation sector is working to reduce its climate change impact. ATAG works with funding members ACI, IATA, CANSO, Airbus, ATR, Boeing, CFM, GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Safran to ensure aviation is able to respond to global decarbonisation and sustainability objectives.

Previously, Haldane was Head of Communications and Advocacy at ATAG and Communications Manager with Airports Council International World headquarters where he worked on issues such as the environment, security and airport economics.

A British native, Haldane also holds New Zealand citizenship and started his aviation career at the listed company Auckland International Airport Limited, which runs New Zealand’s busiest airport. He has a background in broadcast media and holds a Bachelor of Communications Studies.

Biography

After 4 years leading Roche Diagnostics’ Canadian sales team and a brief mandate as the Director of Business Development, François Drolet was appointed as the Executive Director, Access, Policy and Government Relations.  In this role, François is also responsible for the company’s stakeholder engagement activities.

Prior to joining Roche Diagnostics, François spent over 20 years with Covidien (now part of Medtronic) in various sales and marketing positions, serving his last 8 years with the company as the Canadian Vice-President of Sales & Marketing.

Always in keeping with a patient-centric approach, his more than 33 years spent within the healthcare industry, more specifically in the Operating Room, ICU, Medical Imaging, Nuclear Medicine, Anesthesiology, Nursing in general and now Laboratory Medicine have provided him with great insight into our healthcare ecosystem.

François earned a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Administration from Laval University in Quebec City. He served on Medtech Canada’s Board of Directors for the last 6 years, is a member of Genome Quebec’s Precision Medicine Table and act as an observer on Montreal InVivo’s Board of Directors since 2016. He is an active member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders and Roche’s representative with several other associations.

When away from work, François is a great sports fan (a Montreal Canadiens all-timer!) and loves to cook and travel the world with his wife Marie-Claude.

Biography

Vincent Duhamel was Fiera Capital’s Global President and Chief Operating Officer until 2020. He was a member of the Global Executive Management Committee, responsible for all corporate units such as Legal and Compliance, Risk, Technology, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, and Human Resources. As the Chair of the Strategic Development Committee, he also played a major role in strategic acquisitions while overseeing the firm’s development outside of North America. In addition, Mr. Duhamel sat on the boards of directors of Fiera Capital’s Canadian, U.S., European and Bel Air divisions. Before joining Fiera Capital, Mr Duhamel worked in Asia from 1997 to 2017, first as Chief Executive of State Street Global Advisors Asia, then as the Managing Director of Goldman Sachs Asset Management Asia, and from 2011 as Partner and CEO of Lombard Odier Asia.  During his time in Asia, Mr. Duhamel played a key role in the market intervention and disposal of assets by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority during the Asian crisis, in addition to managing a project to help the Social Security Fund of China develop its investment processes and policies. Since the early 1990s, Mr. Duhamel has sat on numerous boards and committees, including Chairman of the Board of Governors at the CFA Institute, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong.

Biography

Hervé Duteil created the first position of Chief Sustainability Officer for BNP Paribas in the Americas in 2014. In this role, he leads the Bank’s regional strategy for Sustainable Finance, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Company Engagement, bringing in particular a strong focus on promoting client dialogue around sustainability topics and the development of tailored financing solutions or responsible investment products. In 2018, Euromoney selected him as one of the 10 “champions of global impact banking”.

Hervé has spent most of his career with BNP Paribas in New York. He specialized in trading derivatives and managing capital market activities, spanning across commodity, currency, fixed income and electronic markets. More recently, he led BNP Paribas’ efforts to close its first Social Impact Bond for the benefit of the State of Connecticut, followed by a second one with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hervé served as a member on the CFTC’s Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee of the Market Risk Advisory Committee. He currently sits on SIFMA Sustainable Finance Task Force, WBCSD’s Sustainable Finance Policy task force as well as the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance Advisory Board.

Hervé holds a Master in Business Administration with distinction from the Harvard Business School, a Master of Science from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics & Physics from the University of Paris. Formerly a professional concert musician, he received various certificates from the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

Biography

Appointed in June 2018, Charles Eagan is the Chief Technology Officer for BlackBerry. In this role, Charles is responsible for the advancement of new technologies, driving innovation within emerging markets and advancing security capabilities that leverage AI and Machine Learning. He is also responsible for technology partnerships and overseeing the standardization and integration of all company products with an emphasis on helping drive BlackBerry’s Internet of Things platform.

Charles was previously the Global Head of Electronics at Dyson Ltd (U.K.), focused on IoT device deployment. Prior to that he served as BlackBerry’s Global Head of Device Software, and spearheaded development of the BlackBerry 10 operating system and the transition to secure Android.

Charles was formerly Vice President of Engineering for QNX Software, where he concentrated on the automotive and embedded markets. He also worked at Cisco and directed development of the seminal CRS-1 carrier routing system.

In 2008, Charles co-founded Crank Software, a company dedicated to the development of embedded tools and technologies that enabled rapid building of highly functional graphical interfaces. Earlier in his career, he built connected devices for Honda in the areas of process control, factory automation and robotics.

Charles is a noted speaker, thought leader and IoT expert who has been at the forefront of new frontiers in digital connectivity for over three decades. He graduated with honors from the University of Waterloo (Canada) with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and electrical engineering minor.

Biography

Adel El Gammal is Secretary General of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and professor at the Free University of Brussels (U.L.B.) where he teaches Geopolitics of Energy and Energy Policy and Management. He is a recognized expert and thought leader in the fields of clean energy transition, climate change, energy policy and geopolitics of energy.

Coordinating research activities between 250 Research Organisations and Universities across 30 countries in Europe, EERA advises the European Commission on Clean Energy Transition strategies. EERA’s mission is to “Catalyse European energy research to achieve a climate neutral society by 2050”.

Adel regularly speaks and writes in national and international media and is a regular invited keynote speaker in leading international energy conferences. He authored several reference studies on the Clean Energy Transition, most recently, the EERA White Paper on the Clean Energy Transition; he also contributed to several urban strategic planning projects, notably as member of Jeremy Rifkin’s Third Industrial revolution CEO roundtable.

He is member of several strategic advisory boards (public and private sectors) as international expert on the energy transition. Adel was active since 2008 in the EU and international climate and energy field, notably as Director of Becquerel Institute, Executive Director of LowCarbonFacts (European Climate Foundation), and Secretary General of the EU Photovoltaic Industry Association (now SolarPower Europe).

Before focusing his activities on the Clean Energy Transition, Adel held various international executive positions in blue chip companies active in the field of Management Consulting and IT strategy.

Adel is civil engineer from Ecole Polytechnique of Brussels (U.L.B.), holds degrees in Business Administration from Solvay Business School (U.L.B.) and INSEAD (France) and later specialized in Environment Management (U.L.B.).

Biography

Dr Ismahane Elouafi is Chief Scientist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and part of FAO’s core leadership structure.

With nearly two decades of experience in agricultural research and development in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Dr Elouafi is known for promoting neglected crops, non-fresh water in agriculture, and women in science.

Dr Elouafi has been a member of numerous boards and research institutes. Her contributions to science have been recognized with prestigious awards and accolades, including the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum.

Dr Elouafi holds a Ph.D. in Genetics.

Biography

Éric Filion was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Operating and Customer Experience Officer in 2022, as part of a major restructuring initiative at Hydro-Québec. In this capacity, he manages electricity supply, the operation and maintenance of all generation, transmission and distribution assets, as well as technical services and customer interactions. He also oversees shared services, including the management of materials, real estate and the vehicle fleet, as well as food, lodging and air transportation services. He is also in charge of operations-related health, safety and environment activities.

Mr. Filion joined Hydro-Québec in 2016 as Vice President – Customers and was promoted to President of Hydro-Québec Distribution in 2018. He also assumed responsibility for Hydro-Québec’s shared services in 2020 and for strategic procurement in 2021, at which time his division was replaced by a group and he became Executive Vice President – Distribution, Procurement and Shared Services.

Previously, Mr. Filion spent 20 years in the aeronautics industry. He worked at CAE Électronique, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Bombardier, where he was Vice President and General Manager for Challenger business aircraft.

Mr. Filion earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada and a master’s in aerospace engineering from Polytechnique Montréal. He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and has completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program. Deeply involved in the community, he sits on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and the Institut du cancer de Montréal. He has chaired the fundraising campaign of Maison Tangente, a hostel for young adults in difficult circumstances, since 2017. He is co-chair of the 2021 fundraising campaign “Together…healing homelessness” at La rue des Femmes and has been the division co-chair for the Industry/Transportation sector of Centraide of Greater Montreal’s campaign since 2020.

Biography

Pierre Fitzgibbon was born in Montréal.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal (HEC) and is a Quebec Chartered Professional Accountant.

Before becoming involved in politics, Mr. Fitzgibbon served as managing partner at Walter Capital Partners, a private Equity Firm, between 2015 and 2018.

From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Fitzgibbon assumed the role of president and chief executive officer at Atrium Innovations, a company that develops, manufactures and markets value added products for the health and nutrition industry.

From 2002 to 2007, he put his skills to work at National Bank Group, where he occupied the position of vice-chairman of National Bank Financial, where he mainly acted as head of investment banking and corporate finance services. He was also senior vice president of finance, technology and corporate affairs at National Bank of Canada.

Previously, Mr. Fitzgibbon also held executive positions in finance, as well as in company and business development at Télésystème Mobiles International, Chase Capital Partners Hong Kong, Domtar and Peerless Carpet Corporation.
He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in auditing and consulting services.

Over the last few years, Mr. Fitzgibbon has served on several boards of directors, including that of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, WSP, Héroux-Devtek, TC Transcontinental, Cycle Capital Management, Neptune Technologies, Lumenpulse and Arianne Phosphate.

This committed businessman is involved in his community and in several organizations, including until recently, the Fondation du Dr Julien.

Biography

The Honourable Mona Fortier was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier in 2017, and is the first woman to represent the riding. She has previously served as Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance.

Minister Fortier has always believed that she can best serve her community by getting involved and taking action. Her expertise covers the areas of health care, education, job creation, and francophone affairs.

Prior to being elected, Minister Fortier worked as the Chief Director of Communications and Market Development at Collège La Cité and managed her own strategic communications-consulting firm. She has also served on several non-profit Boards of Directors, including for Montfort Hospital, Ontario’s Provincial Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs, and the Shaw Centre. In addition, she has received numerous awards for her community involvement, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Minister Fortier is focused on making life more affordable for Canadians, protecting the environment, and helping businesses prosper. She is a strong advocate for linguistic duality and always searches for the right balance between prosperity and social justice.

As a mother of three, a University of Ottawa graduate, a community leader, and an entrepreneur, Minister Fortier knows that it is important to come together with an ambitious plan to build stronger and better communities while growing the middle class.

Biography

Divine Foundjem-Tita is a marketing Specialist based in CIFOR-ICRAF office in Yaounde, He holds a PhD in agricultural economics from Ghent University, Belgium. His research and development interests are on:  inclusive value chain analysis and development; rural enterprise development, institution and transaction costs economics, agroforestry policy analysis, political economy of major tree crops including cocoa and coffee and also natural resources economics and management including, the economics of legislation and compliance with the law applied to the forestry sector. His research activities are focused in West and Central Africa and sometimes go beyond the region. He has been involved gender related value chains especially non-timber forest products for the past twenty years and has written and published extensively on the same.

Biography

Dr. Chad Gaffield was appointed as the U15-Group of Canadian Research Universities’ next Executive Director effective April 15, 2022.

Educated at McGill University and the University of Toronto, Dr. Chad Gaffield has been for more than three decades at the leading edge internationally of the field now known as Digital Humanities. Along the way, he has become one of Canada’s leading historians of the deep cultural, social and economic changes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

In addition, Dr. Gaffield has served in many leadership positions including President of the Canadian Historical Association and President of the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada. Appointed by Order in Council, he served as President and CEO of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2006-2014) where he was responsible for multiple tri-council programs. Dr. Gaffield has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and has served in various roles at Genome Canada and the Fonds de recherche du Québec as well as on the Executive Committee of the Council of Ontario Universities. Dr. Gaffield was elected President of the Royal Society of Canada (2017-2019) that launched a new Strategic Plan to enhance the RSC’s historic mission to help make a better future. In 2018, the RSC created the G7 Research Summits involving the other G7 national academies that focus on the urgent issues under discussion by the G7 political leaders. This initiative has become an annual priority that inspires other activities such as the current RSC Task Force on COVID-19 and the comprehensive partnerships with the Globe and Mail and Le Devoir.

Internationally, Chad Gaffield is one of the few individuals to have been elected to serve on the former International Social Sciences Council as well as the International Council of Scientific Unions, and more recently on the merged International Council for Science’s Committee on Scientific Planning and Review. Other roles include current membership on the Scientific Board of the EU’s Digital Research Infrastructure of the Arts and Humanities.

Elected RSC Fellow, Professor Gaffield received in 2002 the RSC’s J.B. Tyrrell Historical Medal and, in 2007, the Province of Ontario’s Prix de la francophonie for his research on the history of French-language communities. The international Alliance of Digital Humanities Organisations presented him with their top award in 2012, the Antonio Zampolli Prize, given every three years for “innovative use of information and communications technologies in the digital humanities.” Professor Gaffield received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Computing in the Arts and Humanities given by the Canadian Society for Digital Humanities-Société canadienne des humanités numériques in 2015. Carleton University has awarded Dr. Gaffield the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. He was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017.

Chad Gaffield currently is University Research Chair in Digital Scholarship at the University of Ottawa (2019-2024).

Biography

Hélène V. Gagnon is Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement at CAE and is a member of the Executive Management Committee. She leads CAE’s ESG strategy, sustainability, environment, and social impact to make the world a safer place. She is accountable for CAE’s global communications with employees, media and other stakeholders as well as public affairs and government relations including R&D and Higher education institutions relations. She joined CAE in 2015 as Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Global Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Prior to her appointment at CAE, Ms. Gagnon worked for 11 years at Bombardier, the last eight as Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility and Achieving Excellence System for Bombardier Aerospace, at the time, the third largest civil aircraft manufacturer. From 2003 to 2007 she was Senior Director of Public Affairs at Bombardier Transportation.

She began her career in 1995 with the law firm Fasken as a specialist in environmental law. In 2000, she joined mining and metallurgy multinational Noranda Inc./ Falconbridge Limited (now known as Glencore) as Director of Public and Corporate Affairs for Québec.

Ms. Gagnon has always been very active in the community. She has been involved in more than 50 organizations including government advisory boards, pressure groups, cultural and charity organizations and business associations and was appointed to more than 25 Boards of Directors.

She is an independent member of the Board of Directors of Hydro Quebec since 2015 and Chairs the Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. She is also Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of The Montreal Airports (ADM) and has been a Director since 2014. She is Vice Chair of the Board of the Canadian American Business Council and has been a member of the Board since 2017. Hélène chaired the Board of Directors of Aéro Montréal, Greater Montréal’s Aerospace Cluster (2015-2018) and the Board of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada’s (2012-2013) and is still a Board member of both.

She has been a speaker or panelist around the world on topics such as ESG, social impact, environmental policy, corporate social responsibility, public policy issues, crisis management, issue management and social media. She has garnered more than 70 scholarships, awards, distinctions and excellence prizes notably, the prestigious Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100™ award from the Women Executive Network in 2007 and the top 50 of Best Executives in Canada from the Globe and Mail Report on Business in 2022.

A graduate of McGill University with a degree in Civil Law (B.C.L.) and Common Law (LL.B.), Ms. Gagnon also holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics (M.Sc). She is a member of the Québec Bar, holds the professional certifications of Accredited in Public Relations (APR) and Fellow (FCPRS) from the Canadian Public Relations Society as well as the Global ESG Competent Boards Designation (GCB.D).

Biography

Brian Gallant, Q.C., is the CEO of Space Canada. He is a business executive and thought leader, and he was the 33rd Premier of New Brunswick.

Brian was the founding CEO and now Expert Panel Member of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation. He also frequently provides business and political analysis as a media commentator.

In addition to serving as Premier of New Brunswick, Brian was the Attorney General, the Minister responsible for Innovation, and the Minister responsible for Women’s Equality. In 2018, he led his Premier colleagues as the Chair of the Council of the Federation.

Prior to elected office, Brian practiced corporate commercial law. He has university degrees in business and law from the Université de Moncton as well as a Master of Laws from McGill University.

Brian is the co-author of a major research report linking profit with purpose entitled Canadian Voices on the Role of Business in Society.

Brian is supportive of many causes and initiatives as a member of several boards of directors including the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Foundation, the Michaelle Jean Foundation, and the Beausejour Family Crisis Resource Centre.

Biography

Kate Gallego is leading Phoenix to meet its established goal to become the most sustainable city in the United States.

During her time in office, Mayor Gallego has fostered investments in cooling solutions, including the nation’s first, publicly funded Office of Heat Response and Mitigation; advanced the city’s tree and shade plans; and led the charge toward building the necessary EV infrastructure to get fossil fuel powered vehicles off the road.

The Mayor is also a strong advocate for smart business growth and investment, having recently helped land a $12 billion business development deal – the largest in the city’s history. She is positioning Phoenix as a global leader in sustainable semiconductor manufacturing and advanced sciences. Her advocacy and hard work is also leading the way toward more efficient transit, and public safety reform.

Mayor Gallego is the second elected female Mayor in Phoenix history. She is a graduate of Harvard University and holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Mayor Gallego is a North American vice chair of C40 Cities, a group focused on climate action; she is also co-chair of Climate Mayors and chair of the Jobs, Education, and the Workforce Committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Biography

Responsible for Environment, Government and Industry Relations at TD Insurance since 2005, Moira’s focus on strong, long-term, industry and government relationships has led to a track record of successful collaboration and resolution of political and regulatory issues. Under her leadership, TD Insurance developed a climate strategy, employee environmental engagement program, joined the UN insurance pilot on climate change risk reporting, and launched the TD Insurance Advisory Board on Climate Change, comprised of experts from Engineers Canada, and five top Canadian universities. Moira is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of UN Principles of Sustainable Insurance (PSI) and leads the working group of Canadian PSI signatories. She is also a Board Member of the Canadian Association of Direct Relationship Insurers, and chairs committees for the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Canadian Life and Health Association.

Biography

Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl is an expert on inclusive business and system innovation. As a founder and managing director of Endeva, she works with partners from all sectors to enable an economic transformation that benefits people and planet. She loves working towards a food system that nourishes everyone and benefits small farmers.

Christina has almost 20 years of experience in advising on sustainability, strategy and development issues. Christina is a former Research Fellow at the CSR Initiative of the Harvard Kennedy School, Strategic Advisor to the UNDP Growing Inclusive Markets initiative and Kofi Annan Fellow on Global Governance. She holds a PhD on the business model concept from the University of Halle-Wittenberg and Masters degrees from the University of Passau and LSE.  Previously, Christina worked as a strategy consultant with McKinsey&Co and with rice farmers in Madagascar.

Biography

Andrew Graham is co-founder and CEO of Borrowell, one of Canada’s largest financial technology companies, with over two million users. Borrowell helps consumers find financial prosperity and make great decisions about their money. It was the first company in Canada to offer credit scores for free and offers products and recommendations across a consumer's financial journey. Borrowell has won numerous awards, including being named one of the top 100 fintech companies in the world by KPMG, one of the fifty fastest growing technology companies in Canada by Deloitte and top 50 "Best Workplaces in Canada" two years in a row. For his work building Borrowell, Andrew was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019.  Andrew holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MA in economics from the University of Edinburgh.

Biography

Robert J. Grammig is a lawyer in Holland & Knight's Tampa office and leader of the firm's Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group. Mr. Grammig has practiced for more than 30 years in the areas of public company mergers and acquisitions, securities law, general corporate law and international business transactions. He serves on the firm's Directors Committee.

Mr. Grammig has represented both companies and underwriters in numerous public company offerings. He has also led legal teams on behalf of acquirors, target companies and special committees in a large number of publicly announced merger and acquisition transactions. Mr. Grammig regularly advises boards of directors, audit committees and special committees regarding corporate governance matters, including defending against shareholder activism and advising during proxy fights. He has devoted a substantial part of his practice to international business transactions, representing both United States and foreign entities, including representations involving significant transactions in Asia, Europe and Latin America. He served as general counsel to the Host Committee for the 2012 Republican National Convention. Mr. Grammig regularly participates as a panelist in KPMG's Audit Committee Institute. He was the chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce from 2017 to 2019, and currently serves as its immediate past chairman. He is also chairman of the Florida Chamber's International Business Council. He is also the secretary of the Florida Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Thomas A. Clark of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits from 1981 to 1982.

Biography

Mike Greenley is the Chief Executive Officer of MDA. Founded in 1969, MDA is an international space mission partner and a robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 50 year story of firsts on and above the Earth. MDA is a publically traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange that is headquartered in Canada.

Mr. Greenley oversees more than 2,400 employees across Canada at locations including Brampton, Kanata and Nepean, ON; Richmond, BC; Montreal, QC; and Halifax, NS; as well as the company’s operations in Houston, TX, and the United Kingdom.

Before joining MDA in early 2018, Mr. Greenley was Sector President of L-3 WESCAM, a provider of systems for defence, homeland security and law enforcement. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Vice President and General Manager of CAE Canada, supporting defence and security markets. From 2008 to 2013 he served first as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for General Dynamics (GD) Canada, then as Vice President, International for GD Mission Systems. From 2004 to 2008, he was Vice President of the modeling and simulation business at CAE. Mr. Greenley has over 25 years of experience in the defence and security business, with broad experience serving the Land, Air, Maritime, Joint, and Public Safety sectors.
Mr. Greenley is the Vice-Chair of Space Canada and recently served as the Vice-Chair of the Government of Canada’s Economic Strategy Table for Advanced Manufacturing. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) for six years, and as a Board Member of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) and the Ontario Aerospace Council. He was previously Chairman of the Advisory Board for Defence and Security Export to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in Canada, and was a member of the Industry Advisory Boards to Department of National Defence, Defence R&D Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and the CEO of the Export Development Canada (EDC).

Mr. Greenley has been recognized for his business and community leadership as an Ottawa Top 40 under 40 business leader, a PROFIT 100 CEO for leading one of Canada’s fastest growing companies for three years running, and as a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to peers and country in the defence sector.

Biography

Bruno Guilmette has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Boralex since January 2019. He is in charge of several divisions at the company: Finance and Accounting, Taxation, Investor Relations, and Risk Management and Internal Controls. Before joining Boralex, he served as Interim Chief Investment Officer at the Canada Infrastructure Bank, where he established the organization’s initial processes and policies on investment and consulting. He previously served as the Senior Vice President of Infrastructure Investments at PSP Investments, where he worked for 10 years. In this position, he developed a new group and an investment fund of nearly $9 billion. He has also served as the Senior Director, Private Equity Investments, at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.

Biography

A polytechnic engineer specialized in  Artificial Intelligence and neuroscience, Moran has always been fascinated by the merger of social responsibility and technology which has been nurtured by his decades-long work in emerging markets.

Defining himself as a social entrepreneur, Moran is an experienced strategist/Business analyst, who effortlessly blends his own knowhow with his ability to inspire and get the best out of others, constantly looking to challenge the status quo, innovate and elaborate disruptive models able to efficiently resolve acute challenges and bring sustainable change.

Biography

Roy Harvey is President and Chief Executive Officer of Alcoa Corporation, a globally-competitive industry leader in bauxite, alumina, and aluminum, with 14,000 employees in 10 countries. He is also a Director of Alcoa Corporation.

Roy has served as Alcoa’s Chief Executive Officer since November 2016 and took on the additional role of President in May 2017. Prior to the separation of Alcoa Inc. into two separate companies, he was Executive Vice President and President of Alcoa's Global Primary Products (GPP) business from October 2015 to November 2016. From June 2014 to October 2015, Roy was Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Environment, Health & Safety and Sustainability. As part of this role, he oversaw the Alcoa Foundation, one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S.

During his Alcoa career, Roy has held a variety of operating and financial assignments across the U.S., Europe and Latin America. He was Chief Operating Officer for GPP, where he focused on the day-to-day operations of Alcoa's mining, refining, smelting, castings and energy businesses. Prior to this role, he served as Chief Financial Officer, GPP. Earlier, he served as Director of Investor Relations, and before this role was Director of Corporate Treasury.

Roy joined Alcoa in 2002 as a business analyst for GPP in Knoxville, Tennessee. While there, he worked with the global casthouse system to develop performance measurement systems and drive casthouse profitability. He later moved to Brazil as casthouse manager in the São Luis smelter and then as the plant controller. In 2007, he became plant manager for the San Ciprián smelter in Spain, and a year later he was named Director of Finance and Business Integration for GPP Europe.

Before coming to Alcoa, Roy was Corporate Manager of Environmental Affairs at Greenstone Resources Ltd., a gold mining company based in Central America.

Roy graduated with honors from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, simultaneously earning master’s degrees in International Business and Corporate Finance as a fellow of the Lauder Institute International MBA program, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering from Columbia University. In 2008, Roy was named to the prestigious Young Global Leaders Program of the World Economic Forum.

Biography

Linda Hasenfratz is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Linamar Corporation. Linamar Corporation (TSX:LNR) is an advanced manufacturing company where the intersection of leading-edge technology and deep manufacturing expertise is creating solutions that power vehicles, motion, work and lives for the future. The Company is made up of two operating segments – the Industrial segment and the Mobility segment, both global leaders in manufacturing solutions and world-class developers of highly engineered products. The Industrial segment is comprised of Skyjack and MacDon. Skyjack manufactures scissor, boom and telehandler lifts for the aerial work platform industry. MacDon manufactures combine draper headers and self-propelled windrowers for the agricultural harvesting industry. The Mobility segment is subdivided into three regional groups: North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Within the Mobility segment, the regional groups are vertically integrated operations combining expertise in light metal casting, forging, machining and assembly for both the global electrified and traditionally powered vehicle markets. The Mobility segment products are focused on both components and systems for new energy powertrains, body and chassis, driveline, engine and transmission systems of these vehicles. In addition to the recently formed eLIN Product Solutions Group that focuses on Electrification, McLaren Engineering provides design, development, and testing services for the Mobility segment. Linamar has over 26,000 employees in 60 manufacturing locations, 11 R&D centres and 25 sales offices in 17 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia, which generated sales of $6.5 billion in 2021.

Hasenfratz’ enthusiasm for the arts prompted her to join the Board of Governors of the Royal Ontario Museum in 2002.  In 2012 Hasenfratz became the inaugural Chair of the Philanthropy Leadership Cabinet of the Guelph General Hospital.  Involvement in charitable organizations continues to be an important focus for her.

Hasenfratz has also sat on the Board of Advisors for Catalyst Canada since 2003.  In February 2017 Hasenfratz was announced as the Canadian Chair of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.  Hasenfratz’ desire to see women progress in business to the top level of industry prompted her to participate in these two key initiatives.

Strengthening her position as a Canadian and Global leader, Ms. Hasenfratz was appointed to the CIBC Board of Directors in 2004 and retired from the board in April 2020.  She was Canadian Chair of the North American Competitiveness Council in 2008, a trilateral group of executives from Canada, the US and Mexico convened by the countries’ Leaders to debate and advise on key recommendations regarding enhancement of the NAFTA region.  Hasenfratz became a member of the Board of the Business Council of Canada (formerly the Canadian Council of Chief Executives) in 2010 and was Chair from 2016 to 2018.  Her contribution to this important policy and advisory group has assisted her in developing relationships and advancing ideas to key business and government leaders.  In December 2018, Ms. Hasenfratz was appointed to the board of the Association of Equipment Manufactueres (AEM).  The California Mobility Center appointed Ms. Hasenfratz to their board in November 2021.

Ms. Hasenfratz was named the Canadian Outstanding CEO in November 2018 and was also made a member of the Order of Canada in December of the same year.

In recognition of her and Linamar’s support and focus on international growth Hasenfratz has received 2 international honours.  The French Government honoured Hasenfratz in June of 2015 with the Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, one of the highest honours bestowed upon a non-civilian in France.  In October 2016 Hasenfratz was honoured by the Hungarian government and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary.

Ms. Hasenfratz supports one of Linamar’s key industries, the automotive industry, through her appointment as the first female director to the Faurecia Board of Directors, a French automotive supplier, in 2011 and retired from the board in May 2021.  Hasenfratz has been named one of the Automotive News 100 Leading Women in each year of its publication in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020.

Hasenfratz was recognized for her contributions to Canadian business through an Honourary Degree from Ryerson University in Toronto in 2003, an Honourary Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo in 2011 as well as the Outstanding Leader Award from the same institution in 2007.  She also holds an Honourary Degree from Fanshawe College in 2016.  In the spring of 2014 The Asper School of Business at the University of Winnipeg honoured Hasenfratz with the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award (IDEA) which is to honour a business leader who has achieved outstanding entrepreneurial success and has made and exemplary contribution to economic life.  In the fall of 2014, Linda Hasenfratz was awarded the Ontario Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Manufacturing and the overall Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award.  Hasenfratz was also extremely honoured to be awarded the National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Canada at a gala in late November and to represent Canada at the World Entrepreneur of the World Conference in Monaco in June 2015.  In May of 2016 Linda Hasenfratz, along with her father Frank Hasenfratz, was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.  Hasenfratz was awarded the Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the University of Victoria in September 2016.  In October of 2016 Linda Hasenfratz was awarded the Fraser Institute Founders Award along with Linamar’s President & COO Jim Jarrell.  In September 2016 Linda Hasenfratz was named to Fortunes 50 Most Powerful Women International list.  The Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario honoured Hasenfratz in October 2017 with their Ivey Business Leader Award. In 2018 Hasenfratz was named Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year and was named to the Order of Canada. In October 2019 she was installed as University of Western Ontario’s 23rd Chancellor.

Biography

Pablo Hernández de Cos is Governor of the Banco de España and member of the Governing and General Council of the ECB. He is Chair of the BCBS and of the Advisory Technical Committee of the ESRB. He is member of various European and International Committees including the ESRB, the FSB, the BIS Group of Governors and Heads of Supervision, the Advisory Board of the FSI and the CEMLA. He is also Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Spanish Macroprudential Authority Financial Stability Board (AMCESFI).

Prior to his current position he was Director General for Economics, Statistics and Research of the Banco de España, headed its Economic Policy Analysis Division, worked as an adviser to the ECB’s Executive Board and as an Economist of the Banco de España.

He holds a PhD in Economics (Complutense University, Madrid), a degree in Economics and Business Studies (CUNEF) and a degree in Law (UNED).

Biography

Sean is a recognized thought leader and innovator in labor economics and the Future of Work, having invented Quantum Labor Analysis that marries economic theory with artificial intelligence to produce the most advanced real-time knowledge graph of jobs, skills, training, and labor market intelligence in the world.

Sean is the Co-Chair of the Entrepreneurs Circle of the Canadian American Business Council (CABC) and a member of OECD's Future of Work Forum Engagement Group. In 2020, Sean was invited by the Government of Canada to join the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) and represent Canada as one of the 15 founding countries. GPAI is one of the most extensive collaborations on AI policy and the first international standard for AI.

Prior to founding SkyHive, Sean led a $250 million multinational company with 500 employees and 23 global offices. He has lived on four continents and conducted business in more than 70 countries. Sean holds an MBA from Queen’s University and currently lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Biography

Jean-François Hould began his third posting in the United States in July 2020, as director of the Québec Government Office in Washington where he is responsible for furthering Québec’s bilateral relations with the U.S. federal government.

This strategic post in the American capital builds on his past successes supporting Québec’s economic and political interests in the United States. Previously he served as Québec’s Representative in Chicago, fostering Québec political and economic relations in the Midwest. He was particularly involved in Great Lakes issues and trade between 2017-2019. He also served as Cultural Attaché in New York between 2011-2014, promoting Québec’s artistic development in the Mid-Atlantic.

Jean-François has a long history of public service beginning his governmental career in 2001. He was recruited to various political positions in ministerial cabinets including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Political Advisor to the Minister of Culture and Chief of Staff to the Minister of International Relations and la Francophonie.

Mr. Hould graduated from the University of Montréal in 2003 and furthered his studies at Laval University and at HEC Montréal.

Biography

Focused on opportunities and results, Anne-Marie leverages internal and external knowledge, experience and the global firm to drive change. She has a passion for helping clients re-think business models to create more solid foundations for growth and long-term competitive advantage, while managing underperformance risk.

As a former member of the EY Global Advisory Council and EY Canada’s Executive Committee, Anne-Marie has a reputation for disrupting the status quo and for putting forward services and solutions in anticipation of client and market needs. In the process, she provides our people with market enablers to help them grow their networks and build both their personal and the EY brand.

She’s the Chair of the Canadian chapter of the Human Technology Foundation, and serves on the Board of Directors of Montréal International, the Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute (MILA) and the Institute of Corporate Directors – Québec Chapter.

In 2004, Anne-Marie was named a Fellow of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the profession. In 2015, Concordia University recognized Anne-Marie with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. And on December 30, 2016, she was named a Member of the Order of Canada for her commitment to parity and inclusion in business and for her skill in corporate governance.

Biography

Rich has been a leading science and technology journalist for 35 years. He co-founded in 2004 a London- and Brussels-based media company, Science Business Publishing Ltd, where he is now editor-in-chief and vice chair of the board. Before that, he was managing editor of the Wall Street Journal’s European edition in Brussels; technology editor of the newspaper; and a staff reporter. In his 25 years with the Journal, he worked in Philadelphia reporting on energy, in Washington reporting on stock market and commodities regulation, and in London covering European technology and policy.

He is an hororary professor at University College London’s Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy.

He is co-author of a book on “fractal” analysis of financial markets with the late Yale/IBM mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot: The (mis)Behavior of Markets: A fractal view of risk, ruin & reward. (Basic Books, New York; Profile Books, London.) The book has been translated into 13 languages, won Business Book of the Year award at the 2004 Frankfurt Book Fair, and according to Die Zeit was on Angela Merkel’s nightstand during the crash of 2008.

He has also been a member or chair of various research and innovation expert groups for the European Commission, and for Euroscience Open Forum.

He is a graduate of Harvard College, a former Knight Fellow at MIT, and lives in Brussels.

Biography

An energetic and collaborative leader with over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Nicole Hurtubise joined Tree Canada as its CEO in May 2022.

Nicole has always been passionate about contributing to change through poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, and gender equality. She has worked, lived, or traveled in over 40 countries for organizations such as CARE, the Canadian Red Cross, Oxfam, Save the Children, UNICEF, the World Food Programme. In her roles as Country Director and Lead Evaluator, she led the management and evaluation of large, complex programs in Africa and Central Asia. In other executive roles, including with United Way Centraide Canada, she led strategic change and organizational transformation with thought leadership, strategic acumen, and a commitment to excellence.

Before joining Tree Canada, Nicole was CEO of WaterAid Canada for seven years, where she had the privilege of leading the organization through transformational growth and resilience, broader geographic footprint, quantifiable program impact, and a high-performing cohesive organizational culture.

Nicole has an Honours Degree in the Science of Languages, a Master’s Degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding, and has completed executive programs in non-profit and strategic change leadership, evaluation, and data management. She is fluently bilingual in English and French, and lives with her family west of Ottawa, where she loves to explore the local forest and fauna.

Biography

A passionate advocate for his community, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen has been proudly representing the residents of York South—Weston since 2015.

Before he started in politics, Minister Hussen worked at the grassroots with neighbours and allies to create “local solutions to local problems.” This would lead to the Minister helping to secure $500 million to revitalise Toronto’s, Regent Park in 2006.

Minister Hussen is a firm believer that diversity is a fact and inclusion is a choice. During his time as the National President for the Canadian Somali Congress, he worked with national and regional authorities to advocate on important issues to Canadians of Somali heritage, which helped foster better civic engagement and integration.

Having lived in social housing himself, Canada’s first dedicated Housing minister understands the positive impact of having an affordable, reliable place to live. In his new role, Minister Hussen is focused on bringing home ownership back within reach while ensuring that everyone in Canada has a safe and affordable place to call home.

Biography

Glenn Hutchins is Chairman of North Island and North Island Ventures and a co-founder of Silver Lake. He is a director of AT&T, Virtu Financial and Digital Currency Group; Co-Chair of the Brookings Institution and CARE; Vice Chair of  the Obama Foundation; on the Executive Committee of the Boston Celtics Basketball Team; and a board member of the New York Presbyterian Hospital. He is also a member of the International Advisory Board of GIC Private Limited, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore.

He was a Director and Chair of Audit and Risk Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 2011- 2020.  Mr. Hutchins also served President Clinton in both the transition and the White House as a special advisor on economic and health-care policy.

He was previously chairman of the board of SunGard Data Systems, Inc. and Instinet, Inc. and a long-time director of Nasdaq, Inc.  He was also a director of the Harvard Management Company for a decade and co-chairman of Harvard University’s capital campaign.

Mr. Hutchins and his wife, Debbie, founded the Hutchins Family Foundation which, among other projects, is supporting the construction of the Obama Presidential Center and has created the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University; the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at The Brookings Institution; and the Chronic Fatigue Initiative, which conducted basic research into the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mr. Hutchins has published essays on economic and public policy in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Fortune and Foreign Affairs. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Mr. Hutchins holds an A.B. from Harvard College, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Biography

Kana Inagaki is the Tokyo bureau chief for Financial Times, and writes about the Japanese economy, politics and business. Prior to joining the FT in 2014, she reported on Japan at the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, Kyodo News, and the Associated Press. She was most recently recognised by the Society of Publishers in Asia in 2019 for her coverage of the fall of Carlos Ghosn, ex-CEO of Nissan. She is a native of Vancouver, Canada, and earned her Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago.

Biography

Following his longstanding participation on the Energy Council of Canada’s Board of Directors, Jacob Irving became the organization’s President in January of 2018. His nearly twenty-year career in the Canadian energy industry has been divided almost evenly between the petroleum and electricity sectors. He has spent more than half of this time, successfully leading prominent energy industry associations, including the Oil Sands Developers Group and the Canadian Hydropower Association.

Originally from the Huron and Franco-Ontarian community of Penetanguishene, Mr. Irving attended primary and secondary school entirely in French, which led him to pursue his post- secondary studies at the University of Ottawa. His education and work experience have taken him from South Africa, to Calgary, to Fort McMurray with a return to Ottawa.

Mr. Irving has significant knowledge of Canadian energy systems combined with a specialization in the areas of government policy, regulation, communications and stakeholder engagement. He is a passionate promoter of all forms of Canadian energy, particularly to international audiences, outside Canada. As the President of the Energy Council of Canada, he strongly believes that better energy conversations yield better energy decisions, especially in a sophisticated and ever-changing democracy like Canada.

Biography

Pradnya "P.J." Joshi is a National weekend editor at The Washington Post. P.J. previously worked at Politico, where she led coverage of international trade, agriculture, food regulation and rural America, running stories about the Trump administration’s trade wars and the politics behind the 2018 Farm Bill. She was part of a Polk Award-winning series about the USDA’s failures to address climate change and edited an award-winning investigation about weaknesses in the country’s food-safety system. She worked as a reporter at Newsday and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. P.J. has a master’s in journalism and a bachelor’s in journalism and international studies from Northwestern University. She has lived overseas in Brazil, Hong Kong and the Philippines, and domestically in Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas and Washington state.

Biography

Chaitanya “Chet” Kanojia is co-founder and CEO of Starry Group Holdings, Inc., a next generation licensed fixed wireless technology developer and internet service provider. Starry has re-imagined how broadband networks are built and how consumers connect to the internet by developing a full-stack technology that dramatically reduces the cost of connecting homes to fiber-quality connectivity. Starry is currently serving customers in the Boston, New York City, DC, Los Angeles, Denver, and Columbus metro areas, with an expansion and spectrum access roadmap that covers more than 40 million households nationwide. In 2022, Starry was named to the second annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list

Prior to Starry, Chet was founder and CEO of Aereo, Inc., the groundbreaking online television platform that enabled consumers to record and watch live HD broadcast television on virtually any type of Internet-connected device via a cloud-based OTA antenna and DVR.

Previously, Chet was the founder and CEO of Navic Networks. Like Aereo, Navic Networks addressed the challenges of today’s highly fragmented media landscape. Under Chet’s leadership, Navic Networks grew to be the undisputed industry leader in advanced television advertising and was acquired by Microsoft in 2008.

Chet holds more than 31 patents in fields ranging from robotics to data communications systems and is an innovative leader known for pushing beyond the conventional and developing breakthrough solutions. He has been recognized as one of the "Top Disruptors of 2013" by Forbes magazine, noted as part of Vanity Fair's 2013 "Next Establishment List” and named one of Inc. Magazine’s 2013 “Entrepreneurs of the Year.”  Aereo's technology was also named one of TIME magazine's Top 50 Best Websites (2012) and a Top 50 Technology (2013) by MIT Technology Review.  In 2019, Chet was honored with Public Knowledge’s IP3 Award for Internet Protocol for his years of work developing technology in the interest of competition and consumer choice.

Chet holds a master's degree in Computer Systems Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Bhopal, India.

Biography

Rishi Kapoor is Investcorp’s Co-Chief Executive Officer. He oversees the Firm’s Real Estate, Credit Management, and Absolute Returns businesses globally across North America, Europe and India; Private Equity and Fundraising activities in North America and India, and Institutional Fundraising in Europe. Rishi chairs the Global Private Equity Investment Committee and is a member of various other investment committees across the different business lines.

Prior to his appointment as Co-CEO, Rishi had held several senior management positions within Investcorp including as Chief Financial Officer between 2003 and 2015. He joined Investcorp from Citigroup in 1992.

Rishi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Rishi is a member of Duke University’s Middle East regional advisory board. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for National Bank of Bahrain, Gulf Air Group, Bahrain Airport Company and Gulf Aviation Academy. In 2017, Top CEO Middle East recognized Rishi amongst the top 100 best performing CEOs in the GCC and, in 2018, Forbes Middle East recognized Rishi as a top Indian Executive in the Arab world.

Biography

Sokratis K. Katsikas was born in Athens, Greece, in 1960. He is the Director of the Norwegian Centre for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors and Professor with the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. He is also Professor Emeritus of the Department of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Greece. In 2019 we was awarded a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Department of Production and Management Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. In 2021 he was ranked 7th in the security professionals category of the IFSEC Global influencers in security and fire list. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 journal papers, book chapters and conference proceedings papers. He is serving on the editorial board of several scientific journals, he has co-authored/edited 46 books and has served on/chaired the technical programme committee of more than 800 international scientific conferences. He chairs the Steering Committee of the ESORICS Conference and he is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Information Security.

Biography

Janet Kavandi is the President of the Sierra Space Corporation. The Dream Chaser® spaceplane is under contract to deliver supplies to the International Space Station beginning in 2023. Sierra Space is also partnered with Blue Origin to place a commercial space station (Orbital Reef) in Low Earth Orbit by 2027.

Dr. Kavandi also leads the Sierra Space Human Spaceflight Center and Astronaut Training Academy, responsible for astronaut selection, training, and human health for three categories of space travelers: professional astronauts, industry customers, and experiential customers.

Before coming to Sierra Space, Dr. Kavandi served 25 years at NASA. She was Director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center and prior to that, Director of Flight Crew Operations and Deputy Director of Health and Human Performance at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Dr. Kavandi was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1994 and flew on three space shuttle missions. She logged 33 days in space and traveled 13.1 million miles in 535 Earth orbits.

Dr. Kavandi earned a BS from Missouri Southern State University, an MS from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and her Doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of Washington.
Dr. Kavandi received two Presidential Rank Awards, two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, two Exceptional Service Medals, three NASA Space Flight Medals, and the Distinguished Service Medal. She was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2019. Dr. Kavandi and her husband, John, have two adult children.

Biography

Sheldon was first elected as a councilor in 1995, elected as Chief in 1997, re-elected in 2005 and again in 2015 where he serves as Chief to this day. Sheldon is married to Roberta and have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Sheldon enjoys his culture and traditional ways and continually advocates for inherent treaty rights.  Sheldon is a team player.

Some of the successful projects Sheldon has been very involved with are:

• South Beach Casino
• South East Personal Care Home
• Land Based healing for addictions

Biography

Lori Kerr joined FinDev Canada as its Chief Executive Officer in June 2021. A Canadian national, she is a widely experienced development specialist  with more than two decades  of  leadership in international  development,  with a specialization in sustainable  infrastructure, climate change,  and private investment  in emerging markets.

Prior to that, she was a Senior Infrastructure Finance Specialist at the Global Infrastructure Facility at the World Bank, where she was responsible for corporate strategy, knowledge, partnerships, and international engagement.

Ms. Kerr served as Senior Director at Climate Finance Advisors, developing low­ carbon, climate-resilient investment strategies and blended finance solutions to mobilize private capital in developing countries. She spent 18 years at the Inter­ American Development Bank Group serving in management roles where she spearheaded strategic initiatives to support the  expansion  and development  impact of private sector activities.

Ms. Kerr is also an Adjunct Professor of international project  finance and investment at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Sami Khoury is the Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre). The Cyber Centre is the single unified source of expert advice, guidance, services and support on cyber security for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector and the Canadian public. Sami began his career at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in 1992 as a research engineer exploring the impact of emerging multimedia communications technologies. He held various management positions and leadership roles at CSE, including Director General Capabilities Development and more recently as Deputy Chief (ADM) for Enterprise Technologies and Solutions. In this role, he was CSE’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and responsible for IT and Information Security, as well as leading CSE’s overall Research program and 24/7 Operations Centre.

Sami holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering (1988) and a Masters of Applied Science (1991) from Concordia University in Montreal. He completed a certificate program in Public Sector Leadership at the University of Ottawa in 2016. Sami received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the APEX Award of Excellence for Innovation in 2020.

Biography

Natalie is Climeworks’ first employee in North America. She is responsible for developing the commercialization strategy for the voluntary carbon market in North America.

Before joining Climeworks Natalie worked at Wildfire, Waze, and Google in enterprise sales and developing new markets. Natalie holds a BA in utopian and dystopian literature from UC Berkeley and a MSc from the University of Victoria which focused on how anthropogenic climate change impacts oyster diseases. Her academic work was published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science.

Natalie was motivated to work for Climeworks because they are taking direct action to reverse climate change. She is a California native who splits her time between Vancouver Island and San Francisco.

Biography

Jack Klejka is a VP of Product Management at IVADO Labs, where unique AI-based solutions are created for the world's toughest problems. He focuses on helping executives shape their AI strategy and transform their business at scale by creating and deploying unique AI-based solutions that generate competitive advantages versus their industry peers. He is actively participating in guiding organizations in their efforts to join the Canadian AI ecosystem and establish successful AI execution capabilities and talent creation. Prior to that, he led corporate strategy and transformation efforts for Fortune 500 companies at PwC Strategy& (formerly Booz&co.) and Monitor Deloitte. He also managed the investment strategy planning of $60 billion of private equity AUM at Quebec's pension fund CDPQ.

Biography

Gary Kobinger, Ph.D., is the new Director of the Galveston National Laboratory, one of the largest active biocontainment facilities on an academic campus. Dr. Kobinger has co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and 20 years of experience working in or managing high-containment laboratories. His research presently focuses on developing and testing new vaccine platforms and immune treatments against pathogens of high consequences to global public health. Serving the international community, Dr. Kobinger sits on several committees such as the World Health Organization STAG-IH advisory board.

Biography

As Founder and Principal Analyst, Martin Kuppinger oversees the KuppingerCole research, provides own research, engages in Customer Advisories in his role as Trusted Advisor, and acts as a Member of the Board.

Martin wrote more than 50 IT-related books and is known as a widely-read columnist and author of technical articles and reviews in some of the most prestigious IT magazines in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He is a renowned global leader in Identity Mangement and Digital Identity and is among the top 10 experts in this field globally. He is also a well-established speaker and moderator at seminars and congresses. Martin holds a Bachelor in Economics.

Martin Kuppinger oversees all areas of KuppingerCole research and has outstanding expertise in areas such as cybersecurity, blockchain, and AI.

His interest in Identity Management dates back to the 80s, when he also gained considerable experience in software architecture development. Over the years, he added several other fields of research, including virtualization, cloud computing, overall IT security, and others. Having studied economies, he combines in-depth IT knowledge with a strong business perspective.

Biography

Ms. Labrie joined Cogeco in 2018 as Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer before eventually also taking over the Strategy Office and ESG function in 2019. Ms. Labrie has over 25 years of experience in government relations, public communications and marketing.

Prior to joining Cogeco, Marie-Hélène spent more than 10 years in the cleantech industry, during which time she was Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Communications at Enerkem, a world-leading small to medium-sized enterprise in the biofuels industry. Ms. Labrie began her career with the Government of Canada where she worked in various ministries.

Ms. Labrie continues to be involved in the green economy, innovation and entrepreneurship through her role as a member of the Boards of Directors of Mitacs, The Natural Step and Espace Inc. as well as in the philanthropic field with the Pacific Institute.

Ms. Labrie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Université Laval in Québec City, where she also completed a Master’s Degree in International Business.

Biography

Dr. Lacy is the Director for Climate Action and Environment for Latin America and Special Envoy on Climate Matters to the United Nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Former Director of the OECD’s Environment Directorate from 2018 to March 2022.

Prior to joining the OECD, Dr. Lacy was Vice Minister of Environmental Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico (2012-2018), Chief negotiator of Climate Change (COP19-COP23), Co-chair of the Global Methane Initiative, Member of the High-Level Group of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO6), and Board Member of the Climate Action Reserve in California, USA. He studied and worked with the Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Mario Molina as Technical Director of the Mario Molina Centre (2005-2012), and had environmental positions in the Mexico City Government (Environment General Director 1989-1997) and the Mexico’s Federal Government (Environment Planning Director 1981-1986 and Chief of the Staff of the Environment Minister 2000-2003).

Author of the First Report on the State of the Environment in Mexico and various publications on environmental planning and air quality. Dr. Lacy holds a Doctorate Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Mexico) and a Master's Degree in Urban Studies and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both coordinated by Dr. Mario Molina as doctoral thesis tutor. Dr. Lacy holds a certificate in Leadership on Environment and Sustainable Development (LEAD Program) from El Colegio de México/Rockefeller Foundation.

Biography

Since joining Export Development Canada in 2014, Mairead Lavery has put values and ethics at the center of her leadership approach. Appointed President and CEO on February 5, 2019, Mairead set out three pillars for her leadership: Champion for Trade; Environmental, Social and Governance Responsibility; and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. These values are the centerpiece of her – and EDC’s – business agenda.

Under her direction, Canada’s export credit agency has pursued ambitious objectives, achieving strong growth, and helping more Canadian companies do business in 200 markets around the world, while generating over $100 billion in trade and investment annually.

In 2020, EDC became a major contributor to the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 economic response, helping deliver billions of dollars in liquidity to companies across Canada. EDC also stands as the single largest financier of Canadian cleantech, a proud supporter of women-owned and women-led businesses, and regularly ranks among Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

Mairead is the Board Chair for the EDC subsidiary, FinDev Canada, Canada’s international development finance institution, and a Board member of Ontario Global 100, creating opportunities for business leaders of Ontario mid-sized companies to accelerate growth. She also sits on the advisory boards of Toronto Global Forum and Project Arrow, which is creating Canada’s original full-build, zero-emissions concept vehicle. Prior to joining EDC, Mairead held executive roles at Bombardier, where she managed a range of large complex portfolios over a sixteen-year career.

She is a native of Northern Ireland, has a degree in Management and Accounting from Queen’s University Belfast, and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. She is also the first woman to occupy EDC’s chief executive role in its 75-plus year history.

In 2015, Mairead experienced another very proud milestone: becoming a Canadian citizen.

Biography

Mr Learmonth has more than 30 years’ experience as a financier and investor, having worked in Australia, Hong Kong and Europe across clean energy and major infrastructure projects, as well as pioneering social impact investments.

Prior to taking the role at the CEFC, Mr Learmonth established Social Ventures Australia’s Impact Investing business which included raising impact and affordable housing funds as well as launching Australia's first Social Impact Bond in 2013.

Previously an Executive Director of Macquarie Group for 12 years, Mr Learmonth has investment banking experience in Sydney, Hong Kong and London. He established and led various Macquarie businesses, notably European renewable energy and carbon credit investments, as well as cross-border structured finance and asset financing in Asia and Europe.

Mr Learmonth has degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Queensland.

Biography

Jin is the inaugural President and Chair of the Board of Directors. On July 28, 2020, he was elected to serve a second term of five years, beginning on Jan. 16, 2021. Before being elected as the Bank’s first President, he served as Secretary-General of the Multilateral Interim Secretariat tasked with establishing the Bank. Jin has rich experience across the private and public sectors and with MDBs. He served as Chair of China International Capital Corporation Limited (China’s first joint-venture investment bank), Chair of the Supervisory Board of China Investment Corporation and Chair of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds. He previously served as Vice President and then Ranking Vice President of the Asian Development Bank and as Alternate Executive Director for China at the World Bank and at the Global Environment Facility. Jin spent nearly two decades at the Chinese Ministry of Finance, reaching the rank of Vice Minister. He holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages (now Beijing Foreign Studies University) and was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in the Economics Graduate Program at Boston University from 1987 to 1988. Jin is from the People’s Republic of China.

Biography

Mr Loh Boon Chye joined SGX as CEO on 14 July 2015. He is also an Executive and Non-Independent Director on the SGX Board. As CEO, he drives SGX’s growth strategy, with the aim of transforming SGX into a world-class multi-asset exchange.

Over the years, Mr Loh has played a key role in the development of Southeast Asia’s capital markets, having held a number of senior advisory positions. Apart from his directorship on the SGX Board from 2003 to 2012, he has also been on the Boards of GIC Pte Ltd since November 2012, Economic Development Board Singapore since February 2017 and the World Federation of Exchanges since September 2017. He is also Chairman of the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics Advisory Board and Co-Chair of the Council for Board Diversity.

With a career in the financial industry that spans close to 30 years, Mr Loh was most recently Deputy President and Head of Asia Pacific Global Markets at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch from December 2012 to May 2015. He was also the bank’s Country Executive for Singapore and Southeast Asia and a member of its Asia Pacific Executive Committee.

Mr Loh began his career as an Investment Officer with the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 1989. He joined the Singapore branch of Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. of New York in 1992, managing its Southeast Asia fixed-income and derivatives business. From 1995 to 2012, he was with Deutsche Bank AG, where he held various leadership roles including Head of Corporate & Investment Banking for Asia Pacific and Head of Global Markets for Asia.

Mr Loh is a council member and Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Banking & Finance Singapore and a council member at the Singapore Business Federation. He was also previously Chairman of the Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee, as well as Deputy President of ACI Singapore. He was awarded for Outstanding Contribution to Financial Markets in Asia in the Euromoney Awards for Excellence in 2010, and was presented the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Market Reform Award 2017.

Mr Loh holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the National University of Singapore.

Biography

Studies: Sciences Po Paris, ESSEC (Business School) , Bachelor of laws.

After 3 years in the long-term financing sector, Patrick Martin joined the family SME Martin Belaysoud Expansion (Industrial Supplier), founded in 1829. He is the current CEO and majority shareholder.

o 200 subsidies in France, 1 subsidy in Slovakia and a business presence in Western and Northern Africa and Middle East.
o 100 000 professional consumers, from crafts to multinationals, from many professional sectors.
o Turn-over: more than 900 million euros
o 2.600 employees
o Top 3 in its sector in France.

Fan of high mountains activities. 61 years old – Married - Three children.

Biography

Peter McArthur is a seasoned commercial/corporate banker and an environmentalist.  He is a keen supporter of the cleantech sector in Canada in his role as VP, National Cleantech Lead with RBCx. RBC is ranked as the fifth largest bank in North America, the largest bank in Canada and the most valuable brand in Canada.  Peter is a subject matter expert within the Bank and is a speaker and advocate for the sector broadly.  Peter works with a wide variety of cleantech companies ranging from early stage commercializing businesses to public companies.  Peter has worked at three leading financial institutions having held a variety of roles, from leading teams in an executive capacity, to customer relationship management roles, with a consistent focus on providing excellence in customer service and growing the business.  Peter has been with Royal Bank since 2013.  Based in Ottawa, Ontario he supports a wide variety of cleantech companies coast to coast in Canada, working with a team of 8 specialists. He also supports a variety of cleantech focused venture capital firms. Peter is a graduate of the University of Toronto, has completed an Executive Program at Queens University and holds a Certificate in Carbon Finance.  Peter was recognized as a cleantech leader by the Clean 50 in Canada, for 2019.  He has also been recognized by RBC in both 2017 and 2020 as a Conference Award winner for the top 1% of performers at the Bank and in 2021 was recognized as a Leo Award winner for the top .1% of performers. Peter is founding Chair of the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association (OCTIA) and is on the Board of the CanadaCleantech Alliance.

Biography

David McAusland is a counsel in the firm of McCarthy Tétrault. He advises corporations, shareholders and entrepreneurs on strategic challenges and significant value-at-stake issues and opportunities, major transactions as well as governance matters. A graduate of McGill University (BCL '76, LLB '77), David is a respected member of the Canadian business community and recognized as a leading corporate lawyer, business advisor and director with broad international experience. He has been the architect of numerous large, innovative and precedent corporate transactions and development strategies.

David is a highly experienced senior executive and corporate director. He previously held the position of Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer of Alcan Inc., a large global industrial company where he played a leading role in the design and execution of major strategic initiatives and transactions. Before that, David was the managing partner of a major law firm where he had a dynamic practice focused on innovative capital markets transactions and solutions.

David has been a strong advocate over many years on behalf of community and non-for-profit organizations and business causes.

In 2002, David was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal as recognition of service to the community and public.

David was recognized by the Canadian General Counsel Awards with the Dealmaker Award (2005) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (2008).

In 2015, David was awarded the title Advocatus Emeritus by the Québec Bar in recognition of his professional excellence, outstanding contribution to the profession, and exceptional outreach.

In 2020, David was awarded the designation of Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors by the Institute of Corporate Directors in recognition of his exceptional leadership and contributions to boards of directors in Canada.

David is 66 years old, is married to Katherine Dallenbach and has three adult children.

Biography

Christopher (Scott) McElvaine was named Vice President, Business Development & Commercial Services at Pratt & Whitney Canada in January 2022. Drawing on his knowledge of trends and market factors, he provides leadership in planning, directing and managing our next product and service strategy transformation.

Following eight years with the Department of National Defence, he began his career with us in 1996 as a Senior Engineer. He subsequently worked as a manager in Marketing, Customer Training, Customer Programs (Turbofans) and Commercial Services before being appointed Senior Director, PW800 Marketing & Customer Service, in 2009. In that role, he was responsible for successfully launching the game-changing PurePower® PW800 engine for the large, long-range business jet segment.

In 2017, Scott was named Vice President, PW800 Programs, bringing innovation-oriented leadership and organizational excellence to the PW800. In 2021, he became Vice President, Customer Programs. His responsibilities covered customer service engineering for all product lines and front-line support, including the Customer First Centre and Field Operations.

Scott graduated from the Executive Program and Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He also holds a diploma in aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering and a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from the Royal Military College of Canada. He is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario.

Biography

Mathias Miedreich joined Umicore and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in October 2021, after serving as Executive Vice-President of the Clean Mobility division of Faurecia, a global automotive supplier with a strong focus on sustainable mobility. Mathias started his career in Strategy Consulting at KPMG and then moved to the automotive industry, in which he accumulated more than 20 years of experience in various senior leadership roles in Europe and Asia. Prior to joining Faurecia in 2013 as their Vice President Strategy & New Technologies for the Clean Mobility business, he worked at Siemens and Continental. Mathias holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management from the Erlangen-Nuremberg Friedrich-Alexander University.

Biography

Abdalah Mokssit is the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a meteorologist by profession having studied meteorology at the National School of Meteorology of Toulouse. Before becoming Secretary of the IPCC, he was involved in the IPCC process in various capacities including as Vice-Chair of Working Group I during the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Mr Mokssit was the Permanent Representative of Morocco with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as Director of the National Meteorological Service of Morocco as well as the Third Vice President of WMO, one of IPCC’s parent Organizations. He was a member of several WMO commissions including the Commission on Climatology and the Commission for Basic Systems. He has been active in international cooperation with regional and international centres, such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) and the Aladin Consortium, a European group of countries working on numerical weather prediction.

Biography

Mr. Gustavo Montezano is the President of the Brazilian Development Bank BNDES since 2019. He previously served as deputy special secretary for Privatization, Divestment and Markets of the Ministry of Economy. Before joining the Ministry of Economy, he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ECTP (BTG Commodities), based in London, and the managing partner of BTG Pactual responsible for the corporate and structured credit division in São Paulo. Mr. Montezano earned his master’s degree in Economics from the School of Economics and Finance at Ibmec-RJ and his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Automotive Engineering from the Military Institute of Engineering (IME-RJ).

Biography

President and CEO of Fondaction, Geneviève Morin Has been leading the shift and focus of the financial industry towards sustainability for over 30 years. Recognized as a pioneering and for her expertise in sustainable finance, she actively works to mobilize capital and various stakeholders for the positive transformation of the economy to make it more equitable, inclusive, green and successful.

Biography

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema is the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. She has worked with the UN Environment Programme for over two decades and was the Director of the Law Division at UNEP. Prior to joining the Law Division, she was Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division, in charge of coordination, operations and programme delivery. Prior to these duties, she also served as Executive Secretary of the UNEP/Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Her work at UNEP has focused on development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, including multilateral environmental agreements at national, regional and international levels.

Before joining UNEP, Elizabeth worked with Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. During her time with the Ministry, she also lectured in Public International Law and Conference Diplomacy at Tanzania's Centre for Foreign Relations and Diplomacy.

A lawyer and career diplomat with LLB (Hons) from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, LLM from Dalhousie University, Canada and Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Centre of Foreign Relations and Diplomacy in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Biography

Mike Mulcahy is the CEO of GreenCape, a Cape town based Cluster organisation that focussed on removing barriers to investment in the Green Economy. Over the last decade, Mike and the team at GreenCape have been involved in facilitating about 2,5bn USD worth of Green Projects, creating about 19 000 jobs.

Mike has also been elected as the Chairman of the international cleantech network - the ICN. The ICN represents some 19 clusters from 4 continents, collectively about 15 000 companies all pursuing opportunities in the Green Economy.

The team at GreenCape is currently has focusses in Energy, Circular Economy, Mobility, Agriculture, Water, Alternative service delivery and Green Finance.

Biography

Pierre Mullin is the executive responsible for the global custom software development organization for Siemens Digital Grid, including locations in the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria and India.  Prior to joining Siemens, he was a Software Development Manager in the BlackBerry R&D organization.

Pierre is a graduate of UNB’s Computer Science program. During his 25+ year career he has held leadership roles in product development, start ups, consulting firms and corporate IT.

He has sat on the boards of the OpenADR Alliance and TechImpact, as well as the Smart Grid Innovation Network (SGIN) Steering Committee and the UNB CS Advisory Board.

Biography

Simon Mundy is the Moral Money Editor at the Financial Times, covering environmental and sustainability issues for the award-winning Moral Money platform and the wider FT. He began his reporting career in Johannesburg, where he covered Southern Africa for the FT before a period writing on the London financial sector. He then spent seven years in Asia, heading the FT bureaux in Seoul and Mumbai – before two years travelling through 26 countries on six continents to research Race for Tomorrow, a book on the global scramble to respond to climate change.

Biography

Orral Nadjari comes from an investment banking background, with a proven track record of securing funding for large scale projects. Throughout his career he has developed successful strategies to help futureproof the banking/bond sector by being innovative and thinking big picture, always two steps ahead. His natural emotional intelligence allows him to see potential in situations, the very reason he anchored his first Gigaplant in the UK, moreover the potential in the people he works with. Orral is fascinated with the move towards sustainable investment, and a sustainable future. This is what inspired him to create an industry benchmark assembly of UK battery experts, driven by one common goal, to help the UK, and the world, accelerate toward net-zero. Nadjari understands that this is a transition, not a switch, and embraces the challenges to devise thoughtful solutions, alongside his team.

Biography

Joseph is an Executive Education programs graduate from the Harvard Business School with remarkable experience working in start-up environments as well as for large organizations in the Renewable Energy sector.  He has a proven track record in business plan development, fund raising and execution. This has been gained in over 17 years’ experience in international trade and product distribution in developing markets and over 13 years’ experience in renewable energy product and business model innovation.

Joseph is currently the Vice President of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Africa) (GEAPP). He is an Acumen Fellow and sits on the Board of Carolina for Kibera.

About GEAPP
The Rockefeller Foundation has, alongside other international partners, set up a $1.5 billion global platform to fight climate change and end energy poverty for good. The platform – The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) – is the single largest distributed renewable energy initiative which aims to expand energy access, reduce 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and improve 1 billion lives.

Biography

Professor Nicell joined the Department of Civil Engineering of McGill University in 1992. He is a chemical engineer specializing in the field of environmental engineering, with his research focusing primarily on the assessment of the environmental and health impacts of industrial, municipal and emerging pollutants, their mitigation through waste treatment, and their replacement through green chemicals that are renewably sourced. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has directly contributed to the development of regulations and policies at the Canadian and provincial levels. He has also served in numerous leadership and administrative roles and is presently nearing the completion of his second five-year term as Dean of McGill’s Faculty of Engineering consisting of six departments, two schools and three institutes. He also serves on the boards of various industry, scholarly and non-profit organizations and is the past-Chair of Engineering Deans Canada, comprising Deans from across Canada. In 2018, he was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Biography

Gabriela Nicolescu is full professor and head of the Computer and Software Engineering Department at Polytechnique Montréal, Canda. Her research interests are in the field of security by design for intelligent connected systems.  She obtained her B. Eng. Degree in Electrical Engineering from UPB (Polytechnic University Bucharest) in and her PhD Degree from INPG (Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble) France. Elle est fondatrice d’une startup qui a permis la sécurité des applications et logiciels de plusieurs PMEs de Montréal. She edited 6 books, and authored more than 250 journal articles and conference papers.

Biography

Geoff Olynyk is one of McKinsey’s leading Sustainability Practice experts on brown-to-green transformations, zero-carbon energy systems and electric power with particular emphasis on nuclear and fusion, as well as decarbonization and climate strategy in hard-to-abate sectors such as industrial, mining, and oil and gas. Geoff has worked with his Canadian and Global clients across a multitude of sectors—including private equity/principal investor (PE/PI), retail, utility, oil and gas, renewables, public sector, and cleantech OEM.

McKinsey Canada is a global management consulting firm committed to helping organizations accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth through bold strategies and transformative technologies to help organizations innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next.

Biography

Geneviève Parent is a full professor at the Faculty of Law of Laval University and holds the Legal Research Chair on Food Diversity and Food Security. She is a part-time Member of the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal and an Associate Member of the French Academy of Agriculture. Her fields of interest are sustainable food security and national and international agri-food law. She is interested in national, regional and international legal instruments that intervene in the protection and promotion of agricultural and food diversity as well as in the analysis of international economic law and its impacts on Canadian and Quebec agri-food legislation and food security. She wrote numerous scientific articles and books and is frequently invited to speak as an expert at various international meetings. Her expertise in agri-food law has led her to carry out various consulting mandates in national and international law.

Biography

Mr. Poirier has been President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since January 2021.

His previous role was Chief Operating Officer and President, Power & Storage. He was responsible for successfully executing the acquisition of the Columbia Pipeline Group in 2016. Mr. Poirier held other roles which included leading our Mexico business unit, as well as leading the company’s risk management, strategy and corporate development efforts. Mr. Poirier joined the company in 2014 as President, Energy East Pipeline.

Before joining TC Energy, Mr. Poirier spent 25 years in investment banking, consulting and as a Corporate Director. He was President and Head, Investment Banking and Capital Markets, for Wells Fargo Securities Canada, Ltd. Prior to that, he was Group Head, Power and Pipelines Investment Banking, at J.P. Morgan Securities in New York.

From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Poirier served as an Independent Director of Capital Power Income LP. His community involvement has included serving as Chair of the North York Harvest Food Bank.

Mr. Poirier holds a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Operations Research from the University of Ottawa.

Biography

Jonas Prising was named ManpowerGroup Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in May 2014 and Chairman in December 2015. He leads all aspects of ManpowerGroup’s $21 billion business across 75 countries and territories worldwide.  He’s been with the company for more than 20 years in roles ranging ManpowerGroup North America President and President of the Americas, while also leading the company’s operations in Southern Europe and overseeing the global Right Management and ManpowerGroup Solution businesses.

A recognized expert on the labor market and future of work, Prising regularly speaks at global events and in the media on employment trends, jobs and skills. He plays a key role in championing ManpowerGroup’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy and is especially passionate about preparing the next generation with work-readiness skills, accelerating women into leadership, supporting refugees into meaningful work, and delivering on climate action.

Currently, Prising serves as global Board Chairman for JA Worldwide, where he helps JA achieve its mission of equipping more than 12 million young people each year with employment and entrepreneurship skills in 100 countries.

Prising is actively engaged with the World Economic Forum, including as a member of the International Business Council (IBC), the CEO Alliance for Climate Leaders, the CEO Action Group for the European Green Deal, the Global Parity Alliance, and CEO Champion for the Reskilling Revolution.

Prising also plays an active leadership role in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, business community, as a Board member and former Chairman of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. He also serves on the board of directors of Kohl’s Corporation (KSS:NYSE).

Before joining ManpowerGroup, Prising worked for Electrolux, a Swedish multinational. During his tenure, he held various international positions within the consumer goods and business-to-business divisions. Prising holds an MBA (equivalent) from the Stockholm School of Economics and has participated in executive programs at Harvard, INSEAD, Stanford and Yale. He speaks five languages: English, French, German, Swedish and Italian and has lived in nine countries across Asia, Europe and North America. Prising and his family reside in the Milwaukee area.

Biography

On September 1, 2011, Rémi Quirion, OC, CQ, PhD, FRSC, became Québec’s first chief scientist. As such, he chairs the boards of directors of the three Fonds de recherche du Québec and advises the Minister of Economy and Innovation on research and scientific development issues. He is the president of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) as of September 2021.

Until his appointment as chief scientist, Rémi Quirion was the vice-dean for science and strategic initiatives in the faculty of medicine at McGill University and senior university advisor on health sciences research. He was the scientific director of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Research Centre, a full professor in the department of psychiatry at McGill University and the executive director of the International Collaborative Research Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Professor Quirion was the first scientific director of the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), one of Canada’s 13 health research institutes.

His work helped to elucidate the roles of the cholinergic system in Alzheimer’s disease, of neuropeptide Y in depression and memory and of the calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP) in pain and opiate tolerance. Rémi Quirion earned his PhD in pharmacology from Université de Sherbrooke in 1980 and carried out his postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States in 1983. He has over 750 publications in prominent scientific journals and is one of the most extensively cited neuroscientists in the world. He has received several awards and honours, including the Ordre national du Québec (Chevalier du Québec, CQ) in 2003, the Prix Wilder-Penfield (Prix du Québec) in 2004 and the Order of Canada (OC) in 2007. Mr. Quirion is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and was also inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was appointed Officer in the Order of Academic Palms of the French Republic, a distinction awarded by the French government that recognizes its contribution to the development of French-Québec relations in research.

Biography

Philippe Rainville has been President and Chief Executive Officer of ADM Aéroports de Montréal since January 2017. He joined ADM’s management team 9 years earlier as Vice President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. He was named Vice President, Airport Planning, Engineering and Terminal Maintenance in April 2014, responsible for the development, construction and maintenance of infrastructure projects, including the major expansion of the international sector completed in May 2016. His in-depth knowledge of the airport environment, the challenges associated with it, and the many aspects related to the management of an organization as complex as ADM are valuable assets in ensuring the development and positioning of the two airport sites under his leadership.

Mr. Rainville came to the ADM team with a solid background in large companies such as Provigo, Pepsi-Cola, Tarkett Inc., a multinational manufacturer of hardwood and vinyl floor coverings, and more specifically Molson, where he held various senior management positions related to finance, strategic planning and information technology.

Mr. Rainville sits on the boards of directors of Aéro Montréal, Montréal International and Fondation UQÀM (Université du Québec à Montréal). In addition, he is a member of the fundraising committee of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM) and is active in several charities.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from McGill University in Montréal, a bachelor’s degree in accounting sciences from the Université du Québec à Montréal, and has been a member of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec since 1986.

Biography

Biography

Odile Renaud-Basso is the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The EBRD’s Board of Governors elected Ms Renaud-Basso as the Bank’s seventh President in October 2020 during its 29th Annual Meeting.

She took up the role in November 2020, replacing Sir Suma Chakrabarti, who had stepped down in July 2020 after serving two full four-year terms. She is the first ever woman head of a multilateral development bank.

As Director General at the French Treasury, Ms Renaud-Basso oversaw the development of France’s economic policies, leading on European and international financial affairs, trade policies, financial regulation and debt management.

In this position, she also served as Vice-President of the European Economic and Financial Committee, deputy to the G7 and G20 groups and French Governor or Alternate Governor of the World Bank, EBRD and African Development Bank. She is also Chair of the Paris Club.

Prior to her current role, she was Deputy Director-General of the Caisse des Dépôts, a large French public financial institution.

Ms Renaud-Basso is a graduate of the Paris Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po), and an Ecole Nationale d’Administration alumnus. She also attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Biography

Greg has held several senior leadership positions throughout his career over the past twenty years. Greg’s previous position was as Siemens’ Global lead for its Managed Transition offering that supports utilities during their transition toward a cleaner, digitalized operational model. He has championed this type transformation work in Canada, US and in the Middle East. Prior to Siemens, Greg lead the Delivery Management/ Risk Management group within the system integrator division in Bell Canada that covered Health Care, Corrections, Government and Communications sectors. Greg was also Director for an Engineering consulting firm responsible for Environmental, Agricultural, Mechanical and Electrical disciplines.  He was responsible for establishing the buildings division within this company. Greg started his career responsible for the regional engineers and union personnel for Honeywell Ltd. delivering energy audits and automation solutions and services in the Commercial and Institutional sectors.  Greg has held positions in professional organizations including the Association of Professional New Brunswick and is past president of the Consulting Engineers of New Brunswick.

Biography

Oriana Romano is the Head of Unit, Water Governance and Circular Economy, Urban Policies, and Sustainable Development Division of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. In 2018, she initiated a Programme on the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions, which supports governments in developing and implementing circular economy strategies. She heads the OECD Water Governance programme, which she joined in 2013. Before the OECD, she was university lecturer in Environmental Economics at the “Centre for International Business and Sustainability”(CIBS), London Metropolitan University (London, United Kingdom) and the Department of Social Science of the University “L’Orientale”(Naples, Italy). She currently teaches “The Transition to the Carbon Neutral and Circular Economy in Cities ”at Sciences Po, Paris, France. She holds a Ph.D in “Institution, Economics and Law of Public Services”.

Biography

Catherine works at Mila – the world’s largest academic research lab specialized in deep learning based in Montreal—where she oversees partnerships and strategy. Prior to joining Mila, as a strategy consultant, she led the design of Mila’s first strategic plan and was involved on key initiatives to strengthen the Quebec AI ecosystem. Catherine has previously held various business roles at innovative organizations: She worked at Cirque du Soleil in the strategy and business development team, as the operations director of the cleantech startup accelerator Cycle Momentum and as a lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. Catherine is a graduate from McGill University (Law B.C.L./LL.B., BA Honors), where she currently teaches a course on negotiation strategies, an expertise of hers that she is passionate about.

Biography

Frantz Saintellemy is an internationally recognized expert in advanced technologies with 25 years of experience in automotive, IoT, sensing, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. An entrepreneur, angel investor, mentor, and philanthropist, he is currently President and COO of LeddarTech, a leader in automotive ADAS and AD, fusion and perception software technologies.  He is the 14th Chancellor and Chair of the Board at the University of Montreal.

Mr. Saintellemy is co-founder and Chair of the board at Groupe 3737, a non-profit organization, that is an entrepreneurial innovation hub. G3737 helps entrepreneurs and tech companies start, grow, and succeed, with the strategic objective of developing more entrepreneurs, creating more successful companies, more jobs and sustainable financial independence. G3737 is an inclusive and diverse entrepreneurial innovation hub that provides unique services and support to visible minority founders. With over $20M in private investments, G3737 is one of the largest privately funded entrepreneurship eco-systems in Canada.

Mr. Saintellemy has successfully founded or co-founded several start-ups with multiple successful exits and has published several patents and papers.  In addition to his angel investing and mentorship to entrepreneurs, he sits on several boards and committees including APMA, AQT, MNBAQ, Sharethrough, and is a founding member of Quebec’s Innovation Board.

Biography

Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar is the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He was first appointed for a three‐year term starting August 2021.

His career in international civil aviation spans over 27 years in various advisory and leadership roles. Prior to his appointment as Secretary General, Mr. Salazar served as Director General of Aeronautica Civil of Colombia – Aerocivil. For the twelve years previous to joining Aerocivil, Mr. Salazar was a Senior Advisor to the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

His professional experience also includes terms as the President of Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC), Secretary of the Colombian Civil Aviation Board and Director of its Air Transport Office, Director General of Air Transport at the Colombian Ministry of Transport, Corporate Secretary and Director of the Legal Department of Tampa Cargo (currently known as Avianca Cargo).

Mr. Salazar is a lawyer and has earned advanced degrees from Harvard University (Master in Public Administration ‐ MPA) and McGill University (Master in Air and Space Law ‐ LLM). He is fluent in Spanish, English and French, and speaks basic Arabic.

Biography

Ms. Dawn Sands has 9 years of executive management experience specializing in the community economic development sector. Originally from Nipigon Ontario, she completed her education in Social Work and Human Resources Management at Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Dawn has extensive experience leading non-profit organizations that focus on project management, building effective networks and administering government funds.

She is skillful at facilitating and participating in multi-stakeholder boards and committees that focus on strategic planning and social innovation projects that build communities in a sustainable way.

As an Indigenous woman, she values collaboration and is passionate about community building by fostering respectful relationships and utilizing grassroots community-led development principles. Her experiences have taught her that this approach is fundamental to the success of effective community building.

Biography

Mark Schaan has served as Assistant Deputy Minister of SIPS since January 2020. Prior to becoming an Assistant Deputy Minister, Mark was the Director General, Marketplace Framework Policy Branch, at ISED. In this role, Mark advised on the policy, legislative, and stakeholder issues relating to privacy and data protection, patents, trademarks, copyright, competitions, and insolvency. Mark’s public service career has included roles across the policy spectrum, as well as leading on revitalizing the public service through innovative recruitment models. Mark holds a degree in political science, a master’s degree in comparative social policy, and a doctorate in social policy.

Biography

Adrian Schauer is the founder and CEO of AlayaCare, a healthtech start-up delivering the next disruptive solution for the home healthcare industry by combining remote patient monitoring, clinical documentation and back office software. Adrian is a serial technology entrepreneur having built two successful mobile software companies; both achieving leadership positions in their respective markets. Adrian is also an active Angel Investor and sits on the boards of several companies including fast growing technology firms like the point-of-care medical device company Chipcare, the SaaS company TrackTik, and the GRC software provider Resolver. Adrian is also the co-founder of the Madiro Fund, an organization created to support innovative solutions to the health problems in low income countries.

Prior to spinning Vortex Connect out as an independent company, Adrian had co-founded the market leading mobile marketing company Vortex Mobile where he was in charge of product strategy. Vortex Mobile was recognized for 2 consecutive years as one of Canada’s 50 Fastest growing companies by Profit Magazine and was acquired by Transcontinental in 2010.

Biography

Kevin Scott is responsible for all Refining Operations at Irving Oil’s Saint John and Whitegate facilities, as well as the Company’s Products & Terminals Operations. This team safely and reliably refines, stores and transports our products.

Prior to this role, Kevin was Irving Oil’s Chief Human Resources Officer. He has also led the Company’s Public Affairs and Supply & Trading teams. He joined Irving Oil in 1992 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick.

He and his wife have four children who keep them active with sports, theatre and music. In the community, Kevin volunteers with youth sports and economic development.

Biography

Abigail Wulf is the Director of the Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy at SAFE. Abigail brings broad Earth science expertise to the Center, from researching rare earth- and lithium-rich pegmatites to working with NASA researchers to convey the connections between Earth’s component systems. She previously served as Senior Science Communicator for Research within NASA’s Earth Science Division. She also served as Policy Manager for the American Geosciences Institute, a nonpartisan federation of more than 50 professional scientific societies. While at AGI, Abigail co-led the Minerals Science and Information Coalition, a broad-based alliance of organizations representing all stages of the critical minerals supply chain.

Biography

Ken Seitz is the interim Chief Executive Officer at Nutrien, the world's largest provider of crop inputs and services. Prior to this appointment, Ken served as Nutrien’s Executive Vice President and CEO of Potash since 2019. Ken brings over 25 years of global management experience working across more than 60 countries, with a deep background in the agriculture and mining sectors. As former President and CEO of Canpotex, one of the world’s largest suppliers of Potash, Mr. Seitz has extensive experience in global fertilizer marketing and logistics and strong connections within the industry.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, a Bachelor of Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Saskatchewan. He is a Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan and is a Professional Agrologist with the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists. He also holds a Certificate in Management from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Biography

Vinay Shandal is a Managing Director and Partner in our Toronto office. He is the Global Leader for BCG’s Sustainable Finance and Investing business. In this capacity, he advises leading investment organizations on their approach to ESG and sustainable finance. He is also the co-lead BCG's North American Climate & Sustainability practice and head of the Canadian Principal Investors and Private Equity Practice, working closely with the largest pools of capital in Canada and globally on issues of strategy, transaction support and portfolio acceleration.

Vinay has advised leading pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and asset managers on a range of topics related to sustainable finance:

• Defining the ESG and impact investing strategy for one of Canada’s top pension funds.
• Defining the total societal impact strategy for a major asset manager.
• Supporting a fixed income investor with its sub-sovereign debt strategy to support governments in achieving the UN SDGs.
• Setting up a relationship investing capability and operating model for a major investor, through which it could engage with management teams of companies on their value creation and total societal impact strategy.
• Setting up an incubator to support corporates in building and scaling social enterprises that gain disproportionate advantage by leveraging the corporate’s assets, thus amplifying their societal impact.

Vinay is the co-chair of Centre for Canada’s Future, which tackles the most challenging economic and policy changes facing Canada. He is a board member of Capitalize For Kids, which is the force behind North America’s largest investor conference, the proceeds of which are channeled to solve the toughest challenges in youth brain and mental health. Before BCG, Vinay practiced law for several years in the New York offices of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions. His legal experience includes both private and public company mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances and investments in a range of industries. Vinay received an LL.B. and B.C.L. from McGill University and an LL.M. from Cambridge University. He has written and spoken extensively on issues of sustainable finance.

Biography

Julie worked for the Government of Canada for 15 years before joining IDRC, including seven years with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in Ottawa and overseas. She occupied several positions with GAC, including most recently serving as Canadian Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. Prior to GAC, Julie worked at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Before joining the Government of Canada, Julie worked for the United Nations World Food Programme in Bangladesh and Burundi, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Croatia, and the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre and Canadian Red Cross in Ottawa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.

Biography

Dr. Volker Steinbach is vice president of the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe - BGR) and head of the department Natural Resources.

After his studies of geology at the Technical University Mining Academy of Freiberg, he was a research fellow at the China University of Geosciences Wuhan for two years. In 1990 he joined BGR taking responsibility for the area Economic Geology of South-East Asia. From 1998 to 2000 he was delegated to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Technologyy. In 2000 he returned to the BGR to lead the section of International Cooperation Europe, Asia and Oceania. In 2007 he became head of the department Natural Resources, International Cooperation and in 2009 head of the department Energy Resources, Mineral Resources and today head of the department Natural Resources. In this position he is also responsible for the German Mineral Resources Agency (Deutsche Rohstoffagentur - DERA), which is a part of BGR. Since 2017 Dr. Steinbach is vice president of BGR.

His special interests are:

• mineral resources for future technologies, especially for technologies for renewable energy,
• the role of primary mineral production as the source for a circular economy,
• sustainability in the mineral resources production and in the mineral resources supply chain,
• responsibility in the mineral resources trading chain (certified trading chains),
• research of mineral deposits with a special focus on high tech minerals and deep sea minerals.

Dr. Steinbach is member of various scientific boards of national and international geoscience associations, he was president of the Association of European Geological Societies and he is member of advisory groups for the German government in the field of mineral resources.

Biography

Chris Stern is the CEO of CarbiCrete, a carbon removal technology company that has developed a process to produce cement-free, carbon-negative concrete. He co-founded the firm in 2016.

A mechanical engineer with 20 years’ experience in capex sales and business development in pharmaceutical packaging equipment, automotive machining and the entire solar manufacturing and deployment segment, Chris was a co-founder of Pure Energies, a residential solar power developer.

In five years, Pure Energies grew into a firm with 200 employees in Toronto and San Francisco. In 2014, Pure was acquired by NRG Energy, after which Chris started a consulting business focusing on tech start-ups and strategy development in cleantech.

Biography

W. Michael Susong is a U.S.-based Senior Vice President of Global Intelligence responsible for carrying out service delivery of Crisis24’s intelligence portfolio, risk intelligence analysis, and consultancy to the some of the largest, most complex organizations in the world. He joined Crisis24-acquisition IJet in 2017, and holds a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington DC. Prior to joining Crisis24, Michael was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations officer and was awarded the CIA’s Intelligence Star for Heroism in the field. While serving in the US Army, Major Susong completed multiple combat tours around the globe. In the private sector, he cofounded the cyber intelligence company iSIGHT Partners (acquired by FireEye). He established the first cyber threat intelligence programs at Pacific Gas and Electric Company and at Visa Incorporated. He is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM™), Certified Protection Professional (CPP™), a Wilderness First Responder, and a Black Rock Ranger.

Biography

Karl Tabbakh is the Regional Managing Partner for Québec, Co-Leader of the Firm’s International & Business Strategy and a member of McCarthy Tétrault’s Senior Leadership Team. A professional with deep business acumen, extensive global experience, and exceptional relationship-building skills, Karl is committed to delivering business solutions and results for clients.

Focussed on providing clients with an understanding of both legal and business implications during major decisions, Karl is often brought in at the outset of transactions by the senior management of both strategic acquirers and financial sponsors to assist in the initial structuring and strategy around transactions and capital deployment.

In addition to his legal expertise, Karl brings a unique investor and business experience to our clients. In 2012, he co-founded a venture capital and private equity firm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Prior to that, Karl was a partner within the world’s largest law firm which he joined in 2008 to start up their Abu Dhabi office and head its corporate practice.

Karl spent seven years in the Middle East and was Chairman of the Canadian Business Council in Abu Dhabi where he developed strong understanding of the Middle East markets and solid connections in the UAE business community. Previous to that, he was a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Business Law Group, where he had started his career in 1995. He worked in the Montréal, Toronto and London, UK offices until 2008 and, upon his return to Canada in 2016, he rejoined the firm.

Karl is a regular speaker and commentator in the financial press. He is Chair of the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Board of the Canada Arab Business Council.

Karl is active in the philanthropic world and supports many non-profit and community service organisations, including as member of the Centraide/United Way campaign, director of the National Circus School and Foundation and co-president of the Filleactive Father/Daughter Charity Bal..

Born in Syria, Karl immigrated with his parents to Canada at age 10 where he learned to speak English and French, in addition to his Arabic mother tongue. He received his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto, in 1997 after completing his BCL at the Université de Montréal in 1996. He also obtained a B.Comm. from Université Laval in Québec City.

Biography

Erin Tansey joined IDRC as director of the Sustainable Inclusive Economies program in November 2020. She has over 20 years of experience in international development and humanitarian sectors within Canadian and international non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and bilateral development programs. She worked with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) in Malawi, CARE Canada in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Unites Nations Refugee Agency in Thailand, Algeria and Ghana, the United Nations World Food Programme in various countries in sub-Saharan Africa and with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Pretoria, South Africa.  Erin has worked on various applied research projects and was the coordinator of research for the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Partnership on HIV and Mobility in Southern Africa, generating new evidence and thought leadership in applied policy in this field.

Most recently, Erin worked on a governance program with Global Affairs Canada together with the South African government. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French Literature from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Windsor.

Biography

As President and CEO, Wendy Thomas leads Secureworks to fulfill our purpose of securing human progress via innovative, battle-tested security solutions. She first joined Secureworks in 2008 leading Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), where she helped to execute strategic acquisitions that scaled the business and Secureworks’ IPO in 2016. As Strategy lead and Chief Product Officer, she developed the vision for Secureworks’ future, fueling the team that built and launched Secureworks® TaegisTM. Most recently, Wendy served as President of Customer Success, where she drove a customer-centric approach to help organizations achieve better security outcomes. In this role, Wendy was recognized in the number one position in The Software Report’s “Top 25 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity of 2021.”

Wendy leverages over 25 years of experience in strategic and functional leadership roles, and has worked across multiple technology-driven companies such as FirstData, BellSouth, and Internap Network Services, Inc. Wendy is a graduate of the University of Virginia, with a double major in Economics and Foreign Affairs, and she holds an International MBA from the University of South Carolina School of Business.

Biography

Michael Torrance Chief Sustainability Officer at BMO Financial Group, overseeing sustainability strategy and leading bank-wide initiatives on environmental and social risk, climate change strategy, ESG focused investor relations, sustainability related disclosure, operational sustainability and sustainable finance. Prior to joining BMO Michael was a Partner at a major international law firm where he led client advisory on environmental and social risk matters. He has served on the Steering Committee of the Equator Principles Association and Chaired the Social Risk Working Group and North America Working Group.

Biography

Simpiwe “Sim” Tshabalala is Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group.

Sim was born in Hlabisa, in rural KwaZulu-Natal. He grew up in Soweto and was educated at   Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg.

Sim attended Rhodes University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988, and a Bachelor of Laws in 1990.  He served his articles at Bowman Gilfillan, and went on to do a Master of Laws at Notre Dame in the US, which he was awarded summa cum laude, in 1993.

Sim was admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa in 1994. He joined Real Africa Durolink Investment Bank in 1994 and worked in its structured finance division until 2000. In that time he continued his studies on a part-time basis, and completed the Higher Diploma in taxation law from the University of the Witwatersrand (‘Wits’) in 1996.       

Sim joined the Project Finance Division of Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank as head of structured finance in 2000, becoming a Director in 2000 and Managing Director of Stanbic Africa in 2001.  In 2006 he was appointed Chief Executive of Personal and Business Banking, South Africa. In the same year, he completed Harvard University’s Advanced Management Programme.

In March 2008, Sim was appointed as Chief Executive of Standard Bank South Africa. He was appointed as one of three Deputy Chief Executives of the Standard Bank Group in April 2009.  In June 2012, Sim took on the additional responsibility for Corporate and Investment Banking’s client franchise in South Africa.

In March 2013, Sim was appointed joint Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group, extending his responsibilities to the banking businesses on the African continent outside South Africa and to the bank’s Wealth business, including Liberty Holdings.  In September 2017, Sim was appointed as the sole Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group.

Sim serves on the boards of the Liberty Group, the International Monetary Conference, and the Institute of International Finance, of which he is Vice-Chairman and Treasurer. In August 2018, Sim was made a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers of South Africa.

Biography

Johanne Turbide is Professor in the Accounting department at HEC Montréal and has been appointed Secretary-General in March 2019. After graduating from HEC Montréal with a master’s degree, she earned a Ph.D. Degree in Industrial and Business Studies from the University of Warwick in England. She is a Fellow of the Ordre des CPA du Québec (FCPA). She is currently the Chief Sustainability Officer, and is responsible for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at HEC Montréal. She is currently co-leading the project «Measuring beyond» with the University of Oxford, which focuses on analysing the standardisation impacts of ESG measures.

Her key research interests focus on accountability and governance issues for social, community and cultural entities. She serves as a member of a CPA Technical Working Group - NPO in Financial Accounting and is recognized by various provincial governmental bodies as the acknowledged expert in governance, strategic and financial management for NPOs.

Biography

Adrian Tylim heads North America Business Development at Blue Solutions. He has broad experience with renewable energy technologies as an engineer, designer, project, and business developer. He was part of NASA’s space station solar power module team, worked on various California wind energy projects, and was responsible for business development for a leading German solar engineering firm. As a sustainability champion, he designed a solution eliminating landfills to produce renewable energy from waste. He also teaches MBA students Sustainable Business Strategies. He earned a MS in Energy Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona and a BS in Applied Physics from California State University.

Blue Solutions develops solid-state energy storage solutions that are safe, have high-energy density and performance that can be sustained in challenging environments. It is part of Groupe Bolloré, a Global 500 company. Lithium Metal Polymer (LMP®) batteries do not require cooling and have been installed globally for almost a decade. They have powered electric vehicles over 300 million kilometers and provide resilient energy storage in 35+ microgrids and grid-connected projects. LMP® solutions are built at two vertically integrated factories in Canada and France with a team dedicated to supporting the success of vehicle manufacturers and renewable energy integrators.

Biography

Ivan was appointed Chief Executive, Aluminium in March 2021 and has held senior leadership positions across the Iron Ore, Copper and Coal product groups. He brings deep operational experience and critical understanding of end-to-end value chain processes to our Aluminium business.

Ivan is passionate about the energy transition and the role aluminium plays as a green and critical material for the future. During 2021, Ivan launched partnerships with Carbfix to capture carbon at our ISAL smelter in Iceland and the Government of Queensland to drive the state’s clean energy future.

He also continues to focus on building capability in Rio Tinto to enhance the long-term positive role mining can have partnering with First Nations and Indigenous people, along with the host communities we operate in.

Biography

As Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas in Canada, Sonja Volpe is responsible for leading the Canadian business strategy, overseeing the nearshoring operations platform and all aspects of regulatory and internal controls compliance. Sonja is a member of the Americas Executive Committee, the Americas Business Committee and the Global Banking Americas Executive Committee.

Sonja first joined BNP Paribas in 2015 as Head of Financial Institutions Coverage in Canada. In this role she was responsible for the firm’s global client relationships with the Canadian banks, insurance companies, pension plans and the government sector. She has been instrumental in building a strong client franchise across each client industry segment and establishing a high performance coverage team.

Sonja has 20 years of experience covering Canadian financial institutions and public sector clients. Prior to joining BNP Paribas, she was a Senior Banker at Citibank Canada where she covered a number of large global client relationships in the financial services sector.

Sonja has a Bachelor's Degree in Honours Modern Languages and Linguistics and an MBA from McMaster University.

Biography

Tom Werner is a business advisor with extensive experience in leadership roles in technology and energy organizations. For 18 years, he was on the front lines of the solar revolution serving as CEO of SunPower. During his tenure, Tom grew the business from a privately held company of 35 employees with revenues less than $5 million to a publicly traded top player in the US solar industry with a market value that reached a peak of $11 billion and an installed base of 350,000 million.  Over the years, he has held numerous senior leadership positions such as CEO at Silicon Light Machines, a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, VP and general manager of the Business Connectivity Group of 3Com Corp, etc. Mr. Werner currently serves as chair of the board of FLO, a leading North American electric vehicle (EV) charging network operator and a smart charging solutions provider. He also serves on the boards of Wolfspeed, H2U, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, CALSSA, the University of Wisconsin College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and the Marquette University Board of Trustees.

Biography

Marissa West is GM Canada President and Managing Director, reporting to Steve Carlisle, Executive Vice President and President, North America. West leads GM Canada at a pivotal time, as the automotive industry transforms in the shift to electrification.

Most recently, Marissa was Executive Chief Engineer for the Global Mid-Size Truck and Medium-Duty Truck programs. Before that, she was the Chief Engineer for the Next Generation Full-Size Truck programs, where she was responsible for launching the 2020 GMC Sierra HD and the Chevrolet Silverado HD. As Vehicle Chief Engineer, West led the design, engineering and development of future full-size truck and SUV programs, which account for approximately US$1.6 billion in investment and more than 1.3 million vehicles produced annually.

Previously Marissa was the Director of the Global Noise & Vibration Center beginning in 2016, adding leadership for the Vehicle Dynamics Center to her responsibility in 2018. She subsequently led the merger and transformation of the N&V and Dynamics centers into an agile and lean organization before moving into her role as a Chief Engineer.

Marissa began her career in the automotive industry as a college intern in 2001 and joined GM as a fulltime employee in 2003. Since that time, she has held a variety of positions in product engineering ranging from performance engineer, IRT co-chair in several vehicle assembly plants, hybrid safety systems engineer, chassis systems engineer and engineering manager, as well as Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain.

She holds a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. Marissa has four children with her husband Bob, and they look forward to immersing their family into Canada.

Biography

Ian Whitcomb is the President of Irving Oil. In addition to day-to-day company management and the relationship with its Board of Directors, Mr. Whitcomb is responsible for guiding the company toward a more sustainable energy future through the development and implementation of corporate strategy, the achievement of planned results across a broad spectrum of responsibilities, and the safe and reliable operation of the company’s assets in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Ian brings a deep understanding to the company through more than 30 years of working with Irving Oil in his role with Deloitte. Mr. Whitcomb has held a variety of leadership roles, including sitting on the board of Deloitte Canada. He is a graduate of Dalhousie University and became a Chartered Accountant in 1982.