| John Adams Managing Director Natural Gas Innovation Fund In his role, John is responsible for raising capital from industry investors, manages the fund's investment process, governance and accountability, and implementing the fund's investment strategy for natural gas priorities to raise capital from its industry investors; manages the fund's portfolio activities including technology scouting and deal review, technical and business evaluation, due diligence and evaluation, project management, corporate performance and entrepreneurial support; and ultimately responsible for all day-to-day management decisions including human resources, risk management, accounting and auditing, investment and fund management and performance. John brings 25 years of experience in the cleantech energy sector with his current position at NGIF and previous positions at Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) - with a range of increasingly senior positions including Director, Applications/Funding Advisory, Director, Stakeholder Relations, Vice President Industry, and Executive Director raising $40M in partnership agreements, leading national funding competitions, created a national Virtual Incubator, and reviewed over 1000 cleantech ideas and proposals; and at Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd. with positions in infrastructure business and international trade. John has a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Environmental Science and Environmental Management from University of Toronto. | |
| Diane Allan President Measurement Canada Diane Allan is the President of Measurement Canada, an agency of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. This Agency is responsible for ensuring accuracy in the selling of measured goods, developing and enforcing the laws related to measurement accuracy, approving and inspecting measuring devices and investigating complaints of suspected inaccurate measurement. Prior to starting her public service career, Diane worked in the biotechnology sector for a few years. In the 90s, she began her public service career managing grants and contributions programs and continually progressed in more senior roles in both policy development and operational delivery within the Health, Agricultural and Transportation portfolios in the Government of Canada. She has always played a pivotal strategic role in change leadership to help build organizational capacity, continuous engagement and awareness by influencing others and facilitating horizontal linkages and integration within, across and externally with the aim to ensure that the public service is successful in delivering its operational as well as its modernization agenda. Diane is a scientist by training with degrees in biochemistry, animal physiology, and cellular and molecular medicine. | |
| Ken Anderson Chief Cyber Security Architect ATCO Ken is a Senior Technology professional with over 30 years of experience in designing, managing and implementing cyber environments; He has specialized in Cyber Security for over 20 years. Ken is thoroughly experienced in Telecom network systems planning and evaluation, architecting secure networks and implementing network security for corporate and public-sector clients. Ken has extensive experience assessing and architecting a variety of technologies, including; Industrial Security environments, Cloud Computing for securing Enterprise Networks, Smart grid Technologies (AMR and Smart meter), Telecommunications systems design, Health Care standards (HIA) and Regulatory standards (NERC CIP, FOIP, PIPA, CSOX). | |
| Ramses Atilano Enbridge Gas Ramses has been with Enbridge Gas for four years working in different roles within Asset Management and Engineering. In the past two years he has been working with low carbon technologies such as Compressed Natural Gas Stations, Geothermal systems and most recently Power to Gas. In the last year, he’s been leading the Engineering Hydrogen Blending Team. Before joining Enbridge, Ramses spent 13 years working in large infrastructure projects and operations management. He holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from McGill University and a Project Management Professional Certification. | |
| Kyle Billion Engineer in Training Enbridge Gas Kyle Billion joined the Union Gas team in Thunder Bay on a full time basis in 2018. Kyle previously completed a 16-month engineering internship with Union Gas as a component of his university cooperative education option. Kyle’s role provides engineering support to operations personnel across the district. To achieve this, Kyle communicates regularly with operations to provide safe solutions to field concerns. Kyle is also responsible for planning and project managing key distribution station projects to ensure system reliability and enable system growth. Kyle holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and an Advanced Diploma in Energy Systems Design Technology, and is a member of the P.E.O. | |
| Nicolas Bombard Project Engineer Natural Gas Technologies Center / Energir Nicolas Bombard has been working as a project engineer at the Natural Gas Technology Centre (NGTC) since graduating from university with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. At NGTC, he has been working in the fields of gas distribution networks, natural gas vehicles and renewable natural gas, and he also has experience in the field of material engineering. His expertise includes tools and equipment benchmarking in laboratory and in the field, state-of-the-art-and techno-economic studies, product development and certification. | |
| Scott Bowing Fortis BC Scott Bowing has worked in the corrosion control industry for almost 30 years. He began his career in the consulting industry designing and installing cathodic protection systems for municipal, pipelines and marine structures. He has worked for the past 12 years at FortisBC, managing the cathodic protection program for the natural gas pipeline system throughout the Province of BC. Scott has been a member of NACE for 20 years and is currently the Trustee for the NACE BC Section. He is certified through NACE as a CP Specialist, Senior Corrosion Technologist and Coating Inspector Level 2. | |
| Andy Braithwaite HammerHead Trenchless With over 30 years in the trenchless industry, Andy Braithwaite has worked across multiple drilling disciplines including horizontal directional drilling, pipe ramming, pipe splitting, and pipe extraction. Andy is currently the head of Canadian sales for Hammerhead Trenchless Equipment where he has quickly established himself as a leader in offering real world training and solutions-driven support to the market. Andy is a seasoned expert in the field, both as a driller and as an experienced consultant specializing in large-scale infrastructure projects. As a lifelong learner himself, he is a strong believer in training and has built and delivers one- and two-day seminars for contractors, engineers, and municipalities and also serves as a specialized HDD Professor at Fleming College. | |
| John Bryk Cyber and Physical Threat Intelligence Analyst Downstream Natural Gas Information Sharing & Analysis Center (DNG-ISAC) John Bryk retired as a colonel from the United States Air Force after a 30-year career. As a senior officer, he was selected to serve as a military diplomat at U.S. embassies in Ottawa, Canada, and in Central and Western Europe. Prior to retirement he was attached to the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he later continued to serve as a U.S. Intelligence Officer and instructor until joining the private sector in 2015. As the threat intelligence analyst for the Downstream Natural Gas-ISAC, John focuses on the protection of North America’s natural gas critical infrastructure. Through the DNG-ISAC, John provides the energy sector with cyber and physical threat warnings, and authors finished intelligence products for the industry and the U.S. National Council of ISACs. His presentations on Human Intelligence, Open-Source Intelligence, and their relationships with cybersecurity, have been well received by domestic and international audiences. John holds an MBA, an MS in Cybersecurity, and an MA in Business and Organizational Security. He maintains a certification as a Certified Counterintelligence Threat Analyst, Certified Cyber Intelligence Professional, and serves on the Governing Board of the McAfee Institute and as a Steering Member of the Cyber Senate. | |
| Barry Callele Director, Industrial Control System (ICS) Security Enbridge Gas Mr. Callele’s career spans almost 30 years in the oil and gas industry. He has held a variety of Information and Operations Technology roles ranging from software development and large scale system design and integration efforts, to project management and technical leadership roles in North American and Internationally. As Director of Pipeline Control Systems and Leak Detection, Barry led the formation and growth of multi-disciplinary teams focused on safety, operational reliability and the development of industry leading capabilities in leak detection. In 2017, with the changing cyber threat landscape to Critical Infrastructure, Barry was asked to take on the role of Director, ICS Security focusing on managing the cyber risks to Enbridge’s critical systems and applications. Barry and his wife Patricia live in Edmonton and have two beautiful daughters. His passions include spending time with his family, giving back to the community and hobbies like golfing, skiing, fishing and travel. | |
| Mohamed Chebaro Enbridge Gas Mohamed Chebaro holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Alberta and is currently registered as a professional engineer in Alberta and Ontario. He worked as a consultant in the oil and gas industry in Edmonton, Alberta prior to moving to Enbridge’s Pipeline Integrity Group under Liquids Pipelines, also in Edmonton. He held different positions in LP, including Manager of Integrity Strategic Initiatives. In late 2014, he moved to Gatineau, Quebec where he assumed the role of Gas Distribution Operations Manager at Gazifere, an Enbridge company. Then in 2017, he moved to Enbridge Gas Distribution as Manager of Engineering, Customer Safety, Compliance and Growth in Toronto. In his current role, Mohamed manages the Engineering service portfolio supporting Operations, the R&D portfolio and the Business Growth portfolio that includes Hydrogen blending (Power to Gas), CNG, RNG, Geothermal, etc. He is also the founding chair of the Females in Engineering Ontario-wide Chapter that aims at increasing the engagement and retention of female engineers and technologists in technical and leadership fields. Mohamed is married, has two kids, an 8 year-old boy and a 4 year-old girl and enjoys traveling and playing soccer. | |
| Vincent Chou Senior Engineer, System Integrity & Standards AltaGas Utilities Vincent Chou is a Mechanical Engineer registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. Since 1999, his industry experience has been in gas distribution, pipelines, and manufacturing. His background includes such areas as risk assessment, standards, natural gas station and pipeline design, project management, and manufacturing quality control. Vincent has been with AltaGas Utilities since 2010, where he has had a role in developing standardized station design. He has held the position of Senior Engineer - System Integrity and Standards since 2014, responsible for engineering, construction, and operations standards and aspects of the company’s integrity management program. | |
| Dalton Crosswell JANA Corporation Dalton Crosswell is a Technical Lead with JANA. Mr. Crosswell received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Mr. Crosswell’s experience comes mostly from the automotive industry – both facilities and manufacturing engineering. As a Technical Lead, Mr. Crosswell is responsible for management of JANA’s R&D efforts, including the development of JANA’s NDT technology for electrofusion fittings. Mr. Crosswell also contributes to data analysis, peer reviews and technical report writing. | |
| Michel Desmeules Regional Director CR Wall Graduate in 1973 worked as mechanical inspector in the railway and mining industries, joined Joy manufacturing mining and construction division as technical sales representative, promoted as sales manager for the electrical and custom molded division. Have ben working in the gas industry for the last 29 years, started with Canadian Meter company as sales manager for Quebec from 1990 to 2000 . Hired by C.R.Wall Co. in 2000 as Sales Manager for Quebec. | |
| Matthew Dipple Engineer-In-Training, System Integrity SaskEnergy Matthew Dipple received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Systems Engineering from the University of Regina in 2014. He has worked for SaskEnergy’s Distribution Integrity group since 2015, focusing on the development and administration of SaskEnergy’s geohazard risk management program. Matthew’s career has been brief but illustrious including varied feats of intellect and strength. When not at work, Matthew can be found enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends, making music, or fixing broken things. | |
| Timothy M. Egan President & CEO Canadian Gas Association Timothy M. Egan became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Gas Association in September 2010. Prior to his appointment he was President of High Park Group (HPG), a public affairs consulting firm. He has an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Ottawa, and common and civil law degrees from McGill University. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1995. Mr. Egan is publisher of the Energy Regulation Quarterly, and editor of the magazine Energy. He also serves as Canada’s representative on the International Gas Union (IGU), sitting on the Executive Committee and serving as North American Regional Coordinator. He is married to Patricia (nee Armstrong) and they have five daughters. | |
| Chris Eskelson Operations Supervisor ATCO Chris Eskelson is a supervisor of operations with ATCO Gas out of Lloydminster. Chris has been working within the ATCO group of companies since 2007, first as a Health, Safety & Environment coordinator with ATCO Electric where he obtained his CRSP, and most recently as a Gas supervisor of operations since 2015. His teams operates & maintains the gas distribution and transmission systems in several communities in North East Alberta. Chris’s started his career as a poweline technician in 1998 and 2004 he was involved in a workplace incident that left him injured and unable to continue his career as a powerline technician. His personal story and message of the struggles he faced and how he became resilient through support and education has been heard by many audiences both within ATCO and the general public where he volunteers as a speaker for the Men at Risk program. | |
| Mike Gilbert AltaGas Utilities Mike started his career with AltaGas Utilities in construction in 1998 in Leduc, Alberta. After 3 years on a gas service installation crew, he moved to Distribution Operations and for 11 years he was a Gas Utility Operator in Stettler and Hanna, Alberta. In 2012 he took a new position in Leduc with the Learning and Development department as a Specialist, Instructional Design where he is today. Mike was challenged with creating, developing and implementing our Operations training learning modules and Competency Assessment (CA) system. He is proud to say that by 2015 they had a complete learning library of 30 plus learning modules and a fully mobile CA system, all developed in house. He was an original member of the CGA measurement school task force at inception, that was completed in 2018, and attended the first release in Edmonton, Alberta. Mike is also a member of the Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL), and last year was accepted as a member of the Gas Utility Operator Occupation Committee, Apprenticeship and Industry Training. Having the field experience has been essential to creating the training system they have today, where he has had the unique opportunity of being his own Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the development of their training system and Competency Assessment Plan. | |
| Alexander Hadjis Senior Engineer, Engineering Growth Enbridge Gas Alexander Hadjis is Senior Engineer, Engineering Growth at Enbridge Gas Incorporated in Toronto, Ontario. In his capacity as Senior Engineer, he is charged with providing technical review and acceptance of various growth opportunities pursued by Enbridge Gas. His work experience has included roles involving system integrity, regulatory compliance and development of company policy and standards. Most recently he was Senior Pipeline Engineer responsible for Enbridge Gas system expansion approval with a focus on public transit projects. | |
| Stephen Head Manager of Strategic Policy Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Branch of the Standards Council of Canada Stephen Head is the Manager of Strategic Policy in the Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Branch of the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). His current responsibilities for the SCC include monitoring the files of the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Committee, the APEC Subcommittee on Standards and Conformance, SCC’s input to the standardization components of Canada’s various Free Trade Agreements, and regulatory cooperation. He provides policy advice and analysis on the international, national, and regional implications of a broad range of regulatory, trade, and standardization policies, initiatives, programs, and practices. | |
| Jesse Hirsch Futurist & Digital Strategist Jesse Hirsh is a futurist speaker, researcher and internet strategist. An experienced innovator and collaborator, his passion is educating people on the potential benefits and perils of technology. Jesse helps audiences understand what the future holds for them by sharing strategic, provocative and often humorous forward-thinking insights. He makes the discussion about new technology accessible and empowers groups to embrace the opportunities available to them in this technological age. | |
| Jamie Jaques ATCO Jamie started with ATCO in 1990 as a labourer and progressed to Serviceman in 1994, working in Alberta communities such as Viking, St. Albert and Edmonton. he moved into an Operations Supervisor role in 2004 looking after Service, Commercial Meters and Emergency Dispatch in Edmonton and has since progressed through various leadership roles in Red Deer and Calgary overseeing Operations, Construction and Engineering. He is currently Manager of Field Operations for the Calgary Region, looking after distribution and transmission operations. Jamie has been married for 25 years and has a 21 year old daughter and 17 year old son. | |
| David Joyal Implementation Technical Lead JANA Corporation David Joyal is an Implementation Technical Lead for Pipeline Risk Modeling with JANA. Mr Joyal received dual undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Business Management from The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as a Masters degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University. Mr. Joyal brings a strong statistical background combined with risk assessment approaches from his time in nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulic safety analysis to bear on developing models and solving problems for pipeline systems. | |
| Shawn Khoshaien Enbridge Gas Shawn Khoshaien is the Director of Integrity and IMS for Enbridge Gas Inc. Shawn holds a B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Windsor and has worked in the natural gas industry since 1991 in the following areas, facilities planning, corrosion engineering, operations engineering, meter shop, technical services and construction & growth, District Operations and prior to his current role he was the Director of Engineering for Union Gas. Shawn is accountable for the Integrated Management System (IMS) strategies, programs, policies, processes and IMS governance and framework aligned with regulatory and business requirements, which includes O&M and capital budgets for integrity programs and all integrity inspection and assessment reporting. In addition, he is accountable for Emergency Management program development, communication and compliance. He is also accountable for design, development and delivery for Technical Training and implementation of EHS policies, plans and programs including Environment, Occupational Health and Driver Safety. Lastly, he is accountable for the Engineering Materials Evaluation Centre (EMEC) for materials failure investigation, new product evaluations and integrity testing. On a personal level he is married with two teenage sons and enjoys traveling, hunting and fishing. | |
| Manfred Klein MA Klein & Associates / Gas Turbines for Energy Network Manfred Klein retired in 2013 after 33 years in the federal government, most recently with the Gas Turbine Laboratory of the National Research Council. He spent 16 years with Environment Canada, involved with CCME industrial air emissions guidelines for Gas Turbines, using output-based environmental standards. Mr. Klein also helped to develop new taxation incentives to encourage cogeneration and district energy, provided inputs to environmental assessments, and organized various industrial training functions on gas turbine and cogen systems. Prior to that he was with the National Energy Board for 11 years, dealing with natural gas pipeline and compressor station certification. He works now as an independent consultant on a wide range of environment and energy issues. Memberships have included; • Former Chair of IAGT Industrial Gas Turbine Applications Committee • Former Chair of ASME / IGTI Environment & Regulatory Affairs Committee • Environmental R&D group of Canadian Gas Association (CEPEI) Bach. of Mechanical Engineering (1980), Carleton University | |
| Doug Lapp President Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance Doug is a Senior Leader in Asset & Infrastructure Management with extensive experience in the construction, operations, engineering & integrity and safety management areas within the energy sector, primarily in natural gas storage, transmission and distribution. He is also an experienced people leader with extensive collaboration and communications skills required to influence industry associations, contractors & regulators. Doug holds a BASc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo, a Masters degree in Welding Engineering from the University of Toronto, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario and Alberta. Doug has spent most of his career with Enbridge, working in the Gas Distribution division with roles in Engineering & Operations, Safety & Pipeline Integrity Management and Pipeline and facilities construction. Most recently, he has been working with a pipeline contractor in Alberta as well as his current role of President & CEO of the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA). Doug is married with a daughter & son-in-law and two grand-children and resides in Oak Ridges Ontario. He enjoys playing hockey, skiing and golf. | |
| Nicole Lehto Supervisor Construction & Growth Enbridge Gas Nicole Lehto has been with Union Gas in Thunder Bay for fourteen years; initially working in the Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) department as an EHS Coordinator in the Northwest District before shifting into corporate EHS policy development roles. Nicole then transitioned into the Northwest District Operations team. In her current role, Nicole leads a team of operational employees who are responsible for bringing natural gas service to non-serviced areas of the distribution system through new construction builds and fuel conversions. Prior to joining Union Gas in 2005, Nicole worked in the rehabilitation and injury prevention field for 10 years. During this time, she was exposed to numerous work environments, occupational settings and safety sensitive initiatives. Nicole has a degree in Applied Science (Kinesiology) and a Masters degree in Business Administration. | |
| Claire Lukka Supervisor, Stations, Telemetry and Controls Enbridge Gas Claire Lukka is currently Supervisor, Stations Telemetry and Controls which includes oversight of growth project station work such as RNG injection stations. She has been with Enbridge Gas Distribution for 7 years in roles including network analysis, asset management and station design. Prior to joining Enbridge, she worked for ATCO Gas in Calgary doing pipeline and station design. | |
| David McConkey Director, Operations, Safety & Security Canadian Gas Association David has been with the CGA for seven years. As Director, he supports and enhances CGA members’ efforts towards the safe, reliable and, resilient delivery of natural gas to Canadians. David leads various industry committees and initiatives developing industry best practices and guidance in areas such as asset management, measurement, cyber security, corrosion control, and damage prevention. He is responsible for the collection of various operational data from CGA members. David is the lead on CGA’s cyber and physical security initiatives including those across industry members as well as those with government partners. Prior to joining CGA, David taught financial mathematics and project management in college. He graduated from the University of Waterloo, Canada, with a degree in Mathematics, majoring in Applied Mathematics and minoring in Philosophy. In 2006, David obtained a Masters of Electrical Engineering from McGill University in the Optimal Control of Hybrid Systems. | |
| Kerry McDowell Canadian Utility Construction Mr. McDowell joined Canadian Utility Construction as the Area Manager for Saskatchewan in November of 2016. Since that time, he has moved to BC and become the Area Manager for CUC’s Major Projects division and in July 2018 accepted the role of Vice President of Operations. Kerry uses his extensive experience managing budgets and resources to ensure that all projects are delivered to the highest standard of safety and quality. A natural leader, Kerry effectively manages, coaches and trains staff and contactors to exceed expectations. He brings with him an extensive project and construction management background in the residential, commercial and gas construction management. Prior to joining CUC Kerry spent more than 15 years in the residential and commercial building trades in project and construction management. Transferring the skills and experience developed in those industries Kerry works hard to manage client, customer and stakeholder expectations and is a driven to make an impact on CUC’s success as one of Canada’s top gas construction companies. | |
| Patrick McKenna Pipeline Engineer Heritage Gas Limited Patrick McKenna is a Pipeline Engineer within the Engineering department at Heritage Gas Ltd., the natural gas distributor in Nova Scotia. In his role, Patrick manages new natural gas pipeline installation projects throughout the province. He is also responsible for technical procurement and inventory management for the Engineering and Construction departments. Patrick has led a small team in the development and implementation of Heritage Gas’s cross bore prevention technical specification and construction procedure. Patrick has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dalhousie University and is a member of Engineers Nova Scotia. He recently completed his Master’s in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University. | |
| Tim McKenzie Senior Advisor Construction Projects Enbridge Gas Tim McKenzie is a Senior Advisor at Union Gas in the Engineering and Construction group. Tim has more than 25 years of natural gas experience with various roles including Operations, Maintenance, Construction and Integrity Management within the Union Gas enterprise. Most recently, he has been involved in the Inline Inspection program as well as managing projects for various types of pipeline maintenance, integrity digs and class location upgrades. | |
| Kaitlyn McNamara Operations Engineer ATCO Kaitlyn McNamara is an Operations Engineer with ATCO Gas Distribution. She has worked at ATCO for seven years, since graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Alberta in 2011. Throughout her time at ATCO, Kaitlyn has worked with various engineering groups, moving into her current role a year ago. | |
| Renée Miller Engineer Electric and Controls Enbridge Gas Renée is an Electrical Engineer at Enbridge Gas Inc., formally known as Union Gas and has worked there for the past 13 years. Her roles have covered areas of radio, cellular and satellite communications for natural gas data transfer, electrical integrity of natural gas stations, and workplace electrical safety including Arc Flash. In recent years her time has been focused on AC mitigation of natural gas equipment for sites near high voltage powerlines or high voltage transformers and generators. Renée is a graduate of 2007 from Lakehead University’s Electrical Engineering transition program. Prior to a return to school at Lakehead, Renée was an Electrical Engineering Technologist for 5 years, working in the trades at both a manufacturing plant and at Ontario Power Generation. Renée enjoys participating in running and triathlon events with her husband Andrew. This helps them both keep up with their two wonderful children, Kaitlyn and Nathan. They all enjoy a busy and active life in Chatham Ontario. | |
| Ahmed Nossair Manager Stations, Electrical & Controls Engineering Enbridge Gas A Ahmed Nossair is the Manager Stations, Electrical and Control Engineering in Union Gas Limited | An Enbridge Company accountable for stations designs, asset health, engineering and operations standard throughout the company while meeting regulatory and legislative compliance. Prior to his current role, Ahmed was the Manager of Storage and Transmission Operation in Union Gas and was accountable for the operation, maintenance and damage prevention for Union Gas’ underground storage facilities and transmission pipelines. Prior joining Union Gas Limited in 2015, Ahmed progressed through different frontline and people leader’s roles in Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company, Total Exploration and Production and First Engineering and Software Systems. Ahmed has more than 20 years’ of diverse experience in engineering, operation, maintenance, integrity and major project readiness programs in onshore and offshore hydrocarbon production fields, natural gas storage, transmission and distribution, renewable, compressed and liquefied natural gas. Ahmed is a Mechanical Engineer graduate from Ain Shams University, Egypt, and Master of Science from Petroleum Institute and University in Abu Dhabi. Ahmed is licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario, Chartered Engineer Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers United Kingdom, Project Management Professional and Master of Business Administration Candidate in Laurentian University. | |
| Brad Patzer Manager Integrity Distribution System & Reliability Enbridge Gas Brad Patzer is an innovative technical leader who has successfully developed and led technical departments for a large portion of his 25-year career as a Mechanical Engineer. Originally working in the automotive sector, both at the OEM level and at the Tier 1 Supplier level, he has effectively developed the skills to design, validate, and launch products in a very competitive manufacturing environment. Joining Enbridge Gas Distribution in 2014, he has focused his work to develop a best in class approach to a proactive, predictive, and holistic Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP). Much of this work is focused on the quantitative analysis of condition by leveraging progressive statistical algorithms to provide a probability of failure (PoF) through the delivery of reliability models. | |
| Joe Pirkl VP, Sales, Services & Training Sealweld Corporation When it comes to the American petroleum industry, valve expertise is synonymous with the name Joe Pirkl. With decades of experience in the field and working with several valve manufacturers, Joe has built an impressive wheelhouse of technical and real-world skills. He’s augmented his knowledge with countless hours of hands-on maintenance and repair of valves and actuators, spanning the most common makes and models in the industry both in North America and Internationally. Joe is the resident professor of ValvePro® for the Petroleum Extension Program at the University of Texas and has certified hundreds of valve maintenance technicians across the country. He’s a strong leader with a strong presence that instills confidence and determination in those who work around him and demands nothing but the best from his students and colleagues. He currently holds the positions of General Manager and Senior Valve Technician at Sealweld Corporation, in Houston, Texas. | |
| Jennifer Richardson Senior Operations Engineer Heritage Gas Limited Jen Richardson is a Senior Operations Engineer at Heritage Gas, a small but mighty natural gas distribution company in Nova Scotia, where she works in a small team who is responsible for maintaining a safe and reliable system for their 7200 customers. For the past few years Jen has been working with towns, within the Heritage Gas distribution network, to review and improve their natural gas pipeline system to reduce the risk of crossbores from past and future pipeline expansions. Previously Jen worked with Encana Corporation in Calgary AB in various engineering positions before making the move back East to be closer to family. With very little natural gas jobs in the Maritimes it may come as a surprise to see her back in the energy industry, but for her it is the only industry that really challenges the mind and excites her to get up and go in the mornings. Heritage Gas being a small company allows her to learn the full operations of a natural gas utility which keeps her job exciting. | |
| Julia Scouten Senior Cyber Security Advisor Partnerships/Partenariats Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Julia Scouten is a senior cyber security advisor with the Canadian Center for Cyber Security. She has been a subject matter expert specializing in the coordination of the national response to serious cyber security incidents affecting the Energy sector in Canada. She has also represented Canada at various international cyber security engagements providing her in-depth cyber security knowledge to the international forefront. Julia has also authored numerous technical documents, both in a joint and individual capacity, which have been used by Canadian critical infrastructure sectors for mitigation and best practices purposes. Her 14 years of experience also includes 9 years serving in the Canadian military in various roles including a posting within the Canadian Forces Network Operations Center as an Intrusion Detection Analyst. Her military career also included an operational tour on the HMCS Toronto to the Persian Gulf. | |
| Rohan Service Sr Advisor Business Development Enbridge Gas Rohan Service has over 18 years of experience in automotive and public utility as a project management and engineering. Rohan joined Enbridge Gas in 2013 as a project manager with planning and construction management responsibilities. He is currently a Senior Advisor in the Business Development department with primary responsibility for Natural Gas for Transportation. Rohan has overseen implementation of two new natural gas station for our customers. | |
| Fernando Velandia Corrosion Control Engineer Manitoba Hydro Fernando Velandia, (P. Eng. from National University of Colombia) is the section head of the Manitoba Hydro corrosion prevention section since July 2010. He has 20 years’ experience in cathodic protection and he holds a cathodic protection technologist certification from NACE international. He was member of the task force that updated the recommended practice OCC-1-2013, control of external corrosion on buried or submerged metallic piping systems. He worked in Latin America, the Caribbean, Middle East and Canada designing, specifying, installing and inspecting cathodic protection systems in the oil & gas industry. He completed the competent communicator program with Toastmasters international and he is currently working on his certificate in management and administration at the University of Manitoba. Fernando is an active member of the Winnipeg Cycling Club and Mid Can Master Swim Club, where he enjoys practicing two of his favorite’s sports. | |
| John Vestergaard Operations Field Supervisor Enbridge Gas John began his career at Enbridge Gas (then Consumers Gas) in 1993 as a Labourer in the Construction & Maintenance department (now Asset Renewal & Improvement) on the Tie-in/Tapping Crew. John progressed to Gas Technician and in 1997 moved to the Engineering department as a Project Leader. From 2001 to 2005 he held a number of Supervisor positions in both Construction and AR&I until he was promoted to Field Manager in Construction 2008. He has been in his current role managing Enbridge Gas Contractors since 2012. He has been involved with exploring Pipe Splitting since 2013 and was part of a brain storming session with various Enbridge Gas and Hammerhead representatives that resulted in Hammerhead’s development of a hydraulic pipe extraction tool primarily designed for the replacement of small diameter steel gas mains and services. Most recently he has been exploring the value of “Slip Boring” for Gas Distribution pipelines utilizing a pneumatic hammer to extract and replace steel pipelines, a common practice utilized in the replacement of Oil and Gas Transmission pipelines on road, river and rail crossings across North America. | |
| Laura Wong Sr Pipeline Engineer Enbridge Gas Laura Wong has been with Enbridge Gas Inc. since 2009 in various roles in Engineering and Environment, Health and Safety She is currently Senior Pipeline Engineer, responsible for system expansion approval, regulatory compliance and development of company policy and standards. | |
| Jim Young PTAC Chair and Director Land, Prince Edward Island Department of Communities, Land and Environment Jim Young, P.Eng., Director of Environment (previously Water Management and Pollution Prevention divisions) with the Department of Environment, Labour and Justice, is responsible for the division’s human, physical, and financial resources. Prior to taking on these responsibilities, Jim held the position of Director of Water Management. A graduate of the Technical University of Nova Scotia and St. F.X., Jim holds a Professional Engineering degree. Upon graduation, Jim worked as a Staff Engineer with Southeastern Commonwealth Drilling Company in Dallas, Texas and later came to Prince Edward Island to work as a Project Engineer with Delcom Consultants in Summerside. Jim has served on several regional and national boards and committees and most recently as a member of the Environmental Protection and Planning Committee of Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), Provincial and Territorial Advisory Committee to Standards Council of Canada and as a member of the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board. Jim Young lives in Stratford, PEI with his wife, Marie and son, William. | |
