Jeff has significant business and securities law experience and has worked with investment and transportation companies, banks and engineering companies. Jeff has been a member of the Board of Directors of numerous public and private companies and currently sits on the board of several companies in the renewable energy sector. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Currently he is undertaking an MBA at Imperial College, University of London.

Céline Bak
Partner, Analytica Advisors, Toronto

Céline Bak is an internationally recognized author, speaker and consultant on the contribution and potential of Canadas clean technology industry. She published and authored a ground-breaking national report on clean technology and on commercialization the 2010 SDTC Cleantech Growth & Go-to-Market Report. She is also the mother of three daughters.

Christian Weisenburger

Christian Weisenburger is founder of his own independent boutique law practice based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, primarily offering business guidance and legal services to start-up and early stage values-based businesses in the clean-tech, software, and energy sectors. He is a director in four not for profit organizations based in Halifax and is a member of the Halifax Estate Planning Council and the Canadian Tax Foundation. He has published academic papers and been invited to speak at conferences on topics that include the wind-up of companies and the Canadian taxation of non-residents.

Christian received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Calgary in 1999 and his LL.B. from the University of Alberta in 2002. While practicing at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP in Calgary he assisted clients carrying out merger and acquisition, securities and financing transactions. He was granted a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Dalhousie University, with classes taken at Copenhagen Business School, and successfully completed the Level II exam for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. While working at a well respected business law firm in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he provided tax, corporate-commercial and restructuring legal services and appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in a case that gave shape the meaning of "property" for the purposes of secured transactions. Christian completed the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants Indepth Level I and Level II tax courses.

Jane has been working with the PEI Provincial trade office since 2008. Prior to her return to her native Island in the same year, Jane operated a successful training company for corporate flight attendants and managed private aircraft operations in Canada and abroad. She has lived across Canada, Japan and India in addition to having traveled to more than 30 countries.

She is currently midway through completing an MBA at the University of PEI and holds a designation as a CITP. She also holds a diploma from Holland College in Practical Nursing. Jane is the Island’s representative on the Green Building Committee for Atlantic Exporters, Team Energy Atlantic and International Business Development Agreement. Her strategy focuses on sustainable business practices for her clients.

Jennifer Wagner
Carbon Project Specialist, at Carbon Sense Solutions

Jennifer has both her MBA and MSc and works with both carbon management and clean technology development teams to monetize carbon. Her work on carbon management projects for large emitting industrial clients includes developing Lafarges Canadian roll-out strategy for their first cement substitution carbon offset project. She is also responsible for monitoring developments in international carbon offset markets and regulatory environments, with a particular emphasis on the North American context. Jennifer also works with the technical team on the industrial carbon sequestration technology designed for the concrete industry to translate the technical aspects of the technology into a business case.

Jennifers public presentations include representing industry on a panel at the UNFCCC Climate Change Convention on Carbon Capture and Storage in Industrial Processes in Mexico in December of 2010. Jennifer is a Canadian Standards Association-certified GHG Inventory Quantifier.

Emily Richardson, MREM
Certified Greenhouse Gas Quantifier, Carbon Sense Solutions

As the Manager of Carbon Services, Emily Richardson works with clients to develop comprehensive carbon projects, including carbon footprints, offset project management, information and data management, and capacity building. Prior to joining Carbon Sense, Emily worked with Dalhousie University’s Eco-Efficiency Centre, where she developed a carbon footprint calculator that received international media attention at its launch, and has also worked with Bullfrog Power in its Toronto office. Emily’s articles on corporate sustainability have appeared in the Nova Scotia Business Journal, Progress Magazine, and the International Society for Industrial Ecology News, published by Yale University.

Emily holds a Master of Resource and Environmental Management from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.  Emily earned the Canadian Standards Association’s new Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quantifier certification in 2010, and was named among The Chronicle Herald's Top 20 in Their 20s last year.  

Curtis VanWalleghem, MBA, BEng, PMP
Chief Executive Officer, Hydrostor Inc

Curtis has over 10 years of experience helping companies set and execute on their strategy. Prior to Hydrostor, he was Sr. Manger in Deloitte's Corporate Strategy Consulting Practice where he advised and consulted for some of the top energy companies in Canada and around the globe. He has also held positions at Bruce Power, Celestica Inc, and CIBC.

Curtis' Presentation Overview:
The presentation will provide an overview of Hydrostors innovative low-cost underwater compressed air energy storage solution, how this technology enables 100% renewable coastal communities, and the policy trends impacting the storage market.

Gregg M. Curwin

Gregg is CEO of The Curwin Group, a diversified group of Health Companies. Gregg has owned and operated Companies in Medical Devices distribution, Biologics, Manufacturing, Retail, Clinical, and Health Consulting. He is currently the Principle and Founder of TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture, a start up company based in Halifax that is developing technology to produce local, healthy, sustainable and safe food anywhere in the world.

Gregg received his commerce Degree from Saint Marys University (1989). He is married with two daughters living in Halifax. When not with Family or work, he enjoys fishing, surfing, and travelling.

Peter Moreira

Peter Moreira is the principal of Hark Business Communications. He spent more than 30 years in journalism in Asia, Europe the U.S. and Canada. His tenure with The Deal included six years covering M&A, private equity and VC markets in the U.S. and Canada and four years as London Bureau Chief. He served four years with Bloomberg, where he covered European and U.K. banking. He previously covered banks and real estate for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, markets in Seoul and Hong Kong for Knight-Ridder Financial and worked as an editor/reporter in the Canadian Press's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. His writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, National Post and Independent on Sunday (London).

He is the author of Hemingway on the China Front (Potomac, 2006) and Backwater: Nova Scotia's Economic Decline (Nimbus 2009).

Stephen Hartlen

Stephen Hartlen is the assistant vice president of industry relations and executive director of the office of Industry Liaison and Innovation at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dalhousies Industry Liaison and Innovation Office commercializes research at the university, manages and facilitates collaborations between companies and university researchers and assists in the creation of spin-off ventures.

Prior to Joining Dalhousie in 2011 Stephen spent the last eight years at Innovacorp, Nova Scotia's crown corporation for the commercialization of early stage research, serving as vice president of mentoring and most recently, interim president and CEO. Innovacorps internationally recognized business model, High Performance Incubation, is designed to enable early stage Nova Scotia companies to accelerate commercialization of their technologies and increase competitiveness in export markets.

Prior to Innovacorp Stephen spent more than 14 years in the private sector with experience in business development, sales, and go-to-market strategy development in both the corporate financial services and the information technology sectors.

Stephen is a graduate of Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Saint Mary's University with a Master of Business Administration in Finance. He is also pursuing the Chartered Director designation through the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University and the Conference Board of Canada.

Stephen Marsden

Steven Marsden is a Senior Program Manager, and Renewable Energy Business Development Manager for Lockheed Martin Canada. His 25-year career in systems engineering and business development has influenced the winning of several large program contracts in the region. He is currently focused on bringing tidal energy and biomass combined heat and power generation projects to Nova Scotia.

David Millar

In a career spanning three decades, David Millar - founder, President and CEO of HMCG, has achieved excellence in the scientific and management fields and now leads a consulting firm that seeks to connect the technology with the business opportunity. David advises on key areas of strategy such as strategic planning, technology-to-market issues, funding, partnering and international trade. His counsel to clients is acknowledged as blending innovative and creative strategies to achieve successful outcomes. David is a is a graduate in biochemistry from Queens University Belfast, UK, with five years research experience at a leading teaching hospital and holds an M.B.A. along with several prestigious fellowships. He has authored articles for newspapers and business magazines and a Handbook on Exporting for SMEs, as well as appearing on UK business television (BBC) as an expert on SME development.

Most recently his work has encompassed developing regional clean technology, algae-to-biofuels and life sciences strategies and funding applications/plans including successful AIF and SDTC applications; developing pre- and full applications for 11 Genome Canada 2010 Competition project proposals from Genome Atlantic, Genome Quebec and Genome British Columbia; an AIF application for Dalhousie University based on Orphan Diseases; and a cleantech cluster development study for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). He has an excellent track record in successful funding applications for federal government programs such as the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF), Genome Canada Competitions and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), as well as an extensive network in the private capital sector. Davids expertise in funding extends to both North America and Europe where he has worked with several publicly traded companies on funding and corporate strategies and many small to medium-sized companies.

Patrick Keefe

As vice president of investment at Innovacorp, Patrick Keefe oversees the organizations seed and early stage venture capital activities. In this role, he is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities and co-investors, due diligence, as well as deal structure, closing and governance. He also provides business guidance to early stage technology entrepreneurs through the organizations High Performance Incubation (HPi) business model.

Joining Innovacorp in 2009 as investment manager, Patrick arrived with over 15 years of highly relevant investment and entrepreneurial experience. From 2004 to 2008, he independently built a successful Starbucks Coffee business in Atlantic Canada, securing an exclusive license to operate. He opened 11 locations in five cities before they were acquired by Starbucks Corporation in 2008.

Chris Payne

Chris works for NS Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. He has a Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Business Administration from Saint Marys University. He is also a professional accountant (CMA) and has completed the Canadian Securities Course and the CICA in-depth GST/HST program. He is also on the National Board of Examiners for the CMA which sets the exams for new candidates and in previous years was a marker for the National Entrance Exams.

Chris has been with the Provincial Government since 1987, and with the CEDIF program since before it began. That is, he was part of the committee that designed the Form 1 Offering Document and has promoted the use of this tool to interested groups throughout the Province since the enabling regulation was put in place (1999).

CEDIFs have grown and evolved over the past 11 years, from an unproven concept to a proven model for community capital development that now manages more than to $42 million in capital, all raised from local individuals. With the knowledge-base and experience growing throughout the Province, this trend is expected to continue into the future. CEDIFs are a uniquely Nova Scotian approach to retaining capital within communities to invest in local business opportunities.

While CEDIFs are currently unique to Nova Scotia, PEI has adopted legislation so that Islanders can keep their money at home, rather than sending it all off island to support the growth of business elsewhere. There is also significant interest from New Brunswick and Alberta.

Chris has also researched other capital tools and ways to grow and maintain community capital and keeps attuned to developments in the venture capital and private equity markets in Canada. He is interested in Social Enterprises and efforts to develop a new legal structure that will better serve these businesses akin to the L3C (US model) and Community Interest Corporation (CIC) from the UK.

Chris also has the unique experience of growing a Company (Renex) from the basement, through 5 years of sales growth, through to its sale to a publicly listed (NASDAQ) company and recently made his first Angel investment in a local company.

Jeffrey A. Mullen

Jeff Mullen is Director of Enterprise Development for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in Nova Scotia. ACOA is a federal agency created to stimulate economic growth in Atlantic Canada. A key focus of the agency is attracting knowledge industries such as the life sciences, and information technology sectors. He is responsible for the management of ACOA investments in all types of business initiatives and activities, from research and development, trade and investment, to productivity and access to capital. He manages annual budgets in the $40-50 M range for the Mainland Nova Scotia region.

Since 1991, Jeff has worked throughout Nova Scotia, and has been responsible for economic adjustment programs in partnership with the Government of Nova Scotia and Provincial agencies, such as Nova Scotia Business Inc.

A native of Digby, Nova Scotia, Jeff is a Chartered Accountant and a graduate of Acadia University.

Pam Cooley

Pam, a native Haligonian, has always been a change agent weaving together her business and civic life to make the world a better place. Known as a practical visionary, she has launched many social entrepreneurial endeavours and continues to work as a professional facilitator for intense, controversial, multi-stakeholder issues. She is President of two companies, Choosethical Ventures Inc a facilitation services firm and CarShareHFX the first carsharing service east of Montreal.

Within a year she was awarded both the Halifax Chambers New Business of the Year award for CarShareHFX and the 2010 Canadian Progress Club Woman of Excellence Award for Entrepreneur/Innovator.

Pitch description
Flex Fleet (Car sharing for govt) offers a solution to reduce governments transportation capital costs and increase accountability, productivity, and transparency. It optimizes fleet usage, staff mobility options, and gradually relieves the burden of fleet ownership, management, and maintenance. Flex Fleet also contributes to an instant carsharing network for cities.