Exploring Opportunities in Digital Energy : Smart Grid Innovation Network (SGIN)

SPEAKERS

2018+

Aaron Barter

INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER, WATERFRONT TORONTO

Aaron leads corporate initiatives focused on green buildings, zero-carbon communities, and energy system planning for new waterfront neighbourhoods, including the strategy for sustainable development at Sidewalk Toronto. He previously worked at MaRS Discovery District’s Advanced Energy Centre, and started his career in land development and utility construction at Mattamy Homes, North America’s largest private homebuilder.

Rolf Bienert

MANAGING & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, OPENADR ALLIANCE

Rolf is the Managing & Technical Director of the OpenADR Alliance. In this capacity, Rolf oversees all aspects of the non-profit organization, the technical developments, and the certification program. Before going independent, Rolf was the Technical Manager for Telecom and the Global Competence Center for emerging communication protocols at a global testing firm. In this role, Rolf was involved in many international standardization efforts and guided the company's efforts in these areas. Rolf has been an active member of the NIST SGTCC, USNAP Alliance, ZigBee Alliance, and other organizations driving the development of new technologies with a specific focus on standardization, certification and interoperability. Rolf holds a Master’s Degree in electrical engineering.

Raegon Bond

VICE PRESIDENT, CONSERVATION & DEMAND MANAGEMENT, ALECTRA UTILITIES CORP.

As VP of Conservation with Canada’s largest municipally-owned electricity distributor, Raegan is accountable for leading the planning and implementation of Alectra's $400 Million conservation program portfolio, for meeting government-set conservation targets, as well as for being a thought leader and advocate for next generation conservation programs and policy. Alectra’s family of energy companies distributes electricity to nearly one million customers in Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe Area and provides innovative energy solutions to these and thousands more across Ontario. Prior to joining Alectra, Raegan worked at the Ontario Power Authority, where she held a variety of conservation-related roles including: program management, results reporting and providing strategic planning and policy support to the government. Prior to joining the OPA, Raegan was Senior Consultant with IndEco Strategic Consulting, where she worked on a wide range of energy-related projects for private sector, public sector and non-profit clients. Raegan currently serves as a Board Member of the Association of Energy Services Professionals, and was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees for Ontario’s Affordability Fund Trust. She has a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of Guelph and a MSc in Environmental Change & Management from the University of Oxford, England.

Michael Bourque

DIRECTOR, ENERGY PROJECTS, NB POWER

Michael is a professional engineer and is currently the Director of Energy Projects with NB Power. He has worked for NB Power for 37 years with most of this time spent within corporate strategy and directing the Integrated Resource Plan. Michael’s work has contributed to the development of major supply and transmission projects as well as NB Power’s long term strategic plan. Currently, Michael is leading the development of new and innovative projects such as Micro-Grid Demonstration projects which combines solar and battery storage as well as other utility scale energy storage opportunities.

Jerry Chwang

MANAGING CONSULTANT, DIGITAL GRID, SIEMENS CANADA (CANADA)

Jerry joined Siemens in 2014 as a managing consultant advising electricity utility senior executives on transformational issues facing the sector. He is currently a Managing Consultant in the Siemens Canada Energy Business Advisory practice based out of Oakville, Ontario working with utilities across North America on grid modernization and micro-grid solutions and is responsible for developing partnerships and projects for distributed energy systems across Canada. His 18+ years of experience includes project management, engineering, strategic advisory and public policy, where his specialization has been in energy innovation. He is currently working on building strategic partnerships to implement distributed energy systems and micro-grids to provide onsite energy resources that can improve a client’s energy system efficiency, provide resilience and decrease their carbon foot print and greenhouse gas emissions. He has worked with electrical distribution utilities to develop strategies, business cases and programs for grid modernization. His energy industry experience includes managing a $50 million government fund for smart grid innovation, developing a provincial energy innovation strategy, and smart grid and electric vehicle policy. He has also advised C-suite executives in the Energy, Financial Services, Consumer Business, and Non-Profit sectors.

Tanuj Deora

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, SMART ELECTRIC POWER ALLIANCE

Tanuj Deora is the Chief Strategy Officer of the Smart Electric Power Alliance, a not-for-profit organization focused on facilitating the smart transition to a clean and modern grid. He joined the organization in 2015 to lead SEPA’s move from a solar energy focus to a broader utility and power sector transformation mission, and has led the research, programs, communications, and advisory services teams at SEPA. He leads the organization’s utility of the future initiative (www.sepa51.org) and has been a principal in Puerto Rico’s power system redesign efforts. Mr. Deora is a member of Advisory Boards for National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the past served as an advisor to the Rational Middle Energy Series, co-founded the Colorado Renewable Energy Conservation Collaborative, was co-chair of AWEA's Transmission Symposium, and served on the board of Renewable Energy New England. Mr. Deora earlier served in the cabinet of Governor John Hickenlooper as director of the Colorado Energy Office, was a strategy consultant with McKinsey’s Electric Power Practice, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica. He started his career as a design and research engineer in the chemical industry, leading innovation and product commercialization initiatives, and holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He now lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and two daughters.

Ron Dizy

SVP, PARTNERSHIPS & MANAGING DIRECTOR, ADVANCED ENERGY CENTRE, MARS DISCOVERY DISTRICT

Ron leads all corporate partnership activity at the MaRS Discovery District. MaRS is a 1.5 million square foot innovation hub based in Toronto, Canada. As one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs, MaRS works with over 1,000 companies across multiple sectors, helping them to scale their businesses. In this role, Ron works with a broad range of globally significant corporate partners, creating pathways to market for MaRS’ ventures and working with our partners to improve their abilities to unlock their own capabilities to adopt innovation faster. Ron joined MaRS in July 2014, to help found and lead the MaRS Advanced Energy Centre as its Managing Director. The Centre works with a diverse group of public and private partners, to accelerate the adoption of innovative Canadian clean energy technologies into the energy ecosystem. The organization works across the entire energy sector, taking a holistic and systemic approach in removing barriers to market entry, scale-up and export. Ron is recognized as a thought leader regarding the clean energy opportunities that lie within the evolution of the modern power system. Based on his well-respected perspective on the smart grid, he was recruited to the executive committee of the board for both the Ontario Energy Association and the Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid. He is also elected chair of the Corporate Partners Committee of the Ontario Smart Grid Forum. Prior to joining MaRS, Ron was the President and CEO of ENBALA Power Networks, a leading smart grid technology company offering grid optimization services to utilities and system operators by harnessing the capabilities inherent in the demand side of the electricity system. Ron holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Philippe Dunsky

PRESIDENT, DUNSKY

Philippe brings over 25 years of experience focused on a single passion: building an efficient, sustainable energy future. His firm advises governments and utilities across North America on strategies to responsibly accelerate the ongoing energy transition, with a focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean mobility. His clientèle spans the governments and utilities of every Canadian province, bar none, in addition to those in more than a dozen U.S. states. His firm of 20+ experts has been proudly supporting NB Power’s energy efficiency efforts for many years. In his spare time, Philippe acts as Co-Chair of Efficiency Canada, the leading voice for energy efficiency in the country. He also sits on the Government of Canada’s energy thought leaders’ council, Generation Energy, and on the Government of Quebec’s Climate Change Advisory Council, among other appointments. He also spent 10 years on the Governing Council of the FCM’s Green Municipal Fund. Fluent in English and French, Philippe shares his life in Montréal with his partner Allison, their two kids Laïla and Amiel, and Valentine the turtle.

Herb Emery, PhD

PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS & VAUGHAN CHAIR IN REGIONAL ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK

Herb was formerly the Research Director and Program Director, Health Policy at The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. He has also been the Svare Professor in Health Economics, a joint appointment with the Department of Economics and the Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. From 2010 to 2015, Dr. Emery was the Editor of Canadian Public Policy, Canada’s foremost journal examining economic and social policy. His research interests and publications are focused on regional economic development, Canadian economic history, labour economics and health economics.

Caleb Grove

FOUNDER, MBISSA ENERGY SYSTEMS

Caleb is the founder of Mbissa Energy Systems, an Atlantic Canadian-born organization that brings sustainable electricity to remote, poor communities in rural West Africa. With over a decade of experience working between Canadian and African cultures, Caleb has known the struggle and reward of forging deep bonds of partnership in difficult - and often volatile - situations. Since Mbissa Energy's inception in January 2015, Caleb has worked with rural Cameroonian communities to create affordable and maintainable solar installations. These systems and processes have matured to ensure that solar development in these communities may continue indefinitely without outside intervention. Over the last three years, Mbissa Energy's technicians have performed dozens of installations affecting thousands of people through light, communication, health-care, micro-business and many other areas of growth. Caleb's interests go beyond energy with a passion for cross-cultural work, an enjoyment of sports (better luck at the next World Cup, Africa!), and a hand for all sorts of building and tinkering. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering, Technology Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of New Brunswick. He has recently had the privilege of taking Mbissa Energy Systems through the first Energia Ventures cohort.

Katherine Hamilton

CHAIR, 38 NORTH SOLUTIONS

Katherine Hamilton is Chair of 38 North Solutions, a public policy consultancy specializing in clean energy and innovation. Her firm also manages a non-profit organization, Project for Clean Energy and Innovation. Previously, she ran the GridWise Alliance, was policy director to the Energy Storage Association, and served as an advisor for Good Energies, a private equity company with a clean energy portfolio. Katherine directed American Bioenergy Association, developing renewable portfolio standards in states legislatures, including Maryland and New Jersey. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Katherine worked in buildings research and government relations. Katherine spent a decade at an investor-owned utility, designing electrical systems for commercial and residential developments. Katherine holds degrees from Cornell University and the Sorbonne. She was appointed an Ambassador to the Secretary of Energy’s C3E Program under the Clean Energy Ministerial; is a co-host of The Energy Gang podcast through Greentech Media; serves as President of the Board of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic; and is Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Energy.

Scott Kessler

DIRECTOR, LO3 ENERGY

Scott Kessler is a Director at LO3 Energy in Brooklyn NY. He is responsible for educating utilities and retailers on how transactive energy and distributed energy marketplaces are creating new opportunities and business models. He previously lived in San Francisco and worked for TRC Energy Services as a consultant, primarily focused on working with west coast utilities to implement energy efficiency programs, integrate renewables, and assess their impact across the grid. Prior to his time in the Bay Area, Scott lived in NYC working at NYSERDA and Connecticut Light and Power. He received his Bachelor's degree in physics from Middlebury College in Vermont and has a Master's in Engineering from the University of Maryland.

Tonja Leach

INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, QUEST

As Interim Executive Director of QUEST (Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow), Tonja leads the organization to connect, educate and influence governments, utilities & energy providers, the development community, and solution providers to grow the Smart Energy Communities marketplace. Having been with QUEST since its inception in 2007, Tonja has played an instrumental role in establishing QUEST's extensive national network and ensuring QUEST is known in the industry as a leading thinker on the energy transition and implementer of Smart Energy Communities.

Danielle Leighton

DIRECTOR, DATA SCIENCE, T4G

Danielle is the Director of the Data Science team at T4G Ltd, where she concentrates on the creation and implementation of industrial artificial intelligence programs with demonstrable, real impact. She helps clients transform raw sensor data into new insights and data products aligned with their business goals. Undeterred by the messy, difficult world of raw sensor data, Danielle is passionate about calibrating sensor (“IIoT”) data and keeping it in context. Working with architects, data engineers, developers, and visual designers, she adapts research approaches and machine learning methods as needed over the life of a project. Her professional background includes energy, retail, healthcare, and government, and she has worked with quantified selfers, biohackers, hacklabs, and makerspaces. She is notoriously unreadable to GSR wearables. In her previous life, Danielle worked with the world’s most sophisticated wearable to date, the hearing aid. Currently, she focuses most of her time on artificial intelligence programs in the energy sector.

Michel Losier

Director, Customer and Community Engagement, New Brunswick Power Corporation

Michel is the Director of Customer and Community Engagement for New Brunswick Power Corporation and member of the Board of Directors for the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative. Michel is a graduate from the University of New Brunswick in Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick. Michel has a broad exposure of the utility sector with extensive experience in customer service and community relations, corporate reputation and media relations. He served as Regional Manager in Customer Service and Managing Director of Corporate Communications. Most recently, Michel was the Program Director of the award winning “PowerShift Atlantic” project; a Smart Grid project focused on collaborative and innovative solutions, engaging customers and leveraging new smart grid - energy storage technologies to better integrate renewables such as wind in the Maritimes. This was a new experience for customers as they played an active role in renewable integration. Michel has been actively engaged in the ongoing utility sector transformation with a “customer centric” focus. He is a frequent speaker at energy conferences on the topic of Smart Grid transformation. He recently presented at Grid Edge 2015 as NB Power received an award as a GTM Top 20 Disruptor in the utility industry. As well, NB Power has recently received the Smart Grid Canada “2015 Innovation Award” for Canadian Utilities. New Brunswick Power is focused on a transformation towards grid modernization and bringing new “value-added” energy solutions while working in partnership with our customers and communities.

Stephen Lund

CEO, OPPORTUNITIES NB (ONB)

Since 2015, Stephen has been the CEO of Opportunities NB (ONB) the provincial crown corporation where he leads a team of experienced professionals to deliver a broad mandate to grow the economy. ONB is bringing new money and new jobs to every corner of New Brunswick and generating a positive return on investment for all New Brunswickers. With Stephen’s leadership, ONB has consistently exceeded results, is outperforming every other Canadian economic development agency jurisdiction on a per capita basis and has been named one of Atlantic Canada’s Top Employer’s for two years in a row. Stephen has a track record of success. As CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc. for over a decade, he consistently surpassed targets, assisted in the revitalization of Halifax’s downtown core, and played a key role in the province being dubbed the best-performing region in North America in attracting inward investment. Stephen’s hard work and commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. Stephen has been recognized by Atlantic Business Magazine as one of the Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada five times in a row, was added to the list of the top 500 most influential people in Financial Centre worldwide, and has been inducted into Atlantic Business Magazine’s CEO Hall of Fame. Stephen earned a prestigious X ring from St. Francis Xavier University, holds an MBA from Queen’s University, obtained an ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors, and completed executive level studies at Harvard.

Marco Maréchal

STRATEGIC ADVISOR - COMMUNICATION AND INNOVATION, CONNECTED

Marco currently works as a strategical advisor communication and innovation, spin doctor, guest speaker, moderator, chairman and presenter. In 1996, he founded his company Connected Strategic Change Processes. The company is intensively involved in the area of water, smart mobility, smart city, Mobility as a Service, traffic and transport. He works nationwide and internationally. Marco: “My inspiration is to go global and conduct the survey, my vision and these results in other countries. As an organization we can provide strategic (communication) advice to all levels of government and accompanied business organizations. Guiding and giving advice to the different kind of projects in the field of Public Transport, self driving cars, cooperative systems, connected cars, smart mobility and smart city. We operate on the cutting edge of technology and human behaviour (people). By knowing and understanding the need (knowledge, attitude and behaviour) of stakeholders and the public, let them participate in the different kind of projects, you can not only create acceptance but also develop services and products that people want to buy”. Social media links: W: www.toconnect.nl E: info@toconnect.nl

Sara Mudge

COMMUNITY ENERGY SPECIALIST, NB POWER

As Community Energy Specialist at NB Power, Sara works with communities and their stakeholders to develop Community Energy Plans. Sara’s goal is to see more communities partner with NB Power by developing new products, services and programs that will help communities to reduce their energy consumption, manage their energy usage, and lessen their impact on the environment. Sara has over 20 years’ experience in the telecommunications and energy industries and her knowledge and expertise in the areas of building science, energy efficiency and renewable energy have earned her designations as a Residential Energy Advisor, Certified Energy Manager, and LEED Green Associate.

Jim Nicholson

PRESIDENT/OWNER, NICHOLSON AND ASSOCIATES CONSULTING

Jim brings hands-on customer expertise and strategic leadership combining a deep understanding of the utility/customer relationship, technology and people required to produce sustainable positive change. A strategic, results-driven Senior Executive, Jim’s experience spans broad portfolios including: customer care, operations, international sales and marketing, supply chain and human resources. Holding senior executive roles in Utilities, Forest Products and Industrial Manufacturing sectors, Jim is a passionate customer advocate and skilled business leader with success driving and realizing large scale cost savings and improving productivity and performance, while growing employee engagement and customer satisfaction. Widely respected within his global client network, he brings a proven track record of cultivating deep and lasting relationships with customers, vendors and industry partners. Active in Utility industry associations, Jim recently served as a Board member, co-chair and speaker of the 2015 Mobile Utility Summit. He was the Keynote speaker on BPO for Japanese Utilities at an Aug 2015 event sponsored by Accenture and attended by numerous Japanese Utility Executives. Jim was the 2013 Chair of the Western Energy Institute’s Spring Energy Symposium, serves on their Executive Planning Committee and the Customer Connections Board Committee representing customer needs within the Gas and Electric Utilities throughout Western North America. Prior to his retirement in late 2014 as BC Hydro’s Director of Customer Care he represented BC Hydro nationally as an active member of the Canadian Electricity Association’s Customer Council. Jim is a valued subject matter expert on topics relating to Customer Transformation, The Digital Customer, Conservation and Demand Management, Smart Meter Deployment and Integration and Process Improvement for large Utilities in countries around the world, which include; Japan, Australia, China, Philippines, Canada, United Kingdom and the USA.

Andrew F. Noseworthy

ASSISTANT DEPUTY MINISTER, CLEAN TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT (ENERGY AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES), ATLANTIC CANADA OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY

Andrew Noseworthy is Assistant Deputy Minister, Clean Technology with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. He is also Senior Advisor to the President of ACOA (Energy and Special Initiatives). As part of his duties with ACOA, Mr. Noseworthy is responsible for the operations of the Atlantic Canada Energy Office, a partnership initiative between ACOA and Natural Resources Canada, based in St. John's with additional staff elsewhere in the Atlantic region. In addition to his work in guiding the Agency’s activities related to energy sector development, he has had several special assignments since joining the federal ADM cadre in 2003. In 2004, he acted as Special Advisor to the Minister of Health and Chair of the Task Force that oversaw the creation of the Public Health Agency of Canada. In 2005-2006 he was Special Advisor to the Minister of National Defence in examining alternative uses and closure options for CFB Goose Bay. More recently, he oversaw a review of ACOA’s innovation programs (2013-2014). Prior to joining the federal public service, Mr. Noseworthy had an 18-year career with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and held a number of senior appointments, including Associate Secretary to Cabinet, Deputy Clerk of the Executive Council, Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Assistant Secretary to Cabinet (Economic Policy).

Tony O'Hara

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AND VICE PRESIDENT, ENGINEERING, NB POWER (CANADA)

As Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering for NB Power, Tony is responsible for Engineering, Information and Operational Technology, Project Management Office, Asset Management, Distribution and Transmission System Operations and the NB Power System Operator. Tony has been with NB Power for 29 years. Previous to his current role, Tony has held various Director and Executive Director positions within Distribution, Transmission, Project Management, and System Operations. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick, as well as a member of the New Brunswick Society of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists. Tony sits on the Executive of Cigre Canada, is a member of the Board of Directors for the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) as well as the Eastern Interconnection Data Sharing Network (EIDSN), and is a member of the CSA Strategic Committee on Power Engineering (SCOPE).

Philippe Jr. Ossoucah

PRINCIPAL ENGINEER OF THE POWER SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

For the last 10 years, Philippe has been advising Governments, utilities and project developers in the power sector in more than 20 emerging countries. He is currently the Principal Engineer of the Power Systems Development Department at the African Development Bank and leads the technical and financial structuration of public and private projects funded by the Bank. Prior to joining the African Development Bank, Philippe was the Associate Partner in charge of the Africa energy market for an engineering firm based in Montreal and led the design and construction of projects in generation, transmission and distribution. His expertise in power systems and renewable energy, including large-scale hydropower, has been acquired through his tireless involvement in major projects aimed to meet national and regional needs in emerging regions. Philippe is focused on the development of sustainable projects that have a positive impact on Africa and its people. Philippe holds a Master degree from École Polytechnique de Montréal and was the recipient of a scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. His research on network planning was sponsored by the Research Institute of Hydro-Québec.

Dr. Martin Otto

HEAD OF RESEARCH GROUP AT SIEMENS CORPORATION, CORPORATE TECHNOLOGY

Martin is currently head of the research group "Cyber Security Service Innovation" at Siemens Corporation, Corporate Technology, in Princeton, NJ, USA. His mission is to provide Siemens business units with technology solutions and innovations that enable Siemens to provide state of the art security services to customers. A specific focus is on helping Siemens customers that operate energy systems and other parts of nations’ critical infrastructure to detect, react to, mitigate, and otherwise defend against cyber attacks. He is a researcher and research manager with Siemens Corporate Technology, Siemens' central R&D organization, since 2005. He held positions both in the US and in Germany, among them as global Head of the Siemens CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team). Before that he acquired a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2005 from Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany, working on fault attack side channels on smart cards, a topic that got him hooked on the field of IT and Cyber Security, a field that has not lost its fascination ever since.

Blanca R. Perez

GENERAL MANAGER, FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY

Blanca R. Perez is the General Manager of the Home and Business Energy Solutions team at Florida Power & Light. She is currently responsible for energy efficiency, field collections and meter reading. Previously, Mrs. Perez successfully led change management strategy and support for FPL’s $800 million deployment of smart grid technologies, including 4.6 million smart meters. She later established the function of change management as a shared service within FPL’s Customer Service business unit, increasing the business unit’s capacity for implementing change successfully. Mrs. Perez is a University of Florida graduate in Electrical Engineering. She is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and a Prosci® Change Management Practitioner. She has more than 25 years of experience in the electric utility industry and has held various management and analytical positions in Customer Service, Power Delivery and Regulatory Affairs.

Cathy Simpson

CEO, TECHIMPACT

Cathy is an Atlantic Canadian IT leader who has dedicated her career to building the region's tech capacity. Most recently, she was the Vice President, People and Culture with T4G Limited one of the largest privately-held IT firms in the region with clients throughout North America. Cathy is a leader in the movement to use technology and innovation to drive economic growth, create thriving communities and engage citizens. She champions this evolution as Chair of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit corporation that invests in new growth-oriented companies and applied research activities. Her current work is an extension of her role as one of the co-founders of PropelICT, Atlantic Canada’s original tech accelerator and she continues to mentor and advise start-up entrepreneurs in the region. She also sits on the board of Enterprise Saint John. In 2015, she decided to follow her own advice and create her own company, a social initiative called Up+Go, that delivers leadership and self-discovery programs for high school girls introducing them to New Brunswick women who are doing extraordinary things particularly in the areas of STEM, entrepreneurship, and leadership. She began her career at NBTel and Innovatia where she helped launch Canada’s first IPTV service and other innovative consumer products. Cathy is a graduate of F.C. Manning School of Business at Acadia University and lives with her family in Rothesay, NB.

Brent Staeben

PRINCIPAL AND NB POWER-LEAD, SMART GRID INNOVATION NETWORK

Brent is the Director of Business Development at NB Power and part of the founding group of smart energy business leaders who created the Smart Grid Innovation Network in 2015. Trained as an economist and health policy expert, and with a career spent working across various executive positions in communications, marketing and customer experience inside government and crown corporations, he’s spent the past two years pursuing opportunities to site innovative new smart grid projects in New Brunswick communities. This includes helping form the Atlantic Smart Grid Consortium with Emera, NS Power and Siemens Canada in early 2017 to pursue federal innovation funding opportunities for the Maritimes. Brent’s primary area of interest in the coming energy transition is leveraging New Brunswick’s leadership position in this space to the benefit of New Brunswick companies and the provincial economy and in helping New Brunswickers better understand the multitude of challenges that the province will face as it manages its way through this revolution in the energy sector.

Gaëtan Thomas

PRESIDENT & CEO, NB POWER

Serving as CEO of NB Power since February 2010, Gaëtan is a committed industry leader and agent of change, driven by his deep connection to customer and employee grassroots. His vision for NB Power includes a made-in-New Brunswick smart grid supported by customer-centric technology and a workforce aimed at creating a greener, more sustainable province. This plan, now in its fourth year, is helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, lowering costs and keeping customer rates low and stable. Gaëtan grew up in a tiny Francophone village in northern New Brunswick before earning a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. A loyal and lifelong employee of the utility, he has worked in all aspects of the business including as Vice President of both Nuclear and Distribution and Customer Service divisions. In 2015 & 2016, Gaëtan was honoured by Atlantic Business Magazine as one of the Region’s Top 50 CEOs, and was selected as one of the Most Influential Acadians by L’Acadie Nouvelle. He serves as a mentor for the Wallace McCain Institute of Entrepreneurial Leadership and is a board member for the Canadian Electricity Association, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (Atlanta Center), and electric vehicle advocacy group Plug ‘n Drive Canada, and The New Brunswick Business Council.

Brad Wasson

CHIEF DIGITAL INNOVATION OFFICER, NB POWER

Prior to his role new role as Chief Digital Innovation officer, Brad was a Director of NB Power's smart grid program and also the Director of Product Development. Brad joined the utility in 2013. Prior to NB Power Brad focused on management consulting for most of his career. He jointly founded Business Bridge Inc. in 2004 and provided consulting services to clients in Ontario and the Atlantic Canada. Brad also worked with Fujitsu Consulting, where he was the IT Service Management (ITSM) Service Lead for Fujitsu Consulting’s Ontario-Atlantic geography in 2003 and a Solution Architect with their national organization (excluding Quebec) in 2004. Brad has specialized in strategic planning, program and project portfolio management, delivery of IT Service Management engagements, and corporate knowledge management. He has delivered engagements in the private, crown corporation and public sectors. Prior to working with Fujitsu, Brad worked for Hewlett-Packard. In addition to ITSM consulting while at HP, he worked as a service developer for the worldwide ITSM team. He also spent over two years as one of HP Consulting’s global knowledge managers, earning a global award of recognition for his work. Among his ITSM work has included the development of service planning and service level management strategies that help transform an IT organization to being able to deliver business-valued services. While with Fujitsu Consulting Brad pioneered work in the integration of Business-Valued Services and Enterprise Value Management strategies. Brad has done extensive public speaking on utility business transformation, IT service management, knowledge and value management, and career development. He has also conducted workshops on service management and has written white papers on various aspects of service management and value management.

Robert T. Wilhite, III

MANAGING DIRECTOR, NAVIGANT ENERGY

In his role as a Managing Director in Navigant's Energy practice, Rob leads the global utilities client segment and serves on the Energy practice leadership team. He also supports the firm's growth with a focus on senior client relationships, engagement delivery, and industry thought leadership. Since starting his career 33 years ago, Rob has worked exclusively in the energy industry and brings a unique combination of technical knowledge and business strategy experience. On a global basis, Rob has often advised energy clients in achieving increased efficiency in strategic and master planning, operational effectiveness, grid automation, and technology strategy and implementation. He also supports utility strategies seeking new revenue growth and business expansion. In addition to utilities, Rob has also developed growth and market entry strategies for competitive retail energy firms, equipment suppliers, private equity firms, government agencies and municipalities, and industry policy groups. Rob began his career with an 11-year stint at Florida Power & Light (FPL), where he managed State-wide energy efficiency programs and developed technical expertise in planning, designing, and overseeing construction of electric distribution facilities. Following FPL, Rob worked for the Electric Power Research Institute and then with Accenture. More recently, Rob applied the past 12 years of his career with KEMA (now DNV GL), where he was responsible for achieving growth, profitability, and operational performance objectives as managing director for the Americas, and as global director for all management and operations consulting. He developed KEMA’s grid modernization advisory unit, overseeing expansion into one of the more successful practices within KEMA, but also positioned the firm as a respected market leader in this domain. He also co-authored KEMA’s first book, Utility of the Future: Directions for Enhancing Sustainability, Reliability and Profitability. Rob was recognized as one of the top 25 consultants in the U.S. by Consulting Magazine in 2009. He has also been cited as one of the Networked Grid 100 Movers and Shakers of the Smart Grid by Greentech Media in 2012, as well as participated in President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in 2011.

2017+

Karim Zaghib

Director – Energy Storage and Conversion

Energy Storage and Conversion at Hydro-Québec’s research institute, IREQ, ranks among the researchers most highly cited by their peers, as established by Thomson Reuters’ The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015 and 2016. Since joining IREQ more than 20 years ago, he has contributed to the development of lithium-ion battery materials for electric transportation and energy storage applications. Dr. Zaghib has authored 368 scientific articles and edited or co-edited nearly 20 books, and is a joint inventor in 550 patents. An active member of the Electrochemical Society, he was awarded the Energy Technology Division Award 2009 and the Battery Division Technology Award 2013, and was elected ECS Fellow in 2011. He also received the International Electric Research Exchange (IERE) Research Award in 2008 and the International Battery Association (IBA) Research Award in 2010. Karim Zaghib holds a Masters (1987) and a Ph.D. (1990) in electrochemistry from the Institut national polytechnique de Grenoble in France. From 1990 to 1992, he engaged in postdoctoral research financed by Saft, a world leader in high-tech batteries, and by the armament branch of France’s department of defense. From 1992 to 1995, he was guest researcher for the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (METI). In 2002, he received the HDR (Habilitation à diriger des recherches) in materials science from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France). Thanks to Dr. Zaghib’s work, Hydro-Québec was the first company in the world to use lithium iron phosphate in Li-ion battery cathodes and to develop natural graphite and nanotitanate anodes. The most recent advances resulting from his work, which were achieved in collaboration with research centres based in Singapour and Spain, among other countries, will pave the way for the next generation of electric vehicle batteries. His research also led to the creation of Technologies Esstalion, a joint venture with Sony Corporation whose mission is to develop large-scale energy storage systems.

Drew Sloan

Regional Vice-President, Sales Oracle Utilities Global Business Unit

Drew Sloan is a Regional Vice President with Oracle in charge of all sales operations for Eastern Canada as well as portions of the Eastern US. In this role, Drew is focused on communicating Oracle’s position in working with utilities to leverage energy information, behavioral science, and user-centric design to drive value for utilities and utility customers. In another life, Drew has testified in front of both houses of the US Congress on the issues of climate change and climate security and, in 2015, he was named a Champion of Change by the Obama Administration for his work in this area. Prior to joining Oracle, Drew spent five years as an active duty Army officer serving one tour in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. His military awards include 2 Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart Award, and the US Army Ranger tab.

Richard Wunderlich

Head of Power Technologies International Digital Grid, Energy Management Division

Richard Wunderlich is the Canadian Head of Power Technologies International (Siemens PTI), the consultancy of the Energy Management Division. He has been employed by Siemens for more than 25 years. He is responsible for enabling the capacity of the consultancy in Canada in 4 core portfolio elements that include the Energy Business Advisory, Power Systems Consulting, Power Systems Software and the Power Academy for training. Richard is focused on the contributions that Siemens can provide to utilities through transformation to the “Utility of the Future” and the engineering requirements of the “Grid of the Future”. Since joining Siemens, Richard’s roles have included various industry sectors, and a posting in Germany. He has held responsibilities in account management, business development, customer service, marketing, program management and corporate functions. In Energy, Richard has had responsibility for North American market development with Siemens IT Solutions and Services. He plays a key role in extending Canadian capability and global domain knowledge creation. Examples include launching R&D to develop and launch new offerings in Customer Care, Smart Meter Integration & Enablement, Strategic Grid Management, Generation Fleet Optimization, Distributed Energy Management and most recently the consultancy practice in Canada as part of Siemens global operations. Richard participates in various industry associations. Currently he is active as the “Past Chair” of the National Electricity Roundtable and additionally provides advisory support for the Smart Grid Innovation Network, Canadian Smart Grid Action Network, the Canadian Electricity Association, the Ontario Energy Association Corporate Partners Committee, and the MaRS Advance Energy Centre. Previously, he as been on the advisory board of the National Smart Micro Grid Network. Richard’s perspectives on integrated processes and customer service provide fresh approaches to supporting the new paradigm of electricity utilities in a greening economy and smart energy world. He is a graduate of the University of McMaster, holding a Bachelors of Commerce degree focused on Marketing and Economics.

Peter Corbyn, P.Eng.

Chief Operating Officer, Naveco Power

Peter began helping Canadian businesses and homeowners save energy and reduce their environmental footprint in the early 1990’s. His past activities include launching the first Employee Energy Awareness Program in Ontario, Canada in 1992 for his employer at the time, Woodbridge Foam Corporation. He was the Environment Director for the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association in Toronto from 1996 to 2000. Peter was a founding board member of The Climate Reality Project Canada, a member of the global non-profit organization launched by Al Gore in 2006 to train people around the world to present a live version of the slide show featured in the movie An Inconvenient Truth. Peter is a co-founder of GreenNexxus, developers of sustainability focused web-based programs like the award winning Cisco Systems and CBC One Million Acts of Green campaign. GreenNexxus received multiple awards, including the 2009 KIRA Award for Most Promising Start-up and 2011 Award for Technology Advancement and Innovation for their Green Employee Sustainability Platform. Peter is now the Chief Operating Officer of Naveco Power, a Fredericton based start-up focused on developing community owned renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in New Brunswick by leveraging the recently announced Community Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) model. He was awarded the Canadian National Clean Air Day Award in 2007 for Excellence in Efficiency Outreach. He is also the co-author of Cool Comforts – Bargaining for Our Survival, which has over 15,000 copies in circulation. Peter graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1987 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He currently lives with his family in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Patty Durand

President & CEO of the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC)

SGCC is a nonprofit whose mission is to advance a consumer-friendly, consumer-safe smart grid through research and education. Under Durand’s SGCC has over 120 utility, technology and consumer advocate members and has published numerous consumer research studies. SGCC also engages and educates consumers around grid modernization topics via social media. Before joining SGCC, Durand worked for the Georgia Institute of Technology where she assisted in smart grid research projects. While there she helped to submit $10 million in three successful grant proposals to the Department of Energy and ARPA-E. Prior to her time at Georgia Tech, Durand served as the Executive Director for the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club where she focused on energy policy and climate change programs. Durand also served on the Board of the Smart Grid Society for the Technology Association of Georgia for two years.

Neetika Sathe

Emerging Technologies at Alectra Energy Solutions

Neetika Sathe heads Emerging Technologies at Alectra Energy Solutions. Her role in the organization is to identify, analyze and develop leading-edge innovative technologies and business opportunities. Prior to joining PowerStream, Neetika was the Chief Marketing Manager for Nissan LEAF and Cross-Overs in Canada, responsible for sales and profitability for her portfolio, including the launch of the Nissan LEAF in Canada. She serves on the board of several industry associations such as SmartGrid Canada and Electric Mobility Canada, including Chairing the Board of NSERC Energy Storage Technology (NEST) Network. Neetika has established thought leadership in areas of smart grid, microgrid, energy storage, clean energy, electric mobility and next generation utilities. She is also passionate about change management, innovation and mentoring young talent. Neetika was recognized by Energy Storage North America with the 2016 Champion Award for her leadership and exceptional achievement in advancing energy storage technology. She also received the 2016 Grant's Desi Achievers Award, which recognizes outstanding individual accomplishments in Canada's South Asian community. Neetika has a Masters degree in Physics from Panjab University, followed by an MBA from McMaster University.

Matt Stevens

CEO, FleetCarma

FleetCarma is a connected car platform, uniquely capable of supporting electric vehicle adoption and deployment. Fleets, electric utilities, and leasing companies turn to FleetCarma to ensure EV owners have an excellent ownership experience and that fleets obtain a positive ROI on their EV fleet. More recently, utilities are deploying FleetCarma’s charge monitoring and rewards platform as well as paired smart-charging to ensure they can support a large number of electric vehicles in their service area. Matt holds a Ph.D. in Engineering, with a focus on electrified powertrain design and battery degradation.

Martin Rovers

Director of Utility Growth Strategy at Emera

Martin is responsible for developing and implementing new programs and projects in response to the shifting energy industry. Activities are focused on three areas: renewable energy, electrification of heating and transportation, and grid intelligence. Martin brings over 15 years of experience in business development and operations at leading companies in energy, start-ups and management consulting. Martin earned his M.Sc. in Physics at McMaster University and his MBA at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Louise Comeau

Program Director for Climate Change and Energy Solutions, Conservation Council of New Brunswick

Louise has extensive experience working with non-government organizations, associations, and climate change advocacy networks in Canada and internationally to advance federal, provincial and municipal climate and sustainability policy. She lectures on climate change at the University of New Brunswick and independently researches values and attitudes associated with energy preferences and behaviours and community capacity to adapt to climate change. Louise recently completed her term as Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada, a national coalition of more than 100 organizations advancing climate protection. Over the course of her career, Louise has also worked provincially in the Ontario and BC climate change secretariats and was instrumental in establishing the Green Municipal Fund now valued at $550-million at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). Her FCM team also established a host of other successful initiatives, including the Sustainable Community Awards and Sustainability Communities Conference. Louise completed a PhD in Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton in 2014 where she is also an Honorary Research Associate. Her research explored the environmental ethics associated with environmental practices. She has served on many boards and consultative processes, including the Board of Directors of Climate Action Network International, the Ontario Climate Action Group, the Federal Environmental Commissioner’s Advisory Group, Ontario Power Authority and the Sierra Club of Canada.

Dr. Liuchen Chang

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UNB

Liuchen Chang joined the faculty of University of New Brunswick in 1992 and is a professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He held the position of NSERC Chair in Environmental Design Engineering during 2001-2007, and was the Scientific Director and Principal Investigator of pan-Canadian Wind Energy Strategic Network (WESNet) during 2008-2014. He was a recipient of CanWEA R.J. Templin Award in 2010 for his contribution in the development of wind energy technologies, and the Innovation Award for Excellence in Applied Research in the Province of New Brunswick in 2016 for his contributions in smart grid and renewable energy technologies. He was the general chair of the 2015 7th IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE 2015) in Montreal, Canada, and 2016 8th IEEE International Power Electronics and Motion Control Conference - ECCE Asia (IPEMC 2016-ECCE Asia) in Hefei, China. He is a fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE) and a Vice President of IEEE Power Electronics Society. He has published over 320 refereed technical papers in journals and conference proceedings. His expertise is in power converters, direct load controls and distributed generation systems.

James Marshall

Director of Smart Home Product Management for Rogers Communications

James has been involved in the connected home & automation space for more than 20 years. Previous experience includes Crestron Electronics- residential business and with IBM Canada as Smart Home developer and network & data centre designer. His career spans manufacturing, installation, sales, distribution and system design. His experience with Rogers Communications was with the launch of the newest residential product for Rogers, Smart Home Monitoring. This new and innovative offering connects customers with their home with convenience and simplicity for next generation security, connectivity, and awareness. James holds a BA from Bishop’s University.

Dhirendra Shukla

Professor and the Dr J Herbert Smith ACOA Chair in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of New Brunswick

Dhirendra utilizes his expertise from the telecom sector and extensive academic background in the areas of entrepreneurial finance, masters of business administration, and engineering, to promote a bright future for New Brunswick. Passionate about entrepreneurship, design, engineering, innovation, and leadership, Dhirendra ignites this same passion in others through his teaching at UNB, local entrepreneurial community outreach, and the creation of programs such as the Technology Commercializaton Program and Summer Institute. Recognition of his tireless efforts and vision are demonstrated through UNB’s 2014 award from Startup Canada as “Most Entrepreneurial Post Secondary Institution of the Year”, his nomination as a finalist for Industry Champion by KIRA, and his nomination as a finalist for Progress Media’s Innovation in Practice award. Most recently, Dhirendra was nominated for the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award and selected by a panel of judges as a Top 75 finalist.

Brent Gilmour

Executive Director, MCIP RPP

As Executive Director of QUEST ‐ Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow, Brent leads the research, engagement, and advocacy activities for the development of Smart Energy Communities in Canada. Brent also oversees QUEST’s eight provincial and regional Caucuses and the Smart Energy Leaders’ Dialogue. Brent was involved in the initial launch of QUEST in 2007 in his previous role with the Canadian Urban Institute's (CUI) in the capacity of Vice President, Urban Solutions. Prior to joining the CUI, Brent was the Strategic Coordinator responsible for the establishment of the University of Toronto's Sustainability Office (USO) and was an independent research consultant specializing in community energy innovation. Brent is a registered professional planner with 14+ years of experience in community energy, transportation, and land use planning; downtown revitalization; community consultation & engagement; and, public infrastructure investment. Along with his work at QUEST, Brent has remained active in the industry and with the local community. Brent is an occasional instructor with York University, Osgoode Hall Law School and has served on several boards, including EcoSpark (formerly Citizens’ Environment Watch) where he is past chair and was the chair of Recent Graduates for Trinity College at the University of Toronto. Brent holds a Masters of Science in Planning from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Toronto and is an alumnus of Massey College.

Greg Robart

As a seasoned Professional Engineer, Greg has varied experiences in engineering principles both for the grid and the building systems. He has experience in critical customer building distribution and distributed control system design, power backup systems as well as communication infrastructure solutions. Greg also has additional experience in industrial power distribution design and commissioning along with power quality and protection co-ordination studies. Within Siemens’ Energy Management Division, Greg leads the Consultants and Architects for the Power Technology International consulting group across Canada. Greg is fully engaged with Siemens’ utility customers in their transformation and modernization programs and supports customers in Canada and the United States. Topics ranging from Utility of the Future, Operations center of the future and alternative energy storage solutions. Greg is the past president of the New Brunswick Consulting Engineers Association, has held professional status in 3 provinces and 1 state over his career and has held various positions in local Engineering association. Greg has taught Project Management in MBA program and has been asked to guest lecture at local engineering student, business and international association events.

Pierre Mullin

R&D Executive, Smart Grid Applications, Siemens Canada

Pierre is the executive responsible for the global custom software development organization for Siemens Digital Grid Software Solutions business. His teams include 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 and began his professional career in the utility industry. During his 25+ year career in the IT industry he has held leadership roles in product development start ups, consulting firms and corporate IT organizations. He currently sits on the boards of the OpenADR Alliance and Tech Impact (formerly the New Brunswick Information Technology Council), and is also a member of the UNB Faculty of Computer Science Advisory Board.

Charles Holleran

Charles leads a team that is bringing innovation to the operation of buildings, transforming intelligent-ready buildings into smart buildings that fully realize their potential. SHIFT’s energy engineers analyse the capabilities of complex building systems, optimize the performance of those systems, and leave behind SHIFT’s EOS software – that continues to make those adjustments automatically in real time. Charles has over 20 years of experience leading multi-disciplinary teams through complex challenging projects and bringing new technologies to the market. Charles is also a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), a Certified Measurement & Verification Professional (CMVP), Certified Demand-side Manager (CDSM), and a Registered Engineer (P.Eng). Previously Charles designed control solutions for Space Shuttle programs (STS-77), initiation of explosives, RF telecom, and building systems.

Mary Ann Piette

Senior Scientist and Director of the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Mary Ann Piette is the Director of the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division and has been at LBNL since 1983. She is also the Director of the Demand Response Research Center (DRRC). The DRRC develops DR technology and the Open Automated Demand Response standard, which is a key element of the NIST Smart Grid standards. OpenADR is being deployed to deliver over 250 MW of DR in California and throughout the US. Mary Ann develops and evaluates low-energy and demand response technologies for buildings. She specializes in commissioning, energy information systems, benchmarking, and diagnostics. She has authored over 100 papers on efficiency and demand response. In 2006, Mary Ann received the Benner Award at the National Conference on Building Commissioning for contributions to making commissioning “business as usual”. Mary Ann completed her undergraduate work at UC Berkeley in Physical Science. She has a Master’s of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley and a Licentiate in Building Services Engineering from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Chris Norris

Digital Grid Business Unit of Energy Management, Siemens Canada

Chris Norris leads strategic planning and grid modernization program development with electric utilities across Canada. He is a management consultant in the Energy Business Advisory group within Digital Grid business unit of Energy Management at Siemens Canada. Along with international colleagues, Chris has created and delivered utility transformation programs using Siemens’s proprietary Smart Grid Compass methodology. He has developed business cases and collaborated with senior management and boards on developing capabilities to achieve key strategic objectives in the transition to a utility of the future. An accomplished professional engineer, Chris spent the first part of his career as an aerodynamicist at Canada’s top aircraft engine manufacturer before transitioning into energy industry consulting. Chris holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, an M. Eng. from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Applied Science from Queen’s University in Kingston.

Julia Hamm

President & CEO, Smart Electric Power Alliance

Julia Hamm has 20 years of experience advising and collaborating with utilities, manufacturers and government agencies on renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies and programs. The knowledge and experience she has gained as the President and CEO of SEPA since 2004 makes her one of the world’s foremost experts on the nexus between utilities and distributed energy resources. Julia guides and oversees all of SEPA’s research, education, and collaboration activities for its 1,100 member companies. She has expertise on the business models and programs of utilities throughout the U.S., as well as utilities in Europe and Asia. Prior to joining SEPA, Julia worked for ICF International where she supported EPA’s implementation of the ENERGY STAR program. Julia - a graduate of Cornell University - walks the talk, living in a PV powered energy efficient home in Northern Virginia.

Laura O'Blenis

Founder & Chief Strategist, Stiletto

Laura O’Blenis has over 20 years' experience in leading change, generating results, marketing products and services, and successfully negotiating new business opportunities and contracts. She has spent the past 11 years of her career focused specifically on building the national science industry in both domestic and international markets. A trained facilitator, Laura is an MBA candidate; chair of the Start-up Canada National Ecosystem Task Force; past-chair of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance CanWIT Atlantic Chapter; past president of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce; past president of the Fredericton Executive Association; founding executive director of New Brunswick's Knowledge Park; co-founder and managing director for the Canadian Association of University Research Parks; and founder and CEO of NB and Ontario-based Stiletto Consulting, an evidence-based consulting practice that helps companies scale and organizations build niche cluster opportunities. She brings a wealth of knowledge working with companies from startups to growth stage companies exporting and expanding into new markets.

Marlene Moore

Founding Partner & VP Marketing, Green Power Labs

As founding partner and Vice President of Marketing, Marlene supports Green Power Labs by building the company’s market strategies and commercialization plans. Incorporated in 2004, Green Power Labs is a leading predictive analytics company and an internationally recognized solar forecast expert. Their multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers and programmers developed predictive energy management solutions for solar power producers, utilities and commercial buildings operators. These predictive analytics and controls solutions reduce operational costs and increase energy generation revenues through reducing uncertainties imposed by variable and intermittent solar irradiation and related weather impacts.

Amit Virmani

CEO, Naveco

As CEO of Naveco and a second generation entrepreneur, Amit Virmani is building upon a 40-year business history in Fredericton. Through his business, Virmani focuses on creating a community investment fund for developing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that provide long-term social, environmental, and economic benefits. Virmani’s interest in the energy sector began with a year-long co-op placement at NB Power Generation Division as a financial analyst intern focused on modeling the cost/benefit of utilizing thermal generation assets versus purchasing electricity from the day ahead market. Today, Virmani merges his personal values around community engagement, energy conservation, and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Amir Akbari

CEO, WEnTech Solutions

As a co-founder and CEO of WEnTech Solutions, he is managing day-to-day jobs and business development strategy for the company. WEnTech was founded in 2015 with the vision to help start more Waste to Energy projects around the world. WEnTech is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company specializing in the waste-to-energy sector. WEnTech is computerizing the task of waste-to-energy project assessment with a software-based product called WEnTech Smart Analysis System, W-SAS. This tool is designed to automate the workflow of engineering consultants assessing waste-to-energy projects by allowing them to evaluate technical, environmental and financial aspects of their projects.

Asif Hasan

CEO, SimpTek

Hasan co-founded SimpTek in 2014 with a vision to make the challenges of saving energy a thing of the past. He studied Electrical and Computer Engineering from UNB and he had been working on numerous projects involving pattern recognition & A.I. Hasan is passionate about the on-going development in the energy sector, and has previous management experience with the world’s largest student leadership development organization AIESEC and was also the VP of IEEE at UNB. He is passionate about building innovative products in clean tech, Big Data and predictive analytics.

Exploring Opportunities in Digital Energy

The global transformation of the electricity industry and the development of smart energy cities represent a once-in-a-generation growth opportunity.