Past Speakers (2024)

Jane Taber

Senior Vice President | NATIONAL Public Relations, Atlantic

Jane Taber is a former Globe and Mail political journalist who spent more than 25 years covering Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park.

During her tenure on Parliament Hill with the Globe, Jane was also co-host of CTV’s Question Period – and she has spent more hours than she can count on campaign buses and planes following the leaders during federal election campaigns. She’s interviewed the country’s main political players, covered leadership contests, trade deals, international summits and the important issues of the day.

She also worked as communications director to the former Premier of Nova Scotia.

Jane specializes in media training, having coached CEOs of major Canadian companies, the heads of national law firms and senior cabinet ministers and MPs.

In addition to media training and coaching, Jane is also focused on moderating panels and conferences, media relations and speech writing, crisis communications and post-secondary labour issues. Jane is a graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program and was appointed to the Carleton University Board of Governors in June 2019 and re-appointed to another three-year term in 2022. Jane also served as a mentor to the Public Policy Forum’s Action Canada leadership fellows.

Francis Bradley

President & CEO | Electricity Canada

Francis Bradley is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Electricity Canada. Electricity Canada is the National Voice of Electricity and serves its electricity industry members through the work of expert professionals led by Francis and directed by a Board of Directors made up of member CEOs.  Francis is the co-chair of the National Cross-Sector Forum, overseeing Canada’s Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure. He also sits on the Steering Committee for the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council (ESCC), the Board for the Energy Council of Canada (ECC), the Positive Energy Advisory Council, and is a founding Board member of the Canadian Transportation Alliance.  At the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) Member Representatives Committee and Board of Trustees’ meetings, Francis represents Electricity Canada and advocates strongly for its members in their activities related to the Electric Reliability Organization Enterprise, and its role in ensuring the reliability and security of the North American bulk power system. 

Prior to being named CEO in June 2019, Francis managed Electricity Canada’s day-to-day activities as Chief Operating Officer since 2014. During that time, he also acted as a member of the National Advisory Committee of Canada’s Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and was a co-chair with the Standards Council of Canada of the Smart Grid Standards Advisory Committee.   

In 2019 Francis created and continues to host “The Flux Capacitor” podcast, featuring discussions about the future of electricity with CEOs, regulators, political figures, and leaders from civil society. 

Francis will be moderating the Closing Plenary Luncheon, “Unlocking the Potential: Exploring Regional Electricity Market Cooperation in Canada”, sponsored by Manitoba Hydro on Friday, September 27 from 12:00 pm to 1:45 pm (EDT).

Lynnell Crone

Vice President, Alternative Contracts & Light Industrial | Bird Construction

Lynnell Crone is the Vice President, Alternative Contracts & Light Industrial at Bird Construction. She has enjoyed a dynamic, over 30-year project management and Professional Engineering career, having worked on several multi-billion-dollar projects in the oil, gas and petrochemicals industries as a Project Manager and Director of a Project Management Office. Much of her career has been spent working for Owner organizations, resulting in a keen insight and understanding of client requirements and expectations.

Over the past several years, she has held executive leadership roles at Bird Construction for collaborative contracts as well as manufacturing and environmental projects such as waste-to-energy, organics processing, water treatment, wastewater treatment, food processing and manufacturing. Lynnell’s success on both the owner and contractor side is rooted in her belief that collaboration is essential to a project’s success, and why her specialty is in collaborative contracting models.

Lynnell has been instrumental in developing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) projects within Bird Construction and is currently on the Senior Management Team of several IPD projects. In addition to her role at Bird, Lynnell is Past-President of the Integrated Project Delivery Alliance (IPDA) and provides expertise on IPD throughout Canada. She has implemented Lean Construction processes on her projects throughout her career and is passionate about collaborative contracting and the value it brings to owners, consultants and contractors, as well as the job satisfaction it brings to all those who work on these types of projects.

Lynnell will be moderating the Plenary Luncheon, “Collaborative Delivery of Hydropower Projects”, sponsored by Bird Construction on Thursday, September 26 from 12:15 pm to 1:45 pm (EDT).

Ahmad Al-Ali

Director, Hydro Business Development | Ontario Power Generation (OPG)

Ahmad Al-Ali is the Director of Hydro Business Development at OPG. Ahmad leads OPG’s efforts in developing untapped hydro potential in Northern Ontario including Greenfields, existing generating stations upgrades, hydro advocacy, and broader system integration. Ahmad has firsthand knowledge of the hydroelectric and the broader utility industry and has worked in engineering, operations, asset, and project management progressive roles. Ahmad has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University and holds a Master of Engineering from University of Waterloo.

Paul Burroughs

Vice President of Renewable Generation Major Projects | Ontario Power Generation (OPG)

Paul Burroughs is currently the Vice President of Renewable Generation Major Projects at Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Paul has over 25 years of experience in the energy industry. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering.  Paul has held various positions in OPG in the areas of engineering, project management, energy markets, and hydroelectric development. 

Paul gained major project experience as a part of the management team responsible for the $2.5B for the 500MW Lower Mattagami River Project and, as the Project Director, successfully delivered the $300M Peter Sutherland GS in partnership with Taykwa Tagamou Nation. More recently, he has assumed the role of VP Major Projects, where he oversees a portfolio of major projects with an average capital spend of $400-$500M annually. Paul continues to expand his industry influence as a member of Construction Industry Institute’s (CII) Board of Advisors and Chair of CII’s Executive Committee.

Gilbert Bennett

Senior Advisor | WaterPower Canada (WPC)

Gilbert Bennett is a recognized leader and expert in renewable electricity, energy transition and the broader energy sector, with two decades of sector experience. Having served as a WPC Board Member and Board Chair (2010 through 2022). as well as Interim President, Gilbert continues to support the organization’s goals and objectives, through his leadership and contributions to the technical and industry matters of WPC in the role of Senior Advisor.  

Gilbert worked with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro from 2005 to 2022, and as Vice President of Power Development, was responsible for the development of the Muskrat Falls project. Previously, he served in senior engineering and operations roles in the telecommunications sector. 

He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from Memorial University and is registered as a Professional Engineer in Newfoundland and Labrador. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. This year, Gilbert was named one of the 75 most influential people in hydropower from the International Water Power & Dam Construction magazine.

André Bernier

Director General, Electricity Systems Branch (ESB) | Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

André Bernier has served as an executive with the Electricity Systems Branch, at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) since October 2016 and Director General of the Branch since August 2021. His team leads on the development and implementation of programs and policies related to the electricity sector.

André previously served at Canada’s Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) where he was the Senior Director responsible for aerospace industrial policy. Prior to working at ISED, André was the analyst responsible for domestic climate change policy at the Privy Council office and worked at NRCan in the Deputy Minister’s Office.

André holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics (University of Waterloo) and a Master’s degree in Public Affairs (Princeton University).

Colleen Burliuk

Research Biologist, Fish Tracking | Innovasea

Colleen is a biologist with over 8 years of experience working in fish research and she specializes in the use of telemetry equipment and more recently, Innovasea’s HydroAI fish-counting system. Previously, Colleen led field-intensive studies on the movements and habitats of American eels and lake sturgeon on the upper St. Lawrence River. At Innovasea, Colleen is a Research Biologist that supports the Consulting, Customer Success, and Sales teams. She serves as team lead on consulting projects and provides advice to researchers on range testing, study design, and data analysis. Colleen has a Master of Science in Biology from Queen’s University (Kingston, Canada).

Steve Chagnon

Director Project Efficiency, Construction and Rehabilitation | Hydro-Québec

Steve Chagnon is an electrical engineer, graduated from Polytechnique Montréal, and Director Construction Project Efficiency at Hydro-Québec’s Operations and Infrastructure group.  He has over 20 years’ experience in major infrastructure projects.  He started of his career, as a power transformer designer in the manufacturing sector and occupied multiple management position in technical expertise and project management at Hydro-Québec. 

Currently, for the company’s construction and rehabilitation projects, he integrates all costing activities and project performance metrics, orchestrates improvement and innovation initiatives, and ensures that project management best practices are implemented throughout the organization. His objective is to put in place, as a team with all stakeholders, the winning conditions needed to carry out the large project volume required for Québec’s energy transition.

Bob Clarke

Senior Vice President, Research & Development | ASI Group Ltd.

Mr. Clarke has over 30 years of experience in the marine industry, encompassing commercial diving, Atmospheric Diving Suits (ADS) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) operations on local and international projects. His responsibilities at ASI have included project reviews, operations planning, execution and supervision, preparation of reports, and proprietary equipment design. He has also supervised the design/build modifications and retrofits of ASI’s ROV fleet to enhance their operational capabilities and adapt to new or unexpected conditions.

As Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Bob is leading ASI’s efforts into new innovations to address the unresolved needs of ASI’s customers. Past projects have included extending the range of commercially available ROVs to become the longest-in-class systems available. Other unique systems include crawler dredges, autonomous inspection platforms and specialized sonar systems to provide 3D data acquisition, processing and display.

Amanda Griener

Director of Asset and Project Management | Ontario Power Generation (OPG)

Amanda Griener is the Director of Asset and Project Management at Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Amanda’s team leads the asset investment strategy, market compliance, project management and construction efforts related to OPG’s 10 hydroelectric generating facilities located in Ontario’s Southeast along the Ottawa, Madawaska, and St. Lawrence Rivers.

Amanda has 16 years of experience in the energy industry, with progressive roles in project management, construction, supply chain and strategy. A registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng) and Project Management Professional (PMP), Amanda holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ottawa.

Terrence Hubbard

President | Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC)

Terence Hubbard was appointed President of the Impact Assessment Agency (IAAC) on November 28, 2021. In his role, he is responsible for leading all reviews of major projects under the Impact Assessment Act, in cooperation with other Government of Canada regulatory agencies, as well as provinces and territories and Indigenous groups.

Prior to joining IAAC in 2018, Terence was Director General of the Petroleum Resources Branch with Natural Resources Canada. In this role, he had responsibility for Canada’s oil and gas policy, including overseeing the development and implementation of Canada’s pipeline safety and offshore oil and gas regulatory regimes as well as serving as Canada’s representative on the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency.

He is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan where he obtained both his Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in economics and now lives in Ottawa.

Travis Penno

Vice President, Field Services | Hydro Tech

Travis Penno is the Vice President of Field Services at Hydro Tech. Travis is a construction and project professional with over 20 years of engineering and project management experience primarily in the hydropower industry. A registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng), Travis offers exceptional technical and business skills in construction work packages and scope of work development, contract negotiations and implementation, change order management, union negotiations, and First Nations consultations. He is a valuable asset to Hydro Tech with his multidisciplinary background in engineering and construction, including managing large civic, mechanical, and electrical scopes of work.

Herbert Proschek

Lead Protection Engineer | ANDRITZ Hydro Austria

Herbert Proschek is a lead protection engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the design, testing and commissioning of protection relays. He has managed protection projects throughout Europe, Northern Africa, Asia, USA and Canada. Herbert has designed and tested more than 300 protection systems for gas turbines (40-210 MVA). He has developed tools to support engineering processes. He designs, tests and documents protection functions for the HIPASE platform. Finally, Herbert conducts power protection training for local and international customers.

Herbert Proschek holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Vienna. He has been an active contributor within international power protection engineering community, participating in relevant conferences and industry events. He is based at the ANDRITZ Hydro headquarters in Vienna.

James (Jim) Robb

President & CEO | North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)

James (Jim) B. Robb assumed the role of NERC’s president and chief executive officer (CEO) in April 2018. Robb oversees NERC’s mission of assuring the reliability and security of the North American bulk power system. As president and CEO, Robb leads the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) and is responsible for key programs, including those programs focused on development of mandatory NERC Reliability Standards, the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program, situational awareness, event and risk analysis, reliability assessments and forecasting, and cyber and physical security, affecting approximately 1,400 bulk power system users, owners, and operators. He is also responsible for the performance of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) and key government partnerships.

As CEO, he is the chair of the ERO Enterprise Executive Committee, which oversees the operations of the six Regional Entities that support the reliability mission across North America. Robb joined the ERO Enterprise in 2013 when he was appointed the president and CEO of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), the Regional Entity serving the Western Interconnection.

Robb has more than 35 years of experience in the energy sector as an engineer, consultant, and senior executive. Prior to becoming WECC’s CEO, he held three major leadership roles in the industry: senior vice president at Northeast Utilities (now Eversource Energy); senior vice president at Reliant Energy (now part of NRG Energy); and partner at McKinsey & Company. During his 15-year career at McKinsey, he worked closely with prominent electric power companies in California, western Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountain states and served clients in Western Europe, South America, and New Zealand. He is a frequent speaker at industry events on the evolution of the electric power system, cyber security, integration of variable generation, and the increasing interdependency of electric and natural gas reliability.

Robb is a member of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council and serves on the United States Energy Association Board as well as a NERC trustee. In 2020, he was appointed chair of the Group of Experts on Cleaner Energy Systems for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. He has served on the boards of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, the Houston Symphony, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and as a policy advisor to the Bay Area Economic Forum in San Francisco.

Robb earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in Indiana and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Abe Schneider

Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder | Natel Energy

Abe creates hydraulic designs for Natel’s turbines and works at the intersection of science, R&D, product and project development, and communications. Prior to co-founding Natel Energy in 2009 with his sister, Gia, Abe worked as a mechanical engineer for both large firms such as The Timken Company and innovative startups including Makani Power, which was later acquired by Google.

Abe earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT. Abe enjoys SUP surfing, wing foiling, rock climbing, fly fishing, and building things with his wife and two children in San Francisco.

Sterling Watson

Staff Engineer, Fish Safety | Natel Energy

Sterling Watson leads FishSafe turbine design at Natel Energy. Her technical focus includes turbine performance assessment, fish passage test design and data collection, engagement with the scientific and stakeholder communities, and model development to inform high-performance, fish-safe turbine and hydropower plant designs.

Sterling holds bachelors and masters degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT. Her passion for everything aquatic extends beyond the office and she can be found swimming, surfing, and sea foraging in the waters of San Francisco during her free time.