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Charting the Path: Get to Know the Speakers
Charting the Path: Get to Know the Speakers
Learn more about our industry experts and business and thought leaders.
Linda Coady
President & CEO, BC Council of Forest Industries
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Linda Coady is President and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI. COFI is an industry association that represents forest companies in BC that produce wood for construction, pulp and paper, and bioenergy. The forest industry is foundational to many regional economies in BC and COFI members are committed to advancing sustainable forest management and Indigenous rights and reconciliation.
Prior to joining COFI, Linda was the Executive Director of the Alberta-based Pembina Institute, a leading Canadian environmental think tank on climate and energy issues. Her previous roles have also included Chief Sustainability Officer for Enbridge Inc., Vice-President of Sustainability for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Vice-President of the Pacific Region for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada, and Vice-President of Environmental Affairs for the BC Coastal Group of Weyerhaeuser Canada and MacMillan Bloedel Ltd.
Linda has been a Distinguished Fellow at the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and has taught corporate sustainability at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. She has also served on advisory bodies to different levels of government and was most recently a member of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, which provides independent advice to the federal government on meeting requirements under Canada’s Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.
John Desjarlais
Executive Director, Indigenous Resource Network
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John Desjarlais is Nehinaw (Cree)-Metis from Kaministikominahikoskak (Cumberland House), Saskatchewan. He has a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan. He started his career in 2001 in the mining industry and worked in a variety of roles including environment and safety, maintenance and reliability engineering management until moving into executive leadership in economic development, construction and management consulting. John now serves as the Executive Director of the Indigenous Resource Network as well as Past President of APEGS. He also has extensive regulatory, volunteer, governance and civil society experience, serving on a variety of boards, committees and other initiatives culminating into several awards over his career recognizing his civil service and servant leadership.
Chris Doornbos
President & CEO, E3 Lithium
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Chris Doornbos is the founder, CEO and Director of E3 Lithium, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: ETL). He is an innovator and entrepreneur, an aviator and a founder of emerging ideas and technology. He is passionate about collaboration and progressing innovation. Chris has a broad range of experience in capital raising and M&A. At E3 Lithium, Chris emphasizes risk management, developing and managing an exceptional technical team and well-strategized project development; with a clear focus on creating and capturing value for shareholders. Chris has successfully led E3 Lithium from the foundation of a private company with a handful of permits to what is now a public company with a global scale lithium resource. Chris is a co-founder of the Battery Metals Association of Canada and the former Chair of the Canada ISO mirror committee for TC333 (lithium standards).
Previously, Chris was the CEO of Revere Development Corp and VP Exploration of MinQuest. He has held a variety of technical positions with mineral and oil and gas development companies including Avalon Minerals (AUS), Suncor, Petro-Canada, Meridian Minerals and NovaGold Corp.
Jeff Gaulin
General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Vale Base Metals
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Jeff Gaulin is the head of Corporate Affairs for Vale Base Metals, the Canadian-based global critical minerals company whose ambition is to accelerate the energy transition and protect national energy security.
Jeff leads the company’s global public policy and government relations – from its global headquarters in Toronto to all corners of the world.
Vale Base Metals is Canada’s largest producer of nickel, copper and cobalt – essential raw materials for the world’s energy transformation. From its global headquarters in Toronto, Vale Base Metals operates mines and refineries in Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan and Indonesia. It is now building the world’s largest nickel sulphate plant in Bécancour, Québec.
Jeff joined Vale Base Metals in June 2023 from Invest Alberta, where he served as the Chief Corporate Development Officer for the provincial investment attraction agency. At Invest Alberta, his role was to expand internationally the marketing reach of Alberta’s pro-investment message, to support the investor journey, and to build a high-performing culture where people want to build a career with impact.
Jeff has previously been an executive with Philip Morris International (Canada), the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Tervita Corporation, TransAlta Corporation and the British Columbia government.
In his spare time, Jeff is a writer and explorer. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and has kayaked with belugas in the Arctic, been chased by killer whales off the coast of British Columbia, camped in the world’s largest cave in Vietnam and climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Jeff has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Victoria (2002), a Master of Arts (Journalism) from the University of Western Ontario (1994), and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University (1994).
He is of Métis heritage and lives in Toronto. He is the father of two university students.
Dr. Monica Gattinger
Founding Chair, Positive Energy, University of Ottawa
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Dr. Monica Gattinger is Founding Chair of Positive Energy, Director of the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, and Full Professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Gattinger is an award-winning researcher and highly sought-after speaker, strategic adviser and media commentator in the energy and arts/cultural policy sectors. Her innovative research programme convenes business, government, Indigenous, civil society and academic leaders to address complex policy, regulatory and governance challenges. Gattinger is Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, board member of the Clean Resource Innovation Network, and serves on advisory committees for the National Research Council Canada, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, the Ontario Energy Board, the Ottawa Science Policy Network, the University of Calgary and Women in Nuclear Canada. She chaired the Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on International Science and Technology Partnerships and was a member of the Government of Ontario’s Electrification and Energy Transition Panel. Monica is a columnist for DOB Energy and she received the 2020 Clean50 Award for her thought leadership in the energy sector. She holds a PhD in public policy from Carleton University.
Pierre Gratton
President and CEO, Mining Association of Canada
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Pierre Gratton was appointed President and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) on June 1, 2011. Based in Ottawa, MAC is the national organization for the Canadian mining industry. Its members are engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication.
Prior to his appointment to MAC, Pierre was President and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC). From 1999-2008, he served as Vice President, Sustainable Development and Public Affairs for the Mining Association of Canada (MAC). In this capacity, he was instrumental in the development of Towards Sustainable Mining, MAC’s flagship program that is gaining international recognition and adoption. In 2005-06, Pierre was honoured as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM).
Pierre is First Vice-President of the Interamerican Mining Society (SIM – Sociedad Interamericana de Mineria), Past Chair of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, Co-chair of the Green Mining Initiative Advisory Committee and sits on the Board of Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra.
Pierre holds an MA degree in political science, a BA from McGill University, and a third-degree black belt.
David Hansen
President & CEO, Retired, CANTERRA SEEDS
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Born and raised in Victoria BC, David Hansen relocated to Saskatoon in the mid-1970s to join Continental Grain as a grain buyer before relocating to Winnipeg in the mid-1980s to assume a grains merchant position with Continental Grain.
In the late 1980s, David transitioned to the Global Seed Division as Marketing Manager of Continental Seed Canada, with the launch of Hybrid Canola. As a result of a series of mergers and acquisitions of the life sciences companies (Garst, ICI, Zeneca, Advanta) over the years, his duties and responsibilities evolved with a series of promotions and advancements to senior leadership positions.
In 2003, David, along with his wife and youngest daughter, relocated to Beijing, China, to mange the Delta & Pine Land/Monsanto Cotton Seed Business and Operations.
After returning to Winnipeg in late 2008, David joined CANTERRA SEEDS as President and CEO, a position he held for 14 years until his retirement in 2023.
In addition to the business management functions, David was active on the boards of numerous industry organization, including Canadian Seed Trade Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Beijing), CropLife Asia (Beijing), Cereals Canada, Crop Life Canada, and 4-H Canada.
Daivd’s 47-year career in agriculture has allowed him the opportunity to experience and build a base knowledge of the crop seed and biotech business internationally, with time spent in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Asia, Australia and France.
Matthew Holmes
Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Relations, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
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Matthew Holmes is Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Relations for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where he also oversees international policy and programs. With over 20 years of experience in public advocacy and strategy development, Matt has led national trade associations, served on international boards and worked within higher education, research and innovation, agri-food and international trade, as well as the culture and media sectors. Matt currently sits on the boards of Clean Prosperity and New Canadian Media.
Hugues Jacquemin
CEO, Northern Graphite
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Hugues Jacquemin is Chief Executive Officer of Northern Graphite and a mining industry veteran and entrepreneur with over 30 years of senior management experience growing specialty materials businesses for listed Fortune 500 and Private Equity firms. As the former CEO of the Graphite and Carbon Division of Imerys SA, Hugues spearheaded the investment program for Li-ion battery material for the EV markets. Hugues acted as an independent expert to advise Northern on the acquisition of Imerys’ natural graphite division in 2021, and served as an independent, senior advisor to Northern prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer in June 2022. Hugues has deep expertise in graphite mining and processing, lithium-ion and battery materials, fuel cells and hydrogen production, graphene and carbon nanotubes, synthetic graphite and carbon materials. He is fluent in four languages including English, French, Spanish and Italian.
Shannon Joseph
Chair, Energy for a Secure Future
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A sustainable development and public affairs professional with over 15 years of experience that includes environmental engineering, municipal sustainability program management, the upstream oil and gas industry and Indigenous relations. Shannon Joseph is motivated by the strong conviction that energy is about people and that abundant, affordable, low-emission energy is a pre-condition for growing the middle class, protecting the environment and in Canada, advancing reconciliation.
Currently serving as Chair of Energy for a Secure Future, Shannon spent close to 10 years in progressively senior roles at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, including as Senior Manager of Research and Development with its Green Municipal Fund and as the founding Director of the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, a $75 million capacity building and granting program focused on climate change mitigation and adaption at the community level. Most recently, she served as Vice-President, Government Relations and Indigenous Affairs for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). She led work related to federal policies affecting Canada’s upstream oil and natural gas industry, including the Impact Assessment Act (Bill C-69), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act and various climate change focused policies. An important part of this work involved building relationships with Indigenous organizations in support of ongoing economic reconciliation in Canada.
A member of the Order of Engineers of Quebec, Shannon holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McGill University and Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network (now Environmental Funders Canada) and the Energy Council of Canada and was a member of the Advisory Council for the University of Ottawa’s Positive Energy initiative.
Candace Laing
President & CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
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Candace Laing is an executive leader with progressive leadership experience in multiple sectors, including mining, manufacturing, agriculture, education, and healthcare.
Candace’s career spans over two decades, encompassing roles in both private and public sector organizations. She also has a strong entrepreneurial background with a focus on strategic business initiatives that foster long-term value and high-performance cultures. Most notably, Candace worked for more than ten years with Nutrien, leading both the Sustainability and Human Resources functions and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. She played a pivotal role in launching Nutrien’s environment, social, and governance (ESG) efforts and, through her most recent role as the organization’s Chief Human Resources Officer, focused on ensuring people strategies and inclusion initiatives were aligned with business strategy.
She first joined the Canadian Chamber’s Board of Directors in 2019 and served as Vice-Chair from 2021 to 2022, assuming the role of Chair of the Board of Directors in 2022. She was on the Board when the Chamber developed its Chamber 2025 Strategic Plan—a transformational mandate to create a reimagined and renewed Canadian Chamber.
Candace is passionate about ensuring healthy organizations support a strong economy that can serve societal needs. She is proud to have grown up in Saskatchewan, where her family maintains a longstanding farming operation.
Candace is a Fellow of Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (FCPHR). She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction and a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Saskatchewan. Additionally, she has a Graduate Certificate in Corporate Sustainability and Innovation from Harvard University and a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University.
Kyle Larkin
Executive Director, Grain Growers of Canada
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Kyle Larkin is the Executive Director of Grain Growers of Canada. He is an award-winning public affairs executive who has spent over a decade in government relations, public relations and politics. He has managed and executed public affairs strategies for national and provincial organizations, achieving short-term and long-term objectives. Kyle has successfully changed policies at both federal and provincial levels and has had his work featured in media publications, such as The Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC, BBC and The Hill Times.
Kyle was most recently the Vice-President at a public affairs firm where he worked closely with associations from across Canada. Prior to this, he worked in numerous offices on Parliament Hill, most notably for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. Kyle has also gained valuable experience working at other public affairs and policy research firms, at a national association leading their government relations activities, and has been involved in numerous federal and provincial election campaigns.
Kyle is a recipient of the 2019 Government Relations Campaign of the Year by the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) for his work in creating the third ever national self-regulated college in Canada. He is also the recipient of the 2022 Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) Award of Distinction for his work in advancing government climate changes objectives.
Kyle holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Studies and Modern Languages, with a minor in History and is fluently bilingual.
Jeff Lawson
SVP, Corporate Development and Acting Chief Sustainability Officer, Cenovus Energy
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As Acting Chief Sustainability Officer, Jeff Lawson ensures environmental, social and governance considerations are embedded in the company’s strategy and business plans. This includes overseeing communications, and stakeholder engagement with Indigenous communities, governments and community partners. In his role as Senior Vice-President, Corporate Development, Jeff is responsible for contributing to the company’s long-term strategy and business plan through strategic acquisitions and divestitures.
Jeff has extensive experience in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, investments and corporate restructurings. Prior to joining Cenovus in 2023, Jeff spent 15 years at Peters & Co. Limited, in senior finance roles including Managing Director of the Corporate Finance group and as a member of the Executive Committee. Before Peters & Co., Jeff spent 14 years as a securities lawyer at the law firm of Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP (BD&P), where he was co-head of the Securities Group and a member of the Executive Committee. During his tenure at BD&P, Jeff was twice named one of the top 40 lawyers under 40 in Canada, and was recognized as one of Canada’s most creative lawyers as well as a top cross-border corporate lawyer.
Jeff has served on the board of directors at a number of public and private companies, and charitable organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta.
Jon McKenzie
President & CEO, Cenovus Energy
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As President & Chief Executive Officer, Jon McKenzie is responsible for the strategic direction of the company and delivering strong financial, operational and sustainability performance. Jon took on this leadership role in April 2023. He is also a Director of the company.
Jon has more than 30 years of finance and operations experience, mostly in the Canadian oil and gas industry. He has been at Cenovus since 2018, serving first as Executive Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer and most recently as the Executive Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer. Jon was an integral part of the 2021 strategic combination with Husky Energy, having served as the Chief Financial Officer at both Cenovus and Husky. Jon also worked at Irving Oil as its CFO and Chief Commercial Officer, with responsibility for all supply, trading and commercial aspects of the company including coordinating business development projects involving pipelines, rail and terminal operations. Prior to that, Jon worked at Suncor for 10 years where he held increasingly senior roles in finance and operations, including operating responsibility for the company’s upgrader in Fort McMurray.
Jon currently serves on the board of Irving Oil and is also Vice Chair of the Board of Governors at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).
He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta. Jon holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree from the University of Alberta.
Jonathan Price
President & CEO, Teck Resources
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Jonathan Price was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Teck on November 1, 2023, and has been a member of Teck’s Board of Directors since July 26, 2022.
Previously, Jonathan was Chief Executive Officer, having been appointed to that role in September 2022. He has also held the roles of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Jonathan joined Teck in October 2020 and brings extensive experience in the resources sector through a variety of finance, commercial and business development roles spanning Europe, Asia and Australia, with a focus on strategy, transformational change and business improvement.
Prior to joining Teck, Jonathan was employed by BHP from 2006 to 2020 where he was Chief Transformation Officer, Vice President, Finance and Vice President, Investor Relations working in Asia, Australia and the U.K. He has also worked in the Metals and Mining team at ABN AMRO Bank and held various production and technical roles with INCO.
Jonathan holds a Master of Engineering (Honours) in Metallurgy and Materials Science from the University of Oxford and a Master of Business Administration from Cardiff University.
Karen Proud
President & CEO, Fertilizer Canada
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Karen Proud is currently the President & CEO of Fertilizer Canada, where she oversees the daily operations of the association that represents a sector vital to Canada’s economy, contributing over $24 billion annually and employing 118,020 workers.
Prior to joining Fertilizer Canada in 2021, Karen held several executive roles, including Chief Operating Officer for Food, Health and Consumer Products Canada, President of Consumer Health Products Canada, and Vice President of Federal Government Relations at the Retail Council of Canada.
Karen’s early career spanned nearly a decade of progressively responsible positions at Health Canada, including leading the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Field Services, Training and Response, and Field Epidemiology Training programs.
She is actively involved in various board director roles, including with Rubicon Organics, the Canadian Grains Council, and Nutrients for Life.
Stewart Muir
Founder & CEO, Resource Works
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Stewart Muir is an award-winning journalist, a historian, and the visionary founder and CEO of Resource Works, dedicated to illuminating the intricate balance between natural resource development and environmental stewardship. His expertise in resource management and the socio-economic dimensions of industry has positioned him as a thought leader in understanding the nuanced narratives that shape economic and natural landscapes, with a particular focus on Canada. Stewart’s commitment to land conservancy was highlighted in his voluntary leadership at The Nature Trust of British Columbia. In recent years, his focus has shifted towards the critical issues of energy security in B.C., analyzing the wide-ranging impacts of major energy projects on the local economy. He is also a successful entrepreneur, in 2021, launching Tersa Earth Innovations Inc. and developing a breakthrough platform technology for water treatment. Through his leadership at Resource Works, Stewart is committed to fostering a prosperous, fair, and open society, leveraging his personal brand to champion innovation, climate solutions, and the sustainable use of natural resources, all while building expert teams to navigate the challenges and opportunities of resource management for the betterment of Canadians and the global community.
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