Bill Whitelaw is the chief executive officer of JuneWarren-Nickle’s Energy Group (JWN). He has expanded the company’s product portfolio, developed new frontiers within the industry and ensured JWN remains progressive and industry-focused through the products and services it provides for insight and intelligence. Bill also holds positions of executive vice-president, business information group, at Glacier Inc. and managing director of Evaluate Energy, an affiliated energy analytics and research company based in London, UK.
David Layzell, PhD, FRSC is a professor and director of the Canadian Energy Systems Analysis Research (CESAR) initiative at the University of Calgary. He began his academic career as a professor of biology (cross-appointments in the Schools of Environmental Studies and Public Policy) at Queen’s University (Kingston), generated an international reputation and was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC). Over the past 20+ years his interdisciplinary research efforts have focused on exploring and defining transition pathways capable of moving Canada to a more sustainable future. His work has led directly to the activities of The Transition Accelerator.
Sandra Odendahl, P.Eng., CFA, is Vice-President of Social Impact and Sustainability at Scotiabank, joining the bank in November 2019 with almost 25 years of experience in environmental science, corporate sustainability, and responsible finance. At Scotiabank, Sandra leads the team responsible for corporate sustainability, global donations, employee engagement, and ESG reporting. She also serves on the bank’s Global Inclusion Council and co-chairs the Control Functions Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Before joining Scotiabank, Sandra was President and CEO of Carbon Management Canada, a Calgary-based environmental company helping clients develop and scale up innovative carbon management technologies and strategies. Previously, she held several roles at the Royal Bank of Canada, including leading Corporate Sustainability, Social Finance and Environmental Risk Management. In the early part of her career, Sandra worked in the natural resources sector as an environmental scientist and engineer in Toronto and Vancouver. Sandra is active in her community and enjoys serving on several non-profit boards and advisory panels. She is a Board Director and Audit Committee Chair of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices. She also serves as a Board Director for the Transition Accelerator and NEXT Canada. Sandra is a member of the Grants Committee of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, where she was Board Chair from 2014 – 2019. Sandra has a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, with a Certificate in Management, from the University of Ottawa. She is a licensed professional engineer (P.Eng) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder. Sandra lives with her husband and two children in Toronto.
Mark Summers is the Chief Strategy Officer for ERA. He is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of key strategic initiatives, partnerships, external relations, and stakeholder engagement that demonstrate and communicate ERA’s unique value proposition. Prior to his current position, Mark was the Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, leading ERA’s technology investment process and project management activities.
Mark’s background includes technology investment program and portfolio management, renewable energy technology, and climate change policy. Prior to joining ERA, he was Director of Renewable Energy at Alberta Innovates. He has also served as a Climate Change Engineer in the Climate Change Secretariat for the Government of Alberta, and a researcher at the University of Alberta.
Colleen Collins joined the Foundation as Vice-President in 2015. She brings her research, business and policy expertise to the Foundation’s work as part of a team commitment to quality, clarity and usefulness. She is a frequent media commentator and experienced speaker on a wide range of issues important to the West.
Her broad range of experience in administration, government and academia reaches back to her early career in the late 1970s as a researcher in the office of then-Alberta premier Peter Lougheed. Collins earned her PhD in Marketing at the University of Alberta before joining the faculty at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University. She has taught extensively on marketing, research, and technology adoption as well as taking on administrative duties as Associate Dean. Her published academic research includes public policy, export development, entrepreneurship and marketing.
Among her many notable accomplishments, Collins drove the establishment of the Executive MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership, and created a collaboration with graduate schools in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil to create the Americas MBA for Executives.
Luisa Da Silva, B.Sc, MBA. Luisa began her career in the fossil fuel industry of northern Alberta, has diverse experience in the energy, mining, education, and not-for-profit sectors, and is influenced by her mining experiences in Canada and abroad. After a successful career as a professional geoscientist, Luisa worked with one of Canada’s top environmental charities before joining Iron & Earth.
