Program

Phillip is a founder of Ostara with more than 20 years of financial management and executive experience. His experience includes president and founder of RTM Norden Inc., an international business and technology consulting firm working with the manufacturing sector throughout North America and Europe, and manager of audit practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers working with private, public and multinational corporations.

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Hubert holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Universté du Québec à Montréal, a Master’s degree in Communications from Stirling University in Scotland and an M.B.A. from l’École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal. Before joining Cascades in 2004 as Vice-President of Communications and Public Affairs, he worked as Press Secretary to the Premier of Québec. Hubert also worked as an advisor for the public relations firm, NATIONAL, as spokesperson for the CHUM and as a Communications lecturer at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Hubert is Chairman of the Board of Jour de la Terre and Chairman of the Board of Les Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec’s. He also serves on the Boards of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, the Fondation de l’École Buissonnière, the Fondation de l’Entrepreneurship du Québec, the Fondation de l’UQAM, Forces Avenir and Tél-Jeunes. In 2005, he was awarded the Prix Relève Excellence by the Réseau HEC Montréal, Large Company category and was on the shortlist of the 30’s to Watch Under 30 in the competition of Marketing Magazine in 2001.

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WWF-Canada is the country’s largest environmental organization. WWF focuses its efforts and global resources on tackling our most significant conservation challenges. This includes visionary projects focused on climate change, the Arctic, oceans, freshwater and the health of habitat and species across Canada and around the world. Prior to joining WWF, Gerald was Principal Secretary to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty where he worked directly with the Premier, Cabinet and Public Service to develop, implement and communicate the government’s agenda. He was intimately involved in all of the government’s significant environmental initiatives, from the Greenbelt and Boreal Conservation plan to the coal phase-out and toxic reduction strategy. Gerald holds an Honours B.A. and M.A. from McGill University, where he studied English Literature and Theology. He wrote his M.A. thesis on James Joyce’s Ulysses. Gerald has taught Literature, Communications and Political Science at McGill and York universities. An avid lover of the outdoors, Gerald and his wife, Jodi, have hiked, camped, canoed and kayaked many of North America's National Parks and protected areas.

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Mike has been involved in the research, design, construction, supervision and administration of environmental and water processes and projects for over 20 years. He is currently responsible for the utilization, management and protection of water resources that serve the Golden, Colorado Brewery, USA (largest single site brewery in the world), leadership in Corporate global water sustainability strategies and partnership initiatives, management of the Coors Energy Company and General Manager for two water delivery ditch companies that serve municipal, agricultural and industrial interests. In addition, he is involved in operational strategic planning, project controls, asset care and people development. Mike also has diverse experience in environmental remediation and water and wastewater collection, treatment and distribution systems. Mike has been actively involved with the CEO Water Mandate, Carbon Disclosure Project’s new Water Disclosure initiative, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Water Works Association, Colorado Water Congress, Clear Creek Watershed Foundation and several other national and local organizations throughout his career. He is also providing leadership and input regarding current partnerships with NGO’s, such as Water for People and Circle of Blue, and meeting the obligations and goals of Molson Coors’ Corporate Responsibility initiatives. Mike received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (with a second major in Construction Management) and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University (USA).

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Adam Chamberlain is a partner at the Toronto office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1994. Adam graduated from the University of Calgary in 1992 where he focused on Natural Resources and Environmental Law. Prior to attending law school, Adam studied the University of Waterloo where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies. Adam has practised environmental and energy law for most of his career with a focus on the development of infrastructure such as energy, waste, wastewater and water supply facilities. Adam is the National Leader of the Climate Change Group and the Toronto Regional Leader of the Forestry Law Group. He has years of experience with the law relating to the Kyoto Protocol, emissions trading, and the evolving area of environmental and carbon finance. Adam acts as Environmental Assessment counsel on large infrastructure projects in the energy, water and wastewater and waste sectors. His involvement is particularly notable in waste and wastewater sectors environmental assessment.

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Metro Vancouver is a service provider, policy maker, and political forum for 24 local authorities in the metropolitan Vancouver region. Jane leads the embedment of sustainability in the organization. Her broad portfolio includes corporate strategy, employee training and development, and policy development. Prior to joining Metro Vancouver, she was a consultant, helping clients identify the strategic importance of sustainability and implement sustainability initiatives. Organizations she has worked with include BC Hydro, The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, United Nations Development Program, the International Finance Corporation, and Canada’s National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy. She has a variety of water related experience, from rehabilitating village water systems in Ghana, to co-authoring a Harvard Business School case study on the Manila Water Company, to her current role in furthering the sustainability of Metro Vancouver’s drinking water system. Jane is a professional engineer and has a Masters of Environmental Studies, specializing in Business & Sustainability from York University.

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Harry is a senior partner at Gowlings' Toronto office and leader of the National Environmental Law Practice Group. He has practised exclusively in the area of environmental law since 1984 and has a solid reputation as one of the foremost environmental lawyers in Canada. Harry is certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Environmental Law. He has experience in advising on environmental risks in corporate transactions and has been actively involved in the development and maintenance of corporate environmental due diligence programs. He provides ongoing advice to business in a wide variety of sectors and also has an active advocacy practice. Harry has particular expertise in alternative service delivery of municipal environmental services, including water and wastewater. He has represented numerous municipalities in respect of the selection process leading to the identification of the preferred operator for water and wastewater facilities. He has drafted and negotiated management, operations and maintenance agreements between municipalities and operators, and has been involved in the selection of and negotiation with service companies for the Design, Build, Operate and Finance of water and wastewater projects. Harry continues to provide advice on a regular basis to industry and municipalities on the legal issues relating to the operation and maintenance of water and wastewater facilities.

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Suzanne has over 14 years of experience in the fields of corporate responsibility and corporate governance. At Intel, Suzanne manages reporting and communication of Intel's corporate responsibility programs and performance, including publication of Intel's annual corporate responsibility report. In her role, Suzanne works with groups across the company – including environmental health & safety, supply chain, human resources, legal, government affairs and community relations – to integrate corporate responsibility into decision-making and strategic discussions, develop policies, and report on key performance indicators. Suzanne also tracks CSR trends and emerging issues and regularly engages with socially responsible investors, research firms, and NGOs to identify opportunities for continued performance improvements. Prior to joining Intel, Suzanne was Vice President at Institutional Shareholder Services (now RiskMetrics Group) where she managed the firm’s social investment research department, providing research and advisory services to pension funds and investment managers on the environmental and corporate responsibility records of companies. Suzanne holds an M.B.A. from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and a B.A. from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Suzanne currently serves on the boards of directors of the Tempe Community Council and Arizona Businesses Advancing Sustainability.

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Lisa has worked with the CICA since 2004 and is currently a Principal in the organization's Guidance & Support department. Within this role, she focuses on various aspects of corporate disclosure, including sustainability reporting, risk disclosures, and the communication of non-GAAP financial measures. Lisa is actively engaged in the Prince of Wales' Accounting for Sustainability Project and is the CICA’s head judge in the Corporate Reporting Awards' Sustainable Development Reporting category. She is also a member of the CICA's Climate Change Strategy Advisory Council and Environmental Responsibility Committee. Prior to joining the CICA, Lisa held various positions in the automotive, mining, and consumer products industries. Lisa holds a degree in Engineering Chemistry (Environmental Option) from Queen's University and an MBA degree with a specialization in Business & Sustainability from York University's Schulich School of Business.

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Wayne holds an A.Sc.T. and is a graduate of Mohawk College’s Chemical Engineering Technology and Environmental Engineering Technology programs. Since 2003, Wayne has worked within the Ontario municipal water sector holding positions within water treatment operations, water infrastructure planning and water demand management. In November 2008, Wayne joined the City of Guelph as Water Conservation Project Manager where he lead the development of the City’s 2009 Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy Update as well as program implementation activities under this strategy. In addition to his work at the City of Guelph, Wayne is the current Chair of the Ontario Water Works Association's Water Efficiency Committee and is an active member of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association’s National Water Efficiency Committee.

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At CBSR, Wesley has advised companies including Rio Tinto, Alcan, De Beers Canada, Canada Post, Farm Credit Canada, Cascades, InterfaceFLOR Canada, Seventh Generation, Sears Canada, Bombardier and Walmart Canada in areas including stakeholder mapping and engagement, CSR/sustainability reporting and communication, organizational assessment, strategy development, strategic community investment and performance/KPI measurement. Wesley led CBSR's thought leadership and development of A Business Case for An Integrated Approach to Water Management and its business assessment framework. Wesley holds a M. Sc. in Sustainable Business from the Leeds University, a B. Comm. from Dalhousie University, Post-graduate Certificate in Cleaner Production and Sustainable Development from Lund University, and completed the Business Leaders Seminar at the Sustainable Enterprise Academy (Schulich School of Business).

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David draws on his extensive investment and business development experience to help portfolio companies achieve their strategic and financial goals. His extensive international business dealings in Europe and Asia have helped XPV portfolio companies successfully completing valuable M&A transactions and strategic partnerships. Before founding XPV Capital Corporation, David was one of the first employees of the private merchant bank Kinghaven Capital Corporation (now VRG Capital). At Kinghaven, he led or was involved in over 20 fundraising, M&A, and direct investment transactions. As the Vice President of Finance at GENSEL Biotechnologies, a Kinghaven Capital portfolio company, he helped the company raise multiple rounds of financings and enter into strategic partnerships with three leading multi-nationals. David is an Advisor for the US Strategic Water Initiative and Imagine H2O, has been published in several leading water magazines, and is a frequent speaker on the topic of water investing. David was educated at Ryerson University's School of Business where he specialized in the Enterprise Development program, and was awarded the Ryerson Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Research Award.

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Angella has 9+ years of senior management experience at Xogen as former VP Research & Development and presently as President & CEO. She successfully restructured the former company, Xogen Power Inc., negotiated a Research Collaboration Agreement with the University of Toronto and the Ontario provincial government, obtained a $2M federal grant from the Government of Canada and formed a consortium comprised of Linde Canada (subsidiary of The Linde Group), University of Toronto, Town of Orangeville Ontario and Orangeville Hydro to construct and test its first Canadian pilot plant for municipal wastewater treatment, which is due for delivery this summer. Angella was a former Member of the Technical Staff for The Boeing Company (now Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne) in Canoga Park, California for the Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power Division. She held this position for 13 years in the manufacturing of components for hydrogen/oxygen rocket propulsion systems for the Space Shuttle and the XRS 2200. Angella brings her past experience as well as connections to industry, government and academia to her role as President. She presently holds a directorship with an Ontario hospital as well as an advisory position with an Ontario community college School of Electronic Engineering Technology.

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William is Director of OESi at Seneca College in Toronto and is a principal of the “Regeneration Institute for the Great Lakes,” a partnership of McMaster University’s ArcelorMittal Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy, the Canadian Urban Institute, and Seneca’s King Global Restoration Laboratory. He was formerly a Chair in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering Technology at Seneca where he was responsible for the Centre for the Built Environment. His 33-year career in the college system also includes work in Continuing Education and community outreach. William has a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University (1975). He authored eleven books and lectures on environmental and energy topics as they relate to education at conferences in the UK, Europe, the U.S. and Canada. William is a member of a four-person Management Committee appointed by the Government of Ontario to review corporate candidates for Ontario’s Environmental Leaders program, and one of three Canadian members of an international committee of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics responsible for Sustainability and Renewable Energy. He teaches in Green Business Management, and Environmental Site Remediation, and has developed an Academic Green Transect for undertaking an environmental assessment of any higher education academic program.

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Abe Khademi is a senior associate and project manager with The Municipal Infrastructure Group Ltd. (TMIG), a progressive civil engineering firm that manages and engineers a wide range of municipal infrastructure projects from concept through to completion. TMIG continuously strives to be at the forefront of innovation and a key contributor to the evolution of infrastructure technologies. Abe has led numerous multi-disciplinary teams to identify pioneering solutions that exceed objectives while consistently maintaining sound engineering and environmental principles. His water resource engineering background has been supplemented with extensive practical experience in the planning, design, and implementation of sustainable and low impact infrastructure. Abe has guest lectured at the University of Toronto Daniel's Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design on approaches to integrating engineering and design.

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Dr. Krantzberg is Professor and Director of the Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy in the School of Engineering at McMaster University offering Canada’s first Master’s Degree in Engineering and Public Policy. Gail completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in environmental science and freshwaters. She worked for the Ontario Ministry of Environment from 1988 to 2001, as Coordinator of Remedial Action Plan and Great Lakes Programs, and Senior Policy Advisor on Great Lakes. She is a past president of the International Association of Great Lakes Research. Dr. Krantzberg was the Director of the Great Lakes Regional Office of the International Joint Commission from 2001 to 2005. She has authored more than 100 scientific and policy articles on issues pertaining to ecosystem quality and sustainability and is a frequent speaker to media and the public.

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With her combined business-environmental background, Karen co-founded the learning organization, Waterlution, in 2003, following involvement in the World Summit for Sustainable Development and piloting water learning programs in South Africa with local water stakeholders. Karen has focused on bringing together enthusiastic young minds to learn about their local watersheds and the issues they currently face. Waterlution aims to harness the knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment from workshop participants to develop positions on water policy, company innovation and research interest areas.
Karen is also a filmmaker and is aiming to complete a film on water in Canada in 2009. Since 2005, Karen has also been Publisher of Corporate Knights magazine - Canada's magazine for responsible business. With extensive strategy and research capacities on environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility from consulting work in the UK, and field experience with small enterprise development and communal savings banks, Karen is keen to create spaces for dialogue through facilitating and documenting the voice of specialized groups and stakeholders. She is devoted to advancing social change, systems thinking and ecological diversity. One of her greatest passions is encouraging inter-generational learning and transferring knowledge through mentorship opportunities.

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Glen’s career in public service spans 30 years and four provinces. Prior to becoming Winnipeg’s Chief Administrative Officer, he managed a geographically, economically, and culturally diverse range of municipal organizations, including Kingston, Ontario; Brandon, Manitoba; the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta (North America’s largest, by land area); Richmond, B.C.; and the Cariboo Regional District, also in B.C.

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Pierre specializes in providing expert review, strategic advice and management consulting services in the environmental and energy fields. He has extensive experience related to the electricity sector, particularly hydropower. He regularly advises the Canadian Hydropower Association on environmental issues. Pierre holds a Master’s Degree in chemical engineering from the University of Strasbourg in France and a Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of Paris (1974). From 1976 to 1979, He was technical director of Enviropact S.A. in France. In 1979, he joined Lavalin Environment inc. as project manager. In 1991, he became president of SNCwLAVALIN Environment Inc. In 2000, Pierre started his own professional practice, Lundahl Environment Inc. Pierre was President of the Environment Committee of the Montreal Board of Trade from 1986 to 1990. He was also a Member of the Advisory Committee on the Environment of Canada's Minister of National Defence from 1991 to 1996 and member of the senior management committee of the Toxic Substances Initiative of Environment Canada and Health Canada from 1997 to 1999. He is also one of the international experts of the industrial planning committee of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization). He teaches graduate courses in environmental disciplines at McGill University.

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Tony Maas is WWF-Canada's Freshwater Program Director. His work has taken him across Canada and around the world to engage business leaders, policy makers, politicians and citizens in freshwater stewardship and conservation. Tony has authored a number of reports on water issues in Canada. Most recently, he participated in the development of Changing the Flow: A Blueprint for Federal Action on Freshwater with the Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW), a collaborative of Canadian water experts, which he currently co-chairs. He studied Environmental Technology at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario; Environmental Science at Royal Roads University in Victoria; and water governance at the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. Tony's work is inspired by the time he spends paddling Canada's rivers and lakes with his wife and young son.

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Based in Toronto, Scott MacDonald is a Partner with Emerald Technology Ventures and is focused on information technology investments within the clean technology sector. Scott currently serves as the Chairman of SynapSense and a Director of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company and Vaperma. Scott previously served as Chairman of RuggedCom (TSX:RCM), and was a Director of Solicore and Soft Switching Technologies. Prior to joining Emerald, Scott held the position of Managing Director in the venture capital subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation. Previously, Scott worked for a Toronto-based corporate finance and investment banking firm assisting a number of energy technology companies secure financing, negotiate strategic joint ventures, and has advised on initial public offerings and merger and acquisition transactions. In addition, Scott worked for an early stage venture capital fund focused on investing in information technology companies. Scott graduated with a Bachelors degree from McMaster University and an MBA from Dalhousie University. He is a member of the North American Advisory Board for the CleanTech Venture Network and is an elected voting member of the Canadian Olympic Committee for the 2005-2009 quadrennial.

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Manuele Margni is an internationally recognized expert with 10 years of research experience in LCA and environmental modelling and more than 12 years of work experience with industry. He is founder of Quantis and acts as scientific advisor for industrial mandates whilst sharing his time with academia. With a background in environmental engineering (ETH Zürich) and management (EPF Lausanne) he obtained his Ph.D. in 2003 at the EPF Lausanne in collaboration with UC Berkeley with a thesis on environmental modelling of toxic emissions for LCIA. He is now lecturer and scientific coordinator at the CIRAIG, member of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative with an active role in the water use project, co-chair of the SETAC North American LCA advisory Group and reviewer for scientific journals such as Environmental Science & Technology and international journal of Life Cycle Assessment. He is author of about 40 scientific publications and has been involved in at least as many LCA applications for industry and government. Manuele’s current research activities focus on modeling the consequences of pollutant emission into the environment, with a particular emphasis on the development a metric assessing the consequences of the use of water on human health and ecosystems.

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Dalton McGuinty is Ontario's 24th Premier. In the provincial election of 2003, he led the Liberal party to a majority government. He and his party earned a second consecutive majority on October 10, 2007. He has represented the riding of Ottawa South as its MPP since 1990. During his first term, Premier McGuinty’s government reduced class sizes and hospital wait times, improved Ontario’s infrastructure, and attracted billions in new investment to Ontario. Now in his second term, Premier McGuinty remains committed to building an even stronger economy for Ontario families. New tax reforms will mean more money in the pockets of Ontarians while making our province an even more attractive place for businesses to invest. The government has laid out a plan for Ontario that includes training for our workers; increasing the Ontario child benefit; building more affordable-housing; and increasing funding for health care, education and post-secondary education.

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David McLaughlin has over 20 years of experience as a senior public policy professional at both the federal and provincial levels of government. David began his policy career with the government of New Brunswick. After earning his M.B.A. in England, he returned to Ottawa as Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Constitutional Affairs. In 1992, he joined the Prime Minister’s Office as Senior Advisor, Operations, before being appointed Chief of Staff. Thereafter, he held numerous posts as, including Chief of Staff to the federal Minister of Finance. David also worked in the private sector as Partner and Executive Vice President of Veritas Communications Inc. David has a B.A. degree with Honours in History and Political Science from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick (1978), a M.A. degree in International Affairs from Carleton University in Ottawa (1980), and a M.B.A. degree from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom (1991). He was appointed as President and CEO of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy in April 2007.

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The Hon. John Milloy was first elected Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener Centre in 2003. He was re-elected in 2007 and appointed Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities on October 30, 2007. In June 2009, Milloy was also appointed Minister of Research and Innovation. Milloy's political interest began at age 13 when he worked as a Queen's Park page and continued as he worked in political offices at both the provincial and federal level. From 1997 to 2002, Milloy served as Legislative Assistant to Prime Minister Jean Chretien. In his first term as MPP, Milloy held the position of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. He also served as Chair of the Federal Interprovincial Municipal Relations Cabinet Committee. In November 2007, he was appointed to the provincial government's anti-poverty committee. Milloy holds a BA (Honours) in History from Carleton University, a Master's degree from the London School of Economics and a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Oxford where he was a Commonwealth Scholar . Milloy is past Director of Public Affairs for the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Kitchener-Waterloo. He has written on both international history and governance in the information age, recently publishing The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 1948-1957: Community or Alliance.

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John Neate has over 25 years' technology experience related to energy, water and resource optimization. He has worked closely with stakeholders in key sectors to guide the development and implementation of voluntary and regulatory initiatives designed to deliver effective solutions. As the senior manager of a private consultancy, he has provided advisory services to international organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme International Environmental Technology Centre; the United Nations University International Network on Water, Environment and Health; and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Within Canada, he has advised the Government of Canada; the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy; the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; the Nuclear Waste Management Organization; Terasen Utility Services; and the GLOBE Foundation. John was a founding Director of the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement and recently was responsible for guiding the market transformation of the Canadian Environmental Technology Verification Program. From 1990 to 1997, John was responsible for building a private sector employee-owned water technology research, development and services company with over 100 employees. His working experience across Canada and internationally in over twenty-five countries reflects his ability to mobilize resources and create positive alliances.

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Adam Nicklin is a landscape architect and urban designer with over ten years of work experience in the UK, USA and Canada. Adam has enjoyed the opportunity of working with large, interdisciplinary teams in the execution of several urban renewal projects and international design competitions. His interest and experience is displayed in a varied portfolio of work ranging from community and institutional planning, to the design and construction of urban plazas, waterfronts and major infrastructure projects. Adam is a principal at du Toit Allsopp Hillier and is currently the project manager for the Toronto Central Waterfront Project - the result of a successful competition proposal in joint venture with West 8 of Rotterdam, in May of 2006. Adam is a frequent guest lecturer and critic in Universities in North America and the UK. His study of major city squares in Central and Eastern Europe was recognized for an award of excellence at the 75th anniversary British Landscape Institute Awards.

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Rosemary Niechcial is vice president of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Canada, a division of Veolia Water, the world’s largest water company. VWS Canada designs, manufactures, and services water, wastewater, and biosolids technologies in Canada for Canadian municipalities and industries. Rosemary has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo and has designed water and wastewater treatment plants for both municipalities and industries around the world. She was previously a consultant with Hatch and focused on seawater desalination and mine effluent treatment. In recent years, her particular focus has been around incorporating sustainability criteria into the design of water plants.

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Sandra leads a team with responsibility for global strategy and leadership in the areas of environmental credit risk management, environmental products and services, and corporate environmental programs across the bank. Her unit is also responsible for RBC’s stakeholder engagement activities on environmental issues. Sandra first joined RBC in 1997 as a resource sector analyst. From 2000-2005, she was the head of RBC’s Environmental Risk Management department. Sandra left RBC in 2005 for 2 years at CIBC, where she was Director of their Corporate Environmental program, before returning to RBC in 2007 to take the newly created position of Director of Corporate Environmental Affairs. Prior to entering the banking sector, Sandra was a research scientist at Noranda Inc. and an environmental consultant in Toronto and Vancouver, specializing in Environmental Impact Assessments for resource sector development projects in Canada and Indonesia. Sandra is co-chair of the North American Task Force of the UNEP Finance Initiative. She is on the Advisory Board of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at UofT. Sandra has a B.A.Sc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Ottawa, and an M.A.Sc. in the same field from UofT. Sandra has been a licensed professional engineer since 1994 and earned her CFA in 2007.

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Nicholas co-founded the Cleantech Group, introducing the cleantech concept to the investment and business community in 2002. Previously, Nicholas accumulated over 15 years of experience starting and investing venture funds worldwide through limited partnerships, family offices, corporate funds and endowments. During this time, he pioneered the first "sustainability" driven private equity funds and participated in one of the first solar IPOs. In the 1990s, he also founded, built and sold an environmental finance firm. He has served as an advisor to multilateral agencies and major corporations. Nicholas earned a BA Hons. in Technology Studies (Carleton University, Ottawa) and an MBA (City University, London), and has authored or edited more than ten publications related to cleantech, finance and international business, starting with Investing in Emerging Economies in 1993. He served as Chairman of E+Co, a public purpose investment company for clean energy enterprises in developing countries, and is on several boards, including: Government of Singapore Cleantech Advisory Board, Canadian Centre of Excellence for Commercialization of Research and the X PRIZE Energy & Environment Council. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). Nicholas has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America and currently resides with his two children in Toronto.

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Tamin is CEO of Banyan Water, an integrator of smart water management companies. He is also Chairman of Imagine H2O, a global organization spurring entrepreneurship in the water industry through innovation prizes and a water business incubator. Tamin also serves on the Board of Directors of Lux Research, a leading provider of research and analytics on water and other clean technology markets. He is a frequent speaker on water business opportunities. Previously, Tamin was a Principal at Catamount Ventures, a $215 million venture capital firm, where he invested in and supported the growth of portfolio companies in water, energy, and the environment. Before joining Catamount, Tamin was a principal investor at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he co-founded and managed Goldman Sachs E&P Capital to invest in private energy companies, overseeing growth to over $200 million in capital invested. Tamin also served on the founding team of Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, a $1 billion middle-market lending business. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Tamin held a business development position with Launch Media through its acquisition by Yahoo! Tamin holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB with honors from Harvard University.

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David has over 25 years of landscape management and irrigation experience. David received his Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation from Lakehead University in 1987, completed his Horticulturist/Greens keeper apprenticeship becoming a Certified Journeyman in 1993, and achieved LEED AP certification in 2009. He is member of the Irrigation Association and Certified as an Irrigation Auditor. David has held positions as principal of a commercial landscape/irrigation firm, Sales Manager for a national irrigation distributor and served on the provincial Minister’s Apprenticeship Advisory Board. For the past 14 years he has been an instructor in the Ontario Horticulturist Apprenticeship program at Fleming College. David has authored numerous articles on water and horticulture issues for national and regional publications. His focus for the past 5 years has been developing and implementing strategies for the conservation of potable water in urban landscapes. In his capacity as a water use expert, David has consulted for provincial, city and municipal governments and speaks to Condo boards, property managers and community groups on the necessity and opportunities for potable water conservation in urban landscapes.

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As Executive Director of Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC) and Principal of the SeeLine Group Ltd., Mike Singleton has more than 20 years experience as an energy economist focused on energy policy and resource planning. In his role as Executive Director of SBC, Mike is focused on building capacity through the use of hands-on activities including Design Charrettes aimed at demonstrating the potential to improve building designs and operations through the integrated design process.

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Robert has worked for the last 13 years at Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and was recently appointed IBC’s Director of Research. He leads the policy development aspect of IBC’s Adaptation to Climate Change initiative. Robert is steering the development of a risk assessment tool that will allow municipalities to pinpoint water infrastructure weaknesses and help the industry understand and underwrite risks associated with infrastructure failure. He also represents the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry on numerous boards, round tables and committees, including the advisory committee to the National Round Table on the Economy and the Environment; the Conference Board’s Leaders Round Table on Adaptation to Climate Change; and the Board of Directors of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. Previously, Robert spent nine years in IBC’s Public Affairs and Marketing department as Manager, Industry Issues. Robert started his career in economic development as General Manager of the Northwest Industrial Commission in Edmundston, New Brunswick, and later held the position of Director of Government and Public Affairs at Mediacom in Quebec City. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick.

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NCASI is a non-profit environmental research organization that seeks to create credible scientific information required to address the environmental information needs of the forest products industry in North America. NCASI’s areas of research include air quality, water quality, chemicals management, aquatic biology, residuals management, climate change, watershed management, wildlife & biodiversity, and conservation planning. Kirsten received a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1988 and an international master’s certificate in Pulp and Paper and Process Control from the Helsinki University of Technology in 1989. Prior to launching NCASI’s Canadian Operations, Kirsten worked for the Forest Products Association of Canada during the three years spanning its transition from the predecessor Canadian Pulp and Paper Association. In the preceding decade, she worked for H.A. Simons in Vancouver (in engineering consulting for the Canadian and U.S. pulp & paper industry), Radian Corporation in Washington, D.C. (undertaking environmental consulting for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in Toronto (in regulatory development).

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Anthony Watanabe founded the Innovolve Group almost 8 years ago, at a time when sustainability had not yet penetrated into mainstream consciousness. He has since seen the curve of consumer demand rise and, with it, the deliberate attention of industry to issues of social and environmental concern. Today, working with multinationals such as P&G, Kraft, RBC and Alcan Packaging, with non profits such as the WWF or the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, or with government agencies at both domestic and international levels, the Innovolve Group is at the forefront of helping leading organizations commercialize their sustainability innovations through a mix of strategy, program ideation & mobilization and stakeholder relations. Dr. Watanabe is widely recognized as a thought leader in the business of sustainability. In addition to a series of published articles in mainstream and trade media, he is an accomplished speaker having delivered presentations on sustainability to business, government and civil society organizations in Canada, the United States and Europe.

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Cynthia has dedicated her life to building bridges of understanding between people. She has a particular interest in developing creative solutions to complex social issues and sees endless merit in bringing people from diverse cultures, ages, and backgrounds together to engage in practical dialogue. She is an Advisory Member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, holder of the Nexen Chair for Aboriginal Leadership out of the Banff Centre, a Lady of the Lake (Simcoe), and a returning member of the MOE Lake Simcoe Science Committee. She is an active and engaging media representative and the Federal Candidate for the York-Simcoe Riding. Cynthia is a member of the Chippewa of Georgina Island First Nation in Lake Simcoe and has made a life-long commitment to educating the public about the history and culture of the Native peoples of Canada. Her areas of interest include historical and political relations, historic trauma, reconciliation, media representation, the environment and youth engagement.

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Doug’s career spans thirty years in the areas of sustainable development and environmental management. As Managing Director of the Environment Centre at the Ontario Centres of Excellence, he helped entrepreneurs bring innovative ideas, technologies and services into play for the betterment of Ontario’s economy, environment and prosperity. Before that he served as Director, Policy and Planning for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), and as Director of Programs for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America. A founder and Managing Partner of the environmental policy firm RFI, Doug has designed and led numerous policy analysis, institutional development, impact assessment and evaluation studies at home and abroad. He is now an independent environmental consultant working in Toronto. Doug holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Environmental Studies/Geography from the University of Toronto.

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