As Federal Affairs Manager for NESTE US Inc., Alex is responsible for regulatory and policy issues relating to renewable jet fuel, renewable diesel, and other Neste products. Alex is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization's Fuels Task Group, which developed the framework for including Sustainable Aviation Fuels in CORSIA.  Prior to joining Neste, Alex was the Director of Environmental Affairs at Airlines for America, and was an environmental attorney in private practice.      

U.S. Federal Affairs Manager, Neste

Trained as a lawyer and certified Project Management Professional, Tarek is an experienced leader, successful entrepreneur, inventor, and passionate educator. He built Moharram Ventures as an idea factory where he can concentrate the creative power of human competence through effective collaboration.  One of his more notable projects is Truly Green Plastic™, where a team of his Contributors has developed patent-pending technology to convert cannabis plant waste into fully-biodegradable plastic. Tarek has been the senior leader behind a handful of multi-million-dollar companies, a Board Director and Board Chair serving community organizations, the talent evaluator responsible for hiring hundreds of employees, and the principal responsible for building and sustaining winning team cultures. 

Founder & President, Moharram Ventures

Steve Csonka is the Executive Director of CAAFI (the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative, www.caafi.org) an industry partnership fostering the development and commercialization of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).  CAAFI engages in public-private-partnerships designed to assist in bringing together the group of participants needed to stand up an entirely new industrial sector. Steve is a commercial aviation professional with 34 years of broad, strategic airline and aviation OEM experience. For the last decade, he has been a strong industry advocate who has developed pragmatic solutions to the challenges of aviation growth. Steve became CAAFI’s Executive Director in 2012. He continues to serve in leadership, steering committee, consultancy, and BOD roles with multiple aviation industry organizations in areas of applying technology and business concepts to enable the commercial progression of SAF. 

Executive Director of CAAFI (the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative

Dan became the first President and CEO of The Transition Accelerator (TA) upon its founding in September 2019. The TA collaborates with targeted groups across the country to solve major business or social challenges where significant greenhouse gas reductions can be built into the solution. Prior to accepting this position, he was CEO of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance for seven years, was Executive Director of the Canadian Forest Innovation Council, and has been a senior manager at Environment and Climate Change Canada and Natural Resources Canada. Dan has 25 years’ experience managing research, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration in and among industry, government, academia and civil society. He has a PhD from the University of Montana, an MSc. from the University of Calgary, and a BSc. from the University of Guelph. His initial career was football, as a linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

President and CEO, The Transition Accelerator

With more than 9 years in digital marketing strategy, Mallory brings a unique perspective on how brands can breakthrough the noise in 2020. From working in oil & gas, transportation, and defence industries to building her own globally-recognized e-commerce business on a student budget, Mallory believes every organization has an opportunity to thrive online. She is an advisor to the Queen’s University Women in Tech accelerator, a mentor in the not-for-profit Founders’ Fund, and has been featured in the Ottawa Business Journal, on the Shopify Masters podcast, and named one of United Way’s “People to Know”. She is a graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism. Talk to Mallory and ‘Give your Brand a Voice.’

Founder, MalMadeMeDoit

Ian has been President of Advanced Biofuels Canada (ABFC), the national trade association for advanced biofuel producers and developers, feedstock suppliers, and fuel distributors in Canada, since its inauguration in 2016. Its members have 14 billion litres of installed global capacity, and include both Canadian and global biofuel producers, and the leading next generation technology developers. ABFC, and its predecessor organization Western Canada Biodiesel, has provided over 15 years of guidance in Canadian federal and provincial fuels, carbon pricing, and climate policy. Ian currently chairs an advocacy coalition of non-fossil clean fuel trade associations and NGOs focused on an effective federal Clean Fuel Standard.

President, Advanced Biofuels Canada

Perry co-founded Steeper Energy in January 2011. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario’s School of Business, he has held various executive management positions related to corporate and business development within the conventional and renewable energy industries. He has over 25 years senior executive experience with such companies as Noranda Gas, Murphy Oil, TransAlta, Novera Energy, Enmax, ABG Biodiesel, and Ignite Energy Resources.

CEO, Steeper Energy

Mary has spent over a decade working with clean energy companies on transportation and climate issues across the Pacific Coast. She has successfully led major campaign efforts to establish carbon programs and refine regulatory measures through strategic business engagement. Her work bridges the gap between the public and private sectors, with a focus on energy, transportation, and water. Solecki’s work has resulted in successful legislative campaigns, business-friendly amendments to public policies, and more robust climate programs.  She has served on California’s Low Carbon Advisory Panel, working closely with members of the California Air Resources Board and staff. Prior to joining AJW, Solecki spent eight years with Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a partner of Natural Resources Defense Council. She has worked in-depth on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and carbon programs in both California and Oregon.

Partner, AJW

As the first point of entry for all industry undertakings, Kyla’s main priority is protecting the rights and interests of Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek, along with teaching her community how to adapt in a changing climate. She sees true value in the use of green/clean energy in order to fight Climate Change and lower carbon emissions for upcoming generations. Kyla also works closely alongside the Community Planner and Development Manager researching best practices as they push forward into construction. She has been exploring clean energy initiatives to help her community achieve its vision of a Green Community, and has a profound passion for environmental preservation and protection. Kyla believes if humanity works together to understand and carry out these clean energy initiatives our world will still be here seven generations from now. She is strongly involved in youth engagement, including them in the dialogue, and teaching them new ways of seeing in order to equip them with all the tools of today. Kyla is the proud mother of six Ojibway children, and co-author of The Palgrave Handbook of Global Arts Education.

Advisory Council Member – ICE (Indigenous Clean Energy), Consultation Coordinator/Climate Change Specialist & 20/20 Catalyst 2018 Cohort

Jordan has been President and CEO of Ecostrat for over 20 years where he oversees the Biomass Advisory Group and the Biomass Supply Group. He has overseen the supply of more than 5MM tons of biomass feedstock to projects around North America. As head of Ecostrat Advisory, Jordan has led supply chain de-risking teams for JP Morgan, Shell, Enviva, NREL, DTE Energy, Macquarie Bank, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Southern Company, Rentech, Noresco, EDF, Sweetwater, Solvay, McKinstry, LaFarge, PGE, Eastman, Coca-Cola, Johnson Controls, Siemens, and the Canadian government. He is presently the leading partner with US National Laboratory INL in a 5 year project to develop the new US National Standards for Biomass Supply Chain Risk for the US Department of Energy.

President and CEO, ECOSTRAT Inc.

Sandy leads SF Consulting, an independent forest and bioeconomy advisory company.  Throughout her career she has worked in senior business development and strategic roles with private, not-for-profit, and government organizations in Canada and the UK. She most recently served as VP Corporate Affairs at Conifex Timber Inc. a Canadian forest products and biomass power producer, and the Director of Marketing at the BC Bioenergy Network. She is a board member of Bioindustrial Innovation Canada and the Canadian Bioeconomy Conference.

Principal, SF Consulting

​Brian joined Iogen in 1982 and became the company’s CEO in 1986. He has been responsible for the formation and operation of the company’s strategic alliances and overseen Iogen’s technology development and positioning. Under his leadership, Iogen became a world leader in cellulosic ethanol, and built a successful business manufacturing industrial enzymes. Brian holds Bachelors degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering and a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all received in 1980.

President and CEO, Iogen Corporation

Christopher Hessler founded the government relations firm AJW and is recognized as one of the country’s foremost experts in environmental market mechanisms and renewable fuels policy. With three decades of experience, he specializes in leveraging public policy to help clean technologies enter and thriv.e in energy and environmental markets

Managing Partner, AJW Inc.

Jeff has worked in the renewable energy, renewable chemicals, and bio-economy sectors for 40 years. His expertise includes strategic investor relations, project capital attraction, site location assessment, and corporate communications. In 2010, he launched the management consultancy Passmore Group Inc. In November, 2016 he created Canada’s inaugural Bioeconomy Conference “Scaling Up” focussing on the commercialization challenges faced by biochemical, bioenergy, biofuels, and bioproducts technology providers. He has served on the CleanTech Advisory Board of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and on Canada’s National Advisory Board on Energy Science & Technology. He is the Past Chair of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, Past Chair of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, Past Chair of the Solar Energy Society of Canada, Past Vice-Chair of the Independent Power Producers’ Society of Ontario, and Past President of the Ottawa Chapter of the International Association for Energy Economics.

CEO, Passmore Group Inc., Chair, Scaling Up 2018