Ratik Kapoor

Jacob's Bio

Jacob Irving | President & Chief Executive Officer, Energy Council of Canada
Future of Energy Panel (Friday 10:30-11:30)

Following his longstanding participation on the Energy Council of Canada’s Board of Directors, Jacob Irving became the organization’s President in January of 2018. His nearly twenty-year career in the Canadian energy industry has been divided almost evenly between the petroleum and electricity sectors. He has spent more than half of this time, successfully leading prominent energy industry associations, including the Oil Sands Developers Group and the Canadian Hydropower Association.

Originally from the Huron and Franco-Ontarian community of Penetanguishene, Mr. Irving attended primary and secondary school entirely in French, which led him to pursue his post- secondary studies at the University of Ottawa. His education and work experience have taken him from South Africa, to Calgary, to Fort McMurray with a return to Ottawa.

Mr. Irving has significant knowledge of Canadian energy systems combined with a specialization in the areas of government policy, regulation, communications and stakeholder engagement. He is a passionate promoter of all forms of Canadian energy, particularly to international audiences, outside Canada. As the President of the Energy Council of Canada, he strongly believes that better energy conversations yield better energy decisions, especially in a sophisticated and ever-changing democracy like Canada.

Energy Council of Canada

Pablo's Bio

Pablo Pina | Academic Chair, Sustainability, MacPhail School of Energy, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Innovation Gallery (Saturday morning)

Trained to understand how the earth works and how it supports life in areas of biological, physical, and earth sciences, Pablo Pina has pursued his passion for water and environmental sustainability through a career that has brought together research, consulting and higher education.

With a bioscience undergraduate degree, a master’s in environmental biology and a doctorate in water and land resources, Pablo has worked as a research associate at the University of Calgary and consulted with clients across the non-profit sector, industry and government. His research and presentations on it have taken him from Canada and the United States to Mexico and Central and South America, along with Switzerland and France.

Pablo joined SAIT in 2017, taking a role as the Academic Chair of Water Sustainability — helping SAIT develop and unveil the groundbreaking Integrated Water Management diploma program in 2019. In 2020, his role evolved as he was named the Academic Chair of Sustainability which has him contributing to the development of the sustainability portfolio through innovation, research integration and talent development. 

MacPhail School of Energy, SAIT

Vlad's Bio

Vlad Zatonski | Sr. Technology Development Engineer, Eavor
Round Tables (Friday afternoon)

Vlad Zatonski is a Professional Engineer, with 15+ years of experience in the energy industry, holding varied roles including: closed loop geothermal, thermal, unconventional, offshore and new ventures oil and gas roles. Vlad is passionate about risk and uncertainty analysis, data analytics, and application of engineering principles to solve complex problems.

Vlad holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering with a Petroleum minor and a Master’s in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering from the University of Calgary. Vlad is registered as a P.Eng with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geologists of Alberta (APEGA) and holds a membership with the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Eavor

Murdoch's Bio

Murdoch McKinnon | PhD Student, University of Waterloo
Youth Environmental Action Panel (Saturday Morning)

Murdoch is a PhD student in Geography at the University of Waterloo. His research involves studying a new method to turn oil well pads back into peatland wetlands just outside of Slave Lake, Alberta. Accordingly, he spends much of his time knee-deep in peat, swatting mosquitoes, and pouring water out of his boots—all in the name of science.

He is also a member of the new Youth Advisory Council at Ducks Unlimited Canada, where he works as part of a team of young people from across the country to help improve wetland conservation programming for youth. When not out studying a wetland or in the lab, Murdoch can usually be found exploring the Canadian Rockies on foot or on skis.

DUC Youth Advisory Council